“ B-52s, if it’s not coming off, you hit it harder,” he said. More advanced aircraft like the F-35, F-22 Raptor and B-2 Spirit require a more precise hand than their earlier counterparts, Browning said. They also serve to educate civilian employees and contractors who may only have experience repairing fourth-generation aircraft. You want to make the mistake here, and learn here, before you go out and exercise that ability.” “We have to charge them with drilling holes in a $120 million airplane. “With the new generation of airmen, most of them haven’t even touched tools before,” he said. Kevin Browning, who works on the jet’s stealth features with the 388th Maintenance Squadron.
The salvaged planes can build trainees’ confidence and make them more comfortable at work, said Tech. “With new people coming in, not having a lot of experience … this is to help everyone.”
“The depot itself is having a hard time with keeping their people - Northrop Grumman down the street is paying more,” he said. Now, Wilkow hopes his salvaged planes can help get younger technicians up to speed. Dumpster diving turns up other parts that can come in handy for free.Īn exodus of more experienced mechanics led to thousands of vacant repair jobs, which the Air Force has fought to refill. He plans to install a computer into the cockpit so airmen can see the same training cues as they would get at a desk, without sending the jet back to a private company.
That process involves steps like removing contaminants, softening sharp edges, fabricating new panels and other broken components, and attaching a new canopy. The Marine Corps cockpit should be ready in November to teach people about landing gears, avionics and more, Wilkow said. Teaching airmen to use a borescope, a tool that lets mechanics look through tiny holes, is particularly important for catching internal troubles that could cause an engine to malfunction. The F135 engine from the 2020 Eglin mishap, and the 25 mm GAU-22/A four-barrel Gatling gun from the same plane, will be static displays where airmen can learn how to inspect the hardware. After an F-35A from Luke AFB, Arizona, caught fire in 2016, Wilkow had it sawed in half so maintainers could tinker with the inside of a real jet.
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