HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Thousands of excited Hill air show attendees may have missed seeing Thunderbird One perform in the act were it not for the efforts of the Odgen Air Logistics Complex’s 532nd Commodities Maintenance Squadron.
An out of tolerance front nose drag brace on the landing gear on Thunderbird One threatened its removal from the act. Kenny Hammond, a CMXG section chief, was not about to let that happen and he went on a hunt for a replacement part.
“It’s not the norm to just walk in and find a needed part,” Hammond said. “But the stars aligned and we were able to find the exact part they needed in a very short amount of time.”
In a few hours, F-16 mechanics were able to fix the aircraft and disaster was averted.
“It really was cool to be able to help them out,” Hammond said.