Consolidated Tool Kit Support Flight

Senior Airman Alex Maertens, a 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron consolidated tool kit custodian, inspects an open-ended wrench, March 21, 2014, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. Tools in the CTK that are highly utilized get inspected every 30 days. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)

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Consolidated Tool Kit Support Flight

Tech. Sgt. Fredrick Jahn, a 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron consolidated tool kit shift supervisor, connects a digital technical order computer to the network for updates and to the charge station, March 21, 2014, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The digital technical order computer must be placed on the network when the device is not being utilized so that updates can be installed, ensuring mechanics receive the most up-to-date information. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)

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Consolidated Tool Kit Support Flight

Airmen from multiple career field specialties prepare to turn in equipment to the 314th Consolidated Tool Kit Support Flight, March 21, 2014, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. Every tool signed out from the CTK must be returned in proper working condition before the CTK custodian inventories the equipment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)

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Consolidated Tool Kit Support Flight

Airman 1st Class Wade Lohman, a 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, cleans residue for a tool prior to inspection while Senior Airman Alex Maertens, a 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron consolidated tool kit custodian, ensures that the torque bar is set at its lowest level, March 21, 2014, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The CTK Support Flight ensures all 345 pieces of test equipment are calibrated to the required specifications before it can be signed out to Airmen working on C-130 aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)

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Consolidated Tool Kit Support Flight

Staff Sgt. Andrew Hubble, a 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron consolidated tool kit custodian, picks up elevator locks, March 21, 2014, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. Hubble has to track, maintain and inspect more than 26,000 pieces of equipment used to work on C-130s at Little Rock AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm)

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Photo Essay: Consolidated Tool Kit

Published April 7, 2014
By Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- The Consolidated Tool Kit Support Flight puts the tools in the hands of the aircraft maintainers, while ensuring that the tools needed to work on the aircraft do not cause future damage. Every shift completes a full inventory of more than 27,000 pieces of equipment including the counting of every rag prior to taking control of the account. In 2013 the CTK Support Flight incorporated reading the Common Access Card to increase accountability for Airmen signing out equipment. "We have 2,000 pieces of potential foreign object debris, Tech. Sgt. Fredrick Jahn said. "We have to be as near to perfect as we possibly can." The improvements in tracking equipment and constant inspections have helped the CTK Support Flight of the 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron receive a 98 percent pass rate during their inspections. The attention placed on tracking the smallest piece of equipment to counting the number of rags in a tool box can be the difference between FOD damage potentially causing catastrophic damage to an aircraft or a successful mission.