48th EMS saves Air Force money

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Alton Randle
  • 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  The 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron's Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight recently discovered a malfunction in newly acquired equipment, which saveed the Air Force more than $270,000.

The squadron recently received 17 new Ingersoll Rand MC-7 air compressors. These compressors replaced aging MC-7 air compressors that had been in the Air Force inventory since the early 1980's and had surpassed their service life by more than 10 years.

During the initial acceptance inspection, one of the new MC-7s, Staff Sgt. Lee Thompson, 48th EMS AGE craftsman, identified rubber dust under the engine-compressor mating area. Upon noticing this, he advised his supervisor, who in-turn, advised all other sections performing acceptance inspections. It was soon identified that all of the new units had the same rubber material in the exact location as identified on the first. Further investigation revealed these new units had defective drive couplings that connect the compressor to the engine. The rubber couplings had irreparable damage.

To avoid the potential destruction of an entire Air Force fleet of new air compressors the shop took pictures of the failing units, recorded the information and submitted detailed product quality deficiency reports.

After formal reporting, the manufacturing company contacted the AGE flight directly asking questions; who, what, when, where, why and how the product failed. The equipment engineers researched a solution and sent out stronger replacement couplings to the entire Air Force fleet.. The new coupling will ensure the unit meets the demands it was designed for.

"In these lean times where every dollar counts, it is good to know that at least someplace there will be extra dollars available for our Airmen," said Maj. Darrin Dronoff, 48th EMS commander.

If this problem went unnoticed it would've caused severe engine and compressor damage, eventually leading to complete system failure. Replacement costs for these items would have been more than $6,500 per unit.

"In an unusual business, it is business as usual with this AGE team,' said Major Dronoff. "Whether it's providing the same level of outstanding support to the wing in spite of changes to inspection procedures, the men and women of the AGE flight perform magnificently."

The Air Force purchased 1,587 of these air compressors at a cost of $8,721 each for a grand total of $13,840,227 invested. The price of the replacement coupling is $170 each; which due to quick identification of the flaw was covered under the manufacturer's warranty at no cost to the Air Force.