June 2006 |
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Volume 05, Issue 2 |
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Main Feature |
'Boeing is our first call' How F/A-18 support team helps the Navy The F/A-18E/F Integrated Readiness Support Teaming (FIRST) is a logistics program that integrates support elements, such as integrated information systems and supply chain management, to cost-effectively improve fleet support and aircraft readiness for military customers. Under FIRST, Boeing's responsibilities include providing on-site support at U.S. Navy aircraft bases in California and Virginia and managing equipment manufacturers' repairs. The program is projected to provide approximately $1 billion in cost savings over the more than 30-year life cycle of the Super Hornet. Capt. C. J. Jaynes is F/A-18 deputy program manager–Fleet Support for Naval Air Systems Command. Based in Patuxent River, Md., Jaynes shared with Boeing Frontiers why Boeing's F/A-18 support is important to fulfilling her fleet's missions. Q: Is Boeing's F/A-18 support essential to performing your missions? A: Without a doubt, we rely on the Hornet Support Centers in the fleet to be the main technical support agency for sailors and aircrew. The in-service support provided from St. Louis is critical to sustaining the fleet as more and more aircraft are fielded. From the inception of the F/A-18E/F support structure, the Navy has invested in Boeing to be the main support for our fleet. Q: Is Boeing's performance-based support a more effective way to manage your readiness? A: I believe so. Through the contract, we are able to share ownership for the readiness requirements with Boeing and work as a team to meet ready-for-tasking goals. Both the Navy and Boeing are tracking to the same metrics and have the same vision for defining success. Q: How does access to Boeing's technical support, training and upgrades improve your business? A: The improvement is felt by the fleet sites and the fleet support team at Naval Air Depot North Island in San Diego. Technical support and training happens in real time, which makes the team's jobs much easier and makes everything more efficient. The improvement directly contributes to saving time, which translates into saving resources. Q: Do you find the on-the-job training elevates the skills and abilities of military personnel responsible for F/A-18 operation? A: Absolutely. There is so much to be gained by picking up the phone and having the technical expert in your hangar within hours or sometimes minutes. You can read a tech manual all you want, but there are times when hands-on training by the expert provides more value added. I personally witnessed the skill level of my intermediate-level technicians rise after having on-the-job training with Hornet Support Center personnel. Q: When you face challenges, when do you call on Boeing? A: Boeing is our first call, and we start out aggressively attacking the problem as a team. There is a true sense of teaming with Boeing. I know they are sincere in their efforts to help the fleet. No matter who from Boeing I have worked with over the last seven years, there has always been a sense of concern and interest in doing what was best for the fleet. —Katherine Sopranos
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