Total force maintenance at Westover

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Sandi Michon
  • 439th AW Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. - --  
Representatives from four major defense contractors teamed with Air Force Reserve planes, people and videographers at Westover from Oct. 15-19 to test new systems and film training tools capturing innovative techniques.
Engineers from Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and Westover maintainers worked through tight spaces and the C-5's cavernous cargo bay to install new tubing as part of a C-5 latrine improvement. Reserve videographers Winifred E. Johnson and Joseph Mather filmed the installation as a visual aid to the Time Compliant Technical Order to assist maintainers as they install updates throughout the C-5 fleet.
Experts traded information as they evaluated a fuel quantity tester used on Navy aircraft. Because fueling is not typically a depot-level issue, the Westover visit allowed face-to-face contact with Automatic Flight Controls and Instrumentation people in the field.
Two electrical devices tested have direct contact with Westover talent. Tech. Sgt. Byron Labreche was part of a team working on defective bus-tie contactors and their new information was filmed to help other bases fix the part at home station.
Sergeant Labreche also worked with Tech. Sgt. Todd Panico, and retired Master Sgt. Mike Conboy to design a battery data recorder. The device captures cell voltage through a computer to streamline the process and creates e-mailable data for review.
"Westover has an outstanding can-do attitude. They've always been very proactive finding problems," said Clay Elliot, chief of structures with Systems Program Office (SPO) at Robins.
Electrical Avionics Engineer Nick Tolomeo commended Westover's willingness to help SPO solve problems. His team holds monthly teleconferences to troubleshoot problems and brainstorm solutions. "Westover is always there," he said.
"You guys are spot-on here," said Cheryl Brotherton, SPO engineer with the reliability section. She appreciated the willingness to work, the synergy, and the feedback they received on other products. At week end, she said, "We're 150 percent smiling."