Spangdahlem revamps root bracket replacement process

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – An F-16 Fighting Falcon’s wing lies exposed as part of a new process to replace the root bracket. The 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight Aircraft Structures Maintenance Shop recently began a new process for replacing root brackets on F-16 wings. The process reduces the man hours it takes to perform the repair from 522 to 26 man hours. (Courtesy photo)

Spangdahlem revamps root bracket replacement process

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – An incision is made to remove the root bracket from an F-16 Fighting Falcon wing. The 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight Aircraft Structures Maintenance Shop recently began a new process for replacing the root brackets on F-16 wings. The process reduces the man hours it takes to perform the repair from 522 to 26 man hours. (Courtesy photo)

Spangdahlem revamps root bracket replacement process

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – After the root bracket is replaced and placed back on the wing, a connector is fabricated and bolted between the new bracket and the rest of the wing. The 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight Aircraft Structures Maintenance Shop recently began a new process for replacing the root brackets on F-16 wings. The process reduces the man hours it takes to perform the repair from 522 to 26 man hours. (Courtesy photo)

Spangdahlem revamps root bracket replacement process

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – The completed F-16 Fighting Falcon root bracket replacement is shown in this photo. The 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight Aircraft Structures Maintenance Shop recently began a new process for replacing the root brackets on F-16 wings. The process reduces the man hours it takes to perform the repair from 522 to 26 man hours. (Courtesy photo)

Spangdahlem revamps root bracket replacement process

Published May 16, 2011
By Senior Airman Nathanael Callon
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight Aircraft Structures Maintenance shop has a new process that makes aircraft repair more efficient and timely.

The repair involves the root bracket on an F-16 Fighting Falcon, which connects the wing to the fuselage. According to the technical order for the replacement of the root bracket, the entire wing must be removed from the fuselage to replace the bracket if it has any cracks. This replacement requires the combined work of seven different specialists on base to take apart the wing, adding up to 522 man hours to get the job done.

"When our aircraft deployed to [Aviano Air Base, Italy] in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, we sent sheet metal technicians as well. They talked to the technicians down at Aviano about the problems we had here, and they offered an alternative to dropping the wing, which is extremely time-consuming," said Staff Sgt. Benjamin Jimenez, 52nd EMS aircraft structural maintenance specialist.

"They suggested we cut the piece out from the top, which would save both time and money," Sergeant Jimenez said. "Aviano's F-16s are CG models and we have CJ models. I had to verify that all the technical data was the same and then we pressed with it."

The new process involves the removal of brackets and bolts from around the root bracket and then a simple incision to remove the bracket from the wing. After the bracket is removed, the sheet metals shop can put the new bracket together and reassemble the parts.

The F-16 engineers on base have to sign off on the request to do a repair each time a repair is needed because it's not in the TO, but the approval process is still much quicker than the old method of repair.

"As of right now we still have to request the process every time, but the request has been put in to have this implemented as a TO change, and once this happens, it'll be in our books for good," Sergeant Jimenez said.

The request is submitted through an Air Force Technical Order 22 Change Request and Reply form. If the change is approved, the new procedure will be implemented in technical orders Air Force wide.

"This will save a lot of headaches at every base that repairs F-16s," Sergeant Jimenez said. "Five-hundred and twenty-two man hours is the optimum time that we can shoot for when dropping a wing. With this new process, we are able to replace the root bracket in only 26 man hours."

With the new procedure, 20 root bracket replacements can be accomplished in the same time and with the same money used to repair the bracket the old way.

"We actually used the new process on two F-16s here recently, and they are already in Iraq. If it wasn't for the new process, they would still be here and wouldn't have been able to deploy," he said.

"It's all about saving time and money," Sergeant Jimenez said. "This change will save us a lot of heartache down the road in ensuring our planes are structurally sound and can continue the mission."