The last A-10 Thunderbolt II from Eielson Air Force Base was loaded onto a C-5 Galaxy and transported on October 6 to its new display location at the Museum of Aviation, Flight and Technology Center at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.<\/p>\n
This aircraft, tail number 75-0305, had been used for ground-based gunnery training at Eielson; it had been inactive for flight operations since 1996, reflecting the Air Force’s need for training airframes rather than operational ones.<\/p>\n
Dennis Oliver, the museum’s restoration and maintenance manager, noted that Pacific Air Forces had offered the aircraft to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio after the A-10s left Eielson.<\/p>\n
The plan was to use the aircraft for the Air Force museum, but Wright-Patterson had no need for it and instead loaned it indefinitely to the Robins base museum for static display outside the main entrance, opposite the B-1B Lancer.<\/p>\n
“We absolutely had to find a way to get it here, and we are responsible for all its maintenance,” said Mr. Oliver. “Wright-Patterson officially owns it, but it is in our possession for an indefinite period.”<\/p>\n
“Transporting this aircraft to Georgia in record time required a massive team effort: three months for disassembly, weight and balance calculations, tie-down calculations, fabrication of supports and crating, coordination with the C-5 crew, and final transport approval,” explained Captain Eric Withrow, Maintenance Flight Commander for the 354th Maintenance Squadron. “Communication is key when working with experts spread across four different air bases.”<\/p>\n
The actual disassembly of the aircraft occupied a team of eight technicians for three days, noted Master Sergeant Timothy McIntosh, a section chief with the 354th Maintenance Squadron.<\/p>\n
“We removed both outer wings, both vertical stabilizers, and the horizontal stabilizer,” he added. “It was also the first time an A-10A has been disassembled in the field.”<\/p>\n
He noted that this type of maintenance is usually performed by the maintenance team from the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, where all C-130 Hercules, A-10, and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft undergo maintenance.<\/p>\n
The disassembly and transport of this aircraft were quite unusual compared to standard procedures.<\/p>\n
“We didn’t remove the landing gear or the engines, as the depot maintenance team would have done,” Sergeant McIntosh explained. “As a result, all loading procedures had to be reviewed and updated.”<\/p>\n
Typically, the landing gear, center wing section, and engines are removed and crated for shipment rather than being transported on the cargo aircraft itself.<\/p>\n
“We saved about four days of maintenance time by doing it this way and obtaining the necessary approval,” he concluded.<\/p>\n
“Obtaining transport authorization from the Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) generally takes about 120 days, Captain Withrow noted. Although the aircraft is destined for a museum and will never fly again, ATLA certification was required for its transport.<\/p>\n
“The last certification for an A-10 dated back to 1986, so an update was essential after 22 years,” he explained. “We are helping to define future transport procedures for A-10s.”<\/p>\n
Published October 19, 2007
\nBy Airman 1st Class Nora Anton
\n354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
\nEIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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