Herc undergoes reconstructive surgery

  • Published
  • By Capt. Eric Badger
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  After about a month of tender loving care performed by the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron's structural repair shop at a forward-deployed location, a C-130 Hercules is once again ready for flight. 

The C-130, from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and currently deployed to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, recently experienced an in-flight emergency at another forward-deployed location and was flown to this base for repairs. 

The emergency occurred to the aircraft upon takeoff, said Lt. Col. Don Atkinson, the squadron's commander. One of the aircraft’s tires blew causing gear door damage, the colonel said.

“Once the tire blew, the gear door flew up and didn’t completely break off, so it was flapping in the breeze,” he said. “The impact literally tore through some of the metal.” 

Structural repair shop technicians assessed the damage carefully before agreeing to the project, said 1st Lt. Kael Striegel, depot liaison engineer who provided on-site engineering support.

“We wanted to evaluate the damage first, to see if we could fix it,” said the lieutenant deployed from Tinker AFB, Okla. “Once it was determined that we could repair it, we got the flight authorization to fly it here. From that point, I supported the structural repair team by providing an extra set of eyes and hands to authorizing on-the-spot structural repair changes. My primary responsibility was to eliminate repair roadblocks and return the aircraft to the fight as soon as possible.” 

According to Tech. Sgt. Abel Rodriguez, a structural repair technician deployed from Channel Islands Air National Guard Base, Calif., the structural repair team painstakingly repaired the aircraft with style and substance in mind. 

“The framework was cracked and collapsed in numerous locations,” he said. “We replaced the damaged areas with fresh parts to enhance its appearance and longevity. Every aircraft is different, and some of the parts are so unique that you can’t order them anywhere. So we had to make some of the parts ourselves.” 

The repair process began when the structural maintenance team removed all of the damaged aircraft parts to determine what new parts they needed. The required parts were then ordered from various manufacturers. Once the parts arrived, repair work began. Afterward, the aircraft received operational checks to ensure it was safe for flight. Finally, the aircraft was deemed operational and returned to the aircraft inventory. 

“The feeling of accomplishment that we get from finishing up a project like this is something that can never be bought,” said Staff Sgt. James Quick, a structure repair technician deployed from Peterson AFB, Colo. “At first it seems as if it’s never going to end, and once you get to the end you just breathe a huge sigh of relief.” 

There’s nothing like leaving your mark on military history, explained Airman 1st Class Jaime Easley, another structure repair technician. 

“It’s always cool to see a plane somewhere that you’ve worked on,” he said. “One day I’m sure I’ll see this plane again and say ‘Hey, that’s the plane I fixed’. I never get tired of that.”