SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Michigan -- A scheduled maintenance period on a local aircraft gave a group of hydraulic specialists an opportunity to get some extra hands-on training at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in August.
The Airmen, all members of the 191st Maintenance Squadron, removed the front landing strut of a KC-135 Stratotanker, while the aircraft was undergoing a routine isochronical inspection in a hangar at the base.
Dismantling the landing strut isn’t a normal operation during the inspection, but was added to the maintenance schedule to give a group of Airmen an opportunity to work on the component and gain additional experience in a controlled environment.
“You don’t want the first time you see something to be an emergency situation,” said Master Sgt. Joshua Wilkins, an aircraft hydraulics mechanic supervisor at the base.
Three staff sergeants and an Airman 1st Class worked together to review the technical order on the landing strut and perform an inspection on the part.
“This was good hands-on training on something we don’t normally get to see,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Fye. “Master Sgt. Wilkins saw an opportunity and put it to use.”