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Show March 20, 2008 Transformed bearing shop opens doors at Hill AFB BY BILL ORNDORFF 309th Maintenance Wing H MASTER SGT. DEMETRIUS LESTER/U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jonathan Billie inspects the airframe mounted accessories drive on an F-15E Strike Eagle on March 11 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Billie, an F-15E crew chief, is assigned to the 335th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit and is deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. Averting potential disaster Saving a Bagram F-15E Flight Eagle all in a clay's work for airman BY TECH. SGT. JAMES LAW 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs B AGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — An airman's quick action following an explosion of a jet fuel starter that sent shrapnel across the Bagram Air Base flightline averted a possible explosion of an F-15E Strike Eagle on Feb. 26. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Billie was working on the flightline near a fellow airman prepping an F-15E when the small motor that starts the fighter's engines blew up. The jet fuel starter imploded and pieces of the machine flew across the flight line. "I went out to help the crew chief on the jet clean up the area and find out how much damage had occurred," said Billie, an F-15E crew chief with the 335th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit here. "When I came upon the scene, I noticed there was a lot of shrapnel on the ground." Instinctively, he looked up into the engine's exhaust to check the damage and noticed flames flickering in the 'The first thing that crossed my mind was the live explosives. My thoughts were we need to put this fire out now." Staff Sgt JONATHAN BILUE, an F-15E crew chief wrth the 335th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit catastrophic. engine compartment. "The first thing that crossed my Sgt. Billie, an F-15 crew chief for eight years, said he had never person- mind was the live explosives," said Sgt. Billie, deployed from Seymour ally witnessed flames in the engine Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. "My before. "I had someone come over and ver- thoughts were we need to put this fire ify, just to double check, because you out now." Sergeant Billie said F-15 crew don't want to jump to conclusions," he chiefs are trained to deal with this said. situation, but because it is not a freWith the flames confirmed, Billie immediately ran over and grabbed the quent occurrence, it is imperative to remember the training and react withhose off the Halon fire extinguisher out hesitation. while simultaneously instructing another crew chief to charge the bottle. "His actions were outstanding," Charging the bottle is a process of said Senior Master Sgt. Donald Poorremoving a safety pin and pushing the mon, the 335th EAMXU F-15E assischarging handle forward to pressurize tant superintendent. "He acted perthe hose. fectly and you couldn't ask for better.". He yelled out to approximately Brig. Gen. James W. Hyatt, the eight airmen in the vicinity to clear former 455th Air Expeditionary Wing the area. Billie ran back to the aircommander, recognized Sgt. Billie craft, pointed the hose into the exwith a commander's coin at a meeting haust and sprayed the bottle's conwith the wing's group commanders tents onto the fire before it turned and chief master sergeants. ILL AIR FORCE BASEThe 309th Commodities Maintenance Group formally opened its larger, "transformed" bearing shop March 13, in a new location with state-ofthe-art technology and increased capability. "This facility is a transformational leap above the old facility," said Cathy Heywood, 530th Commodities Maintenance Squadron (Power Systems) director. "It was completed at an opportune time when aerospace bearings have become a scarce commodity with deliveries delayed sometimes in excess of a year." Instead of simply recreating the same bearing shop in a new location to meet technical order requirements and consolidate space, Jeff Powell, bearing engineer, assisted by Slade Knightly and Warren Roundy, created a transformational LEAN facility with the latest technology. "To those of you who look at any of the parts we deal with and you've looked at some of the issues that we deal with every single day, the single largest driver for secondary Power Systems today is bearings," Pat Doumit, 309th Commodities Maintenance Group director, said. at the shop opening. "We've taken it upon ourselves to develop an organic capability to try and overcome that problem. What we do brings to the warfighter the capability that our warfighters sorely need. They can't operate, they can't fly a single airplane for one hour without what this squadron gives them." The shop was moved from Building 214 to the east end of Building 238 in a 3,000-square-foot area — 2,600 square feet larger than the old shop, Heywood said. The facility adds 11 cleaning tanks to remove oil, grease and dirt from new and used bearings. The re-design follows LEAN principles, aimed at eliminating waste, improving work flow, designating specific areas for tools and equipment, and improving efficiency. The shop fully complies with Air Force, Army and Navy technical orders for cleaning and repairing aerospace anti-friction bearings. Processes designed into the new bearing facility include cleaning, visual inspection, minor repair (buffing and polishing), dimensional inSeeSHOP 1 page 10 'National Treasure: Book of Secrets lives up to its promise, delivers adventure BY STEVE SALLES ble for the Lincoln assassination. He's determined to uncover the truth and believes the answers he first "National lie somewhere within the missTreasure" felt like the ing pages of John Wilkes Booth's unexpected offspring of personal diary. "The Da Vinci Code" and "Indiana Jones." Gates and his girlfriend AbiIt was playful and stuffed with gail (Diane Kruger) have split up, pseudo-intellectual mind games while his bumbling tech-smart as it sifted for clues through assistant Riley (Justin Bartha) America's history in an elabohas gone on to write a book about rate game of Mouse Trap. The their previous adventures. Howsequel, "National Treasure: Book ever, even though he's published of Secrets," is more of the same, and drives a fancy sports car, he without the annoying background still can't get out from under the shadow of his famous mentor. filler. So in some ways, it might be even better. So when Gates calls for help, Benjamin Franklin Gates Riley's ready to get back into the' game. Abigail will be a little less Disney Enterprises Inc. and Jerry Bruckheimer Inc. (Cage) is working this time to restore family honor. His greatinclined because she wants to (Left to right) Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha and Nicolas Cage find grandfather's name pops up on a strangle him. You know how that themselves embroiled in adventure when Cage's character wants list of co-conspirators responsilove/hate thing works, right? to clear his grandfather's name in this "National Treasure" sequel. Standard Examiner movie critic T Not only is Ben's dad (Jon Voight) back this time around, but we are introduced to his mother for the first time. I'll leave that as a surprise. We also meet a new unsavory character, Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris), who is following Gates' every move from Washington, D.C., to Paris, to London and back again. He has a particularly keen interest in what Ben discovers. Unfortunately, his reasons must have been left on the cuttingroom floor. That's not vital, it just would have been nice to know. By the way, I looked it up, and there really are two other Statues of Lady liberty and the Resolute desks do indeed exist. The rest See REVIEW I page 11 |