MAFFS News: Retardant Corrosion Requires Elevator Tail Replacement

Saturday, December 1, 2012

MAFFS News: Retardant Corrosion Requires Elevator Tail Replacement

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - With the end of a highly visible Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System season comes the not so visible, yet highly mission critical, aircraft maintenance phase.

During the 2012 fire season, Wyoming Air National Guard C-130s and crews contributed more than 2 million gallons of fire retardant dropped on wild fires throughout the United States.

The 153rd Maintenance Squadron performs maintenance on a C-130 at the ISO dock Nov. 4, 2012. The C-130 was used as part of this year’s Modular Airborne FireFighting System missions

Recently, while performing corrosion prevention, the 153rd Maintenance Group discovered the new MAFFS system, which releases retardant through a special nozzle in the paratroop door on the side of the aircraft, had deposited retardant on the elevator tail at the rear of the aircraft, requiring the unit to be replaced.

With the task laid out for the airmen of the 153 MXG, the behind-the-scenes maintainers started organizing their operations to get the aircraft back to flying status.

“The only way to get the job done is by working as a team,” said Master Sgt. Roger LaBarr, 30th Airlift Wing ISO dock supervisor.

This particular project involved multiple shops throughout the array of maintenance operations including: isochronicals, flight line, sheet metal, metals technician, repair and reclamation and even supply.

“Supply is part of our team,” said LaBarr. “We couldn’t do the job without them.”

Over the course of a week, quality assurance took pictures of the corrosion, supply ordered necessary parts, and repair and reclamation operated the Omni arm to remove and install the new tail.

Having so many entities to coordinate takes continuous and detailed planning.

“Section chiefs from each shop, along with plans and schedules, coordinate how the work is going to get done,” said LaBarr. “They meet two times a day to go over the workload.”

The installation of the new elevator tail was accomplished thanks to the team members from all aircraft maintenance aspects.

“This was an intense process,” said LaBarr. “We hadn’t done this type of project in a long time and we couldn’t have done it without teamwork.”

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/98603/153mxs-post-maffs-maintenance

CFN - California Fire News 2012

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Saturday, December 1, 2012