Maintainers train for the worst Published June 13, 2011 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Maintainer-volunteers at Robins are training for a mission they hope they will never have to perform. The Crash Damaged or Disabled Aircraft Recovery Team is on 24-hour standby to recover F-15, C-130, C-5 and C-17 aircraft in the event of an accident, said Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Clater, 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Group superintendent. The team currently has 33 members - all but three who are civilians - and will eventually have 36. Members hail from each of the four platforms. The CDDAR task previously fell under the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron, which traveled the world performing battle-damage repair on the aircraft. After the squadron deactivated in 2009 and became a much smaller flight, it could no longer handle the CDDAR role. That's when the volunteer team was organized. In May, the Air Force held its first formal CDDAR training, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Three members from Robins attended the inaugural class. Two more have since attended. "There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes people don't know about until you need it, and this is one of those things," Clater said. "We just want to be ready if we ever have to do it." Jesse Clark, a C-5 functional test supervisor, was among those who attended the first CDDAR class at Sheppard. Clark acknowledged recovery of a serious C-5 crash could be a lengthy commitment, with possible 12-hour days, seven days per week, but he stands ready to do it if called. "I have been around C-5s for eight years and I just love the aircraft," he said. The team has $2 million worth of equipment set aside, which can't be used for any other purpose. It includes lifting devices such as airbags, bands and slings. It also includes fittings, saws and generators. CDDAR's role could either be the safe recovery of a completely broken apart aircraft, or the aircraft could be flyable and they would have to recover it without causing further damage. In the training, they learn how to safely lift aircraft sections and when and how to use protective equipment when burned composite parts might pose a health risk. While CDDAR's role is the recovery of aircraft, in the event of a crash at Robins the response would involve numerous organizations, Clater said. Those include the fire department, security forces, civil engineering and others. "If we ever have to do this, it will be a total team effort," Clater said.