MAINTAINING THE SKY

Photo By Sgt. Jason Boyd | Senior Airman Raphael Garrett, an aircraft hydraulics system specialist, does his pre-flight checks on the C-130 Hercules from the 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, during Northern Strike 16, Aug. 15, 2016. Northern Strike 16 is a National Guard Bureau-sponsored exercise uniting approximately 5,000 Army, Air Force, Marine, and Special Forces service members from 20 states and three coalition countries during the first three weeks of August 2016 at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, both located in northern Michigan. The exercise strives to provide accessible, readiness-building opportunities for military units from all service branches to achieve and sustain proficiency in conducting mission command, air, sea, and ground maneuver integration, and the synchronization of fires in a joint, multinational, decisive action environment. (Michigan National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Boyd/Released)  

MI, UNITED STATES

08.15.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Jason Boyd 

Michigan National Guard

The airmen who perform these task each have a certain job that must be done to ensure that each box is checked before these aircraft can be readied for take off. They maintain each of these aircraft as if they were their own -- because essentially they are.
Senior Airman Raphael Garrett, an aircraft hydraulics systems specialist with the 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Reserve Base Georgia, is tasked with making sure that all of the hydraulic systems on these aircraft flow flawlessly to enable the pilots to maneuver the cargo aircraft through the skies.
“Nothing on this aircraft will move unless the hydraulic system is functioning properly,” Garrett said while performing his pre-flight systems checks on the aircraft. “I check each system to ensure that there are no leaks or signs of wear and make sure that everything is operational.”
The 94th Airlift Wing, is at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center for a week in support of Operation Northern Strike by perform air drops and other flight maneuvers.
Garrett isn’t the only one who has maintenance checks to perform on these aircraft.
Senior Airman Devon Merrell performs the same types of checks on the outside of the aircraft, looking for things like dents and leaks that might impede the aircraft’s ability to take flight.
“This aircraft can’t fly safely without all the checks we perform to get it ready for take off,” Merrell said.
Master Sgt. Ron Vehrs, an avionics technician, said airmen such as Garrett and Merrell are critical to the safe operation of the aircraft.
“These guys are the unsung heroes of the flight line,” Verhs said. “If they don’t do their jobs then the pilots can’t do theirs.”
Northern Strike 16 is a National Guard Bureau-sponsored exercise uniting approximately 5,000 Army, Air Force, Marine, and Special Forces service members from 20 states and three coalition countries during the first three weeks of August 2016 at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, both located in northern Michigan. The exercise strives to provide accessible, readiness-building opportunities for military units from all service branches to achieve and sustain proficiency in conducting mission command, air, sea, and ground maneuver integration, and the synchronization of fires in a joint, multinational, decisive action environment.

• Date Taken: 08.15.2016
• Date Posted: 08.15.2016 15:55
• Story ID: 207162
• Location: MI, US