Aircraft maintainers iron out air show wrinkles

  • Published
  • By Capt. Ryan Liss
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Air shows are a great way to present the capabilities of aerospace power to the community.

For the 920th Rescue Wing's Maintenance Group here, it's an opportunity to show off their commitment and dedication to the mission for all to see.

It takes a great deal of time and effort to keep the Rescue Wing's combat-search-and-rescue assets in the air, mainly due to their age. With a 1964 birthday, the HC-130 P/N King is nearly 50 and ready to sign up for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The King's younger brother, the HH-60 Pave Hawk Helicopter, is just over drinking age, but still can't rent a car without getting a rate increase.

With that kind of mileage in some of the worst flying conditions - brownouts, high-altitude, etc., and a home that is literally steps away from the corrosive salty sea, it takes a special group of professionals to keep the aircraft primed and ready for flight.

Sometimes, though, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Recently at the Cocoa Beach Air Show Nov. 5-6, a wing King aircraft scheduled to fly Saturday as part of the demonstration, took a turn for the worse as a last-second electronics problem forced the crew to determine the aircraft unsafe to fly.

"I took it very personal. It's our time to shine when a last-second problem occurs, and people are waiting on you, and then it can't be solved. It's very disheartening," said Senior Airman Cody Holt, 920th Maintenance Squadron Aircraft Electrician.

"If we would have been in a combat environment, it would have been someone's life in danger. Our job is combat rescue, so that plane would have flown," added Holt.

Nevertheless, the 920th RQW maintainers were able to fully fix the issue they battled with, making the aircraft safe for flight the following day and giving spectators all around Cocoa Beach an opportunity to see Rescue Wing Airmen in action.

The 920th Rescue Wing is an Air Force Reserve combat-search-and-rescue wing here. Currently the wing is celebrating 50 years of human space flight support as its Airmen were tasked as the primary rescue force for NASA serving as guardians of the astronauts.

For more information about the 920th RQW, log on to the wing's Web site: www.920rqw.afrc.af.mil or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.