Success Here equals success there: Meticulous task ensures global F-15 missions accomplished Published Oct. 1, 2015 By Jenny Gordon Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- "It's like an octopus eating a bowl of spaghetti." So goes the saying in the 561st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron's Rewire Flight, whose mission is to remove and replace every single piece of wire inside an F-15. It's a meticulous task no doubt, but when that fighter aircraft flies away from the Robins flight line toward home, a successful mission here means another F-15 is available for deployment somewhere in the world. If you were to lay the wires end-to-end and them, it would equal to about 27 miles. Individual wires are tightly bundled inside wiring harnesses of varying size. In turn, the harnesses are painstakingly connected piece-by-piece from the back end of the aircraft all the way to the cockpit, where most of the wires reside for various computer systems. Just steps from functional test where maintainers repair any remaining issues after a pilot takes the plane up for final testing, the squadron's rewire shop dedicates six spots for F-15 rewire work. The entire process -- which averages 6,000 hours -- takes 49 days and includes F-15C and D models only. As part of the wiring modification and programmed depot maintenance in Gate 2, the process is further divided into three subgroups for wire removal, wire integrity testing and buildup. Before an F-15 gets to the rewire shop, equipment inside has already been removed so its wires are accessible. Large yellow platforms near each aircraft allow nearly 140 mechanics to get to any surface they need. A total of 13 electricians can be working at any given time on a single aircraft. Since this particular workload began at Robins in 2009, continuous process improvements have continued to drive the number of flow days down. In the beginning that number stood between 60 and 70 days. Today that number is 49. By implementing Art of the Possible theories, identifying and eliminating constraints in the production process and standardizing those processes, several areas were improved. Most notably, incoming evaluations and inspections were conducted much earlier once an F-15 arrived at Robins. Parts ordering this early in the process worked well so they were ready by the time an aircraft entered the hangar. By continuously coming up with processes that are standard and repeatable for every aircraft, the flight and the squadron overall is looking ahead to what possibilities may come. "If we increase quality and stay on the critical path, aircraft will flow smoothly," said David Pryor, 561st AMXS supervisor.