By Gary Rice

It’s more like being part of a family than a workforce.

At least, that’s how Chuck Parker and George Minton Jr. feel about their jobs in NADEP Cherry Point’s H-1 Aircraft Examiner Evaluation Shop in Hangar 1665. Parker has worked in the shop for about two years, while Minton has been there a little more than a month. Both men are sheet metal mechanics by trade.

“It’s a very rewarding job,” Minton said. “We were both received in the shop very well and made to feel welcome. We’re part of the family now. There’s no us and them, it’s all we.”

As aircraft examiners, Parker and Minton go over every inch of the H-1 helicopters that come into the shop and identify all structural discrepancies. They evaluate the discrepancies and determine what repairs are needed. Under the Integrated Maintenance Concept (IMC), the shop is self-sufficient, and all structural repairs are made in the hangar. The helos are usually put back together and sent back to the fleet within 60 days.

“When the aircraft come in, they may be in pretty bad condition,” Minton said. “It’s really satisfying for us to see that they are flight worthy and safe again when they leave.”

“This is a great job, one of the best I’ve ever had,” Parker said. “I like the area, and I work with a great group of people.”

Originally from Denver, Parker has been at the depot for about eight years and has 20 years of federal civil service. Before coming to Cherry Point, he worked at NADEP Pensacola, Fla., and before that he was in the Navy for four years. He served as an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) on board the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk.

“My goal is to eventually become an aircraft planner,” he said. “They get to travel and deal with the squadrons and other customers to schedule and bring aircraft into the depot.”

Parker says he hasn’t had much time for hobbies lately because he’s had other things on his mind. He recently completed building his new house, and he also recently remarried. In addition to his new wife, Parker has two daughters. The oldest, 21, just earned her certification as a nurse. The youngest, 19, is a college student studying accounting at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Minton hails from Pensacola. Like Parker, he has about 20 years of federal civil service and worked at the NADEP in his hometown until coming to Cherry Point in June 1994. He worked about eight years in the manufacturing branch as a sheet metal mechanic before moving to the H-1 hangar.

Minton’s hobbies include fishing and golf. He has a wife, two sons, and a daughter. His sons are 22 and 19, and his daughter is 11. He also has a new daughter-in-law and a 5-month-old grandbaby.

“The war in Afghanistan has put even more emphasis on the importance of the work we do here at the depot,” Minton said. “We all have a great concern for the troops over there, and we talk about it all the time. We’re all proud of what we do here, from repairing helos in the hangar to manufacturing hoses and tubes for helos that are down on an aircraft carrier somewhere overseas. It’s rewarding to know that we make these aircraft safe for the people to fly over there.”

Photo Caption: In Hangar 1665 at the depot, Chuck Parker (left) and George Minton Jr. stand next to an H-1 Huey helicopter in the Aircraft Examiner Evaluation Shop. (Photo by Gary Rice)