Photo By Master Sgt. Kelly White | 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion technicians, rotate...... read more read more
Subscribe
Back-shop maintenance professionals here are responsible for in-theater upkeep of engines and propellers for U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.
Twenty active-duty, Reserve and Air National Guard Airmen form the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron’s C-130 Engine Centralized Repair Facility providing T-56 engine and C-130 E/H propeller repair supporting all C-130 aircraft flying in the AOR.
“The C-130 CRF serves as a Retained Task Center for T-56 engines,” said Chief Master Sgt. J.C. Gideon, 379 EMXS superintendent. “We have the capability to complete engine re-preservations, turbine and gearbox replacements and full breakdown, inspection, buildup and testing of C-130 propellers.
“Prior to returning the engine or propeller to supply, they are run across a test cell to ensure our customer receives a reliable product,” he added.
Without a centralized engine shop in the AOR, the Air Force would lose valuable time and millions of dollars in shipping costs, said Master Sgt. Reginald Lytch, 379 EMXS Propulsion Flight chief.
“We save the Air Force more than $17 million a year in depot and transportation costs,” he added. “And just as importantly, we save the Air Force the time it would take to ship an engine home, repair it and ship it back – keeping C-130 operations moving.”
There’s also a secondary benefit to keeping C-130 engine maintenance located in the AOR.
“The C-130 is a workhorse in this theater of operations. If we have to wait for parts to come from the states to fix an aircraft, we lose the use of it for about five days. Having this capability in theater allows parts to be repaired here and increases our aircraft availability to the war,” said Gideon. “Besides just the time and money, we open pallet spaces to transport other high-priority materials in and out of the AOR.”
The new group of aerospace propulsions Airmen have been here two weeks as a team and hit the ground running, added Gideon. He described them as a tremendous asset to the 379 EMXS as well as the entire AOR with the work they perform.
“This deployment is flying by,” said Staff Sgt. Phil Pham, 379 EMXS Propulsions Flight aerospace propulsion craftsman. “We’ve kept extremely busy, manning the shop 24/7 to keep the C-130 mission moving.”
On average, the group overhauls and tests more than 180 C-130 propellers, and repairs and tests more than 35 T-56 turboprop engines annually, meeting and exceeding Air Force Central Command’s average return rate for engines at 21 days and propellers at 13 days.
“I have been fortunate to work with many great Airmen over the
previous 11 months,” Gideon said. “These Airman are among the absolute finest. They have an incredible amount of drive and determination, and take a terrific amount of pride in their work.”
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2010 03:21 |
| Story ID: | 51640 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 328 |
| Downloads: | 219 |
This work, Centralized engine shop keeps C-130s flying, by SrA Spencer Gallien, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
