Video

Video by Yasuo Osakabe

Black-Letter Aircraft

374th Airlift Wing

June 28, 2019 | 3:31

Members of the 374th Maintenance Group accomplished a rare maintenance achievement on a C-130J Super Hercules, June 11, 2019, at Yokota Air Base, Japan, making maintenance history and marking a local achievement for Team Yokota.

Aircraft 5838, a C-130J assigned to the 374th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron received a black-letter status after landing with zero discrepancies.

The phrase black-letter aircraft originates from the 781H form used to inspect C-130s before and after each flight. Crew chiefs use the form as a checklist. When there is a discrepancy, it is highlighted with an x, a dash or a forward slash in red pen. When there are no discrepancies, a crew chief checking the aircraft will sign the form with their initials in black ink.

Since Yokota AB received new C-130Js from the factory, one might assume aircraft should receive black-letter initial status often. However, C-130Js accumulate high numbers of sorties and maintenance repairs over a short period of time because of the frequency of support to training or real-world missions throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

This black-letter aircraft is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the members of the 374th MXG.