Team Dover completes C-5M tests, evaluations

Published Jan. 30, 2010
By 1st Lt. Brian Maguire
436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- After nearly four months of missions and demonstrations, Team Dover Airmen completed operational testing and evaluation of the C-5M Super Galaxy.

With OT&E complete, the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center will present their findings to the Department of Defense and Congress, based on the tests conducted at Dover AFB.

"Operational Test and Evaluation measured key performance parameters of the C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program used to support continued production decisions," said Master Sgt. Jim Busbea, 436th Operations Group C-5M Program Integration Office.

Throughout OT&E, 436th and 512th Airlift Wing aircrews flew various missions to demonstrate the capabilities and reliability of the C-5M. These missions included local training missions and wartime surge operations designed along wartime operational parameters.

"We were flying operational missions and delivering critical [Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom] cargo," said Lt. Col. Mike Semo, 512th Operations Group C-5M Program Integration Office chief. "By leveraging the synergies of test and real-world requirements, the C-5M was accomplishing the mission while successfully completing the demonstration."

During OT&E, the three C-5Ms assigned to Dover AFB delivered 4.5 million pounds of cargo, with more than 3.8 million pounds moved during the 30-day surge operations, said Maj. Cory Bulris, 436th OG C-5M Program Integration Office chief. Crews of the 436th and 512 Airlift Wings flew 34 missions during the surge, averaging more than 110,000 pounds of cargo per aircraft, delivered direct to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

"The unique aspect for the surge was we were flying 5,000 miles direct to Incirlik from Dover, aptly demonstrating the direct delivery capability of the C-5M," said Colonel Semo. "We flew the surge missions without intermediate stops or aerial refueling."

Operational test and evaluation didn't focus solely on the C-5M's flight performance as maintainers accomplished 15 different maintenance demonstrations and identified 447 technical order changes, said Chief Master Sgt. Jon Lynn, 436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron superintendent.

"Anytime we found something wrong, we submitted the changes, said Chief Lynn. "Some were just rewording of the TO and some led to total rewrites."

The maintenance demonstrations included various situations the maintainers had to work through and resolve, including an engine change at Eielson AFB, Alaska, where the temperature was minus 15 degrees. "Some of the maintenance actions or procedures had never been accomplished before and we had to verify the written procedures," said the chief. "If incorrect, we had to work to get them corrected.

"Sergeant [Jared] Flores designed and built a prototype shoring that cut the amount of manpower needed to load the engine, from six people down to two," said Chief Lynn.

Staff Sgt. Jared Flores, 436th AMXS, was recently promoted to technical sergeant through the Stripes for Exceptional Performers Program. Sergeant Flores' innovative solution during the cold-weather testing was one of the highlights from his nomination package, said the chief.

The maintenance cadre assigned to the C-5M was relatively small, as the 436th AMXS still had 15 C-5Bs to maintain at Dover, said Chief Lynn. With only a handful of personnel, they were still able to launch one C-5M a day during the surge, and two a day for the seven days of the super surge.

"I have 38 people trained to maintain the C-5M, and they have been working 12-hour shifts from Oct. 1 to last week," said Chief Lynn. "We hand-selected the personnel trained on the C-5M, including a mix of 436th and 512th AW personnel, and an (Air Mobility Command) civilian."

The completion of OT&E and the 1,300 flying hours AFOTEC needed for evaluation required a close partnership between the active duty and Reserve wings.

"The C-5M integration has and will continue to be a Total Force partnership," said Major Bulris. "We've relied heavily on each other's experience to make each mission and the entire C-5M program a success."