LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Langley's 1st Equipment Maintenance Squadron and 1st Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment Flight worked together to create wing, horizontal and vertical tail covers for the F-22A Raptor to help in the application of low observable materials to the aircraft. The covers prevent overspray from getting on the skin of the aircraft and hindering the Raptors' stealth capabilities.
Before the use of covers, maintenance personnel would have to physically mask off all the sections of the aircraft using over 100 yards of paper and eight rolls of masking tape, said Senior Master Sgt. Schuyler Griswold, 1st EMS Fabrication Flight superintendent. The process took four hours to complete and cost about $224 per Raptor.
On average, 15 Raptors go through the LO process per month, costing the wing $40,000 to mask the aircraft, said Sergeant Griswold.
Tech. Sgt. David Buczynski and several others from the AFE Flight volunteered to construct the covers, which can be draped over each section of the F-22A in 15 minutes.
"Now, we are saving almost four hours per aircraft, giving our personnel time to work on another part of the LO process," said Sergeant Griswold.
The covers are projected to save more than 2,500 man hours and $78,500 a year, said Capt. Chris Bergtholdt, AFE Flight commander.
"We are constantly brainstorming and thinking outside the box to save time, money and improve our processes," said Sergeant Griswold. "So overall, we can put out a better product in a minimal amount of time."
It took several days to create the covers, said Sergeant Buczynski, who used 200 yards of an all-weather, reusable material called Herculite at $2 per yard and wax paper, which was sewn on the opposite side.
"By improving processes and eliminating waste - no matter how big or small - we all contribute to the overall Air Force mission," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Skipper, 1st Fighter Wing AFSO 21 facilitator. "A few ideas and the changing of a mindset can often result in significant improvements in the way we conduct day-to-day operations."