Ken Krutsch - KM7TJ
I enlisted in the US Air Force in July 1966 as an Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic, Jet over two engines. (Crew Chief)
First assigned to Travis AFB, California, Transient Alert section (Follow Me). In addition to transient fighters, as well other services planes, primary aircraft supported at that time were C-141, C-130, C-124, some C-5’s later, as well as various commercial aircraft, such as B-707, DC-8 and many propeller driven aircraft.
Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, MAC Squadron, worked as crew chief in enroute maintenance, primarily C-141 and C-5’s directly supporting SEA operations.
Assigned to Grand Forks ND (SAC) in 1973, on KC-135 and B-52 birds, both flight line work, phase inspections and various staff positions.
After six great years in Grand Forks, I was assigned to Mather AFB near Sacramento California in 1979 thru 1982, working on the B-52’s as crew and flight chief.
After Mather, I was assigned to the 4200 and 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron (SAC) AFOTEC at Edwards AFB in California, supporting flight testing of offensive avionics systems on B-52’s. When the B-1A was resurrected as a B1B, I transferred to support that flight test program. I was selected to monitor final assembly of the first B-1B at the contractor’s facility to help identify and resolve maintainability issues. I was also heavily involved with the B-1B climatic testing at the McKinley Climatic Lab at Eglin AFB FL. After a very rewarding 6+ years at Edwards, I retired as SMSgt in 1988 as the Maintainability Evaluation Superintendent.
After retirement, I was employed with McDonnell Douglas and Boeing working as a Production Planner, Planning Analyst and Manufacturing Engineer on the C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft.. I was assigned to support the C-17 Flight Test program at Edwards for about 3 years, then returned to Long Beach California, where I was involved with the then named KC-767 program, as well as other long-term projects. I retired from Boeing in Sep 2009 after 21 years, moved from California in 2010 and now reside in Utah.
Ken Krutsch, KM7TJ - AFFC Member #536