Photo By Areca Wilson | Ernest Triplett, 1st Maintenance Squadron precision measurement equipment laboratory...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va.--He is precise with eyes unwavering, as he cautiously adjusts his settings while performing routine calibrations.
As a Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory technician, this U.S. Air Force Airman’s actions can affect the outcome of a physical assessment, a medical patient receiving trusted care or an F-22 Raptor landing safely after a flight.
“Anything that has a number to it, we calibrate and ensure it is reading what it should be reading,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ruben Mejia, 1st Maintenance Squadron PMEL technician. “The simplest way to explain it is when you’re driving and your car says you’re going 65 miles per hour, ‘how do you know you’re going 65 miles per hour and not 68 miles per hour?’ We are here to ensure the equipment we maintain is reading properly [and that it is up to standards].”
The 23-man PMEL shop at JBLE maintains approximately 5,100 pieces of equipment, ranging from torque wrenches, to equipment used to maintain F-22 landing gear. They support 98 agencies across the installation, to include the Fitness Assessment Cell, the 633rd Medical Group and the 1st Maintenance Group. They also assist the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army, U.S. Air National Guard and other Air Force bases across the country.
“Our job is important because it deals with equipment directly being used for the jets and their accuracy—things like a missile test that will check the electronics and accuracy of the missiles,” said Triplett. “Even [equipment as small as] a torque wrench, we probably get five to ten a day, needs to be calibrated properly because they make sure the nuts on the jets’ wheel are torqued to the right specification.”
The PMEL flight is divided in two main sections, electrical standards and physical dimensions, to support its customers. The electrical standards section deals with voltage, resistance, current, frequency and power while the physical dimension side of the house works with temperature, linear, force, tension and pressure measurements.
According to Triplett, PMEL Airmen perform their duties according to working standards that are compared to base measurement standards, which are the most accurate. He explained that each standard eventually traces back to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the core standard of each calibration.
To ensure the standard for each piece of equipment remains up-to-par, the Airmen document every adjustment or calibration they make.
According to Triplett, each piece of equipment has a calibration interval that is adjusted by the Air Force Metrology and Calibration Center depending on how long it stays within tolerance.
“If we are working on a piece of equipment that has a calibration interval of 12 months it should be in tolerance [for that period of time],” explained Triplett. “We want the equipment to be in tolerance 100 percent of the time, but if its less than 85 to 90 percent, its gets flagged by the Air Force Metrology and Calibration Center to adjust that interval down to nine months. That’s the importance of documentation for our job.”
Due to the nature of the equipment these technicians work with on a daily basis, safety is priority to prevent injury and death while on the job.
“Your parents told you at a young age ‘Don’t put your hand in the socket,’ well that was 115 volts at 60 hertz. Here we deal with up to 1,000 volts and up to 30 amps sometimes,” said Triplett. “In every procedure we do, the first step says, ‘Warning these procedures and steps could possibly cause injury or death,’ so you have to review every single procedure to familiarize yourself with it from beginning to end because it’s dangerous equipment.”
Although some of the calibrations could potentially cause serious injury or death if not done properly, Triplett, a former active duty Airman, explained that he is thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the vital mission of PMEL.
“What I love most about my job is representing the Air Force and the core values it stands for,” he said. “As an active duty member and civilian I’ve always been a person of integrity, service and excellence. This job has ‘precise’ in its name and so it’s very detailed. Just being part of something bigger than myself and being part of a team is one of the reasons why I came back here as a civilian.”
| Date Taken: | 03.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.27.2017 10:26 |
| Story ID: | 228148 |
| Location: | JINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | DIXON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 71 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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