Photo By Aaron DeCapua | South Carolina Army National Guard Sgt. Hubert Coker a technical inspector, Company B,...... read more read more
Army aircraft must be maintained regularly throughout their service life. The design elements of every aircraft are very deliberate. In aircraft maintenance and repair; materials, thickness, and tolerances must be within a stringent standard. The U.S. Army employs an entire series of career fields to make sure the aircraft stay airborne and ready for their missions. Within the ranks of the 777th ASB, these professionals are able to accomplish their essential mission of ensuring their sister battalion, the 1-111th General Support Aviation Battalion's (GSAB), aircraft are ready for flight.
The 777th ASB from North Little Rock, Arkansas performs the more extensive overhauls of aircraft within the 77th CAB, while the GSAB flys the aircraft, supporting a wide range of missions in the U.S. Army Central theater.
The UH-60 Blackhawk, CH-47 Chinook, and AH-64 Apache are the major airframes supported by the 777th. Soldiers within the Bravo Co. 777th work in continuous 24 hour shifts seven days a week to ensure the aircraft receive the required maintenance, components, and inspections at the right time.
"While one section finishes a work order on an aircraft and calls it a day, another section is starting another aspect of maintenance on the aircraft. We all work together so that proper rest periods are observed while the aircraft maintenance continues 24/7," said Staff Sgt. Omar Huggi a phase maintenance supervisor for Bravo Company.
The Soldiers working on 77th CAB aircraft range in experience from one year to more than 40 years of seasoned maintenance experience. Each section has paired the seasoned maintainers with the newer soldiers to ensure the experience and continued training is passed on.
"Some things you just can't learn from a technical manual, but nothing takes the place of maintenance experience and leadership," said Pfc. Stephen Miller, a UH-60 helicopter repairer with Bravo Company.
The 777th arrived in August to Kuwait, however this isn't the first time these soldiers have worked with their counterparts from other states. In addition to their pre-mobilization training at Fort Hood the ASB team has had other opportunities to enhance team cohesion.
"Of historic note, this is the first time the 777th has had all it's wartrace elements while on deployment, however in June 2015 our annual training was held in Hawaii. It was great to see soldiers from Wyoming, Virginia, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico in action working together, and now that we are deployed we are safely in the run phase," said 1SG Roger Goodwin, Bravo Company First Sergeant.
The Bravo Company maintenance shops consist of specialists in avionics, airframe, composites, powertrain, powerplant, and technical inspectors. Each shop is specialized, but all work together to guarantee the aircraft receives the necessary parts and repairs so that the maintenance test pilots can certify the aircraft ready for it's mission set.
The Soldiers at the 777th are working at a 138 percent efficiency rate; a number they are proud to maintain. In addition to their duties, maintaining aircraft subject matter experts are tasked as part of the Downed Aircraft Recovery Team (DART). If an aircraft has mechanical problem on a mission, these team members are responsible for going to and bringing an aircraft back online. From something as minor as a sensor malfunctioning on startup, to serious situations which would require an aircraft to perform precautionary landing in order to be repaired, these soldiers must be ready to transition from maintainers to emergency mechanics ensuring these aircraft are airworthy for the pilots in the 77th CAB.
"There is no doubt the success that the 77th CAB has experienced is largely due to the ASB. Every day they execute direct support to the efforts within the U.S. Army Central area of operations. The work ethic and positive attitudes along with their expertise will ensure the CAB’s aircraft are superbly maintained throughout this deployment. Win the Day!" said Col. Pace commander of the 77th CAB.
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2016 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 210293 |
| Location: | KW |
| Web Views: | 320 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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