Photo By Staff Sgt. Evan Lane | Sgt. Lewis Neal, from Little Rock, Ark., carefully removes tape from an epoxy patch he...... read more read more
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Rotate the tires. Change the oil. Clean the air filter.
These are the kind of mechanical tasks most drivers are familiar with.
Fabricate a spar for the stabilator from stock aluminum. Spot patch stress fractures. Conduct nondestructive inspections on the main rotor assembly.
These are the kind of mechanical tasks Camp Bondsteel’s aviation mechanics conduct to keep the fleet of UH-60 Black Hawks in the sky.
These tasks are conducted by specialized mechanics in the 449th Aviation Unit Maintenance company of Little Rock, Ark., commanded by Capt. Kelly Colgan from Maumelle, Ark.
“We support line units like the medevac and lift companies,” he said. “It’s just like on a truck. You have to do preventive maintenance to ensure it doesn’t break down, and we’re here to focus on that aspect so that the flight crews can have more time in the air.”
A Black Hawk’s parts are a bit more expensive than a Chevy’s, though, with a new hub assembly weighing in at approximately $79,000. With parts that expensive and complex, keeping the aircraft flying takes a lot of work.
“On average we conduct four hours of maintenance for every hour of flight time,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald Helton, from Syracuse, Neb., warrant officer in charge of overall aviation maintenance.
Although it is not as simple as just putting in four hours, said Sgt. Lewis Neal, a helicopter powertrain mechanic from Little Rock, Ark.
Maintenance is an ongoing process that is done whenever it is needed.
Whenever a work order is filed, repairs are directed to one of the specialty shops for completion.
Sgt. Charles Parker, a general helicopter mechanic, and his crew prepare the tools and remove aircraft parts to give access to the damaged area.
“We do our research in the training manuals and find out what exactly is needed for a repair,” said Parker. “Once the aircraft is in our hangar, we’re responsible for all of it. That includes daily maintenance tasks, so while we’re working on a specific issue, we’re also checking off as many of those tasks as possible.”
One of the more frequent repairs is of small stress fractures in the hull or blades.
“We have to conduct non-destructive inspections to search for those cracks and wear,” said Neal.
There are five methods to search for cracks, including x-raying the area in question. Neal uses different techniques to inspect parts depending on what they are fabricated from, including aluminum, titanium, manganese, stainless steel and composites.
“There are certain criteria you have to meet. One is to flex it and see if it opens, and sometimes you’ll get people who flex it enough to cause it to crack more,” said Neal, chuckling.
After a crack has grown to a certain size the part must be repaired.
Rather than just ordering a new part, which could be expensive and time consuming, Staff Sgt. Glen Polit, who specializes in sheet metal fabrication, builds a patch.
To fix a crack in one of the stabilator ribs, he cut and built a part from scratch.
“We started with a piece of aircraft grade aluminum about four feet by eight feet,” said Polit.
“Then Neal and I sawed it down on the band saw. I polished it down and coated it with an epoxy primer,” he added.
The part will then replace the factory spar and be painted to match the Black Hawk.
An essential part of their role is making that repair process as invisible and smooth as possible, said Colgan, who also noted that the 449th has an excellent safety record.
“It requires a lot of scheduling to keep them flying,” agreed Paker. “Rushed maintenance is unsafe maintenance, so we need enough time to make sure the people in the aircraft are safe.”
“I love it,” said Polit. “I started out as a medic, then flight medic, but then I met a guy in sheet metal in 2005. I thought, ‘Power Tools!’ and have been here ever since.”
Each soldier in the 449th seemed to share that love of their work. And with multimillion-dollar aircraft and human lives at stake, it’s good to know that level of devotion is present. Their continued support of Camp Bondsteel’s aviators keeps the Black Hawks in the sky and ready to perform their mission.
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2011 06:35 |
| Story ID: | 74327 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 232 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Camp Bondsteel's mechanics keep Black Hawks aloft, by SSG Evan Lane, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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