Page 15 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt July 1 2016
P. 15
Thunderbolt July 2016
http://www.luke.af.mil
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S KEEP JETS VIABLE
then you look in front of and behind you. There is noth- and wheel and tire. wheels from scratch. Then we had to get those approved not
ng in either direction as far as you can see. You think to “The wheel and tire section is responsible for disassem- only by the maintenance group and ghter wing, but also by
yourself, “I probably should have had my car checked out Lockheed Martin and the joint program of ce as well.”
before taking such a long drive.” bling, inspecting, repairing, assembling and servicing wheels
for 43 F-35 Lightning II aircraft and 71 F-16 Fighting Falcon While maintaining wheels and tires can be a challenge,
The 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Mainte- aircraft,” said Tech. Sgt. Derek Doiron, 56th EMS wheel and the inspection section is a job that requires equal skill and
nance Flight has a team that ensures the aircraft at Luke tire section NCO in charge. “We also inspect and repack dedication.
Air Force Base are ready for the mission, so they don’t end grease in all wheel bearings and coordinate with the 56th
up like the car in our scenario. Logistics Readiness Squadron to maintain a forward supply “Our main role is to thoroughly inspect aircraft for dis-
of F-16 wheels for Luke and a global supply point for the crepancies, x them and ops check all major systems and
Two sections make up the maintenance ight: inspection, entire F-35 program.” subsystems,” said Staff Sgt. Lenard Patterson, 56th EMS
inspection section team member. “The phase process is es-
Airman 1st Class Dakota Lanning, 56th EMS wheel and While maintenance ight back shops can be a welcome sential to both Luke and the Air Force mission because, quite
ire team member, inspects the drive keys, heat shields change of pace for crew chiefs, who spend much of their time literally, without it the jets would eventually fall apart and
and bearing cups on an F-35. on the sizzling Arizona ightline, they are not without tests. break down. We are a preventative step in preserving our eet
of aircraft and extending their operational time.”
“One of our challenges has been accomplishing mainte-
nance on both F-16 and F-35 wheels concurrently without The biggest challenge for the inspection section is staying
sacri cing ef ciency on either platform,” Doiron said. “We on schedule, he said.
basically had to write the procedures of how to maintain F-35
“Most people are surprised at how in depth our inspection
Staff Sgt. Lenard Patterson, 56th EMS inspection section gets,” Patterson said. “We remove a large portion of the air-
team member, inspects the emergency power unit hydra- craft’s ‘skin’ exposing all the ‘innards,’ and that’s something
zine tank. most people don’t get to see. We also have to troubleshoot
problems we may nd, and that can make staying on schedule
dif cult at times.”
Both the wheel and tire as well as the inspection section
are critical pieces to the puzzle that keeps Luke jets in the
air and allows Luke to train the world’s greatest F-35 and
F-16 ghter pilots.
“There is a 0-percent chance of the ightline maintaining
operations without our ight,” Doiron said. “The inspection
section provides the available hours for the F-16 to keep ying
well past their designed life span and it is certainly impos-
sible for an aircraft to get in the air without wheels on it.”
mber, stacks a Staff Sgt. Nicholas Ensminger, 56th EMS inspection team member, inspects the Staff Sgt. Lenard Patterson, 56th EMS inspection section team member,
stores the arresting hook on an F-16. The inspection section thoroughly
inspects and fixes aircraft discrepancies, checks all major systems and
subsystems, and returns safe and reliable aircraft for another 400 hours of
