Team delivers Navy plane in record time

Published Nov. 19, 2015
By John Parker
Staff Writer

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The E-6 Service Life Extension Program recently delivered a structurally restored communications and strategic command aircraft to the Navy in a record 132 flow days.

The Service Life Extension Program began in 2009 to enable the Navy's 16 Mercury aircraft to fly missions for another 20 years. The program's customer, Navy Strategic Communications Wing ONE, based at Tinker Air Force Base, praised the latest delivery of its 13th reconditioned plane.

"The three most recent SLEP aircraft were returned to the Navy under the target goal of 150 days," wing Deputy Commander Capt. Ed McCabe said. "The aircraft delivered in September 2015 was more than two weeks early, greatly enhancing operational flexibility and mission readiness.

"This could not have come at a better time for the Navy, as aircraft availability is extremely critical due to numerous ongoing modifications to these vital National and Strategic Nuclear Command and Control Assets," he continued. "There have been challenges, but the Air Force, Navy and civilian teams working together have overcome them each in turn and will continue to do so."

SLEP managers and maintainers take ownership of the hurdles they've overcome, especially as a new program in 2009. The first E-6 took more than 270 days to finish.

Leaders say they're proud of a 180-degree turnaround from those days.

Bob Helgeson, 566th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron director, said the SLEP enterprise team, made up of both Navy and Air Force personnel, successfully applied the principles of the Air Force Sustainment Center Way, gated processes and other AFSC management tools to reduce maintenance flow days by over 50 percent. Those significant changes allowed the team to exceed the 133-day "Art of the Possible" target, Helgeson said.

"Not only did the team exceed the "Art of the Possible" goals, they also achieved something more important -- the right results, the right way," he said. "There were zero defects. We turned the aircraft back over to our Navy customer and they were able to quickly get it back on the ready line. That is very important to our Navy customer due to the limited aircraft they have available and the critical mission they support."

Early on, the roughly 60-member team borrowed tools from other aircraft programs and had to rely on qualified mechanics from other organizations to do some of the program's prep work.

"We used to depend on E-3s (AWACS maintainers) to come and take the engines off," said First Line Supervisor Reggie Lee. Now the sheet metal guy is not just the sheet metal guy. In the first gate, he can take the engines off, or the tail feathers off, or help de-panel the plane.

"That is probably the biggest reason that we went from 200-plus days to 132 -- guys willing to cross-train and learn other jobs. They own this. This belongs to them."