Photo By Cpl. Samantha Sanchez | The path plug created for the U.S. Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue...... read more read more
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Approximately 103,000 guests attended the 2022 Kaneohe Bay Air Show and Open House as the U.S. Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, flew over Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Unbeknownst to many and away from the main event, Marines and sailors from the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24, MALS-24, were about to conduct their very own “Air Show” performance.
The "Blues on the Bay" air show was free and open to all residents and visitors of Oahu, and the community did not disappoint as the air show saw record-breaking crowds. It was an amazing opportunity to host the local community and performers while simultaneously showcasing Hawaii's military presence to the public.
As “Hawaii’s Air Show,” many local community members and visitors of Oahu were in attendance, either as performers, vendors, or just spectators.
If you ask anyone who attended, they might tell you everything went smoothly with all of the demonstrations happening right on cue. However, if it was not for a little behind the scenes magic, the last day of the Air Show would have been short by an aircraft or two.
On Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, the Blue Angel F/A 18 Super Hornet “Number 6” sustained a “bird strike” during its performance, forcing the pilot to abort the demonstration early in order to prevent a potentially serious mishap.
“On Saturday evening, I received a phone call from my division chief letting me know something had happened and I had to come in,” said Marine Cpl. Sawyer Figlow, a maintenance supervisor for airframes at MALS-24. “The Blue Angels’ crew told me what capability they had, what parts they had on hand, and what they needed to fix it.”
After assessing the aircraft, Figlow spoke to a representative at Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer, about his solution. Then, Figlow had to convince the Blue Angels’ staff that MALS-24 was able to fix “Number 6.”
“Originally, their plan was to keep the [aircraft] on island until parts came in or to disassemble the bird and pack it into a shipping container,” explained Figlow. “Here at MALS-24, our mission is to increase overall capability. I knew what call to make.”
After convincing the right people that they had the necessary capabilities to fix the aircraft, the Marines and sailors of MALS-24 manufactured a path plug utilizing their Ultimaker S5 desktop additive manufacturing machine. The Ultimaker S5 is a 3D printer that allowed for the recreation of the path plug needed to fix the aircraft.
The path plug was utilized to fill a hole, located in a critical area between the fuselage and the aircraft’s intake, created during the “bird strike” incident. MALS-24 and the Blue Angels’ maintainers worked together to install the plug patch and repair the damaged area.
After further inspection, “Number 6” was ready for testing and, following testing, ready to perform on Sunday – the final day of the 2022 Air Show. However, their work was not yet finished.
During a routine inspection, the nose landing gear bracket on Blue Angel “Number 2” was damaged, and a replacement part was not available in Hawaii.
The nose landing gear bracket required immediate attention as it is one of the many critical components that comprise the main strut of the landing gear. Without it, the aircraft would not be able to land safely.
“Using a computer aided design and water jet cutting technology, we were able to recreate the bracket needed,” said Aircraft Structural Mechanic Second Class Otis Ramey, an airframe mechanic with MALS-24. “When you’re working with a metal like that, you need to make sure it’s perfect or it’ll crack.”
After fabricating the bracket, the MALS-24 team had to bend and shape it to form, which, according to Ramey, was a nerve-wracking process.
“We needed to bend it to the specific angle, so with our civilian counterpart we knew where to bend it and how far,” explained Ramey. “Knowing this was for the Blue Angels, my heart was racing and I kept thinking ‘I need to get this right.’”
After successfully bending the bracket and getting the “all clear” during the inspection, Ramey was extremely relieved that his team’s work paid off.
“I called my family and was like ‘I just worked on one of the Blue Angels,’” recalled Ramey. “I was so excited because it’s not every day that you get the opportunity to do so.”
Due to their quick reaction, ingenuity and incorporation of innovative technology, MALS-24 was able to provide an efficient repair using fabricated components. Their actions allowed for an uninterrupted air show and the Trans-Pacific return of the Blue Angels aircraft to the continental U.S.
“I believe that many other people could’ve been in the same position that I was in. All the other [noncommissioned officers] are very talented and technically capable,” said Figlow. “I just happened to be the one to get that phone call and made the call as the subject matter expert.”
| Date Taken: | 10.12.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.17.2022 20:53 |
| Story ID: | 431169 |
| Location: | MCB HAWAII, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 72 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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