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Better than 100-percent

Photo By Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Matson | A Soldier from Company B, 96th Aviation Support Company, 101st Combat Aviation...... read more read more

05.17.2006

Courtesy Story

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Company B, 96th Aviation Support Battalion Maintenance Company is responsible for repairs on all four of the airframes flown by the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade " Kiowa Warrior, Chinook, Blackhawk and Apache helicopters

"I've never been in a unit that's been over 100-percent on all their work orders, and this is the fifth month in a row this company has done it," Staff Sgt. Steve Dickson, a Quality Control Noncommissioned Officer who signs off on the mechanics work, said.

The company is consistently exceeding 100-percent on its production index, meaning that every shop in the company has not only completed their work orders in the allotted amount of time given by Army standards, but ahead of time. The company takes on more than the usual workload of an aviation maintenance unit while still eliminating any backlog tasks awaiting special parts or procedures.

The feat is especially impressive considering the high number of flight hours the brigade has flown over the course of the deployment, Company B commander, Maj. Joseph Crocitto, said. The brigade is on pace to fly roughly three times the amount of flight hours it did during the last deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom One in 2003. As of May 1, the Brigade had already logged over 65,000 flight hours. These massive flight hours generate a tremendous workload for B Company.

Since December, the company has kept its production index above 100-percent, peaking with a 106-percent rating in December. In January, the company posted a 102-percent rating, in February it climbed to 104-percent, March 101-percent and in April 102 percent.

"Ninety percent is the Army standard," 1st Sgt. Vernon Brown, Company B first sergeant, noted.

So how did B Company get above 100-percent on its work orders? "We started in the hole," Crocitto, said. As the unit was preparing to deploy, it received about 250 work orders on various helicopter components throughout the brigade, and brought those work orders with them to Iraq. As the company began working here at Operating Base Speicher, it progressively cut into that backlog through the efforts of the various mechanics and technicians. Crocitto said a typical job for the company would be for a team of avionics repairmen to fix a helicopter radio, or for a sheet metal specialist to patch a damaged piece of the airframe. The company receives an average of 22 work orders a day, or about 680 each month. This means, the last few months, the company has been doing more than 680 jobs a month, each inspected by QC NCOs like Dickson, who work directly for the commander, to ensure standards are maintained.

"We have cut that original 250 work order backlog down to about 9 jobs," Crocitto said. "The goal is to catch up and level out at 100-percent turn-around each month, perfection."

Another factor Crocitto said has contributed to the success of the unit's production is the unique structuring of his company. Whereas an aviation intermediate maintenance (AVIM) company would typically consist of three 100 plus Soldier platoons, (Maintenance, Component Repair and Headquarters), Company B has seven smaller platoons. The Maintenance platoon split three ways into Apache, Kiowa Warrior and Blackhawk/Chinook Platoons focused on scheduled "Phase" maintenance for their respective aircraft. Component Repair moved its weapons technicians to the Apache and Kiowa Warrior platoons, then divided into Shops and Avionics platoons. Headquarters remained essentially unchanged, other than increasing the supply room staff to support the over 320 Soldiers in the company. The addition of the specialized Aviation Support Equipment and Downed Aircraft Recovery Team (ASE/DART) platoon, called "Aces," makes up the seventh platoon.

The shops platoon services all aircraft components including engine and rotor systems, transmissions, sheet metal and hydraulics systems. The avionics platoon repairs and services optical systems including Night Vision Goggles, thermal sights, intercom systems, navigation systems VHF and FM radios, and aircraft electrical systems.

Crocitto said perhaps the biggest reason his company is able to achieve such high production levels is due to the creation of the ASE/DART platoon. This platoon handles all the duties which would normally fall on the Soldiers in a three-platoon company as additional duties, causing unnecessary distractions. The "Aces" platoon maintains all of the support equipment such as aviation power units, tractors, fork lifts and the tool room. They execute aircraft recovery operations, and coordinate calibrations and petroleum issue and turn in. "They are the backbone of the company, allowing all the other platoons to focus on their specific mission, which increases the productivity of the entire company," he said.

According to Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Herndon, the 96th Aviation Support Battalion Command Sergeant Major, "B Company does genuine multi-functional missions including providing over 50 Soldiers to guard the entry control point each day, and battalion and brigade material handling missions. When you add in over 30 additional Soldiers on leave on any given day, their aviation maintenance efficiency and production is even more exceptional."

Another area the company has excelled in, Crocitto said, is fast and proficient phases on aircraft, which they pull on Blackhawk, Chinook, Kiowa Warrior and Apache helicopters. After every 360 and 720 hours flown, Blackhawk helicopters go through scheduled maintenance phases. During these phases, the Blackhawk mechanics, Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 15T, will do the majority of the overall work while the mechanics who are specialized in a certain area, such as the sheet metal and engine mechanics, tend to specific problem areas. The 360-hour phases are not as in-depth as 720-hour phases, and must be done within 15 days. Mechanics have up to 30 days to complete the 720-hour phase.

The Blackhawk phase teams in Company B, 96th Aviation Support Battalion, have been completing Phase I maintenance, including test flights, in less than 14 days, with Phase II taking an average of 21 days, Dickson said. The phases may take longer when additional, more severe problems are uncovered during the course of the maintenance, but Company B is still well ahead of the standard timeline. Crocitto said the company and brigade complete phases about two days faster than the average.

Spc. Christopher Ashley, Company B, 96th Aviation Support Battalion, is one of the 15Ts who works on a phase team. He discussed what happens when a helicopter goes into phase.

"Basically we have the preventive maintenance instruction manual to go by," he said. "We take off the doors, engines, the main and tail rotors. We're looking for cracks either outside or inside the aircraft and checking the torque of all the moving parts. This is Phase number Eleven for us on Blackhawks since November." When the phase work is complete, the aircraft is taken up by a test pilot and evaluated.

Lt. Col. Joseph Jellison, the 96th Aviation Support Battalion Commander said, "The Soldiers of B Company jumped right into triple the amount of work they had at Fort Campbell, supporting every phase in the brigade, with no civilian contractor support, and exceeded every maintenance performance measure. I couldn't be more impressed."

The mechanics have worked 12 to 14 hour days since they arrived in Iraq eight months ago. With the workload, and the Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities on hand, Dickson said the time has passed quickly.

"These guys give 110-percent when it comes to aircraft," Dickson said.

The mechanics have continued to perform at their high rate of productivity, and Dickson said the numbers are not something they worry too much about. "We just get work in and get it out."