Show I Dama Damaged e Airplanes Receive New Skin I v A tour through the sheet sheel metal metal met mel al section at Hill Air Force Base is a trip through a world of Huge drop hammers vats of acid ovens for heating healing metals giant asbestos gloves and even evena a hot-forming hot press for the su su- per tough metal titanium BA CRASH BATTLE damaged wings and control surfaces i from F ls returned from action in Southeast Asia can be seen receiving skin grafts Center wing sections are precisely aligned or with new rib sections installed Designs are carved acid-carved into sheets of aluminum by some of the employees of the shop Others neatly drill evenly spaced holes in the new metal ABOUT 50 so employees are now on temporary duty duly support in SEA as a member of a Rapid Area Maintenance team performing performing performing per per- forming repair of combat air air- craft Section Chief R. R H. H Allred said that employees in the template template template tem tem- plate area of the section work closely with engineers on installations installations installations in in- in- in when new parts for aircraft are prototyped The ft I engineers design n new w components components com- com and sheet metal workers workers workers work work- ers manufacture and install the he improved newly designed partIN parlIN partIN part parl IN FACT we have just completed prototyping a rocket seat for an F 4 modification he said which will provide increased safety for a pilot in incase incase incase case he has to eject from a crippled or damaged aircraft The shop has even been called upon to repair inter inter- stages of the Minuteman i missile missile mis mis- missile sile for which the Ogden Air Materiel Area has prime logistic logis logis- tic and specialized repair re re- re- re THERE IS close coordination between the sheet metal shop and several other Maintenance Directorate units The and pattern- pattern making section create patterns used in the metal shop and also make the forms into which the foundry pours and other molten metals to make dies The dies then go to 10 the huge drop hammers in sheet metal and various items are stamped out METALS USED in the sheet metal unit include aluminum stainless steel titanium galvanized galva galva- iron and alloys of various kinds Of the employees about hired in the last two years have received technical college training in sheet metal at Weber Weber Weber We We- ber State College or the Utah Technical College To become a journeyman in sheet metal requires requires requires re re- quires three years |