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Record breaker: KC-135 through the gates in 93 days

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  • By Kimberly Woodruff
  • Staff Writer
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE - Okla. --  The 564th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron has achieved the "Art of the Possible" in record-breaking time. Members of the squadron recently produced a KC-135 in just 93 days, breaking the previous record by a day.

Joel Wood, the master scheduler for the 564th AMXS, said the average time it takes to produce a quality aircraft in fiscal 2014 has been 126 calendar days, with a more aggressive goal of 112 flow days.

"The goal for this particular aircraft was 100 days, and we finished seven days early," he said.

Craig Rayner, 564th AMXS production flight chief, said the squadron tries to produce a quality aircraft as quickly as possible so they can get it back to the warfighter to fly missions.

"That's the reason we're here," he said, adding that the 564th AMXS doesn't deserve all the credit.

"It isn't just the 564th that was able to produce the aircraft, but all enterprise partners working closely together," he said. "We work closely with the System Program Office, 10th Flight Test Squadron, engineering, machinists, Defense Logistics Agency and Constraint Team just to name a few. Our partners, along with our outstanding workforce, make the mission happen every day."

"This year we've had 68 aircraft brought into the depot, the most we've ever had," said Mr. Wood. "That's in addition to the 19 aircraft brought in as a drop-in for repair."

The aircraft is run through the five gates: Pre-Dock, Inspection, Structures, System Checks and Post Dock. In this instance, Structures came in three days early and Post Dock was five days early.

The KC-135 belongs to the 155th Air Refueling Wing out of Lincoln, Neb., and they have already completed their Team Spirit inspection in systems checks and accomplished 100 percent buy back on defects, according to Mr. Rayner.

"This plane passed inspections on the first functional check flight, and that is always the goal," he said. "It comes down to providing quality aircraft availability in the field, and that in turn saves money for the Air Force."

The aircraft went home to Nebraska on Sept. 9.