445th Maintenance Squadron Manufactures Intricate Display

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Charlie Miller
  • 445th Airlift Wing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio --  One day they're building a huge C-5 Galaxy tire cart holding seven 180 pound tires from scratch, and the next day they're creating a one-of-a-kind display that requires intricate engraving techniques and attention to minute detail.

The shift from huge to tiny almost seems like a contradiction but it's all in a day's work for Technical Sergeant Jason Cox and the rest of the 445th Airlift Wing Maintenance Squadron's metal technology crew. They say you simply have to remain flexible.

Sergeant Cox received an unusual request from 445th Command Chief Aaron Mouser: could the guys, when not working on aircraft, manufacture a unique, rather fancy, rather large, rather detailed display to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force? And, by the way it's not for the 445th; it's going to be placed in the Airman Leadership School building and will kind of be a show piece for the entire Air Force. You know, no big deal, right?

I'll get right on that, Chief. And you want framed photos of all 15 Chiefs included, laser etched Plexiglas chevrons, inlaid metal, etched blue metal plates, the Hap Arnold logo and a drop-in frame. I'm on it.

That's actually an accurate description of what Sergeant Cox did. The chief left him with a wish list and the sergeant started designing the display.

"I brainstormed and threw ideas at him," Sergeant Cox said. "Chief Mouser gave me a lot of latitude and artistic vision. I used some of his ideas but went in a different direction on a lot of the display because of the new equipment we have in the shop."

After the green light was given, the sergeant began to turn the plans into reality.
"I went to the Air Force Link and found the artwork for the rank, cleaned up the lines in Corel Draw to make them look the way they should for the display. It took a long, long time for the laying out, the graphic design of all the letters and designs. They had to be edited on the computer programs so they could be cut by the machinery and then be inlaid on Plexiglas and engraveable metal."

Surprisingly, Sergeant Cox had never really done anything like this before, and definitely not with the equipment available in the metal technology shop. The sergeant quickly found himself using two different programs on two different computers. 

"I basically had to teach myself how to put all the parts of the project together. I used a lot of new techniques and a lot of technical skills. It was sometimes frustrating using a new computer program and equipment that was pretty new to our shop."

Not to worry. Sergeant Jason Cox is a perfectionist when it comes to his work.

"You almost have to be a graphic artist to do this. I've used a lot of computer programs but never for a project like this. I had to draw out on the computers the processes for the machines so they could do the work. It was a culmination of the computers and the engraving equipment being married together."

The sergeant enlisted the help of fellow metal technology worker Tech. Sgt. Bob Monti, and together they use raw aluminum, polished aluminum, engraveable aluminum, blue metal plates and Plexiglas to assemble the display. The rank was cut into Plexiglas with the shops new laser engraver and a handmade frame was assembled.

"The detail was so fine milling it out conventionally was not good enough to get the details needed for the display. I wanted the highest quality possible since this was going to be center stage at the school" Sergeant Cox said.

The sergeant designed a special metal block plate "for repeatability and uniformity" for the manufacturing of 45 letters used on the display. A computer aided design program was incorporated to get the letters ready to be downloaded into the machine controller, and then cut from polished aluminum.

"It's nice to see metal chips flying," Sergeant Cox said with a smile. "Not every wing member gets to see this." No doubt that he loves his job.

Even though the size difference between a C-5 tire cart and the display are vast, the crew uses the same process with airplane parts that they used on this special job. Most of the time they are making complex aircraft parts, many from scratch and many are certainly intricate. They made a C-5 landing gear removal stand that has saved maintenance a bunch of time and effort, but that's another story.

"It's nice to break away from the technical orders and use your know-how, your personal touch on special projects. It's also nice that our wing will be represented with the display because we have the talent and the technicians to do something like this," Sergeant Cox said. "This will reflect well on the 445th and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base."

The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is a unique non-commissioned rank. The holder of this rank and post represents the highest enlisted level of leadership in the Air Force. The Air Force Chief of Staff appoints the CMSAF who serves as personal adviser to the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff.

All 14 previous Command Chiefs of the Air Force will be honored with framed photos, as will the current Chief Master Sergeant Rodney J. McKinley.