A spark of light Published Aug. 19, 2014 By Senior Airman Brittany Y. Bateman Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Metals technicians from the 5th Maintenance Squadron use lathes, drill presses, torches and imagination to repair, and at times create parts that are no longer available. When flight line maintainers notice structural discrepancies with an aircraft, metals technicians go to the aircraft and evaluate the problem.