Signing off on a life

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. David Tart
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The smell of JP-8 jet fuel lingers in the air, and the whine of a T-38 Talon's two engines grows louder as they power up. The maintainers ensure they are out of range of the exhaust and water being blown out of the recently cleaned engines. Hand signals are used for communication since double ear protection and thundering engines make it too difficult to talk. At last, the 'kill engine' sign is given, and the noise level diminishes back to normal.

The task of cleaning engines is only one of many that maintainers must perform here at Laughlin. With only eleven engine mechanics and 132 engines to maintain, the job requires dedication and a full spectrum of skills.

These skills are put to use supporting Laughlin's primary mission, as Lenny Prevatt, 47th Maintenance Directorate engine mechanic, explained. The goal of the T-38 engine shop is to provide safe mission ready aircraft so Laughlin can train the world's best pilots.

"Our prime objective in the T-38 engine shop is to get the aircraft good enough to where I would sit in one of the seats," said Prevatt. "The pilots have a lot to think about and don't need to be worrying about their plane falling out of the air because of a maintainer error."

As Prevatt explained though, some mechanical problems are more difficult to fix than others. Not everything is as straight forward as an engine wash. Since the majority of work on the T-38 engines happens here at Laughlin, some problems are rarely encountered, making it difficult to determine what is wrong with the aircraft.

"As long as we can put the engine on a work stand, we can usually fix it," said Prevatt. "The one thing we can't fix is the basic core of the engine, but we can fix the afterburners."

Unlike other engine shops at Laughlin, the T-38 engine shop very rarely ships the engine off for repair Prevatt explained.

"We have the certifications and training here at Laughlin to be able to troubleshoot the engine, so we can usually find out what the problem is and fix it here," said Prevatt. "If there is a problem we cannot fix, then we will be the ones to crate it and ship it off."

Tony Tomas, 47th MX engine mechanic, explained how the mechanics are certified on fixing the aircraft. Tomas is the only one here at Laughlin who can certify individuals on both the Test Cell and engine run-ups.

"We take people to the simulators for annual retraining and throw problems at them to make sure they are ready to deal with any issues they may face during an engine run-up," said Tomas. "We take the safety of equipment and personnel very seriously."

Prevatt pointed out that, while several of the maintainers have a background of military service, it is not a prerequisite for working in the engine shop. The engine shop has individuals that are products of a program called Grow Your Own, where the shop trains individuals from scratch and qualifies them as full T-38 engine mechanics. This has allowed Del Rio residents and other individuals to come to the engine shop and work on T-38s.

Patrick Martinez, 47th MX engine mechanic, explained that he started his T-38 maintenance career here, through the Grow Your Own program.

"I was working out on the flight line when one day I had the opportunity to come train in the T-38 engine shop," said Martinez. "Now I am qualified and able to work on the aircraft like the individuals who have done this job for years."

The T-38 engine shop has a lot of experience to boast about when it comes to fixing aircraft. Prevatt alone has 20 years of active duty service and 23 years of civil service as a mechanic for the Air Force. Prevatt has worked on B-52s, KC-135s, C-130s, F-4s and T-38s, and he is not the only one in the shop who has worked on multiple aircraft. Combined, the shop has more than 100 years of working experience as maintainers.

Tomas, who served in the Navy, explained that being a mechanic is a family tradition.

"I have been fixing things since I was a kid," said Tomas. "It runs in the family. I am a mechanic, my father was a mechanic, and my grandfather was a mechanic in the Army Air Forces during World War II."

Although the maintainers' background is varied, and the issues they may face are diverse, there is one sentiment that was shared by all and summarized by Prevatt.

"We take a lot of pride in what we all do here in this shop," said Prevatt. "I will not sign off on an aircraft unless I would be willing to put my own life in the cockpit with the pilot."