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The 'old airplane' maintenance line ?
Pontius ….
"... is the 135 climbing up the other side of the maintenance line?" In the current USAF RC-135 Rivet Joint context, it was the more or less accidental discovery by a highly experienced, professionally qualified and inquisitive mechanic, more than ten years ago, that significant scheduled maintenance and defect rectification was not being done, or was being done incompetently. This slack and undesirable practice turned generally serviceable airplanes into unsafe and unairworthy ones and repeats itself as a continuous warning drum-beat in this long-running thread and in similar safety and airworthiness discussions on PPRune The management, who probably should have been aware of this, reacted badly when it was drawn to their attention internally. Management then ignored the problems that had been uncovered and instead, punished the messenger, who of professional responsibility and necessity, became a whistle-blower. The problem was escalated over several years, though still within government confines, but by all accounts was never fully resolved. The issue has caught the attention of the Omaha World-Herald via several recent well-informed articles and of the Nebraska Senators and Representatives in DC who have just written to the Secretary of the Air Force, expressing their concerns. If half of it is true, as evidenced by publicly available official documents, it is not before time. I recently saw a long list of repetitive toilet system defects on these airplanes. You know what loose toilet fluids do to airplane metal if not dealt with promptly. A very persuasive E-book on this specific subject written by the whistle-blower, entitled ‘Cowardice in Leadership’ is still readily available and makes for uncomfortable reading if one believes in the principle of ‘Safety is No Accident.’ Unfortunately the other lesson - ‘If you think Safety is expensive, try having an Accident’ seems to have been expensively discarded as a matter of policy, many years ago, by those who claim to control military air safety, particularly on this side of the Atlantic. Whether any of these problems read across to the three RAF Rivet Joint RC-135W is anybody’s guess, but without doubt will be within the knowledge of some people. The cooks and the recipes are basically the same so one hopes that the bottle-washers are more on the ball. The type achieved full UK operational capability only this year, so there should be no catch-up backlog for a while – in any department. As for the six RAF Sentry – E-3D AWACS, where the airframes are half the age of the RC-135s, one hopes that it is only the mission equipment that has been allowed to fall behind (since about year 2000) and that safe airplane maintenance and rectification continue in the best traditions of the Royal Air Force in its 100th year. Judging by some posts on the RAF E-3D AWACS Replacement thread, even the answer to that question is by no means certain. LFH ........... |
From the excellent Omaha World-Herald series of articles cited above: Hopkins said there's a cautionary tale in the story of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, which used to fly reconnaissance missions for Great Britain's Royal Air Force. Like the RC-135s, the Nimrods were built in the 1960s from a 1950s jet airframe. Like the C-135s, they were plagued by aging aircraft problems.Then, in 2006, a Nimrod caught fire just after aerial refueling near Kandahar in southeastern Afghanistan. The plane exploded in flames and crashed, killing all 14 British airmen aboard. Two government inquiries blamed the crash on a fuel leak that ignited because of a design flaw that had been known to the RAF but was ignored because it had never caused an accident. After a second nonfatal incident, the British Ministry of Defense permanently grounded the Royal Air Force’s entire fleet of 46 Nimrods. To replace them, the Defense Ministry decided to spend $1 billion to buy three RC-135s, which they named "Airseekers." All three would be converted from KC-135 aerial refueling tankers that are more than 50 years old. Some in the RAF objected. “(They) were hostile to acquiring these three airplanes because they were equally aged and subject to similar vulnerabilities," Hopkins said. A Parliamentary inquiry into the Nimrod disaster ripped the RAF and a private safety consulting firm for fostering a culture of complacency that placed cost-cutting ahead of safety, as well as a failure to account for the problems associated with aging aircraft. The inquiry described what it called a "normalization of deviance," in which military leaders learned over years to accept problems like the Nimrod's persistent fuel leaks. They compared it to NASA's complacency prior to the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters. A few 55th Wing veterans say they worry about what they fear is a similar culture of complacency in their old command. "This whole thing stinks to me, to high heaven," said retired Brig. Gen. Reg Urschler of Bellevue, who commanded the unit and is a member of the Wing's Hall of Fame. "People have become accustomed to this. They believe it's normal, and they press on." "It's unequivocally not normal," Hopkins said. "If you think this is acceptable, you're part of the problem." |
Thank you Airbubba for your quote from the excellent, as you say, Omaha World-Herald. Oh to have such forensic and dedicated journalism on this side of the pond! That ex-55th Wing commanders are prepared to put their heads above the ramparts and call a spade a spade should be an example to follow for their UK counterparts. To the Hopkins quote:-
If you think this is acceptable, you're part of the problem. If you think protecting VSOs is acceptable, you don't care for the future of the Royal Air Force! |
United States Secretary of the Air Force statement on RC-135 Fleet
Click here to view the actual letter. The Honorable Deb Fischer United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Fischer: Thank you for your June 29, 2018 letter addressing your concerns with the 55th Wing's C-135 fleet, to include the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, RC-135S Cobra Ball, RC-135U Combat Sent, WC-135 Constant Phoenix, OC-135B Open Skies, and TC-135 Rivet Joint Trainer aircraft. I appreciate your concerns given the recent articles published in the Omaha WorId-Herald newspaper and I share your focus on safety, security and mission focus of the 55th Wing. You have my assurance that the Air Force continues to work diligently to address any maintenance and sustainment issues for these aircraft, and all aircraft within the Air Force's inventory. Below are answers to your questions, which I am confident will help you better understand the 55th Wing's, as well as the Air Force's, processes and oversight in maintaining and sustaining aircraft and keeping our Airmen safe. Question #1 - What is your assessment of the health, readiness, and overall safety of the55th Wing? The overall assessment of the 55th Wing's C-135 fleet is that it is a safe and effective weapon system. The aging fleet is being well maintained and the "health" is closely monitored for anytrends that require attention. The 55th Wing is ready to perform its mission and support the Combatant Commanders. The readiness of the 55th Wing is tracked monthly in the Defense Readiness Reporting System and all deficiencies are reviewed and addressed throughout all levels of the Department of Defense. Risk is inherent in all flight operations and all our Airmen take their responsibilities to provide a safe environment very seriously. To mitigate risk, the 55th Wing expects all members of the wing to participate in identifying and addressing safety issues. In 2015, the 55th Wing implemented a Risk Management Program that mandates aircrew to perform a personal and operational risk assessment before each flight. This gives every member an opportunity to voice their concerns heading into a flight, and the Aircraft Commander and Director of Operations review these assessments before each mission to ensure the sortie does not surpass an acceptable level of risk. Question #2 - Has the Air Force observed any changes to the average monthly "health of fleet" aggregation for the 55th Wing? When reviewing the average health of fleet statistics for the last 36 months, there have been no significant indicators. For the past three years, the fleet has maintained an average mission capable rate of 75.5 percent, slightly below the Air Force standard of 76 percent. This is in line with Air Force expectations for a fleet of this size and age. Small fleet dynamics drive a wider variance in expected rates. However, the C-135 fleet has remained within standard deviation. This is likewise true of 'break rates at 25.7 percent versus the standard of 24 percent, which is expected for the age of this fleet. Question #3 - Is there any trend toward an increase in maintenance issues or safety problems? There are no indications of increased maintenance issues or safety problems. The 55th Wing works closely with the headquarters and program office to address any negative trends in . maintenance. The highest maintenance drivers over the last three years have been engine and fuel system related. The Air Force is addressing the TF33 engine issues with additional engineering technical service support and in-depth analysis on engine sustainment. The program office has developed a robust depot improvement program that includes fuel tank inspection and refurbishment to mitigate the amount of fuel system leaks. Corrosion issues have also become an issue due to the age of the aircraft. This is a specific inspection item and is addressed at the depot for repair, sometimes leading to increased depot time and increased costs. There havebeen two high visibility incidents in the last three years: a galley fire in April 20 15 caused by a leaking oxygen line; and an engine fire in March 2017. Following the galley fire the Air Force initiated an inspection of the fleet finding no other aircraft affected. An in-depth engine failure analysis concluded the number two bearing failure caused the engine flIe. The program officehas taken action to institute a bearing time change replacement program. However, the overall safety record for the fleet is quite remarkable. Question #4 - Do you assess that there is any increase in risk to the safety of pilots and aircrew due to current maintenance issues within the C-135 airframes of the 55th Wing? Based on historical safety reports and current safety trends, there is no increased risk to the safety of C-13 5 aircrew. The Air Force strives to provide our aircrew the safest aircraft possible to meet mission requirements both at home and deployed. The aircrew are provided a safe, airworthy aircraft and are further afforded the opportunity to refuse it if anything seems amiss. The 55th Wing Safety Team tracks safety issues reported from depot, maintenance, aircrew, and anonymous reporting and implements mitigation efforts as issues arise. Of note, the 55th Wing's safety trends are better this year than in previous years. Question #5 - What is the Air Force's long-term plan to sustain and recapitalize this critical capability? The Air Force remains committed to sustaining this vital capability through aggressive depotinspection and repair of these airframes. This exhaustive process identifies componentsrequiring repair and replacement, ensuring platform safety, viability, and effectiveness in supportof our global missions. Missions system performance continues to benefit from our blockupgrade program and the consistent investment the Air Force has made in this capability. Asnoted in your letter, the Air Force is currently pursuing new platforms to replace the OC-135Bfor Open Skies missions, as well as the planned conversion of three modernized KC-135Rs intoWC-135R Constant Phoenix aircraft. The rest of the RC-135 fleet is deemed sustainable through2050, providing more than sufficient time to assess when recapitalization is necessary. Thank you for your continued support of the Air Force and for our nation's defense. Sincerely, Heather Wilson Secretary of the Air Force |
In service to 2050................ really??
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Block 45 upgrades on KC-135Rs (and special variants) are intended to keep 300 of them in service to 2050 alongside the KC-46 - the KC-10 will be retiring first.
USAF Breathing New Life Into Ancient KC-135 Tankers With This New Glass Cockpit - The Drive |
Originally Posted by RAFEngO74to09
(Post 10200664)
Block 45 upgrades on KC-135Rs (and special variants) are intended to keep 300 of them in service to 2050 alongside the KC-46 - the KC-10 will be retiring first.
USAF Breathing New Life Into Ancient KC-135 Tankers With This New Glass Cockpit - The Drive |
Originally Posted by RAFEngO74to09
(Post 10200664)
Block 45 upgrades on KC-135Rs (and special variants) are intended to keep 300 of them in service to 2050 alongside the KC-46 - the KC-10 will be retiring first.
USAF Breathing New Life Into Ancient KC-135 Tankers With This New Glass Cockpit - The Drive In that context, the USAF statistics of improved in service rates are really besides the point. An airplane may be perfectly serviceable except that corrosion has made it structurally deficient. The Omaha World Herald highlights corrosion potentials as a serious issue, but only an independent inspection would settle that. |
The 55th Wing and a prayer
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Originally Posted by cpants
(Post 10201960)
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55th Wing and a prayer
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Thanks Cpants - let's just hope it never comes to that!!!
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RC-135 Rivet Joint Flight Deck Simulator just delivered to RAF Waddington - in an AN-124 !
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It was delivered by a Dubai registered Antonov AN-124 aircraft... -RP |
Originally Posted by Rhino power
(Post 10502192)
Dubai registered? Last time I checked, a 'UR-' prefix still denoted a Ukraine registered aircraft!
-RP |
Video of the AN-124 landing at Waddington here:
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Jeez -RAFENG you can get a lot more kit into that one that arrived at Waddington (photo above) - no wonder they went for the upgrade :ok:
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