Purple pride: Engine proves there is life after death

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Darrell Habisch
  • 934th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Minneapolis, St. Paul --  There is life after death. A bold statement, but one that is especially true of a T-56-A-7 turboprop engine destined for the 'bone yard' at Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona. In service since at least the mid-70's, the engine logged more than 22,000 hours of total time running, according to Senior Master Sgt. Phil Kvamme, MXS Propulsion Flight Chief. 

The worn and battered engine was offered to Kvamme as a trainer, before it made the one-way trip to oblivion. "I jumped on it," he said. The engine was condemned and its usable life over, except for the possible turn of the wrench to remove a needed part for another engine. The basic design of the T-56 turboprop has remained the same since first constructed in the 50's and in almost all respects, is the same as the T-56-A-15's on the C-130H3's flown at the 934th AW. This makes it perfect to live on as a training engine. 

Without a training engine to complete required OJT core tasks, upgrade training was dependent upon whenever an engine would break. "We can't break something just to work on it," commented Kvamme. "We now have hands-on training and everyone can get their core tasks completed," he said. 

Resurrecting the engine to trainer status has been a spare-time project since its delivery to MXS in June 2007. Technical Sgt. Dennis McClain, Aircraft Propulsion Craftsman, was one of the driving forces during the restoration process. He washed the entire engine while inspecting and documenting its status and all of its historical records. This was followed by another herculean task; sanding and stripping years of paint. Technical Sergeant Dave Dudash, MXS Corrosion Control, took on the job, all in his spare time. He also designed a new paint scheme to truly make the new training engine a part of the Flying Vikings family. 

With its distinctive head-turning paint scheme, the engine is primed and ready for another lifetime of service training new propulsion mechanics.