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Rodeo 2009: KC-10 maintainers -- Planes don't fly without them

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Amber Kelly-Herard
  • Rodeo 2009 Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The 1979 KC-10 models were the first to be used in the Air Force in 1982. Today, there are currently 59 aircraft in the inventory.

KC-10 units at McGuire AFB, N.J., and Travis AFB, Calif., provide a lot of off-loaded fuel within the Air Force's deployed area of responsibility, as well as provide cargo airlift. The two units are competing at Air Mobility RODEO 2009 here.

"The KC-10 provides global reach to all services and we're in charge of overall maintenance," said Tech. Sgt. John Morwood, 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, Travis AFB, who has been a maintainer for 12 years.

In addition to the importance of the KC-10, the people in charge of servicing, launch and recovery and overall condition of the aircraft are equally important.

First Lt. Anthony Brown, 605th AMXS maintenance officer, McGuire AFB, said if the plane is not in the air, there is probably a maintainer working on it. Maintainers fix and prepare everything on a plane, unless the problem requires a specific specialist.

Maintainers also take care of fueling the plane.

"That's especially true in the desert when they fly so much -- they leave with about 340,000 pounds of fuel and comeback with about 15,000," said Tech. Sgt. Brent Pechanec, 714th AMXS crew chief, McGuire AFB, who has been a maintainer for 11 years.

Coming to RODEO, the McGuire and Travis teams had already worked together since they are the only two KC-10 units and they deploy together often, but they were also working hard to compete against each other.

"The work's been tough and we've put in some long hours," said Sergeant Pechanec.

Because Sergeant Pechanec has been in the career field for a while, he said he receives a lot of phone calls from other maintainers asking for help.

Sergeant Pechanec's not the only Pechanec competing at RODEO either. His identical twin brother, Tech. Sgt. Bryan Pechanec of the 514th AMXS, is at RODEO on McGuire AFB's C-17 team.

"It's great to have someone I know, even at McGuire," he said. "We enjoy competing with each other. "

When it comes to enabling global reach, however, KC-10 maintainers and their maintenance comrades from all over the Air Force fleet are as much a part of that airpower projection as their aircrew counterparts.

Sergeant Morwood said, "Working on a KC-10 is incredible, it is very user friendly and designed with the mechanic in mind. I'm glad to do my part."