- [Christopher] My name's Senior Airman Christopher Caruso.
I was deployed with the 455th in Bagram
during May, 2017 through October, 2017.
While deployed, I developed a Mobile Pod Test Stand,
which is capable of
allowing the maintainers to actually perform
either maintenance, op checks,
and actually storage of a pod on it.
Previously, we were only able to perform maintenance,
primarily on an aircraft.
Or the pod would be stored on what is known as
an Egyptian dolly, where we're unable to completely
perform maintenance.
With the aid of the Mobile Pod Test Stand
we're able to bring out there the pod to the aircraft,
and actually interface with either the pylon
or Hardpoint via a jumper cable.
While the jumper cable can
be used when
a pod is actually stored on an aircraft,
so with just disconnecting the cam plugs
from the aft of the pylon,
we just connect the jumper cable in between.
I designed this rack in
a manner so that it's capable of being used between
all set ups of aircraft,
whether there's tanks on the aircraft or pods.
So this,
storage rack can actually go in between
a tank and a pod while stored on it.
Time savings overall for this mobile pod test stand
allows us within 20 minutes bring out a pod
and actually op check it,
and have it returned to service possibly
in an additional 20 minutes.
Normally we would have to spend upwards
of an hour to two hours to actually install a pod,
ops check it, then remove a pod if I needed
to turn that aircraft back to service.
Now with this just 20 minutes,
that's involving two personnel overall,
and while that pod is stored on the test stand
I'm able to complete all op checks in a timely manner,
and actually do it safely.