Dirty hands and smudged faces are just the icing on the cake when it comes to maintaining A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and C-130 Hercules. It’s all that and more that make engine and hydraulic maintenance one of the dirtiest jobs here.

Every aircraft that launches from the flightline here has been in the hands of a Pope maintainer. Whether it’s to change tires, rebuild an engine or overhaul the brakes, maintainers keep Pope flying.

On the front line are the maintainers who launch and recover aircraft every day. Airmen from the 43rd Maintenance Group and the 23rd Fighter Group work the flightline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of the heat or cold.

“We’re here to ensure we get a safe, on-time aircraft launched and that our pilots can return home safely,” said Master Sgt. Patrick Glenn, 23rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

The Airmen run pre- and post-flight inspections on the aircraft as well as troubleshoot any “gremlins” that may cause problems.

“Anyone can buy a part and just put it in,” said Staff Sgt. Curtis Dickens, 743rd Maintenance Squadron. “The hard part is troubleshooting and figuring how to fix the problem.”

Most often they service the aircraft with fuel, oil and fluids or change out tires. There are days when the gremlins are at their best and cause some pretty dirty situations.

When the Airmen need to change the hydraulic pumps, the brakes or the generator, the combination of heat and oil equal a guaranteed mess.

“Everyone out here has been covered head to toe in hydraulic fluid at some point,” Sergeant Glenn said.

The maintainers only have a few hours to turn the aircraft around and often find themselves quickly eating lunch or dinner with dirty hands. Every day it’s something different and every week the Airmen learn something new about servicing their aircraft.

“It’s not a job for everyone, but we have a lot of pride in what we do and don’t mind getting our hands dirty,” Sergeant Glenn said. “It’s a thrill to work all day on a jet and know when it takes off that you had a part in getting it there.”

Behind the front lines are the “iso” and “phase” shops.

The difference between what happens on the flightline and in “iso” or “phase” is similar to the difference between checking the fluids on your car and taking it into the dealership for an in-depth check-up.

Every C-130 goes in for its check-up once a year; A-10s go in after every 400 flying hours.

“Most of the time, the C-130s are just coming back from the desert,” said Tech. Sgt. Sean Wise, 43rd Maintenance Squadron. “They’ve been over there landing in every possible condition and when they get back, they’re filthy.”

The Airmen have to clean the aircraft as they inspect and repair it inch by inch. They deal with fuel, hydraulic fluid, engine oil, dead bugs, dead birds and even dead bats. Anything that can go through the propeller or turbine eventually gets stuck somewhere in the engine or elsewhere in the plane.

Some of the dirtiest jobs are changing the turbines, propeller leaks and overhauling the brakes.

“When you change out an air shroud inlet you wear white coveralls and work in the dark on your back,” said Tech. Sgt. Jason Partridge, 43rd MXS. “You come out covered in soot and then you have to go back in there with sealant. It gets all over your face and clothes … it’s a mess.”

The 43rd MXS hydraulics shop has gone to great lengths to try and block to flow of hydraulic fluid they encounter on their job, he said.

“The fluid goes down your wrench, down your arm and hits your nether-regions,” said Master Sgt. Scott Reilly, 43rd MXS. “It’s unstoppable. We’ve tried every trick in the book to try and stop it. We’ve tried capping the line, vacuuming it and even tying a rag around our wrist, but the fluid always soaks through.”
The Airmen don’t seem to mind the fluid, grime and grease. They say it’s all part of the job.

“What’s important is that we put on the flightline a better product than what came in and make sure it’s good to fly until we get it back in the shop again,” said Staff Sgt. Anthony Morris, 43rd MXS.

Maintainers are under tough timelines to turn around the aircraft and get them back in the air, he said.

“We’ve had our hands on every C-130 out there,” Sergeant Wise said. “A lot of people don’t see all of the work we do because it’s hidden behind panels, but we’ve had our hands in every aspect of maintaining the aircraft.”

To be a good maintainer, the consensus among the Airmen was this: a sense a humor, a basic knowledge of mechanics and to not be afraid to get dirty, he said.

“We know the planes need to be fixed and we have to fix them,” Sergeant Wise said. “If you can cope with the dirt and the rest of it, you can do anything.”