Mechanics at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan have figured out a way to dramatically cut phase maintenance time on A-10 Thunderbolt II jets. The aircraft get a through inspection by more than 30 mechanics every 500 hours. According to Tech Sgt. Mark Carlson, A-10 phase dock flight chief, the process takes around two weeks at the home station and five days in the field. With the new process, phase maintenance takes around two and a half days. “The normal process has the phase technicians de-paneling first, then each of the [back] shops would show up anywhere between days two and four to start inspections,” says Capt. Dan Vigo, operations officer for the 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron. “Under our new construct, every shop starts their inspection as soon as they de-panel their area, thus saving valuable time.”
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