Combat metals flight fabricates essential aircraft parts

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shaun Emery
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  When maintainers here need new parts for their C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, they can't just head down to the local parts store and pick one up.

That's where the 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron's Combat Metals Flight comes in. The unit fabricates aircraft parts from scratch and with each cut, weld, and rivet, the team's hands-on work keeps the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's aircraft flying.

Metals technicians, who specialize in welding and machining parts, and sheet metals technicians, who specialize in manipulating sheet metal and welding, make up the combat metals flight. At state-side bases, the two career fields are separate. Here they work together to get parts in and out of the shop in a hurry.

"The planes can't fly until we replace the broken part," said Tech. Sgt. Charles Sandwell, a sheet metal technician from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. "So everyone has to chip in to get the planes back in the air."

Because time is of the essence, the combat metals team goes to the aircraft to see if a broken or damaged part can be fixed on the flight line. If not, the team takes the part, along with any significant parts it's attached to, and head back to the shop.

"If it's a big job, we have to bring it back here," said Master Sgt. Chandrea Girault, Combat Metals Flight chief deployed from Dyess AFB. "Some of these jobs produce a lot of foreign object debris, which can be hazardous on the flight line."

Some jobs take a matter of hours, while others can take days or even weeks. 

Recently an entire C-130 ramp was brought to the shop for a substantial repair job. Working around the clock, the project took two weeks to complete.

"Everyone put their hands on that project," said Senior Airman Steven Edwards, a sheet metal technician deployed from Whiteman AFB, Mo.

Although there is always a rush to make the new part and get it back on the plane, combat metals members pay attention to detail. Getting the job done right the first time is essential for the safety of the aircraft and crew. Often this attention to detail causes a job to take longer than expected.

"Sometimes we'll bring in something like a bad flap, and after inspection we'll see that the frame inside is cracked," Airman Edwards said. "So we have to repair that along with the initial problem. If we didn't, on the surface the part might seem okay, but over time, it could pose a threat, or cause the aircraft to be grounded again."

Combat metals technicians use a variety of machines and hand tools to fabricate new aircraft parts. In one corner of the shop, sparks fly as pieces of aluminum or stainless steel are welded together. In another, strands of metal pile up on the floor beneath a computer controlled lathe. In another, on a work-bench, a combat metals technician bends 90-degree angles in metal hydraulic lines, perfectly matching the one it will replace.

Not all combat metals jobs are for 386th AEW customers. Because they lack a certified welder on base, the wing's host nation partner also relies on the combat metals shop to fabricate parts for their equipment as well.

"They have their own quality assurance inspectors, but we have the welders," Sergeant Girault said. "It's great to be able to help them so they can accomplish their missions."

At the end of the day, combat metals members take pride in knowing they've created a product from scratch with their bare hands.

"We create precision parts from ordinary pieces of metal," Airman Edwards said. "Those parts help keep planes in the air so the wing can accomplish its mission, supplying cargo to troops downrange. It's a great feeling."