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Start your engines: Jet Shop mechanics keep aircraft flying

Staff Sgt. Aguedo Mendez and Airman 1st Class Aaron Keeling, both 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Jet Shop mechanics, send a pulley up two stories to the #2 engine of a KC-10A March 6. The pulley is connected to one of three hoists; there are two hoists on each side of the front of the engine and one to the rear. For an engine change, the team needs to have at least five team members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Wayne Russell)

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With a safety harness securing him to the two story “Tail Stand,” Airman 1st Class Aaron Keeling, 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Jet Shop mechanic, pulls up the rear hoist to connect to the CF6-50C2 -- the #2 Engine on a KC-10A March 6. The engine can cost $5 million brand new, but a repaired/overhauled engine costs about $2 million. (U.S. Air Force photo/Wayne Russell)

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Start your engines: Jet Shop mechanics keep aircraft flying

Left to right, Senior Airman Rafael Lopez, 714th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Staff Sgt. Aguedo Mendez, and Senior Airman Robert Duncan, both of the 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, work as a team to start connecting the hoists to the engine change cart March 6. Members of the Reserve 714th AMXS, like Airman Lopez, play vital roles in daily operations working side-by-side with their active-duty counterparts in the 605th AMXS. (U.S. Air Force photo/Wayne Russell)

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From the rear of a KC-10A facing forward looking two stories up, the engine, with cowl doors open, is ready to come down. On the KC-10, the tail cone section and parts of the elevator can be dropped to make room for the engine to be dropped. Even the maintenance tail stand has a rollaway center and sliding side just for the purpose of engine removal. (U.S. Air Force photo/Wayne Russell)

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Start your engines: Jet Shop mechanics keep aircraft flying

As part of the engine change stand is slowly hoisted up to the engine, Senior Airman Robert Duncan, 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and Senior Airman Rafael Lopez, 714th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, steady the cart into place March 6. Once the cart is attached and ready to support the engine, the maintainers then remove the six engine mount bolts -- the only thing holding an engine to the aircraft -- and lower the cart back down to the wheeled base with the bad engine. The reverse is done with a good engine. An engine change, from start to finish with engine drop to operational check, takes three days. (U.S. Air Force photo/Wayne Russell)

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Start your engines: Jet Shop mechanics keep aircraft flying

Left to right, Senior Airman Robert Duncan, Airman 1st Class Aaron Keeling, and Staff Sgt. Jaime Sherwood, all from the 605th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Jet Shop, go over safety procedures of the Powered Bootstrap System, which controls and distributes power to three different hoists to lift and lower a #2 engine on a KC-10A March 6. The engine was found to have a damaged turbine during a periodic inspection of the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Wayne Russell)

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Start your engines: Jet Shop mechanics keep aircraft flying

Published March 11, 2009