J52 Engine Crisis: No Match for AIMD
Navy Newsstand
12/12/2002 1:06:00 PM
By Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Dan Rush, NAS Whidbey Island Public Affairs
NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. (NNS) -- The figures are an awesome example of a unit's maximum effort: 152 J52 engines accepted, broken down, rebuilt and returned to duty by the Power Plants Division of Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD).
Work centers 51 Charlie, 51 Bravo, 530 and 600 Division of the AIMD here processed nearly 12,000 engine parts in less than six months. More than 8,600 total man-hours were expended in this evolution.
Thirty-one engines a month passed through the facility, and at the peak of the effort, more than 100 engines sat stacked in rows behind AIMD, waiting their turn on the processing floor.
The fleetwide maintenance issue that required this amazing work effort was caused earlier this year by the in-flight loss of two EA-6B Prowler aircraft due to the failure of the vital 4.5-inch engine bearings.
Further fleetwide investigation found the engine bearings were highly vulnerable to early failure and the situation affected not only the entire J52 engine fleet, but the Navy's vital EA-6B Prowler.
Technical experts rapidly improved the bearings design but the daunting task of installing it in the midst of a wartime requirement fell to four engine rework sites around the United States and overseas. AIMD Whidbey, Naval Air Depot Jacksonville and Marine Aviation Logistics Squadrons 12 and 14 were called to the task.
The Navy estimated it would take until November 2003 for the entire J52 fleet to be brought back to a fully operational status. This mark of completion is signified by the term "zero empty firewalls," which means that all aircraft would be fully supplied and supported with an operational engine and an on call, ready for issue backup engine in the supply system
On the afternoon of Nov. 22 in the 400 Division working bay, Capt. Brian Bennett, commander, Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet; AIMD's Officer in Charge; AIMD command staff and a large representative group of Sailors and civilian workers presided over the last J-52 engine completing its bearing replacement cycle. This "motor," number 678217, brought the Navywide J-52 fleet to its "zero firewall" status a full year ahead of schedule.
"You have done a splendid job under difficult and demanding requirements," Bennett said. "Your work ensures that the Prowler remains ready for whatever tasking it's called for. Your work has been noticed at the highest levels because even a situation such as this can have a large impact on operational planning.
Your hard work has ensured that we can make confident decisions with stable and available platforms on hand."
"It wasn't just 400 division alone," said Floor Supervisor, Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class Michael Caffey. "You had wiring from 600, The Non-Destructive Inspection shop's inspections, the corrosion shop, the weld shop, supply ... what we had was a tough situation matched by maximum output by the whole department. The number of hours put into this should blow people's minds."
Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class Dante Umipig said the start of the crisis was chaotic in itself.
"We had 13 military and eight civilians and the engines were rolling in," Umipig said. "At the peak, we had 100 outside the shop in one week!"
He pointed out that by streamlining the production process and hiring additional civilian workers, many with past Navy experience with the J52, the process became fast, efficient and effective. With additional manpower, the power plants division operated six full maintenance crews in two operational shifts.
Looking at the larger situation with the war on terrorism and enforcement of United Nations' mandates on Iraq's Saddam Hussein, this record performance could not have been more critical.
The EA-6B is a crucial component of the U.S. military's electronic warfare inventory. The loss or lapse of the ready availability of these aircraft could hamper or endanger the military's war against terrorism and the means to contain dangerous regional threats.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
