C-5 HSLDR at all time high

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Zachary Cacicia
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Aircraft break no matter what, causing delays; but as of late, this has not been happening very often.

Over the past 12 and 24 month period, Team Dover's fleet of 18 C-5M Super Galaxy airlifters have experienced the highest Home-Station Logistics Departure Reliability Rate (HSLDR) in their history, all thanks to the hard work and experience of the 436th and 512th Maintenance Groups.

HSLDR is the rate at which an aircraft successfully departs its home station on time. The Air Mobility Command standard for the C-5M, is 76.7 percent, meaning that it is expected that three of every four aircraft will depart on time.

"This last month (March), we were at 98.1 percent," said Lt. Col. Danzel Albertsen, 436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander. "That was 52 departures and only one delay; a pretty amazing feat."

The 436th AMXS is the active duty squadron responsible for the maintenance of Team Dover C-5M fleet, the largest airlifter in the U.S. Air Force's inventory.

This feat is especially remarkable because the majority of Team Dover's C-5Ms and 150 436th AMXS maintainers are temporarily operating out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, due to the ongoing major runway construction project on Dover AFB's runway.

Over the past 12 months, the HSLDR was 88.1 percent, and over the past 24 month period that number is 87 percent; well above the AMC requirement. A lot of this has to do with the technological upgrade from the C-5A and B models to the C-5M model.

"The C-5M is so much farther advanced than the C-5As and Bs," said Albertsen. "They fly the same, but there's a lot more technology."
Many of the components on a the C-5M have computer systems that monitor and give updates and warnings to the maintainers that something requires attention, needs maintenance or requires replacement. This is very similar to new model cars that have computer systems that monitors tire air pressure, oil levels and various other components.

But it takes a lot more than these computer systems, it takes the dedicated work of the Airmen who are turning wrenches, replacing tires and wiring components each and every day.

"It's a solid team; it's not just the 436th AMXS," said Albertsen. "It's the 512th AMXS, it's the maintenance operations, it's the logistics readiness squadron on base, the aerial port squadron, and it takes everyone. We have to remember the aircrews, the 9th and 709th Airlift Squadrons, and the operations support squadron for the training. If they write it down correctly and make the correct debriefs, we will be able to successfully turn the plane around and give it back to them. This does not happen without being a teammate."