Propulsion flight: keeps 'Warthogs' fighting

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Eugene Oliver
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs

The A-10C Thunderbolt II has been flying the Air Force’s mission for over 40 years; a feat that would not be possible without the efforts of Moody’s propulsion flight.

The 23d Maintenance Squadron (MXS) aerospace propulsion flight is responsible for maintaining all Turbo Fan-34 engines for the Air Force’s largest operational A-10 fighter group.

“The main effort of propulsion flight is to overhaul TF-34 engines for Air Combat Command in support of the A-10’s overall mission at Moody and down range,” said Master Sgt. Cevin Medley, 23d MXS assistant propulsion flight chief. “We take pride in the fact that every component of this engine is up to par and has been thoroughly scrutinized before we send it back to the line.”

TF-34 engines have a life-cycle of 48 months before they have to be sent to the propulsion fight for inspection and component replacement.

“Typically, engines come here once they complete their life-span, so when we receive them we do a full scope and inspection on the entire engine,” said Tech. Sgt. Levi Watson, TF-34 engine dock chief. “We inspect the compression blades on the engines, and if there is any damage up to 1/100th of an inch on an engine, we completely tear it down and rebuild it.”

Teams of six Airmen ranging from 7-level craftsmen to 3-level apprentices work together to fully tear down, repair and rebuild a TF-34 over the span of 28 duty days.

While speaking on the propulsion flight’s overall mission and tasks, Medley shared a time when his flight exceeded expectations and went above and beyond their call of duty.

“We closed out 2017 very strong with 38 spare engines produced,” Medley said. “This was 12 engines over the required amount Moody was supposed to produce for the TF-34 engine fleet, and was a new Moody record for most engines produced since the shop opened in 2010.”

The Airmen in the propulsion flight are responsible for over 100 TF-34 engines valued at 1.2 million dollars each, so ensuring that each engine is performing without any deficiencies is key to Moody’s overall mission.

“Without the hard work of the Airmen in our propulsion flight, the 23d Wing would not be able to utilize the A-10 aircraft for training or deployments,” Medley said. “We along with all of the Airmen in the 23d MXS work tirelessly and take a great deal of pride in the fact that we keep Moody’s aircraft flying and in peak performance.”