Aviation mechanics keep the dream alive

May 24 is Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, a day that recognizes the efforts of aviation maintenance professionals, as well as the father of aircraft maintenance, Charles Taylor. (Photo illustration by Maj. Cathleen Snow)

Splish Splash!

Citizen Airmen from the 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., taxi an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter through a series of fresh water jets called the bird bath after a local training mission. Anytime Rescue Airmen pilot the pave hawks within 10 nautical miles of salt water, the 920th Maintenance Group mandates rinsing the engines for optimal performance. Since PAFB sits on a barrier island and is surrounded by the brackish Banana River to the west, and the salty Atlantic Ocean to the east, all local missions require a rinse of some sort. During a water operation mission where rescue training takes them within 30 feet of salt water, the entire airframe requires a rinse afterward. The rinses slows the corrosive effects of salt. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Cathleen Snow)

Rescue Airmen train on ship landings

920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., aircrew conduct shipboard operations with an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter 60 miles off the coast of Mayport, Fla., Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. The USS Philippine Sea CG-58 landings qualified the aircrew to land onboard single-spot ships. (Courtesy photo)

Tail end of an era

The sun rises over the Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. flightline as a NASA jumbo jet flies the Space Shuttle Discovery overhead the fleet of 920th Rescue Wing Aircraft one last time before heading to serve as a display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. The HC-130P/N King refueling aircraft and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters parked on the flightline were used to support manned spaceflight for the last 50 years. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Rob Grande)

Royal Canadian judge

Royal Canadian Lt. Col. Richard Pamplin, commanding officer, 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron, Winnipeg, Canada, oversees the judging of a U.S. and Canadian search and rescue exercise in Marathon Key, Fla. The 435 trains with th 39th Rescue Squadron, Patrick Air F orce Base, Fla. several times annually to hone their rescue skills and swap information. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Cathleen Snow)

5 O'clock somewhere

U.S. Airmen from the 39th Rescue Squadron, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., pilot an HC-130P/N King aircraft in search and rescue competition over Marathon Key, Fla., against Royal Canadian Airmen from the 435 Squadron, Manitoba, Canada. Both squadrons perform search and rescue and compete several times annually to enhance their rescue capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Cathleen Snow)