Crew chiefs keep the mission on track

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Brannen Parrish
  • 931st Air Refueling Group
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-KELLY, Texas --  The windshield was simply refusing to cooperate.

As the KC-135 Stratotanker approached San Antonio the aircraft commander's windshield began to fog. The window heater was on as evidenced by the co-pilot's clear view of the city below.

While the aircrew ran checklists and checked the circuit breakers, the pilot resorted to wiping the condensation from the window but it quickly returned. Again the pilot wiped off the window, and again the condensation returned. As soon as he cleaned the windshield, the window fogged. The pilot passed control to the co-pilot who landed the plane without incident.

On the ground, the crew chiefs, Tech. Sgt. Scott Perkins and Staff Sgt. Kevin Bolden of the 931st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron inspected the windshield and called back to McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., to speak to an electrical and environmental troop for troubleshooting tips. They identified the problem as a loose ground wire, tightened the connector, tested the windshield and verified it was working.

A broken windshield will ground a plane. At cruising altitude the temperature is so cold that without a windshield heater to keep the windows warm, the glass will start to contract and crack. Replacing windshields takes about eight hours and the sealant used requires a 24-hour cure time. Having another one shipped from home would have taken at least a day.
"When you are flying the aircraft is dealing with a lot of vibration, pressure and condensation," said Bolden. "Those external forces cause parts to loosen over time. We tightened the connector and tested it."

The windshield malfunction is one example of the value crew chiefs bring to the flying mission and one of a multitude of reasons why crew chiefs go where the aircrew goes.
The team was slated to fly the next two days but repairs would have made keeping that schedule impossible .

"We would have had to cancel our Aerospace Evacuation," said Maj. Scott Meyer, aircraft commander, 18th Air Refueling Squadron. "We need our crew chiefs to make repairs and coordinate repairs with the maintenance squadron. They have the technical knowledge and specialty to make repairs when things break."
Whenever a KC-135 aircrew goes on temporary duty, they bring at least two crew chiefs.

"You have to have a minimum of two for repairs and refueling," said Perkins. "One person corrects a problem and the other goes behind and inspects it to make sure it's fixed properly. When you refuel the aircraft, one guy is on the fuel panel and the other is refuel supervision."

Maintainers typically arrive an hour to an hour and a half before the aircrew to prep the plane for the day's flight. They turn on the power, open up the jet, refuel the plane and ensure the servicing is still good from the previous day.

All planes are not equal. After repeated flights and maintenance, components experience wear and tear. It's a fact of life in the maintenance community that some planes will require more servicing than others.

"Generally, you know from the first day whether the aircraft is going to need a lot of servicing," said Perkins. "If we have a plane that doesn't need a lot of servicing, then we usually show up an hour and a half before the aircrew to get it ready to fly. If the jet needs a lot of servicing, we will show up two and a half to three hours before the aircrew to get it ready"
The stakes are high when people are flying and crew chiefs know that if they miss something during their pre-flight aircraft inspections, it could result in a loss of life. When they turn an aircraft over to the pilots and aircrew, they are telling the aircrew the aircraft is flight-worthy.

"As a crew chief, we know we have done our jobs to the best of our abilities every time we sign our names to the aircraft forms," said Perkins. "We have to, because people's lives are in our hands and we embrace that responsibility with pride."