Aerospace Technician

Experience

Air Force Crew Chief Mechanic: KC-135 Stratotanker Craftsman

Maintained military aircraft, ensuring continuous and reliable operation of flight systems to accelerate mission timelines.

Responsible for signing off on final system checkouts before crewed flight.

Details below

Flux Core (MIG) & TIG Stainless Steel Welder

For personal development, I attended both Flux Core and TIG welding schools to gain more practical experience with stainless steel. Fabricating metal is especially useful when combined with design and technician experience.

Welding Certification

Equipment Technician, & Science Educator for the South Texas Astronomical Society

Various engineering and astronomy projects to help “ignite the curiosity of space exploration” in the RGV community.
Guiding engineering of hybrid rocket (NO2 + HTPB) for Brownsville/Los Fresnos student team for 10,000 ft altitude attempt.

STARSociety Website

Structural repairs for the Observatory at the Brownsville Southmost Library

After the dome collapsed in 2020, the observatory has been out of commission. The city of Brownsville asked our team at the South Texas Astronomical Society to help rebuild the structure, where I took the lead in the engineering effort.

Observatory Overview

Crew Chief
Stratotanker
Mechanic

Supervised and performed the inspection, troubleshooting, and hands-on mechanic maintenance of all aircraft systems. Responsible for signing off on final system checkouts before crewed flights.

Engaged in over 60 temporary duty travel missions CONUS. I was responsible for supporting 700 missions in the Middle East combat theatre for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Roles in high-paced daily crewed vehicle launching:

Hands-on Technician Maintenance: Proficient with the mechanical and pneumatic tools necessary to install, remove, and test all aircraft systems. Details are in the Tooling section below.
Operations and Logistics: Managed the production and scheduling of aircraft to ensure aircraft were prepared for flight - often high-priority national security missions.
Service Hazardous Systems: ~5000 psi pneumatic nitrogen and hydraulic fluid servicing, gaseous aviators breathing oxygen (GOX), F-108 jet engine fluids.
Inspection of Serviceability, Part Tolerance, and Installation Quality: Inspected aircraft with extreme attention to detail for serviceability, part compliance, corrosion identification, installation errors, flight/mission damage, and manufacturing defects. Aircraft inspection details vary from 30 minutes to 4+ hours (preflight, post-flight, etc.). Responsible for certifying final system checkouts prior to crewed flight.
Documentation: Responsible for the accuracy of vehicle flight and maintenance documents.

Technician
Tasks, Tooling, and Heavy Equipment

Troubleshoot, Test, Install, Replace, Rig, or Adjust (including, but not limited to):

Mechanical: Panels, sheet metal failure/cracks, corrosion identification, windows, flight control surfaces (ailerons, flaps, speed brakes), horizontal and vertical stabilizer, landing gear assembly, brake assembly, cables/wire rope accessories, rivets, fasteners, bolts, clamps, grommets, screws, gaskets, safety wire, etc.
High-pressure Hydraulic/Pneumatic: cylinders, motors, pumps, snubbers, valves, adapters, fittings, couplers, gauges, hoses, o-rings, etc.
Electrical: 3-phase motors, AC motors, DC motors, linear actuators, engine ignitors, radome, centrifugal blowers/fans, switches, relays, solenoids, indicator lights, all aircraft lighting systems, circuit breakers/fuses, breaker/fuse panels, various wiring and wire harness maintenance, etc.
Professional Training & Education: Earned Associate's degree in Aerospace MaintenanceTechnology, which is functionally the military equivalent of the FAA Airframe and Powerplant license.

Heavy equipment operation & Tooling requiring precision manual dexterity:

Personnel Platforms: Daily operation of platforms for maintenance/technician tasks. Trained and licensed with JLG boom lifts, scissor lifts, hydraulic boom lifts, forklifts, and more.
Transport Vehicles: Trained with aircraft tow vehicle operation.
Precision Measuring Equipment: Micrometers, torque wrenches, thermocouples, barometers, jet fuel flow measuring devices, cockpit instrument panel, etc.
Hand Tools and Power Tools: All mechanical and pneumatic tools necessary for any maintenance operation on the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft.

Experience

Crew Chief Stratotanker Mechanic

Technician Tasks, Tooling, and Heavy Equipment

Crew Chief
Stratotanker
Mechanic

Technician
Tasks, Tooling, and Heavy Equipment