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Piecing together a predator

  • Published
  • By By Senior Airman Jette Carr
  • 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A kit to build a model plane can be purchased in many stores. In each box come all the parts, from the aircraft's main pieces to the tools and a nice set of semi-legible instructions. Building it can be as simple as attaching Point A to Point B with a little bit of glue, and within an hour or more, the miniature is done.

For those from the 27th Special Operations Maintenance Squadron, the experience was quite different as they assembled together an MQ-1 Predator for static display in front of Building 1 at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. Scrapped parts of old aircraft were used to compose the new static. With cracked and missing framework, the shop grouped together to fabricate the predator to new life.

Assigned to the project in March 2013, the squadron constantly had someone working on the craft. Whether it was to gut the aircraft of its unnecessary wiring, weld or even dream up the new support system they would have to shape to put the various pieces together, the process of building the static was something new and they learned as they went along. On July 19, all of Cannon was able to see that hard work come to fruition as the craft was mounted for display.

"This monumental task took every bit of the four and a half months, with aircraft structural maintenance and metals technology technicians working around the clock seven days a week," said Master Sgt. Danial Storkson, 27 SOMXS aircraft structural maintenance section chief. "This was an accomplishment for the whole 27 SOMXS, but several people stood out through their dedication to the project."

"These main contributors from the 27 SOMXS are Tech. Sgt. Jeff Williams, aircraft structural maintenance NCO in charge and project lead; Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hurd, aircraft metals technology section chief; Senior Airman Alexander Zimnawoda, aircraft metals technology technician; Staff Sgt. Joshua Bell, aircraft structural maintenance supervisor; Staff Sgt. Bryan Smith, aircraft structural maintenance supervisor, and Airman 1st Class Jared Boles, aircraft structural maintenance technician," continued Storkson. "Without their combined effort, the construction of the predator wouldn't have been as successful."

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