Tinker speeds ‘B-ONE’ work Published Dec. 19, 2011 By Jim Trammell OC-ALC/GKB TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- There is a new type of bone work being done at Tinker and it is not at the base clinic. The patient is the B-1 Lancer, also affectionately and more commonly known as the B-one. In 2008, Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters selected Tinker to participate in a pilot program designed to develop and implement innovative depot maintenance methods and procedures to repair and maintain the aging military aircraft fleet. Known as High Velocity Maintenance, or HVM, the program focuses on more than just speed as its moniker might suggest. The aircraft mechanics are the team of ortho, neuro, and cardio surgeons performing the extensive surgery known as programmed depot maintenance, or PDM. The work is performed in Hangar 2122 on the east side of the base in the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. "High Velocity Maintenance's most important aspect is to provide increased aircraft availability, or AA, in military lingo," said Steve Walker, OC-ALC Aerospace Sustainment Directorate's B-1 System Program Office and Tinker's HVM team chief. "One of the primary goals of HVM is to ensure the units flying the B-1 are provided the maximum number of aircraft at home station to fly the required training sorties or combat sorties in the area of responsibility thereby increasing the AA to the warfighter." Even though the B-1 can travel faster than the speed of sound, the in-depth maintenance required to overhaul one is considerably slower. This behemoth is longer and the wing span is wider than the length of the Wright Brothers first powered flight on Dec. 17, 1903. The HVM program has studied aviation industry best practices for overhauling commercial airliners and adapted the applications and thought processes to the repair of military aircraft, such as the B-1. Obviously, military aircraft are considerably different in their mission requirements and their average age when compared to the large commercial aircraft fleets. Subsequently, the heavy depot maintenance is quite extensive and very time consuming, usually taking several months. However, many of the management and repair concepts still have considerable applicability to the aircraft repaired at Tinker. The HVM program has a common thread tied to OC-ALC commander's Strategic Plan Breakthrough Performance Area No. 3 of reducing overall production flow days as well as reducing the number of aircraft dwelling at Tinker at any given time. The overarching scope of HVM includes long range strategic objectives for long term sustainability of the B-1 fleet. There are several intertwined strategic constructs that weave together to produce a strong overall program. The B-1 HVM team is focusing on a complete end to end improvement program to reduce the number of days, known as flow days, a B-1 spends at Tinker. To maintain a high fidelity focus on the overall program, the HVM team is concentrating on a process driven construct/program in close coordination with a mechanic centric execution of the program. This balanced approach is designed to maximize effectiveness and efficiency. The first B-1 to have HVM prototyped processes was inducted on Sept. 30, 2010. Historically, the B-1 had spent an average of 207 days in depot repair. The B-1 HVM program has repaired nine aircraft to date, and the most recent aircraft was repaired in 166 days. The next aircraft to be repaired is scheduled to take 175 days, with an internal team goal of repairing it in 143 days. "High Velocity Maintenance is a continuous process improvement, and its tenets are key to reaching our PDM systems' full potential. We are achieving our goals through developing our people, improving our processes, and managing our resources by focusing on speed, safety, and quality," said Col. Brad Tannehill, 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group commander. "We are one team, conducting one fight to be the aerospace logistics provider of choice!" The B-1 HVM team has taken a very methodical and incremental approach to implementing each additional repair procedure. This methodical approach makes it easier to measure specific repairs to the overall repair timeline. Each major repair procedure is analyzed from multiple aspects and broken down and reviewed as a process. A process is the detailed analysis of how to accomplish a specific maintenance procedure. The "how to" is the key to drilling deep into the step by step - procedure to ensure that all parts, tools, technical data and personal protective equipment is identified for a task. "This empowers the mechanic and makes him feel that he is a critical part of the HVM process," said Arthur "Duke" Starrett, American Federation of Government Employees Local 916 representative who was instrumental in the HVM development. The HVM overall strategy of providing the best aircraft back to the user reaches back the main operating bases months before the aircraft arrives at Tinker. A prerequisite for thoroughly and efficiently accomplishing depot maintenance is to understand the condition of the aircraft prior to its arrival at OC-ALC. The B-1 HVM team is working on a technology insertion project, using a highly mobile portable data collection unit to gather condition information on the aircraft into standardized formats to electronically receive maintenance data from the flying units. This project will provide data that ensures that the maintenance personnel will have the insight into better caring for an aging aircraft that is projected to be flying for decades into the future. "It takes a team of highly trained personnel to deliver airpower from Tinker," said Col. Charles Sherwin, B-1 System Program manager and chief of the OC-ALC/GKB Sustainment Division. "From the system program office to the maintainers and material support teams, it is all about the B-1 team and Team Tinker delivering air power on time and on cost to the warfighter!"