First-response MAFFS Maintenance Teams Achieve Excellence
By Maj. Kimberly Holman
California Air National Guard
BOISE, Idaho — The C-130s equipped with MAFFS, the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, fly without complaint, fighting a relentless battle, seemingly without issue.
But they stay in the air only due to the tireless efforts of maintenance heroes who keep them in top shape.
Since the request for assistance went out last Friday night, July 18, there have already been several instances in which these maintenance specialists have saved the day and gotten the mission off the ground. In less than 48 hours from the time the request was issued, two aircraft from Cheyenne's 153rd Airlift Wing were in Boise, Idaho, ready to join the battle fighting the wildfires raging through the northwest.
Weekends have no significance during fire season, and so on Sunday, July 20, maintenance specialists were asked to be present to ensure that the two aircraft departed without problems. One aircraft made the scheduled takeoff time of 11:00 a.m., but the other did not.
"Two valve housings and a nosewheel steering problem were just a few of the issues that ended up significantly delaying our departure, but our maintenance guys persevered. Nine hours later we finally took off for Boise," said Maj. Toshio "Toshi" Sameshima, current MAFFS mission commander. "These guys just didn't give up. Senior Master Sgt. Kelly Bortz and Master Sgt. Justin "Spot" Hale were the Lead Crew Chiefs, and along with Senior Airman Amy DeBoer and Master Sgt. Scott Smith they kept working despite repeated frustrations. All of these troops deserve recognition for a very hard job well done."
"With multiple maintenance issues at home station, they worked over 16 hours that day to ensure it arrived in Boise on the delivery date and was ready to start flying missions the following morning," said Lt. Col. Thomas "T.J." Gagnon who was MAFFS mission commander when the mission began. "They also used this opportunity to provide training to other maintenance personnel in how to conduct safe MAFFS maintenance operations despite the urgency and limited resources of this mission."
Master Sgt. Zak Havel and Staff Sgt. Mark Bennett are engine technicians for MAFFS. Together they identified an unsafe augmentation duct and worked extra hours to repair a cracked bleed air duct and damaged fuel lines, said Gagnon. "Their diligent efforts that morning allowed the aircraft to be fully mission capable before the crew arrived for their duty day," and the aircraft departed on time, he said.
Senior Airman Josh Pennock, Senior Airman Jacob Peterson and Senior Airman Ron Bahre were among the maintenance crew present for initial response, but this was their first MAFFS deployment experience. Gagnon noted that they were "extremely self-motivated, and required little direction from their supervisor." They were instrumental in resolving the nosewheel steering problem which resulted in "zero down time of the MAFFS aircraft," said Gagnon.
Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Tschacher of Cheyenne's 153rd Airlift Wing is the Maintenance Superintendent for this rotation. "Yesterday afternoon one of the aircraft had some problems after takeoff, and had to return to the base and land. But this was at an airport where there they didn't have anyone to work on our airplanes," he said. "I spoke to Tech. Sgt. Damian Hoffmann, the flight engineer, and we figured out what part we needed, and we acquired the part from our wing in Cheyenne. Within two hours we had the part in the mail, overnighted to them."
When asked if this kind of quick turn-around was typical, he didn't hesitate to say that it was very routine. "This is a real mission, not training. People get stuff done," said Tschacher.
The National Interagency Fire Center, known as NIFC, came through with the final piece of the puzzle, solving the problem of getting someone there to actually fix the airplane. "NIFC offered to fly two of our maintainers down to Hill Air Force Base in Salt Lake City from Boise early this morning using a U.S. Forest Service lead plane," said Lynn Ballard, MAFFS Liaison Officer for the operation. "We are all working toward the same goal, to try and get our heavy air tankers back in the fight."
The maintainers arrived and fixed the aircraft before noon, and launch orders for fires in Utah came shortly after. "Teamwork is evident in all we do in this mission," added MAFFS Air Expeditionary Group Commander Col. Charles Davis, III. "The Air National Guard has a 43-year relationship with these agencies founded in trust and cooperation."
"I am amazed by the maintenance crews' commitment to the mission; all of them have the same drive to succeed," said Sameshima. "We all thrive on the support of the ground and support crews, both military and the U.S. Forest Service, out there in the extreme heat for hours upon end. The Air Guard is an all-volunteer force, and these guys gave up their time with their families, even with their kids out of school for summer. These guys are awesome. They get the job done anytime, anywhere."
Source: http://aegmaffs.wordpress.com/2014/07/27/first-response-maffs-maintenance-teams-achieve-excellence/
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