LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
"If it's broke, we can fix it."
This is the motto of the Air Force Repair Enhancement Program.
AFREP, formerly known as gold flag, is a team of five Airmen who primarily repair aircraft parts, but will work on any piece of equipment on base.
"We never turn anything down," said Tech. Sgt. Eric Bennett, 1st Maintenance Group, assistant AFREP manager. "We attempt to fix everything."
The team repairs office equipment, power supplies, projectors, circuit boards and other equipment that the base would otherwise discard, saving the Air Force time and money.
Langley's AFREP has about an 85 to 90 percent success rate, Sergeant Bennett said.
"Our track record is pretty good," he said.
The Airmen here were the first to go into uncharted territory by creating the first AFREP F-22 repair mission capability.
"They really needed it, and we made it happen," said Tech. Sgt. Eugene McCardell, 1st MXG AFREP manager.
Before the program, many nonserviceable F-22 parts were discarded. Ordering new ones could take weeks or months. Now, AFREP can often repair many of the parts in a day.
Last summer, almost half of the F-22 fleet was down because stored energy system manifolds were breaking quicker then supply system could provide new ones, said Capt. Matt Hummel, 27th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron officer in charge.
"AFREP helped correct that, and now we're having no problems," Captain Hummel said.
A flightline technician might take 12 hours to troubleshoot aircraft wiring, Sergeant McCardell said. By using a specialized wire analysis machine, AFREP can perform the same task in minutes. And the less time an aircraft is down for maintenance, the more time pilots can fly the aircraft for mission requirements.
One of the more critical systems AFREP works on is F-15 video tape recorders, which are used to document munitions deliveries and enemy kills. Since the manufacturer no longer produces the recorders, it's essential that AFREP keeps the recorders operational, Sergeant Bennett said.
The program has saved the base $2.7 million throughout the last three years, allowing the base commander to redistribute that money to other programs, Sergeant Bennett said.
"We save money, and we make money," Sergeant McCardell said.
Not only does AFREP save money for the 1st Fighter Wing, but also for Air Combat Command.
One recent repair job was a $4,000 paper shredder for the command. The cost to repair it was less than $200, Sergeant Bennett said.
Despite the benefits AFREP offers, Sergeant McCardell said the program isn't getting as many customers as he'd like.
"We want to serve the base more," he said. "We've got too much talent here to waste."
For more information on repairs, official base organizations can call The AFREP office at 764-5649 or visit building 788.