18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

18th Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen and local nationals prepare a donut loader for use at the barrier maintenance building on Kadena Air Base, Japan, Sept. 21, 2021. Aircraft arresting cables rely on rubber donuts to elevate the cable a few inches off the flightline, allowing aircraft to hook it for assisted braking in the event of braking failure. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

18th Civil Engineer Squadron employees examine an aircraft arresting cable on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. Aircraft rely on arresting cables for assisted braking in the event of braking failure. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

18th Civil Engineer Squadron employees examine an aircraft arresting cable on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. Aircraft rely on arresting cables for assisted braking in the event of braking failure. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

Takehara Yasuhide, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron barrier maintenance technician, prepares rubber donuts attached to an aircraft arresting cable for cutting on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. The donuts wear out over time and must be replaced to ensure the cable is evenly elevated across the flightline, allowing aircraft to get assistance decelerating should they need it. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

Takehara Yasuhide, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron barrier maintenance technician, pulls gloves out of a supply truck on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. The gloves protect his hands when lubricating the rubber spacers before being placed onto the arresting cable. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

Takehara Yasuhide, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron barrier maintenance technician, cuts a rubber donut attached to an aircraft arresting cable on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. One team member held each donut in place with a truck tire while Takehara did the cutting. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

Takehara Yasuhide, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron barrier maintenance technician, inspects a donut loader on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. The donut loader is a modified log splitter designed to press rubber donut spacers onto an arresting cable. These donuts hold the cable slightly off the ground for an aircraft hook in the event of an emergency landing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

Takehara Yasuhide, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron barrier maintenance technician, center, and U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Betz, 18th CES barrier maintenance shift lead, left, load rubber donut spacers onto a donut loader on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. The donut loader is a modified log splitter designed to press rubber donut spacers onto an arresting cable. These donuts hold the cable slightly off the ground for an aircraft hook in the event of an emergency landing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Betz, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron barrier maintenance shift lead, left, loads rubber spacers onto a donut loader on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. The donut loader is a modified log splitter designed to press rubber spacers onto an arresting cable that hold the cable in position for an aircraft to hook. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Betz, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron barrier maintenance shift lead, loads rubber spacers onto a donut loader on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. The donut loader is a modified log splitter designed to press rubber spacers onto the arresting cable that hold it in position for an aircraft to hook. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

Rubber spacers are stacked onto an aircraft arresting cable on the Kadena Air Base flightline, Sept. 21, 2021. The spacers are called donuts and pressed onto the cable with a modified log splitter. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

Airman 1st Class Isaac Percival, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron electrical power production apprentice, walks past the donut loader in Kadena Air Base’s barrier maintenance shop, Sept. 21, 2021. The donut loader is a modified log splitter designed to press rubber spacers onto aircraft arresting cables. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson)

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18th CES barrier maintenance keeps aircraft safe

Published Sept. 23, 2021
By Staff Sgt. Kyle Johnson
18th Wing Public Affairs

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --