Nip, tuck tanker-style: Thereby hangs a tail

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  What came in as a jet from McConnell Air Force Base Sept. 4, 2015, will take to the skies as an RAF Mildenhall KC-135 Stratotanker later this year, when it proudly bears the Square D tailflash.

Isochronal inspections are performed on a regular basis on RAF Mildenhall's tankers, but having to remove the tail is rare. An iso inspection means the aircraft is thoroughly checked over, and is performed every 420 days. During these major "tune-ups," aircraft maintainers look for and repair problems in every system, from nose to tail and wingtip to wingtip.

Aircraft tail number 10267 arrived with a cracked rudder, which meant the tail had to be completely taken off so the mechanics could fix it.

"I've not seen a fin fold happen in the six years I've been here," said Master Sgt. Andrew Wilder, 100th Maintenance Squadron maintenance production superintendent. "But in order to facilitate taking the rudder off, the tail has to be folded."

A fin fold refers to the aircraft tail being unbolted so it physically lays horizontal while still being attached to the aircraft, thus enabling maintenance to be carried out.

In addition to all the Airmen performing the regular iso inspections, another 25 Airmen worked around-the-clock to accomplish the huge task, involving 13 people on the rope attached to the tail, safety observers, a crane driver and those physically working on unbolting the tail so it could be removed.

"We had multiple shops come in to disconnect everything that was connected to the tail, such as flight-control cables, hydraulics and avionics. Most of the maintenance shops were involved," explained Wilder, adding that it's easier and safer to remove the rudder when the tail has been fully removed. "The total repair is scheduled to take about 110 hours, from removal of the rudder and tail, repair, to reinstallation.

"This aircraft just came in and was due for an isochronal inspection. During the wash prior to the inspection, they noticed the crack in the rudder," he said.

As the tail was being prepared for removal, the iso inspection was being carried out as usual, with Airmen working on the wings, under the engines, and inside the aircraft. No part was left out as they worked as a team, busily getting the mission-worn aircraft back into good shape. The boom was also removed before the tail was finally taken off.

After many hours of patient preparation, a crane was hooked up with chains to the tail on one side, and a rope - held by the 10 Airmen as though they were in an extreme tug-of-war contest - was connected to the other side.

Once connecting bolts were removed, the tail was then slowly lowered into a horizontal position before the final bolts were taken off. Later in the afternoon it was finally time to completely remove the tail, and once making sure conditions, and everyone working in the area, were safe, the tail was finally released and raised before being lowered carefully onto crates on the ground.

Staff Sgt. Joseph Weese, 100th MXS Repair and Reclamation crew chief, had the breathtaking responsibility of being one of the few high up at the tip of the tail, removing the bolts and ensuring the chains which joined the fin and the crane were safely put together before it could be removed. Although he's never been part of a fin-fold on a KC-135 Stratotanker before, he does have similar experience from working on an E-3 Sentry.

"I was in the right place at the right time and volunteered to do this," he said. "It was pretty intimidating - once you pop the bolts out the whole tail seems to shift towards you, so you have to trust the guys who are around you.

"It's a little scary, because it's a huge component, but I felt pretty comfortable. You just have to make sure you set everything up correctly, and I was one of the people who actually connected everything to the aircraft, so I felt okay about it," Weese laughed. "It was a big relief (once the tail was physically on the ground); but then you realize you've got to put it back up again!"

The crew chief was an integral part of the 25-strong team which performed the major operation.

"I'm extremely proud of the 100th Maintenance Group and the guys and gals working here, and being a part of it," Wilder boasted. "It's amazing. (Our history dates back to) World War II, performing maintenance on warbirds - we do it well! There's always someone here doing maintenance, when there's maintenance to be done. No matter how many times I see it, I always enjoy the jet in pieces, because I know we're doing work. But I also enjoy seeing them put together and watching them take off as well though, as it means we've done our job properly.

"Seeing the jet like this gives a unique perspective," the maintenance production superintendent added. "I was coming back from an appointment earlier, and as I drove around the perimeter road I saw the plane inside the hangar and saw the fin folded over - I just thought, 'Wow! I've never seen that, and will probably never see it again. It just happens so infrequently here; other bases do it quite often, but we don't."

Once maintenance is complete, the tailflash will be repainted and have RAF Mildenhall's legendary Square D and Royal Air Force station patch applied. When complete, only then will it officially become part of the elite group of RAF Mildenhall tankers which are always ready to continue refueling the fight.