Catching Eagles

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- The Royal Air Force Lakenheath runway can be a busy place. The sound of aircraft constantly permeates the walls of eight small buildings situated along the flightline.

These facilities house the 48th Civil Engineer Squadron power production shop’s BAK-12 barrier arresting kits. These vital pieces of equipment are designed to bring aircraft to a safe stop in emergency situations.

The barrier arresting kit works as an external emergency brake for the aircraft. A steel cable, or tape, extends across the runway, and is caught by a tail hook dropped by jets when needed. The tape safely slows the jet down and guides it to the middle of the runway. The Airmen of the power production shop then inspect and reset the equipment.

“It’s always ready, it has to be ready,” said Senior Airman Justin McCalla, 48th CES electrical power production journeyman. “Part of all the inspections and maintenance is to make sure that it can catch a jet at any time.”

The Airmen of the power production shop perform constant preventative maintenance to ensure the system operates.

“Maintenance is performed every single day, there are no off days,” said Staff Sgt. Spencer Thresh, 48th CES barrier maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge. “We ensure planes can always land safely, regardless of what conditions.”

This constant readiness was displayed last year, when two engagements of the system occurred within an hour of each other.

“We have an outstanding team here,” said Thresh. “We recently handled two [in-flight emergencies] in 45 minutes, it was rewarding to watch all our hard work and preventative maintenance pay off. In less than one hour, we were able to save two F-15s and ensure the safety of four operators.”

It’s thanks to the hard work and attention to detail of the power production shop that the Liberty Wing’s pilots have a safe and reliable way to stop in emergency situations, resulting in total focus on the mission.