Illustrating TOs critical work for Tinker artist

  • Published
  • By Howdy Stout
  • Tinker Public Affairs
Jerron Johnston didn't write the book on aircraft maintenance. But he does help illustrate it. Technical Orders, or TOs as they are commonly called, are the written references for aircraft maintenance. Each plane and each procedure is written and illustrated as a guide to mechanics and maintainers to follow. TOs ensure that each job is done consistently and correctly.

"We work on all the TOs that we use here," says Mr. Johnston of the 420th Supply Chain Management Squadron. "We're always improving and making changes."

Mr. Johnston's job is to review new and existing technical illustrations and to make changes as necessary in order to make the illustration clear to the user. Unlike the instructions for assembling a toy plane, the TOs need to be clear because lives depend on it.

"It's more critical than assembling a bicycle or a toy set," he says. "You have to keep in the back of your mind that this is big boy equipment. It is critical."

Mr. Johnston understands how important good maintenance information can be. An Army veteran, he served as a helicopter electrician. "I was in the front line in Desert Storm and everything we did was critical. I've seen how it is."

After leaving the Army, Mr. Johnston pursued a number of odd jobs until joining Team Tinker in 1999 as an electrician on the KC-135 aircraft. As a skilled electrician, he was often on-call as an electrical problem solver.

"I worked all over the base following airplanes around," he explained. "They were always calling on me to solve a problem."

But after 15 years as an electrician, Mr. Johnston decided to make a change after seeing an opening at the OC-ALC for an illustrator. "I thought it would be interesting," he said. "I was looking for a change of pace."

It wasn't a completely unusual choice.

Before joining the Army, Mr. Johnston studied commercial art, earning a certificate in the subject. Over the years he has done occasional work as a commercial artist. He is also an artist with a growing reputation for his oil paintings. Earlier this year he was selected by his peers to exhibit at the Festival of Arts in Oklahoma City, a rare honor for a local artist.

And as an experienced aircraft maintainer and graphic artist, he was the right man for the job. Having used TOs on the job as an electrician, Mr. Johnston says he has a good perspective on what maintainers need to see in a TO illustration.

"That was one of the things my boss was happy about, because I have that background," Mr. Johnston said. "It makes it easier because I know what it's supposed to look like."

In fact, that practical perspective is important as Mr. Johnston reviews the illustrations for clarity and completeness. Sometimes illustrations need little cleaning up. In other cases, they need to be completely redrawn.

"One took me two days," he said. "It was a wiring diagram and I redrew the whole thing."

The computer has now replaced the drafting board, which makes for faster work, he says. In fact, most of the TOs are being digitized for easy updating and referencing. Although work areas still feature at least one hard-copy TO library, all of the information is now available electronically.

"They're trying to go paperless," Mr. Johnston explains. "They can update it a lot faster since it's digital."

Digital TOs also make it easier to update the TOs for older aircraft as new maintenance methods become needed or necessary. In fact, as many of the aircraft maintained by ALC increase in ages, maintainers are developing -- or prototyping -- new maintenance procedures. And of course, these new procedures need new illustrations.

Digital or paper, the goal remains the same -- to illustrate the best way to maintain Air Force aircraft.

"We often joke around about doing government work," he says, "but it is important."