Tech Team Bridges Military/Commercial Worlds

摘要

What does an aircraft wing have in common with a 1/50th- to 1/100th-scale roadway bridge? In the case of the five-member team that recently won first and second place in the third annual SAMPE-sponsored professional bridge-building contest, the answer is clear. Both structures are maintained, repaired, and built originally by aircraft technicians using advanced composite materials and applying expertise and finesse to create a lightweight, load-bearing structure. "There's a combined total of 80 years of experience in advanced composites, metalbond techniques, flight control systems, as well as hydraulic tubing systems manufacturing on this team," said Master Sergeant Paul Childers, Jr., team leader and noncommissioned officer in charge of the structural maintenance facility with the 437th maintenance squadron at Charleston Air Force Base. Other team members include James R. Clayton, composite repair technician, and John Young, structural maintenance supervisor, both of Charleston AFB, as well as two aircraft structural craftsmen with McChord Air Force Base in Washington. They are Technical Sergeants Bryan Tieszen and Cullen Longman. These certified technicians have particular experience on C-17 and C-141 military aircraft.