C-130 maintainers keep mission-capable rates high

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • 416th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KARSHI-KHANABAD AIR BASE, Uzbekistan (AFPN) --  C-130 Hercules maintainers with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here are keeping mission-capable rates for C-130s as high as 15 percent above the Air Mobility Command standard.

“Mission-capability rates are a measure of the percentage of time an aircraft is capable of performing its designed mission,” said Lt. Col. Mike Lynch, 416th AEG maintenance deputy commander who is deployed from the Arizona Air National Guard at Phoenix. “In the case of our C-130s, that mission includes transporting personnel and cargo, plus performing airdrop missions.”

Colonel Lynch said all systems on a C-130 have to be functioning and kept in good repair for it to perform these missions.

The standard for the C-130 is 75 percent.

“In other words, the C-130s should be mission capable at least 75 percent of the time,” Colonel Lynch said. “We've maintained an average mission-capable rate of 88 percent for January to March, with January and February having rates of 90 percent.”

Colonel Lynch said the maintainers have formed a “very efficient” maintenance team, combining the best qualities of active-duty and Guard Airmen, maximizing the strengths of each.

“They are very professional and dedicated to providing safe, reliable aircraft to our aircrews,” Colonel Lynch said. “They also know that without the support of all the other agencies in the group … they would not be able to do their jobs.”

It is because of the maintainers working day and night that C-130s here are meeting the operational needs for Operation Enduring Freedom at such a high rate, said Master Sgt. Chuck Lucas, C-130 maintenance production superintendent deployed from the West Virginia Air National Guard at Charleston.

“There’s a sense of accomplishment to these Airmen every time a mission gets out of here on time,” he said.

On average, anywhere in the Central Command area, more than 130 C-130 airlift missions are flown every day, according to U.S. Central Air Forces statistics. C-130s moved about 1,900 passengers and more than 100 short tons of cargo supporting OEF, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa missions April 10.

“Every maintenance professional contributes something significant to the mission,” Colonel Lynch said. “They know how important every mission is because, if we fail, someone downrange will be forced to go without vital supplies such as food, water, medicine and ammunition. We know they are depending on us, and we will not let them down. Keeping our planes flying ensures that will happen.”

The success with the rates demonstrates the focus of the maintainers, said Chief Master Sgt. Jay Wilson, 774th EAS maintenance superintendent deployed from Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.

“I think this success is attributed to being in a deployed unit where keeping these planes flying is their sole focus,” he said. “No one sees individual units out there. All they see is the 774th.”