MEDIA CONTEST: Fab shop overhauls Bones and Hercs Published Dec. 27, 2006 By ACC Media Contest Feature Entry 11 ACC MEDIA CONTEST -- Did you know Dyess has its very own body shop? Every day orders for repairs come in to be fitted, molded or welded by highly-trained Airmen. These orders however, are not for cars but rather Dyess' aircraft. The 7th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight is responsible for all sheet metal repairs on the B-1s and C-130s and touchup repairs on aerospace ground equipment. Because the fabrication flight handles all the bodywork on the aircraft the shop maintains a very busy schedule. Approximately 1,000 to 1,500 jobs come through the shop each month based on maintenance needs, said Master Sgt. Keith Kuchan, 7th EMS NCO in charge of aircraft structural maintenance. That large work load requires the shop to keep a strict work schedule to keep the planes flying. "We work round the clock shifts. There is always something to do," said Senior Airman Karl Sandvik, 7th EMS aircraft structural maintenance journeyman. "Structural maintenance is simply the busiest shop on Dyess," said Senior Master Sgt. John Schoettelkotte, 7th EMS Fabrication Flight chief. That commitment to keep planes in the air can sometimes be taxing on the families of the Airmen in the flight, said Staff Sgt. Martin Clary, 7th EMS aircraft structural maintenance craftsman. "We have to take care of each other here," said Sergeant Clary, a Jacksonville, Fla. native. "If we don't the job simply won't get done." Besides the occasional stresses the job may cause, the Airmen at the fabrication shop really do enjoy the job. "I like the freedom to design metal to fit parts, said Airman Sandvik. "It's very challenging to form the metal especially on a B-1, which has a lot of contours to it." Being able to design and make everything they need, is what Sergeant Clary says he likes about the job. "It takes a lot of imagination and skill to develop the products we need," Sergeant Clary said. Sergeant Kuchan, a 19-year veteran of structural maintenance, agrees that the job can be demanding mentally, but that is why he enjoys it. "We are basically artists because the guidelines don't always explain what they need to do for a repair," Sergeant Kuchan said. "We may have to design something no one has ever done before. Each repair is always different and presents different challenges. We're basically like a body shop for planes." Some of those unique repairs also involve the flight working on leading edge technology like advanced composites the B-1 needs, Sergeant Kuchan said. Because of the challenges some of the repairs present it can take days or even weeks for some of the jobs to be finished, Airman Sandvik said. Whatever it takes, however long it takes they will do whatever it takes to keep the planes flying, Sergeant Kuchan said.