The summer storm has just died down, but in the hangar of the maintenance squadron of the Elefsina airbase, a “swarm” of engineers is moving with unabated intensity. They climb scaffolding, adjust propellers, drill holes in the fuselage, adjust wheels. The Canadair CL 215 has flown 50 hours and is to be thoroughly checked for damage, oil leaks or fin dents and returned ready for war. Even if the inclement weather of this day does not contribute to the spread of fire, a pause is impossible. The flow of work will continue even after sunset.

“In the summer you never calm down,” says aeronautical engineer Ioannis Tsikas “K”. “We are planning and expanding operations to have as many aircraft as possible when needed. We’re trying to get a foothold.”

Regular and emergency aerial firefighting operations often have to be carried out on the road, working day and night when necessary. “K” was stationed at Elefsina Air Force Base and at the Army Air Forces facilities at Pachi Megaron and oversaw the work of engineers on Canadair aircraft and Chinook helicopters, respectively. Their behind-the-scenes work during the fire season, relevant and necessary, is usually not visible to the general public. The availability of air assets, sometimes a subject of controversy, especially during periods of major fires, be they airplanes or helicopters, is, they explain, a multi-factorial equation.

The Air Force Aircraft Maintenance Squadron is made up of 75 engineers and is reinforced in the summer by Hellenic Aviation Industry personnel. The average age is not small, if you consider that some have 27 years of service. There is a gain from many years of experience in this matter, but an additional burden in the form of physical fatigue. During duty shifts, each engineer also has a suitcase ready in case he needs to travel to another part of Greece on a mission. Outside Elefsina, part of the aircraft of the 355th Tactical Transport Squadron goes to Volos and Andravida in the summer, and the engineers follow them there.

The Canadair CL 215 radial piston engine is legacy technology and may fail more frequently. However, as MP Efthymios Papaioannou points out, as long as it is supported, it is reliable. Its parts are harder to find than other components, but Mr. Tsikas notes that efforts have been made in recent years to make them as accessible as possible. Need accuracy. “On an engine with 18 cylinders and 500 bolts, if you loosen it even a little, the oil will start to leak, it needs to be opened, found and repaired,” says Mr. Papaioannou.

The conditions under which aircraft are operated are also largely responsible for their subsequent wear and tear. The salt of the sea, where they get their water from, is their main enemy. This can cause corrosion and some checks are also focused on this part, especially at the junction of the fuselage with the wings.

Mr. Tsikas notes that the high temperatures generated by the fire front put stress on the aircraft. Last year, Canadians returning from Evia had burn marks. As Mr. Papaioannou recalls, in those days of August 2021, the pressure and the need for air assets were so great that by the morning of the next day it was necessary to complete the scheduled inspection of the aircraft, which had flown 50 hours. Under normal conditions, this work can take one to two days. “We worked from midnight until six in the morning because the plane had to leave for the fire again,” Mr. Papaioannou says.

“There are work hours that theoretically shouldn’t be kept, and they don’t want to stop so we can keep up.”

“This is a period of high intensity, but the motivation is huge. When you see that what you do will affect people’s lives, you gain strength,” says Mr. Tsikas. “There are people who work hours that theoretically shouldn’t last and don’t want to stop so we can keep up.”

In the hangar of the 4th Army Aviation Helicopter Battalion in Pachi Megaron, two Chinooks are being serviced. The first helicopter flew 25 hours, the second is subject to verification in accordance with the calendar criteria established by the manufacturer. Warrant Officer Dimitris Zikidis, Chinook’s technical inspector, explains that in this area they don’t do major replacements of major helicopter components. Their controls are mostly visual across systems. Among other things, they are asked to determine if the lubricating oils are at the correct level, if there is corrosion from sea water or cracks in various systems. For larger jobs, for example, if 200 flight hours have been flown, maintenance is carried out in another hangar by other engineers in the Army Technical Corps.

The commander of the 4th TEAS, Lieutenant Colonel Stavros Mygiakis, points out that these helicopters have a multifaceted role. Their main mission is operational activities for military needs, including participation in exercises, transportation and training of personnel. They also fly for EKAV, sending helicopters to Syros and Rhodes to do this (a recent K publication mentioned that in July last year alone, the Chinooks flew 37 corresponding sorties in one month). And they help in the fire season.

The standard requirement for operational planning is to have two helicopters at unit headquarters for aerial firefighting and one at Rhodes. This year, they participated, among other things, in firefighting operations in Penteli, Thassos, Crete, in the Dadia forest. “Air safety is the main issue,” notes Mr. Migiakis, also pointing out the importance of the role of engineers.

The mission of Chinook engineers is twofold. In addition to serving on the ground, it will be necessary to take part in hostilities as pilots. Helicopters of this type have two engineers on board, one of whom monitors the instruments in the cockpit behind the operators, and the other checks the indicators at the rear, gives instructions for a safe landing when necessary, or monitors the airspace and provides position information. other media fliers on the front of the fire. The engineer also operates an outboard fire fighting bucket, which is attached to the helicopter and is filled with about 5.5 tons of water when water is taken. Now they have ten new buckets at their disposal, from which you can controllably add water to the fire.

“According to the instructions, after eight hours of flight, the trash can should go to the hangar. We hang it and check it in certain places for wear, for example, on wires, on a belt,” says Lieutenant Ioannis Tsushidis, technical inspector, electrician-electronic engineer. After each aerial fire mission, which involves taking water into the sea, the helicopter is washed and the engines are flushed from the inside with deionized water using a special device to prevent salt from corroding them. Places where salt can penetrate are not always visible, and for this reason more extensive checks are also carried out, in which the floors of the helicopter are opened from the inside.

In addition to some mechanical breakdowns, routine or emergency maintenance, there may be other restrictions such as adverse weather conditions that may prevent them from operating for safety reasons. During the summer period, due to additional duties to extinguish air fires, sappers, together with operators, carry out additional watches. Even outside of shifts, though, engineers can talk on the phone, Mr. Tsushidis says, to give instructions or advice to their colleagues in the event of a breakdown.

“We are growing with helicopters, we are hurting them,” says Mr. Zikidis. “The technical part is always a challenge for the engineer to find the problem and fix it.”