Hill Airmen assist in Shaw mission

by Airman 1st Class Jonathan Bass
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

5/21/2014 - SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Airmen from the 309th Aircraft Maintenance Group at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, will spend the next month at Shaw AFB, S.C., removing and installing a bulkhead in one of Shaw's F-16CJ Fighting Falcons.

The Hill Airmen are here because the extent of the repair exceeds what Shaw Airmen are allowed to do by Air Force regulations. The Airmen have received specialized training for repairs like this and have specialized tools to aid them in the job, said Staff Sgt. Paul Beatty, 309th AMXG aircraft structural maintenance technician.

The bulkhead is located along the fuselage, the body of the aircraft, and is a part of the skeleton of the plane.

The removal of the existing bulkhead is necessary because the bearing that holds the landing gear strut has worn down and is now too big for the strut to sit in.

The process will take approximately a month and a half, said Beatty.

For the next week the goal will be to get the bulkhead cleaned out and all the fasteners - screws, bolts, nuts, and other securing items - removed so we can remove the bulkhead, said Staff Sgt. Joseph Gallegos, 309th AMXG aircraft structural maintenance technician.

"Right now this is all basically prep work," said Beatty. "We need to get everything out of the bulkhead so we can make the removal easier."

According to the Air Force's fact sheet on the F-16, the weight is 17,900 pounds. The bulkhead that's being replaced weighs less than 100 pounds.

Over the next month and a half, the Hill Airmen from the 309th will work to get the jet back into the air as they assist the mission of the 20th Fighter Wing: Provide combat ready Airpower and Airmen, to meet any challenge, anytime, anywhere.