Tech sergeant helps Creech run a tight drone

Tech. Sgt. Kasey Hollinger, a noncommissioned officer at Creech Air Force Base, figured out a way to do more with less and save the Air Force nearly $100,000.

The 432nd Wing public affairs team at the Indian Springs drone base, 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas, reported Wednesday that instead of buying a new $90,000 nitrogen cart to inflate tires and equipment for remotely piloted aircraft, Hollinger invested $11,000 and spent a couple of days fixing an old one to keep things flying under tight budget constraints.

The cart is designed to separate separate nitrogen from air and compress it to inflate tires and equipment for unmanned aerial vehicles.

“This cart was a sole asset; it was one out of three nitrogen carts on base but the other two are down range supporting combat operations,” Master Sgt. Michael Chance, the wing’s assistant maintenance flight chief, said in a news story from the base.

In addition, retirements and separations have whittled the maintenance shop to about half of its manpower level, from 40 down to 20 who maintain some 760 pieces of equipment that support MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper operations in Nevada and overseas.

“The cart had multiple maintenance write ups, the system coolant pump and programmable logic controller were shorted and the actual hose reel where the nitrogen comes out was bad,” said Hollinger, who completed the repairs in 48 hours.

He attributes his success to “infectiously positive attitudes that have helped build strong camaraderie,” according to the Creech public affairs team.

Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2.