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305th MXG Inspection Section contributes to leaner, smarter force

  • Published
  • By Airman Rebekah Phy
  • McGuire Public Affairs
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. --  Through AFSO 21 LEAN initiatives, the 305th Maintenance Group's KC-10 and C-17 maintainers have combined their skills and knowledge to become the "Inspection Section," with the most efficient inspections in Air Mobility Command, said Master Sgt. Roy Jefferson, 305th Maintenance Squadron flight chief.

Over the past year, improvements have been made to the turnaround time of aircraft inspections to increase aircraft availability to the warfighter, contributing to Team McGuire and Air Force efforts toward a leaner, smarter force.

"This has been a team effort," said Chief Master Sgt. Terry Hotz, 305th Maintenance flight chief. "Every person, flight and squadron in the 305th Maintenance Group has contributed to these inspections running smoothly."

Before the LEAN initiatives, a KC-10 would be in the inspection hangar for five days before engine runs were conducted and it was then returned to the flightline. A C-17 would be in the hangar for four days before the engine runs and it was then returned to the flightline.

Because of a reduction in personnel and an even greater need for airlift, AFSO 21 initiatives were implemented to make the inspection process for both aircraft more efficient.

Before the improvements, the different areas in the inspection hangar were divided into five sections: Aero-repair, Wheel and Tire, A-Checks, Home Station Checks and jet propulsion.

All personnel (active-duty, Reservists and civilians) in the Inspection Section were trained on both KC-10 A-Check inspections and C-17 HSC inspections, as well as how to maintain both aircraft, combining all five sections into one - the Inspection Section.
"Only having two and a half years on a KC-10 and being tasked to become qualified on a C-17 was difficult to adapt to at first," said Senior Airman Douglas Loeffler, Inspection Section team member. "But, we're getting the opportunity to do a lot of things most Airmen don't have a chance to experience."

"In the long run, we're getting more from our personnel because of their greater skill sets," Chief Hotz said.
Other improvements followed.

The Inspection Section's Composite Tool Kit used to be located in two different hangars; one for the KC-10s and one for the C-17s. Now that they are able to inspect and maintain both aircraft in the same hangar, the CTK is centrally located, reducing maintenance flights support equipment footprint and freeing a hangar for other maintenance. Inspection Kits were also compiled, which conveniently store all common-use tools for KC-10 inspections in one place.

After a year of implementing these changes, inspection times for both the KC-10 and C-17 were cut in half. The KC-10 A-Checks are currently completed in three days, and the C-17 HSCs are completed in two days, resulting in a projected increase of 184 days of aircraft availability over the next year.