Rodeo 2000: Maintainers compete to lasso winnings
The maintainers from all competing units were out getting ready with the competition beginning at 7:15 a.m. and running the entire day, some units were preparing at 4 a.m. Maintainers compete in four areas including preflight inspection, aircraft refueling, post-flight inspection, and a daily observation.
The pre-flight inspection for the KC-10 is broken down into four areas; Area One includes forward interior and exterior of the aircraft from the wings forward, Area Two is the left side including engine number one, right side of aircraft including engine three, and Area Four is the main landing gear to the tail.
Included in the pre-flight is fueling the aircraft, hydraulic pressure off, and wheel well doors in a full-open position. They also inspect for anything out of the ordinary like hydraulic or fuel leaks, missing screws, and maintenance problems.
The 349th Air Mobility Wing crew had completed their preflight inspection that started at 1:45 p.m. and the maintenance team waited nervously for the group of umpires that now sat in their van parked thirty feet away.
"We feel good about our preflight," said Senior Master Sgt. Jim Lancome, the maintenance team chief for the 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
According to Lancome, during the pre-flight each team starts with 600 points and then the umpires deduct points from that. After the umpires are done scoring each team, the team chief has one hour to challenge the umpires' determination.
"But you better be able to prove them wrong by finding reference to it in the technical orders," he said. "If you challenge and win, you can get back 10 points, but if you challenge and lose, you lose 100 points plus the 10 points ... so you better be right when you challenge them!"
The Travis maintenance team consists of 10, including five crew chiefs and specialists from each of the five specialties -- electrical/environmental, hydraulic, jet engine, computer/navigation, and guidance/control.
"Their plane looked real good except for some small discrepancies," said Master Sgt. Chris Davey, KC-10 umpire, from McGuire AFB, N.J. "They lost a total of 170 points, which adds up when you start counting up that small stuff."
On Monday, the refueling, and post-flight inspections competitions began. At 11 a.m. temperatures were reaching into the 90 degrees Fahrenheit range on the flight line as the team from 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, S.C. began the refueling of their C-141.
In the preflight competition the teams begin with 100 points.
"The refueling is done with a fuel truck and we have a 10- person crew; two being crew chiefs and rest are specialists," said Master Sgt. Kenneth Sellers, team chief. "There is a time limit of 45 minutes in which we have to establish fuel flow from the truck to the aircraft."
"The most important thing in refueling is the safety issue, refueling can potential be a very dangerous undertaking," he said. "But with training and team work like we have it is the safest thing that we do."
After an hour of anticipation the umpires came back to them with the word of no discrepancies. "We know we are the best maintenance team and we know the rest of the Air Force will know how good we are," said Sellers as he and his refuel team congratulated each other.
Then the 43rd Airlift Wing competed in the post-flight portion of the event. Senior Airman Jason Beach, an electrical/environmental specialist thought his team had done well as he and his teammates sat on the opened ramp of their C-130 waiting for the umpires to compile their final scoring.
The post-flight starts with a possible 600 points and deductions are taken with each discrepancy. Their maintenance team consists of 10 including team chief Master Sgt. Michael Mueller, who was busy as the umpires began showing his teams discrepancies. The post-flight team also consists of crew chiefs and specialists.
"They lost 252 points," said one of the red-hatted official just as they piled into the umpire van and drove off. (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
Follow Us On:
