Hydraulics shop works under pressure

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Danielle Wolf
  • 442nd Maintenance Squadron
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  At 28, Benjamin Franklin published his first book, while Danica Patrick competed in her first Indy 500 race when she was only 23, and by 25, CNN's Anderson Cooper was reporting about war and famine from Nairobi, Africa. 

People in their 20s have been known for some amazing accomplishments. The reservists in the 442nd Maintenance Squadron's hydraulic shop are no exception. 

Made up of seven Airmen, four of whom are in their 20s, the shop works hard to support the mission. While earning a college degree, working a full-time job or both - these young Citizen Airmen dedicate their time to maintaining the unit's A-10 aircraft. 

The field of hydraulics deals with necessary components that allow the flight controls, landing gear and power systems of an aircraft to function properly - powered by the pressure when liquid is forced through tubes. 

These young Airmen face challenges that some more-experienced, higher-ranking individuals do not - including troubleshooting the A-10 and its individual components, as well as testing equipment. 

Though most of the shop is familiar with mechanical work through personal experience, occasionally someone comes in knowing only what they were taught in nine weeks of technical training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. 

Military members in mechanical fields often face this challenge as they learn aircraft systems in conjunction with common tool usage and safety procedures. 

"As a reservist you might only work on a certain job once a year," said Staff Sgt. Marshall Huisman, hydraulic technician. "Trying to get back up to speed can be hard." 

Meticulously reviewing technical orders is essential to performing a task safely and efficiently. These Airmen must stay up to date on safety procedures for working with hazardous materials and dangerous equipment such as hydraulic fluid, cleaning solvents and high-pressure testing equipment. 

They use technical orders as a step-by-step guide for completing a task rather than trying to memorize each procedure. 

For the hydraulic shop, discussing difficult troubleshooting concepts is also extremely valuable. The two Air Reserve Technicians in the shop have a combined hydraulic experience of 28 years. 

Master Sgt. Mark Lewis and Tech. Sgt. David Frith have worked on cargo and fighter jets, giving them experiences younger Airmen in the shop draw from. While the two ARTs frequently diagnose an aircraft problem right away because of their experience, the younger Airmen must research troubleshooting guides and schematics. 

"The first thing I do is look it up in the book myself," Sergeant Frith said. "There are times when being familiar with the internal parts helps." 

To help the shop's newest Citizen Airmen gain experience, Air Force Reserve Command established the Seasoned Training Program - more commonly referred to as STP. 

According to many shop supervisors, unit training assemblies may not provide enough time for hands-on training to gain necessary experience. Computer-based training programs, physical-fitness testing and other training classes often supersede daily tasks that help reservists develop hands-on knowledge vital to this career field.
STP was initially designed for non-prior service members returning from a three-level technical school. Each Air Force specialty code has an allocated amount of time an Airman can voluntarily spend on continuous orders learning their job and experiencing day-to-day problems that may arise. 

Since the 442nd Fighter Wing implemented the program, 29 of the 32 Airmen returning from technical school in the Maintenance Group have participated, according to Master Sgt. Christina Suratos, NCOIC, Maintenance Group Training Office. 

The program has since expanded to include prior service members who have cross-trained and returned from technical training as well. 

"STP gave me more confidence doing my job," said Senior Airman Jessica Womrath, an A-10 crew chief. "It helped me get ahead of the game by knowing the people and the aircraft I was working with." 

For these younger Airmen, spending time with more seasoned reservists is crucial to their professional development. In the maintenance field, taking advantage of every available training opportunity may be one way to compensate for the generational gap in mechanical experience.