Fabrication flight keeps C-17s in the air

by Airman 1st Class Jacob Jimenez
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

8/27/2014 - JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- Editor's Note: This is part one of a five part series on McChord's fabrication flight.

Behind the scenes of the 62nd Airlift Wing, Airmen from the 62nd Maintenance Squadron fabrication flight work day and night to keep our McChord C-17 Globemaster III aircraft flying.

Responsible for repair and refabrication of aircraft structural components, fabrication flight is a vital part of maintenance performed at McChord Field.

"We are the flight line's '911,'" said Master Sgt. Marc Sellers, 62nd MXS fabrication flight chief. "If you compare the flight line to NASCAR, crew chiefs are the pit crew and fabrication flight is the garage crew."

Almost half of the maintenance completed on the 62nd AW's C-17s is done by fabrication flight, said Sellers.

Split into three sections; aircraft structural maintenance, aircraft metals technology and non-destructive inspection, the fabrication flight is responsible for performing a wide range of structural repairs to ensure aircraft are fit to fly.

Aircraft structural maintenance is in charge of fabrication and repair of aircraft panels, tubing, and minor components.

Aircraft metals technology is responsible for the repair and fabrication of major aircraft structural components, consisting of the machine shop and welding.

Unlike aircraft structural maintenance and metals technology, NDI is responsible for performing inspections of aircraft structural components to identify damages at a microscopic level; damages such as water intrusion, delamination, and cracks of any nature or size.

Composed of more than 90 Airmen, the fabrication flight is charged with providing a quick turn around on repairs and replacement aircraft parts for all of Team McChord's C-17s. The flight averages more than 1,750 repair actions on a quarterly basis.

Aircraft parts can't always be replaced and if the part can't be fixed, it has to be made, said Sellers. Nine times out of 10, fabrication flight can make the part and have it ready within 24 hours.

Some last minute aircraft repairs have to be performed in a four to six hour window or they could result in a launch being missed said Sellers. It's important that repairs can be made within the required time frame.

To reduce the amount of time it takes to make repairs, fabrication flight Airmen often work with Boeing professionals to come up with new solutions to improve repair processes.

"We go by the blueprint to fabricate a replacement product but the process is always negotiable with Boeing's approval," said Sellers. "Between the two of us we always come up with a better solution."

It's also important that fabrication flight is able to make required C-17 repairs or replacement parts to prevent aircraft from going to depot, said Sellers.

If a repair or replacement part can't be made for an aircraft, it goes to depot. While in depot the aircraft is grounded for maintenance and can be held for more than a year if necessary.

To prevent aircraft from going to depot, fabrication flight regularly designs and engineers new ways to produce replacement parts and repair solutions for first time incidents.

"We do anything from minor field level maintenance to depot level repairs," said Sellers. "Our scope of repair capabilities is unmatched. There is very little we can't do.

"Many of our repairs are critical for aircraft to safely fly. We have had to mitigate losses through innovation to achieve the mission. Without fabrication flight there is no mission."