More to Fabric Shop mission than 'seams' Published July 17, 2009 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- When an F-15 Eagle pilot has to eject, the work done by a few people at the Fabric Shop at Robins suddenly becomes critically important to the pilot's survival. In addition to sewing patches on uniforms, manufacturing heat exchangers for engines and some other tasks, the 402nd Commodities Maintenance Group's Fabric Shop is charged with maintaining the parachutes that mount on ejection seats and the survival kits that eject with the pilot. "Everything we do here as far as the parachutes and survival kits - we are their last chance for survival when they come out the aircraft," said Sam Sellers, who packs the survival kits. "If we don't do our jobs and make sure this stuff works, then they don't have a chance of surviving." Although only about the size of a small suitcase, the survival kits include a wide array of items that both help the pilot survive and help rescuers find him. The pilot sits directly on and is strapped to the kit. The items include a life raft, die marker, compass, blanket, candle, knife, tin foil for cooking, snare wire for catching dinner, poncho, mittens, sock cap, wool socks, flares, matches, tourniquet, mirror and a radio communicator. The mirror is actually one of the most important items in the pack. A pilot downed in enemy territory can hide in bushes and use the mirror to reflect sunlight and get the attention of a search plane. It's useful, Mr. Sellers said, because radio communications can be picked up by the enemy. "There have probably been more people found by the mirror than with the radio communicator," he said. The raft is rigged to deploy automatically so that it should be full and ready when a pilot hits water. The packs have to be checked annually, with each item removed and inspected to make sure it's still good. Some items, such as the flares and batteries for the radio, are automatically replaced. The process also includes filling the raft and leaving it for six hours to make sure there are no leaks. Once all of that is done, Mr. Sellers said, it takes about a day to repack each kit. In a room in the rear of the shop, another important job is done. The shop annually checks the ACES II parachutes that mount into the F-15 seats, which eject with the pilot. Also, every six months the shop checks the parachutes, called the Back Automatic-22, that are worn by crew members on heavy aircraft. For 27 years, starting with a stint in the Air Force, Mark Richey has inspected and repacked parachutes. It's a huge responsibility, but he does not have any doubts that the parachutes he services will work when needed. "People say they don't want to have that kind of responsibility, but as long you follow your technical order, this is designed to work every time," he said. "As long as I follow that, I know it will work. These are the kinds of things you hope will never be used." Each time an F-15 crashes, Mr. Richey does some checking to find out whether a parachute he packed was used. He has three "saves" with the ACES II chute. The shop has 10 employees, including five who make foam fillers for C-130 and F-15 fuel tanks. The polyurethane foam is cut into shapes that fit into the tank. The foam helps prevent explosion and stabilizes planes by keeping the fuel from sloshing. "It's a challenge to get it cut in the right way," said Annette Dentsley, who has been working in the shop for 27 years.