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| Press Release Number: ECP200303181 | 18-Mar-03 |
H-1 rollout shows what depot can do |
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| By Gary Rice When the first U.S. Air Force UH-1N Huey inducted at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Depot Cherry Point rolled out of Hangar 1665 after completion of maintenance, depot artisans proved once again they can do the job better and faster than anyone else. In a ceremony at the depot Feb. 10, Air Force officials marked the occasion and praised the efforts of everyone involved with the work. Donald Michaels, Director of the Special Operations Office, expressed the Air Force's gratitude with the presentation of a special plaque to the H-1 Shop. "We were so successful, we even beat our own cost and turnaround time estimates," Lee Bagwell, Industrial Specialist (Aircraft), said. "The Air Force people really wanted to come here to thank us." "Everything went exactly according to plan," Planner and Estimator Greg Ehrler said, "and the Air Force is really pleased with everything we did. The turnaround time was well ahead of schedule, and the cost was much lower than what they are used to." Arnie Canjar and Russ Dabel, aircraft mechanics from Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, where the Huey is flown in support of space command security missions, were on board the depot to inspect the maintenance work and prepare the helo for its flight back home. They were both extremely impressed with the finished result. "The quality of the workmanship is superior," Canjar said. "The work was done fast and at a low cost, and the help we've received from the people here has been great. We're very pleased." "Our original agreement with the Air Force called for us to perform depot level maintenance on two of their Hueys," Bagwell said. "But they've expressed a desire to bring more work here in the future, and we're certainly looking forward to it." "The second Air Force Huey is already here and has been inducted," Ehrler said. "It came from Andrews Air Force Base, and like the first one, it's in pretty good shape." "The Air Force recently had an incident involving a third Huey that sustained structural damage," Bagwell added. "We have provided a cost estimate to repair it, and it will probably be here before the end of the fiscal year. We're only going to do crash damage repair on that aircraft." The NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point provides maintenance, engineering, and logistics support on a variety of aircraft, engines, and components for all branches of the U.S. armed forces. It is the only source of repair within the continental United States for many jet and rotary wing engines and is the Navy's center of excellence for rotary wing aircraft. NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technology through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts. "The interservice work we do for the Air Force is very important to the depot," Ehrler said. "We're also setting up a partnership with the Bell Helicopter Company to help them upgrade their H-1s. They plan to transition to a four-blade model, and some of that work will be done at the depot. Our H-1 program is expanding, and all of this can only help us. Above all, it makes a strong statement about the high quality of the work we do here at the depot." Photo Caption: From left, Russ Dabel, Harold Rowe Jr., Greg Ehrler, and Arnie Canjar discuss the work that was done on the first Air Force H-1 Huey inducted at the NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point. Dabel and Canjar, aircraft mechanics from Warren AFB in Wyoming, were on board to inspect the Huey and get it ready for flight tests. Rowe and Ehrler are depot aircraft planner and estimators. (Photo by Gary Rice) |
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