Ramp repair no problem for 317th maintainers

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kedesha Pennant
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Rain or shine, at the Global Reach for America hangar here, your eyes will catch a glimpse of color from an Airman's reflective safety belt. You won't see that Airman standing around for long though, because maintenance is being done in sections high and low on the C-130s and everywhere in between.

Dyess repair and reclamation Airmen of the 317th Maintenance Squadron recently were tasked to refurbish a cargo ramp on a C-130J during an inspection that concluded Friday. This was the first time many of them have received this deployment-critical, full-system training on the cargo ramp locking system. This process had to be completed due to an in-flight malfunction of the ramp hooks during a paratroop drop training exercise.

"The ramp of the C-130J is the gateway to the aircraft for troops and cargo," said Tech. Sgt. Eric Albarran, 317th MXS repair and reclamation lead technician. "It's very important especially during air drops because bundles of pallets come through the back of the aircraft."

The problem with this particular aircraft was found when performing troop air drops off station. One of the locks located on the side of ramp, which hooks to the fuselage, was not functioning properly. As a result, maintainers had to overhaul the locking system to find the cause of the malfunction.

"Depending on the various destinations of the C-130Js, factors such as dust can expedite the wear and tear process," Albarran said.

The ramp hooks are an important part of the mechanical system that allows them to shut the ramp door to the fuselage of the plane. This mechanical system is called the cargo ramp locking system, which is actuated by a control station located on the left side of the aircraft toward the ramp.

"Things like this normally don't happen with the C-130J model, but it feels good making sure it's safe to fly," said Senior Airman Juan Maldonado, 317th MXS repair and reclamation technician.

The repair and reclamation Airmen have learned a lot from this experience in relation to their mission. Even in finding unusual and rare breaks in a J-model, it's important to maintainers to make sure the aircraft is good to go.

"This process gives deployed servicemembers a more reliable product to ensure troops at forward operating bases obtain supplies," Albarran said. "Ultimately, our goal as maintainers is to give operators the safest equipment," Albarran said. "We want to make sure they get home to their families."