LINCOLN, Neb. - When a crucial aircraft tow vehicle at the 155th Air Refueling Wing suffered a major mechanical failure, maintenance crews faced a difficult choice — spend $75,000 on a replacement or develop an in-house solution.
Col. John Loken, commander of the 155th Maintenance Group, and his team turned to innovation and teamwork to find a cost-effective fix.
The issue arose when one of the unit’s two aircraft tugs, also known as “yukes,” developed a flat tire. While removing the damaged wheel, maintenance crews discovered a cracked lug area on the wheel hub, a component not typically repaired in-house.
“The manufacturer told us it would be about $75,000 to replace,” Loken said. “We don’t have that kind of money sitting around.”
Instead, the metals technology shop took on the uncommon repair. Staff Sgt. Daniel Katona, an aircraft metals technologist with the 155th Air Refueling Wing, and his team stepped outside their usual expertise to complete the fix.
“It was an obscure job,” Katona said. “Typically, we deal with aircraft-grade aluminum and steels, not welding cast materials. That required us to think outside the box and implement special preheating, post-heating, and cleaning procedures.”
The team consulted senior members and carefully developed a process to weld and restore the damaged wheel hub.
“We had to do research and really dig through the experience available to us before we felt comfortable attacking it,” Katona said. “It was intimidating, but we proved to ourselves that we could do it.”
The successful repair saved an estimated $75,000 and prevented a major operational disruption.
“We only have two yukes,” Katona said. “When one was down, that directly impacted our ability to tow aircraft in and out of hangars and around the ramp.”
The metals technology shop has historically focused on aircraft repairs, but this project highlighted its ability to support a wide range of base operations, from snow plows to fire trucks.
“Since we have the capabilities, we’ve done repairs on all kinds of equipment,” Katona said. “This was just another example of how we can step in and help.”
For Katona and his team, the project was a return to the fundamentals of their career field.
“With all the innovation we do, 3D printing and scanning, it was nice to go back to the basics,” he said. “This job required old-school skills you can’t just look up on a computer.”
Loken believes that as equipment ages and parts become more difficult to source, problem-solving like this will become more common.
“For years, we followed strict technical orders if something broke, we sent it back,” Loken said. “Now, we’re still following regulations, but we’re asking, ‘Can we fix this ourselves?’ More often than not, the answer is yes.”