Work keeps A-10s in air until new wings arrive

[unhappycamper]

Aircraft structural mechanic Eric Pedersen inspects a rib of an A-10 Thunderbolt II inner wing Dec. 17 after flattening the rivets. A-10s are undergoing a wing upgrade at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.


Work keeps A-10s in air until new wings arrive
By Erik Holmes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 4, 2010 6:05:40 EST

For the A-10 Thunderbolt II, it’s “Hog Up” again. That’s “upgrade,” for anyone not familiar with Warthog-speak.

The Air Force’s oldest — and most formidable — close-air support plane is getting a fix to keep it flying until its new wings are ready in a couple of years.

Airmen from the 309th Maintenance Wing’s Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and Hill Air Force Base, Utah, are installing steel straps and stronger fittings to the Thunderbolt’s wings.

“This is an interim fix to keep the A-10s flying while the new wings are being built,” Daryl Neel, the 309th AMARG center wing shop supervisor, said in a statement.

The new wings will beef up the Warthog’s structure and give it another 20 years in the air, according to Dave Roe, a structural engineer with the 309th AMARG.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/01/airforce_thunderbolts_010410w/