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Power Plants: Marines who keep the Corps flying

USMC News

Story Identification Number: 200342512469
Story by Cpl. James S. McGregor

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR(April 25, 2003) -- Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to a job where you are responsible for the maintenance and efficiency of the $2 million engines that keep F/A-18 Hornet and KC-130 pilots safely flying their missions worldwide?

If so, just ask one of the 51 Marines, five sailors and 11 civilians who make up the power plants section of Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11.

According to Sgt. Dustin P. Armstrong, noncommissioned officer-in-charge MALS-11 power plants, the Marines of power plants run all intermediate maintenance for the engines of more than 100 aircraft, a job that is not done by Marines anywhere else on the West Coast.

Their mission begins when one of the squadrons bring in a bad engine with the proper paperwork. In some cases the discrepancy has already been identified, in others the Marines of power plants use their own testing facilities to find the problem.

From there, the Marines break the engine down into sections and perform modular repairs. Once the parts have been ordered and the product fixed, the Marines piece the engine back together, test and deliver it to its squadron. The Marines also fix fuel tanks, repair pumps and perform pressure testing.

Armstrong admitted that the young Marines who go to this job day in and day out find that a certain amount of stress comes with their duties. Their hours are long, their operational tempo is consistently high and attention to detail is always paramount.

"Pilots lives are in our hands, and there's some pressure that comes with that responsibility," Armstrong said. "If something isn't caught, it could fail during flight, but everyone knows their jobs and there are publications for everything we do."

"It's a job you can't sleep on. It's the little details that make the difference here," the Quemado, N.M., native added.

Aside from the daily grind of keeping these multi-million dollar engines mission ready, the Marines must also play a vital role in Marine Corps deployments, Armstrong said.

"We have Marines deployed to make sure engines are kept running by performing quick fixes on the spot," Armstrong explained. "Their troubleshooting is vital to the mission because the jets can't fly without a working engine."