Weather can be rough but 433rd maintainers are tougher

  • Published
  • By Airman Steven Jorgenson
  • 433rd AW/PA
LACKLAND AFB, Tx --  The 433rd Maintenance Group's flight line is a busy place to work. Workers there maintain, fix or replace gears, brakes, engines and other parts on the C-5 Galaxy, allowing the craft to stay air-worthy.

In addition to maintenance on the aircraft, the flight line is also host to the Air Force's C-5 Galaxy training school. At least one C-5 a day must be continuously ready for static training. That number is only going to increase as the class' progress.

Despite the regularity of the work, anything could change at a moment's notice, on nature's whim. Weather affects work on the flight line more than expected, sometimes slowing down or even halting the day's duties. According to Senior Master Sgt. Jesse Hinojosa, pro-superintendent of the 433rd Maintenance Group, weather can put great strain on the mission.

"Especially lightning." said Sergeant Hinojosa. "With lightning we have to clear the flight line. All personnel have to take cover ... even the C-5s are used for cover." This effectively stops all work and puts on-time completion in jeopardy.

"It affects how long it takes for an aircraft to be air-worthy ... how long it takes to take off," said Sergeant Hinojosa. "Pilots might not get the training they need on time; it may even extend their stay here (at the C-5 Formal Training Unit) because of that."

Weather can still be quite a headache to those on the ground. Take the crew chief of a C-5 for example. Crew chiefs take care of all the paperwork, forms and checklists needed to allow the plane to take off, said Tech. Sgt. John Rodriguez, a dedicated crew chief of one of the C-5s here.

"I have to make sure the fuel is uploaded, that all the plane's 'vitals' are up to par, and all the forms are up to par ... make sure all the red is cleared off the checklists," said Sergeant Rodriguez.

There are checklists for many possible scenarios, said Sergeant Hinojosa. In the event that bad weather hits head on, several procedures are followed to ensure every crewmember's safety ... wind is a big factor, continued Sergeant Hinojosa.

For example, any time winds are going to be over 25 knots, with one knot equaling about 1.5 mph, all aircraft must be refueled to 100,000 lbs., at a minimum, then secured to the ground, he said. "When the weather advisory is over, we have to take the time to unload the fuel and prepare the aircraft for maintenance again ... it is a very tedious process," said Sergeant Hinojosa.

In extreme measures, like hurricane force winds, all flyable aircraft and all personnel must be prepared for evacuation at the installation commander's discretion.

This is not just a day-time process, though. The flight line is in constant action.

"The first shift starts the day and gets things ready for the afternoon shift, which gets everything ready for the grave shift, which works on pre-flight for the next day's morning shift," said Sergeant Rodriguez.

All this preparation is done while C-5's are continuously landing and taking off according to schedule, day or night. According to Sergeant Hinojosa, the presence of bad weather can hamper this process at anytime. When the weather gets bad enough to stop work the maintainers must wait it out and start back up as soon as possible.

Just as the sun sets every day, work on the flight line continues through the night, stopping, only temporarily, for nothing but Mother Nature, one of the 433rd MXG's more formidable obstacles.

"You plan on something and you plan on something, but anything could happen with the weather, and it changes everything," said Sergeant Hinojosa. "That's just the way it is, and it can happen anytime."