thedrifter
01-26-06, 10:51 AM
Maintenance Marines keep Griffins flying
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story by Cpl. James D. Hamel
AL ASAD, Iraq (Jan. 26, 2006) -- Despite harsh conditions and a frantic work pace, the Flying Griffins of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 have kept the CH-46 at the tip of the spear in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
During an average month at their home base, Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., the Griffins fly approximately 225 hours per month.
But the demands of war have forced the squadron to average nearly four times that amount. The squadron flew 880 hours during December 2005, and the pace of operations for the CH-46 squadron deployed to Al Asad, Iraq, should remain high until the unit returns to the United States. What they’re proudest of, however, is that they’ve spent all that time in the air without a single downed aircraft.
“It’s all the maintenance Marines,” said Sgt. Thomas Rawls, a Freeland, Pa., native, and flightline mechanic. “If they didn’t do what they do, the pilots couldn’t do what they do. Maintenance is absolutely essential.”
Nicknamed the “Phrog” because of its appearance, the CH-46 helicopter is one of the oldest active aircraft in the U.S. military. Marine Corps pilots have flown it since 1962. Many of HMM-266’s helicopters are more than 45 years old, and Rawls said keeping them in flying condition is a full-time job.
“These are older aircraft, and all the wear and tear over the years makes the maintenance pretty intensive,” he said. “Keeping these things in the air is a nonstop process.”
The maintainers in the squadron call their job “turning wrenches.” But their work is far more complicated than that phrase implies, evidenced by the eight separate departments dedicated to maintaining the aircraft.
“We’ve flown 3,500 flight hours, and it requires 13 (hours of maintenance work) to fly a single hour, so we’ve been busy,” said Master Sgt. James Francis, the chief of maintenance control, which oversees the separate departments.
Francis, a Jacksonville, N.C., native, said the maintenance process has many steps. The pilot and crew chiefs report any problems they encounter during flight. Each maintenance department reviews the problem to understand and then fix it. Additionally, the helicopters undergo preventative inspections for every 25, 30, 50 and 100 hours they fly.
“Unfortunately, through trial and error, we’ve found that without doing these inspections we’re putting the helicopter and passengers at risk,” he said. “We do everything to prevent a catastrophic accident.”
Knowing the lives of their fellow Marines depend on them inspires the maintainers to do the best job possible.
“We love our jobs,” said Sgt. Larry Edinger, a Beaufort, N.C., native and flightline mechanic with HMM-266. “We look at that bird nose to tail to make sure everything is ready. We know that with us looking at (the helicopter) before flight, it’s going to come back safely.”
The flightline mechanics are the last line of defense against problems. They perform daily inspections to ensure each aircraft is ready for the air. They have checklists to guide them through each phase of inspections, but Edinger said they always look at more than what is required by the checklist, just to be safe.
“We don’t just wing it, the process is very systematic,” said Gunnery Sgt. David Leonard, also a flightline mechanic with HMM-266. “We’re flying a lot of hours every month, so it’s intense, but we get it done.”
Francis said a more recent challenge in maintaining the aircraft is dealing with the weather. The squadron has dealt with newer maintenance challenges as the Iraqi climate has become more volatile in the winter months.
“With the weather, it’s a constant battle back and forth,” he said. “The temperature change is so dramatic from day to night that the hydraulics are constantly expanding and shrinking.”
But, Francis said he and the maintenance Marines with the Flying Griffins are up to the challenge, and the statistics agree. The Flying Griffins have flown nearly 1,800 missions, delivering 12,100 passengers and 600,000 pounds of cargo since they arrived in Iraq.
“We do four months of flying in a month,” he said. “The Marines who work here are good, and they know their jobs. They can troubleshoot almost anything, and out here, they do.”
Ellie
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story by Cpl. James D. Hamel
AL ASAD, Iraq (Jan. 26, 2006) -- Despite harsh conditions and a frantic work pace, the Flying Griffins of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 266 have kept the CH-46 at the tip of the spear in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
During an average month at their home base, Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., the Griffins fly approximately 225 hours per month.
But the demands of war have forced the squadron to average nearly four times that amount. The squadron flew 880 hours during December 2005, and the pace of operations for the CH-46 squadron deployed to Al Asad, Iraq, should remain high until the unit returns to the United States. What they’re proudest of, however, is that they’ve spent all that time in the air without a single downed aircraft.
“It’s all the maintenance Marines,” said Sgt. Thomas Rawls, a Freeland, Pa., native, and flightline mechanic. “If they didn’t do what they do, the pilots couldn’t do what they do. Maintenance is absolutely essential.”
Nicknamed the “Phrog” because of its appearance, the CH-46 helicopter is one of the oldest active aircraft in the U.S. military. Marine Corps pilots have flown it since 1962. Many of HMM-266’s helicopters are more than 45 years old, and Rawls said keeping them in flying condition is a full-time job.
“These are older aircraft, and all the wear and tear over the years makes the maintenance pretty intensive,” he said. “Keeping these things in the air is a nonstop process.”
The maintainers in the squadron call their job “turning wrenches.” But their work is far more complicated than that phrase implies, evidenced by the eight separate departments dedicated to maintaining the aircraft.
“We’ve flown 3,500 flight hours, and it requires 13 (hours of maintenance work) to fly a single hour, so we’ve been busy,” said Master Sgt. James Francis, the chief of maintenance control, which oversees the separate departments.
Francis, a Jacksonville, N.C., native, said the maintenance process has many steps. The pilot and crew chiefs report any problems they encounter during flight. Each maintenance department reviews the problem to understand and then fix it. Additionally, the helicopters undergo preventative inspections for every 25, 30, 50 and 100 hours they fly.
“Unfortunately, through trial and error, we’ve found that without doing these inspections we’re putting the helicopter and passengers at risk,” he said. “We do everything to prevent a catastrophic accident.”
Knowing the lives of their fellow Marines depend on them inspires the maintainers to do the best job possible.
“We love our jobs,” said Sgt. Larry Edinger, a Beaufort, N.C., native and flightline mechanic with HMM-266. “We look at that bird nose to tail to make sure everything is ready. We know that with us looking at (the helicopter) before flight, it’s going to come back safely.”
The flightline mechanics are the last line of defense against problems. They perform daily inspections to ensure each aircraft is ready for the air. They have checklists to guide them through each phase of inspections, but Edinger said they always look at more than what is required by the checklist, just to be safe.
“We don’t just wing it, the process is very systematic,” said Gunnery Sgt. David Leonard, also a flightline mechanic with HMM-266. “We’re flying a lot of hours every month, so it’s intense, but we get it done.”
Francis said a more recent challenge in maintaining the aircraft is dealing with the weather. The squadron has dealt with newer maintenance challenges as the Iraqi climate has become more volatile in the winter months.
“With the weather, it’s a constant battle back and forth,” he said. “The temperature change is so dramatic from day to night that the hydraulics are constantly expanding and shrinking.”
But, Francis said he and the maintenance Marines with the Flying Griffins are up to the challenge, and the statistics agree. The Flying Griffins have flown nearly 1,800 missions, delivering 12,100 passengers and 600,000 pounds of cargo since they arrived in Iraq.
“We do four months of flying in a month,” he said. “The Marines who work here are good, and they know their jobs. They can troubleshoot almost anything, and out here, they do.”
Ellie