Central Storage: parts to spare, missions to support

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • Thunderbolt Editor
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLa. --  It takes a lot to keep the KC-135 Stratotankers at MacDill flying - 208,649 aircraft parts, to be precise.

That's what was in the inventory recently at the Aircraft Parts Store, one element of Central Storage, which supports every unit on base with spare parts for planes, wheeled vehicles, flight equipment and spares kits for a wide range of missions.

Availability and accountability, along with speed of delivery, are the hallmarks of the unit, which not only supplies MacDill, but is an important source for other DoD customers and points around the world.

"We can pretty much get anything anywhere in the world within 24 hours," said Staff Sgt. Daniel Harrington, NCOIC of Aircraft Parts.

Keeping track of inventory is a big part of the job, as so many parts are on hand and the most critical among them cannot be allowed to drop below acceptable levels or get lost in the warehouse. Making sure is Staff Sgt. Camille Watson, NCOIC of the inventory section.

"Every week," she replied quickly when asked how often inventory is taken. "And it's all done by hand."

In addition, there are daily listings and spot listings to keep everyone sharp and all inventory accounted for.

Another important job of Central Storage is to prepare aircraft spares kits for missions flown out of MacDill. Depending on the destination and type of mission, customized kits are packed in large containers and put on skids. They are loaded on the planes, hopefully containing every conceivable spare the particular aircraft may need while away.

Staff Sgt. Joe Figueroa, NCOIC of Mobility Readiness Spares, said the kits are so specialized, they take into account the maintenance history and unique needs of the aircraft for which they are assembled.

"Each plane and each mission has special requirements," he said. "We include the items most needed for the plane."

Sergeants Harrington, Watson and Figuroa are part of a 50-person team in the Materials Management Flight of the 6th Maintenance Group. Each one plays an important role in a process in which there is little room for error or delay.

"It's an important job," said Sergeant Harrington, adding that often times his unit is tasked with parts that qualify as mission capable awaiting parts.

That means a mission cannot be started or completed unless the needed part is supplied. It could be needed in hours, and sometimes must be shipped to the other side of the world.

"If we don't have it, we have to find it," said Sergeant Harrington.

Smaller parts that are needed often are always on hand, he said, but some larger parts that are no longer produced, such as flaps, must come from the "bone yard," said Sergeant Harrington. That's just the reality of dealing with aircraft that were manufactured as early as the late 1950s, he said.

About 90 percent of the parts in Central Storage are for KC-135s, Sergeant Harrington said, the rest divided between ground vehicles and other planes, including the C-37s of the 310th Airlift Squadron.

Some of those parts may be as simple as a screw worth a few cents, but they also can range up to single parts worth $500,000.

Other functions of this critical unit include keeping a current inventory of equipment assets, including munitions. Reports are routinely fed to Air Mobility Command headquarters, ensuring the whereabouts of all assets are always known.