Prepping Santa’s sleigh: The mission continues when the aircraft returns

Photo By Capt. Mark Lazane | Maintainers from the 374th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan, prepare a C-130H aircraft during Operation Christmas Drop 2014 Dec. 11. Maintainers are integral to the success of any aircraft operation, but especially so on missions away from home station, such as OCD 14, where lack of spare aircraft and limited supplies and personnel make maintaining aircraft more difficult. OCD, a partnership between the 374th Airlift Wing, the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the longest-running Department of Defense-led humanitarian airlift operation and will provide 25 tons of critical supplies to 56 islands this year. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Mark Lazane/374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs)  

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GUAM, GUAM

12.14.2014

Story by Capt. Mark Lazane 

374th Airlift Wing

GUAM - There are many levels to Operation Christmas Drop. The donations, the packing, the rigging, the airplanes, the mission planning team, the maintainers, the air crew, support personnel; all have an integral role in OCD success. Here is a brief look at one aspect of the operation.

Most people know pilots and crew. They operate the airplane. But they’d never even get to the runway without their dedicated team of maintainers.

The men and women of the 374th Maintenance Group, part of the 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan, work around the clock to ensure pilots, crew and cargo safely arrive at their destination each and every day.

A maintainer’s mission never ends. Preflight, maintainers meticulously inspect the plane for defects or any aircraft maintenance issues. Once they ensure the aircraft has safely taken flight and is mechanically sound, maintainers stay ready to accept the aircraft post-mission.

When the aircraft returns, maintainers jump into action. They painstakingly check the aircraft for deficiencies, top off fluids, and perform prescribed maintenance as well as correct any issues that may have been identified during flight. Often, this means working through the night to do massive engine overhauls, if necessary.

Regardless of the amount of time it takes, maintainers pride themselves on their extraordinary ability to generate safe aircraft each day, especially during events such as Operation Christmas Drop, when operations tempo and distance from home station means mission failure if aircraft does not meet sky every day.

And aircraft met sky during OCD 14!

This year, the OCD team met 100 percent of its mission objectives. Every bundle was delivered to every scheduled island, on time and on target, all while utilizing only four aircraft, and also while working with the Air Force’s oldest C-130 Hercules aircraft in its inventory.
That success is mind-boggling, but not at all uncommon with 374th Airlift Wing participation around the world, and much of the success is directly related to the maintainer's efforts through the operation.

The maintainers came to OCD to perform, and perform they did.
Maintainers. They’re how the job gets done.

• Date Taken: 12.14.2014
• Date Posted: 12.13.2014 21:55
• Story ID: 150270
• Location: ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GUAM, GU