MXG shop fixes the ‘unfixable’

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cassandra Whitman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Broken light? Trash. Broken shredder? Trash. Broken aircraft parts? Trash. When parts are labeled impossible to fix and slated to head for the dump, Senior Airman Tyler Jenkins takes them in his capable hands and applies his knowledge of mechanics to fix the "unfixable."

"We take parts that normally go in the trash and we repair them," said Jenkins, an Air Force Repair Enhancement Program technician with the 354th Maintenance Squadron. "We take them back to supply and they pay us for those parts."

Jenkins said they are almost like a backshop or depot, but they have a little more leeway on certain things. They only parts they can't fix are items coded for depot repair only. Depot is the highest level of repair for aircraft parts.

Jenkins and Staff Sgt. Patrick Fallis, the AFREP manager, have fixed a wide range of things from shredders to explosive ordnance disposal robots and various implements from F-16 Fighting Falcons, the key airframe flown in Red Flag Alaska.

To qualify for this special duty, it takes two months of training in micro-miniature soldering, a skill that takes a steady hand and keen eye along with an extensive knowledge of mechanics. Jenkins said this certification is required prior to turning any parts out.

"There are six classes with about 10 people in each class," Jenkins said. "One hundred Airmen at most are certified each year for this. We are a small career field."

Jenkins said the most challenging part of the job is the job itself.

"You have no guidance," he said. "There are no technical orders and nothing to tell you what to do. You have to look at it, take it apart and figure out how to fix it."

The most gratifying thing for Jenkins in the process is saving the base and the Air Force money.

"The items could be outdated; maybe the units can't pay to get new ones or the units have to pay to get new ones causing a shortfall in funding somewhere else," Jenkins said. "We spend our time and little money to repair something that could potentially cost a lot of money [to replace]. The money saved is then reallocated across the squadrons to pay for other much-needed items."

Jenkins' previous career was in the avionics backshop which he did for four years. He said this prepared him for the AFREP position by teaching him the skills to inspect, maintain and test parts required in aircraft maintenance.

"AFREP requires bright individuals," said Fallis. "Essentially you are fixing the unfixable. It's an on-station special duty assignment. All of the maintenance units that can afford to lose someone who is worthwhile will put their names in a pool. They will be racked and stacked and then interviewed for the position."

AFREP is designed to save the Air Force money by focusing on the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's priority of "Every Dollar Counts."

"It's a lot easier for me to fix a wingtip light in a couple of hours than to wait two months for one to come up from the lower 48," said Jenkins.

Every hour equates to time and wasted material, which is money down the drain.

Jenkins gave the example that he can take a $2,500 classified shredder and put an $85 gear in it and turn it back out as a fully functioning classified shredder.

With their ability to fix a vast array of equipment in the Air Force inventory, AFREP technicians returned $663,022 to Eielson for fiscal year 2015.