Page 12 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt 7-24-15

12 July 24, 2015 Thunderbolt
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Those jets don’t
fly without
avionics
Staff Sgt. Andrea Caldwel
Staff Sgt. Meghan McDonald, 56th CMS AIS F-16 production supervisor, initiates a test pro- Story and photos by Senior Airman which shows serviceabilit
GRACE LEE sure it belongs to the com
gram. Every component, or what is properly known as a line replaceable unit, has a software
program made specifically for it. The program runs diagnostics of the component to test if 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Senior Airman Oswald Re
anything is wrong with it internally. age at Luke Air Force Bas
There are many aspects to what makes an aircraft fly and
one of the most important are the electronic components.
When something such as the aircraft’s radar isn’t working
correctly, it is the job of the Avionics Intermediate Shop Air-
men to diagnose and fix the issue.

“We are a two-level maintenance screening point for the
F-16 Fighting Falcons on Luke Air Force Base,” said Staff Sgt.
Meghan McDonald, 56th Component Maintenance Squadron
AIS F-16 production supervisor. “We screen anything from
radars and flight control systems to radios and audio panels.”

It all starts from the time the pilot and air crew perform
preflight inspections.

“If a pilot or member of the air crew notices something
isn’t working correctly on the aircraft, they will write up the
discrepancy on the aircraft,” McDonald said. “Then the compo-
nent is taken out and given to us to diagnose or troubleshoot.”

From the time the unit is received, Avionics Airmen have
24 hours to screen it.

“When we have the component, we hook it up to our test
station and try to duplicate the error the pilot or air crew
received to diagnose the issue,” McDonald said. “Once we
find what the problem is, we either repair it locally, or if it
requires depot-level repair, we send it to Hill Air Force Base,
Utah, where it will be repaired.”

Being a two-level maintenance screening point, AIS Airmen
have limited repair capability.

“We can do anything from reseating cards and replacing
small hardware to checking for internal visible damage, such
as burnt components or broken pins,” said Senior Airman
Oswald Reyes, 56th CMS AIS technician. “One of the most
difficult parts of our job is the amount of time it can take to
narrow down what the issue is.”

AIS Airmen also fix parts for Luke foreign military sales
units in the 425th and 21st aircraft maintenance units.

“It’s even more interesting fixing parts for these squadrons
because it’s three-level maintenance, which means we can
actually open up the part, fix components, fix pilot grips,
throttle grips, audio one panels, and replace and solder parts,”
McDonald said.

For McDonald, the job is gratifying.
“The hardest part about this job is you have to know how
the component works on the aircraft and actually engage to
properly troubleshoot and diagnose it,” he said. “I’ve spent
entire shifts troubleshooting one problem but it’s so rewarding
to be able to diagnose and fix it.”
AIS Airmen are essential to the Luke mission.
“Everything we touch helps the mission in some way,
whether it’s fixing radar or the date flight control computer,
which controls the rudders and flaps of the aircraft,” Reyes
said. “Each component helps the pilot complete a task to
contribute to the mission and without us fixing the problems
he encounters in the air, we wouldn’t have mission success.”