Kitty Hawk's Jet Shop Powers Flight Ops
Story Number: NNS030221-08
2/21/2003
By Journalist 3rd Class Jeff Williams, USS Kitty Hawk Public Affairs
ABOARD USS KITTY HAWK, At Sea (NNS) -- Every member of the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 team contributes to the success of the Hawk/5 mission, which is to safely launch and recover aircraft.
But not every Sailor has a hand in the maintenance that ensures the safety of the aircrews and success of the aircraft after launch. The team's aviation machinist's mates play a vital role in keeping all aircraft up and running.
The jet shop is located in the aft portion of the ship, and on any given day at sea, Sailors can see aviation machinist's mates, or ADs, performing maintenance on aircraft engines of every type in the air wing.
"Our mission is to support the air wing by supplying them with quality engines for their aircraft and performing routine inspections and maintenance on those engines to ensure the safety of the aircraft and personnel who operate them," said Aviation Machinist's Mate Chief (AW) William Wolf, a supervisor in Hawk's jet shop.
The jet shop crew ensures the safety of aircraft and personnel by following a list of guidelines and regulations, which give step-by-step instructions on how to properly perform maintenance on all naval aircraft engines, according to Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class (AW) Dustin Klein.
The ADs also make adjustments and perform routine maintenance on aircraft afterburners, which adds to the speed of aircraft, and they test engine pressure ratios and vibration vulnerability.
Klein said each member of the jet shop is trained in various specialties, and they each add their own expertise to make sure nothing is overlooked when performing engine tests or maintenance.
"We have to have a thorough system of checks and balances, because if we don't do our job correctly, people die. It's as simple as that. We can't skip a step, because our job is vital to the mission's success," said Klein.
This system of checks and balances used in the jet shop isn't the only method used to evaluate these aviation machinist's mates' ability to perform their jobs, according to Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class (AW) Kedward Ringer.
"We're held to a high standard by one another, and we also have to pass an annual inspection where we display our ability to make repairs and run the required test to determine if an engine is operating correctly. We don't worry about meeting their prescribed standards. We strive to exceed them," said Ringer.
The majority of the maintenance performed in Hawk's jet shop is external. The engines come fully assembled and only require external work in most cases.
"We make sure they're emitting the proper temperature for their respective tolerance levels, and we partially build portions of the intake and exhaust systems. But for the most part, we run tests on them to see if they are running correctly," said Ringer.
"Hawk/5's mission success is credited to everyone aboard, because it takes a team effort to coordinate all our operations and receive the equipment we need to do our jobs. We constantly work and depend on other departments throughout the ship, because when it boils down to it, we're all small pieces to a giant puzzle."
The critical maintenance performed on aircraft engines by the ADs is another example of how each division of the Hawk/5 team plays a role in the aircraft carrier's success, because according to Ringer, "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link."
USS Kitty Hawk remains mission-ready to respond to emergent national tasking where needed and was recently ordered to the Central Command area of responsibility to join coalition forces preparing for possible operations in that area. Kitty Hawk is the world's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier and operates out of Yokosuka, Japan.
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