SOUTHWEST ASIA -- In the first three months of 2010, Airmen supporting the KC-10 deployed air refueling in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility flew more than 1,000 sorties off-loading more than 108 million pounds of fuel to more than 6,600 aircraft in support of combat operations. To have that success, KC-10 aerospace propulsion Airmen like Senior Airman Alfonzo Pagan have to keep the Air Force's largest air refueling tanker ready for business.
Pagan is an aerospace propulsion journeyman with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Extender aircraft maintenance unit at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. He is deployed from the 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 305th Air Mobility Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and his hometown is Lawrence, Mass.
As an aerospace propulsion Airman in the 380th EAMXS, Pagan supports maintenance of the KC-10 aircraft deployed with the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron. On each KC-10 Extender, there are three General Electric CF6-50C2 turbofan engines that can provide up to 52,500 pounds of thrust each. For each of those engines to be in peak operating capacity for combat air refueling missions, it takes trained Airmen like Pagan to maintain them.
According to his official Air Force job description, Pagan inspects, maintains, modifies, tests, and repairs propellers, turboprop and turboshaft engines, jet engines, small gas turbine engines and engine ground support equipment . He also manages aerospace propulsion functions and activities.
In his duties to plan, organize and direct aerospace propulsion maintenance, he interprets and implements directives and publications pertaining to maintenance functions, including environmentally safe maintenance practices. Pagan also advises, performs troubleshooting and determines repair procedures on aircraft engines. He also diagnoses and repairs malfunctions using technical publications and solves maintenance problems by studying drawings, wiring and schematic diagrams, technical instructions and analyzing operating characteristics of aircraft engines.
Furthermore, Pagan is trained to remove, install, inspect, repair and modifies engines, engine modules and components, the job description states. He can disassemble and assemble engines adhering to prescribed procedures and prepare engines for installation, storage, or transportation. He's also trained to tests components using bench mockups and test equipment.
The job description further states his mandatory job knowledge includes knowing mechanical, hydro-mechanical, electrical, and pneudraulic principles applying to jet and turboprop engines, and propellers, oil analysis principles, wear metal criteria and guidelines, concepts and application of maintenance directives and using and interpreting diagrams and technical publications.
The 380th EAMXS is a sub-unit of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The wing is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry and RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft. The wing is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The 380th AEW supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.