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USMC 70% of USMC Hornets are Down?

The fight to keep legacy aircraft going. Getting parts from aircraft on static display? Nothing new. Had to do the same with our Tomcats at NSAWC 2001-2003. Frustrating situation for all.
 
Good thing I transferred to the Corps to fly! Granted I've never trusted Marine Corps Times or Navy Crimes so I guess we'll see what happens in July.
 
"If I don't get more allowance, I won't be able to pay for school lunch anymore."

"Well Timmy, what have you been spending all of your allowance on?"
 
https://news.usni.org/2017/02/08/ma...nce-issues-that-result-big-readiness-problems


Pretty much the same issues driving aircraft availability 30 years later - I am amazed that commercial operators can easily obtain 95% or better dispatch rates.

Naval Aviation especially is challenged with these issues - perhaps the quality of the wrench turners, their tools, training, procedures and process are the root of the problem. Navy and Marine squadrons have never emphasized how "clean and orderly" and well painted an aircraft is - contrast to an Air FOrce aircraft where the canopies are highly polished, cockpits are clean, drips of fluids are non existent. And an aircraft is treated as a temple and ready for us who are "Modern Knights of the Sky".

Flying the '46 I was constantly disappointed by our Chiefs, Master Chiefs lack of attention to my demands for a immaculate organized and clean aircraft.
 
You could write that same article about the mid 1990s, the mid 1970s, or the late 1940s for that matter.
 
ChuckMK23 said:
https://news.usni.org/2017/02/08/ma...nce-issues-that-result-big-readiness-problems


Pretty much the same issues driving aircraft availability 30 years later - I am amazed that commercial operators can easily obtain 95% or better dispatch rates.

Naval Aviation especially is challenged with these issues - perhaps the quality of the wrench turners, their tools, training, procedures and process are the root of the problem. Navy and Marine squadrons have never emphasized how "clean and orderly" and well painted an aircraft is - contrast to an Air FOrce aircraft where the canopies are highly polished, cockpits are clean, drips of fluids are non existent. And an aircraft is treated as a temple and ready for us who are "Modern Knights of the Sky".

Flying the '46 I was constantly disappointed by our Chiefs, Master Chiefs lack of attention to my demands for a immaculate organized and clean aircraft.
Click to expand...
To quote Joe Pesci - "It's all about the dollars." Translation: Airlines operate on thin margins so a low dispatch rates means loosing money and puts survival of the airline in jeopardy. Naval aviation will not cease to exist if our FMC rates drop 10% below USAF.

Our requirements, spares on hand, and processes do not match those of the commercial airlines.

Requirements - airlines demand the minimum dispatch rate as a requirement. We do something similar but I believe the numbers are lower and requirements probably assume adequate spares, personnel ready to work, etc.

Spares - A little ignorant on commercial side keeps spares, but remember spares are parsed out based on unit priority.

Processes - probably where the most improvement could come (I'll close this with a story). Lower echelon NAMPSOPs often knee jerk towards excessive regulation that hamper doing the same job safely - (e.g. changing qual requirements for in flight absorber tuning to a CDQAR, writing in pen over the pencil numbers in FCF book 'just in case someone wants to change a number'). We also do not have the speed to get a part from I-level to the flight line. We are also afraid to implement time saving efficiencies. A story to illustrate - flying commercial and plane has a bad gyro. Tech comes with in 5 min and troubleshoots and calls for a replacement part. Part is there 15 min later - R and R done and signed off via tablet 10 min later. Dispatch released plane minutes later.

We could certainly improve the last part - can't count the amount of time wasted between tech / CDI-CDQAR going back to shop to sign off action and then waiting for MX Control to release.
 
ChuckMK23 said:
Naval Aviation especially is challenged with these issues - perhaps the quality of the wrench turners, their tools, training, procedures and process are the root of the problem. Navy and Marine squadrons have never emphasized how "clean and orderly" and well painted an aircraft is - contrast to an Air FOrce aircraft where the canopies are highly polished, cockpits are clean, drips of fluids are non existent. And an aircraft is treated as a temple and ready for us who are "Modern Knights of the Sky".
Click to expand...

You can not compare the two. A commercial operator hires people qualified for the job to start working from day 15 (or however the training/hiring process takes). The Navy hires a guy who has (allegedly) some persuasion towards a particular discipline, but knows nothing about the system he's supposed to be working on. Over the course of 12 months-ish (assuming said Sailor is properly motivated), the Navy gets a certified, bonafide technician. After another 6-ish months, the Navy gets a qualified QA rep. If standards are kept, in the end, the Navy has a very robust training program that produces some great maintainers, but again, the system isn't designed to hire new guy off the street that can keep your chariot pristine.

And seriously, you're advocating for the AF? When I came back from Haiti, both our birds had their tails absolutely covered in soot. Due to how the -60's airflow works when sitting on deck, the exhaust collects in a very specific pattern (this happens with all aircraft). Our birds were filthy, but it wasn't because our maintainers didn't care (I actually had a lot of rock stars on my det), but it was a badge of the work we were doing every day saving lots of lives. I could have cared less how pristine our birds were because I knew what the "wear" meant for what we did. (also, Navy paint is so coarse...for specific reasons...that it's hard to clean).

hscs said:
Words
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Good stuff. When I get held up in the line, I curse the process, not the individuals trying to execute the process IAW what they've been hit on in the past. My new favorite...having to do both a SHARP and a NAVFLIR. What is this? 2003? Thanks CNAF AMI team!
 
ChuckMK23 said:
contrast to an Air FOrce aircraft where the canopies are highly polished, cockpits are clean, drips of fluids are non existent.
Click to expand...

As a prior USMC F18 airframer, I can attest to how often guys want to fix stuff, but it can't be justified to control. Such as drips of fluid in the wheel wells, while unsightly (since all the dirt/dust/grime collects there) is a major function. Replacing a MLG hydraulic swivel would take 15 mins to replace that actual swivel. But the AC has to be moved in the hanger, jacked up, hyd system purged, sampled and leak checked, landing gear rig checked, then landing gear doors rig checked, then dropped and put back outside.

So asking control to down 1 of 5 flyers for the next day's schedule because I don't like a leak that is, admittedly, within limits, is a battle I always lost.

"We'll get to it on the next phase" was the party line.
 
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