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| Press Release Number: ENI200303121 | 12-Mar-03 |
NAVAIR Depot North Island begins in-depth IMP in Hawaii |
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| Capt. Pete Laszcz (right) and Cmdr. Don Williamson, commanding officer of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light 37 prepare to cut a ribbon marking the first SH-60 Integrated Maintenance Program aircraft inducted at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe, Hawaii. Photo by Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Robert Carlson NAVAIR Depot North Island begins in-depth IMP in Hawaii By Lt. Cmdr. Doug Lucka NAVAIR Depot North Island CORONADO, Calif - NAVAIR Depot North Island has further increased its commitment to supporting the warfighter and has established a capability to perform SH-60B Depot level maintenance at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Helicopter Antisubmarine Warfare Squadron (Light) 37 and the Depot recently celebrated the first SH-60 Integrated Maintenance Program baseline induction. Capt. Pete Laszcz, NAVAIR Depot North Island commanding officer, and representatives from Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, MCB Hawaii attended a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Depot's remote site at Kaneohe Bay was established in 2002 in response to a fleet request to change the original H-60 IMP concept to maximize squadron readiness and minimize transportation costs and aircraft out-of-service time. The original IMP concept had the Depot and HSL-37 in partnership to complete only Planned Maintenance Interval 1 and 3, both 35-day Integrated Depot Maintenance on site in Hawaii. After experiencing extended delays moving aircraft to and from Naval Air Station North Island, the main SH-60B facility on the Mainland, the fleet requested that the Depot establish a capability to perform all SH-60B Depot level maintenance at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The NAVAIR team from the H-60 Fleet Support Team and NAVAIR Depot North Island spent several months developing the requirements to put all logistics elements into place to support the increased workload at Kaneohe Bay, which includes removing the aircraft paint and repainting it. These planning efforts culminated with the ceremony with HSL-37's military personnel and artisans from the Depot reflecting on their accomplishments in developing this capability. The new IMP is expected to have a cost avoidance of $30,000 in transportation costs and reduce overall SH-60B out-of-service time by two months for every PMI event performed onsite. This effort will significantly enhance HSL-37's readiness and allow more aircraft to be available for the warfighter rather than losing time being transported and transferred to the Mainland for this work. Editor's note: Lucka is the deputy Multi-Line Program manager at NAVAIR Depot North Island. |
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