Instead of heading to the boneyard, an A-10A ground-attack aircraft recently retired at Moody AFB, Ga., will enter a second career as a maintenance trainer for members of Moody’s 23rd Component Maintenance Squadron. “Normally what we have to do when we want hands-on training with an aircraft is plan it out in advance,” said MSgt. Jeffery Knudsen, 23rd CMS aircraft fuels system section chief. Now, rather than pulling aircraft from the active flight line, maintainers will be able to conduct the training whenever needed. The unit is currently fabricating a stand and overhead catwalk, so that the maintainers can remove the aircraft’s wings and take off parts of the airframe’s skin for a view of many parts of the A-10’s structure normally unseen. This will give maintainers “an overall better understanding of the A-10, both inside and out,” said Knudsen. (Moody report by A1C Brigitte N. Brantley-Sisk)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
