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JB MDL NCO, keeps KC-10s mission-ready in Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  KC-10 Extender aerospace propulsion Airmen like Staff Sgt. Jose Cabiya have to keep the Air Force's largest air refueling tanker ready all the time to meet the needs of the deployed mission.

In the first three months of 2010, Airmen supporting the KC-10 mission in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility saw the airframe fly more than 1,000 sorties off-loading more than 108 million pounds of fuel to more than 6,600 aircraft in support of combat operations. The continued success is largely due to continuous maintenance efforts from Airmen like Cabiya.

Cabiya is an aerospace propulsion craftsman with the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Extender aircraft maintenance unit at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. He is deployed from the 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 305th Air Mobility Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

As an aerospace propulsion Airman in the 380th EAMXS, Cabiya manages maintenance of the KC-10 aircraft deployed with the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron. On each KC-10 Extender, there are three General Electric CF6-50C2 turbofan engines that can provide up to 52,500 pounds of thrust each.

Cabiya inspects, maintains, modifies, tests and repairs propellers, turboprop and turboshaft engines, jet engines, small gas turbine engines and engine ground support equipment . He also manages aerospace propulsion functions and activities.

In his duties to plan, organize and direct aerospace propulsion maintenance, he interprets and implements directives and publications pertaining to maintenance functions, including environmentally safe maintenance practices. Cabiya also advises, performs troubleshooting and determines repair procedures on aircraft engines. He diagnoses and repairs malfunctions using technical publications and solves maintenance problems by studying drawings, wiring and schematic diagrams, technical instructions and analyzing operating characteristics of aircraft engines.

Cabiya is trained to remove, install, inspect, repair and modifie engines, engine modules and components. He can disassemble and assemble engines adhering to prescribed procedures and prepare engines for installation, storage or transportation. He's also trained to tests components using bench mockups and test equipment.

The job description further states his mandatory job knowledge includes knowing mechanical, hydro-mechanical, electrical, and pneudraulic principles applying to jet and turboprop engines, and propellers, oil analysis principles, wear metal criteria and guidelines, concepts and application of maintenance directives and using and interpreting diagrams and technical publications.