Dover ISO dock extends C-5 lifespan

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt Abigail Wise
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Since October 2009, 436th Maintenance Group has performed Maintenance Steering Group Three Major maintenance on four C-5 Galaxy in their isochronal maintenance dock. Dover is the only MSG-3 Major location in the Air Force.

In an effort to increase the lifespan of the heavily-used C-5, five years of trend analysis was gathered to see at what time interval certain inspections were needed, said 1st Lt. James Harris, 436th Maintenance Squadron maintenance flight commander.

The results broke down the work into sections in order of recurrence and depth; pre-flight, home-station check, MSG-3 Minor, MSG-3 Major and Programmed Depot Maintenance.

The trend analysis showed that the structure of the plane was not usually the reason a C-5 couldn't take off, but the systems were; meaning the electric, hydraulic or fuel system. It was then decided that the inspection time between a PDM would go from five years to eight years, assuming there would be a unit base performing depot-level structural maintenance in the meantime, he said.

Dover was chosen to perform MSG-3 Major, meaning it would perform more thorough maintenance than a MSG-3 Minor, to include in-depth structural maintenance previously handled in a PDM, while doing less systems work than previously.

The purpose behind this is that the systems on the plane need to be focused on by the PDM, and to make time for this the PDM will do less inclusive structural checks.

Dover will then take on that responsibility. While still checking the systems, they are really focused on the structural aspect. This is predicted to extend the life of a C-5 by making sure all parts get the specialized care they need.

"We are working on the fifth plane now, and the last one we completed was the oldest C-5 in the inventory," said Lieutenant Harris. "It's still a new process for us, and we are learning new ways to operate every day."

The ISO dock uses 'Smart Tactics' regularly when there is a hold-up in the current process. A 'Smart Tactic' is one that stems from the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century program. This program, which is very prevalent in the 436th MXG, helps encourage solutions for bottleneck processes and extraneous work, also known as 'lean operations'.

"Most everyone working in here has done the AFSO21 training on base or the Lean Program at University of Tennessee," said Charlie Smith, 436th MXS Isochronal Dock Coordinator. "We are constantly doing mini-lean events as issues come up."

Mr. Smith explained that this is a new process for them, and that there are a lot of young airmen working around the clock to get the job done.

"We get 28 days with the plane in the ISO dock, and by then the next one has already been outside for four days," said Mr. Smith.

They perform maintenance on parts of the plane that may have never been checked since it was first built, said Mr. Smith. "We replace or repair floor panels, check bolts along the whole fuselage for cracks, check for corrosion in the latrines, remove and fix flaps, inspect cabin pressure and more. It's a very thorough inspection."

The work is on-going, with 3,400 pages of new technical data, and the Air Force's entire inventory of 111 C-5s, to include Reserve and Air National Guard C-5s come to Dover for this inspection. With everyone working hard, safety is a huge priority, said Mr. Smith.

"Safety is called in to check any new process," Mr. Smith said. "We'll shut down some parts of the inspection while working others."