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Tinker class teaches importance of technical orders in maintenance

  • Published
  • By Howdy Stout
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  David Mathis believes in doing things by the book. Especially when it comes to maintaining airplanes.

A retired Air Force aircraft crew chief, Mr. Mathis is now an instructor at the Tinker Technology Center, teaching -- among other things -- the proper use of Technical Orders in maintaining aircraft. And with Air Force operations at a high tempo, keeping planes safely in the air is vitally important for those on the ground.

"You know, we talk a lot about customers," Mr. Mathis says. "To me, the most important customer is that young Marine or Soldier on the ground who calls for an airstrike and we deliver it. They depend on us and that's very important to me."

Commonly called TOs, the Technical Orders are a written reference for all aspects of aircraft maintenance, providing information ranging from schematics and wiring diagrams to how to change aircraft parts. The TOs lay out every aspect of aircraft maintenance for specific aircraft, providing a blueprint in maintaining a particular aircraft.

"TO use is mandatory," Mr. Mathis explains. "It's the manufacturer's bible. And we should all go by the bible in all aspects of our lives, shouldn't we?"

Understanding TOs is part of a 68-hour class offered by TTC for new employees and an eight-hour class for current employees involved in aircraft maintenance. "The tech order class is generally required for all new employees and even for veteran employees," Mr. Mathis said. TTC Director Jefferson Tarver, himself a retired Air Force aircraft maintenance member, says both old and new workers need to know how to read, interpret and follow TOs. Making a mistake in maintaining aircraft can kill.

"We know a lot of people in the cemetery who didn't need training," Mr. Tarver said. "On purpose or by accident, it can take a life. So do it by the book."

If an accident occurs, Mr. Tarver says, the first thing investigators consider is the maintenance record of an aircraft. And if it hasn't been done by the book, who ever signed off on the maintenance logs will be culpable and can be held for prosecution.

"I tell these guys, you need to be able to say, "yes, that's my stamp and I did it right,'" Mr. Mathis said. "There's a lot of lives that depend on it."

Mr. Mathis credits the TOs for the Air Force's good operational record, especially considering the increasing age of aircraft such as the 50-year-old

B-52s and KC-135s. "For 50 years, we've been doing something right," he says. "Take a look in the parking lot. You don't see many 50-year-old cars."

Mr. Mathis says maintainers are doing work not envisaged when the aircraft first entered service in the 1950s. All have been modified to some extent. "They're not the same airplanes they were 50 years ago," Mr. Mathis says.

With those aircraft slated to remain in service until the year 2040, he says, there is no telling what new or altered procedures will be introduced to keep the aircraft airworthy.

"And when that happens, the TO has to change accordingly," he said.

Staying up to date with those changes will require staying up to date with the TOs, Mr. Mathis said, even for experienced maintainers. And with many of those experienced personnel retiring in the next few years, the younger workers will rely on using the TOs to provide continuity.

"We've got to set that generation up for success," Mr. Mathis said. "This is the thing that's going to be consistent."

But Mr. Mathis says the next generation of aircraft maintainers is up for the challenge. Still serving as a maintenance supervisor in the 552nd Air Control Wing at the time, Mr. Mathis recalls the evening of Sept. 11, 2001, as he and others prepared aircraft for maintenance inspections.

"I looked around and the day shift was still there," he remembered. "They didn't go home. I asked why are you still here. They said, 'We're going to war. We've got to have these airplanes ready.' A lot of these young people do understand. They do get it. They can stand up when they need to."

Mr. Mathis and Mr. Tarver also understand. They understand that what they did in the Air Force -- and what they now teach -- is more than just fixing airplanes.

"When we were in the military, we believed in what we were doing," Mr. Tarver said. "And we still believe in what we're doing."

"These airplanes are critical assets for our country," Mr. Mathis said. "And there's not a whole lot of room for error in maintaining them. I take aircraft maintenance very seriously. I'm still doing what I can to support the men and women on the ground who call for air support."