Time for an Engine Change

  • Published
  • By SMSgt Ray Lloyd
  • 107th Airlift Wing
Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, Niagara Falls, NY --  Engine change every 6000 hours, and you thought changing your oil every 3000 miles was a task. The 107th Airlift Wings' Propulsion Shop or known as, the engine shop, installed a rebuilt Allison T56-A-15LFE turboprop engine on the C-130 aircraft while it was in the hanger for its annual 15 mouth inspection. MSgt Patrick Martin, Propulsion Section Supervisor, oversees the install.
The maintenance crew involved on this install were MSgt John Venditti- Crane Driver, TSgt Aaron Clause, TSgt Dan Weiser, SSgt Noah Bellreng and SSgt Scott Weis all from the Component Repair Flight Section of the 107th Maintenance Group. Installing a 5400lb turboprop engine takes many airmen working together as a team. This aircraft is being prepared for future training missions and missions to the Central Command Area.
The Allison T56 is a single shaft, modular design military turboprop with a 14 stage axial flow compressor driven by a four stage turbine. It was originally developed by the Allison Engine Company for the Lockheed C-130 transport [1] entering production in 1954. It is now produced under Rolls-Royce which acquired Allison in 1995. The commercial version is designated 501-D. With an unusually long and numerous production run, over 18,000 engines have been produced since 1954. It has logged over 200 million flying hours.