Work Smarter Not Harder

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christian Sullivan
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Saving money is helpful because a person can then use that saved money for a few extra luxuries. Saving money is also helpful for the Air Force, especially when that money can go toward more and better equipment. It's also a bonus that the money-saving idea makes the mission more efficient.

That's what Staff Sgt. Roland Nelson, 5th Maintenance Squadron non-commissioned officer in charge of the hydraulic section, did when he helped come up with an idea to save the Air Force money by preventing damage to landing struts on the B-52H Stratofortress.

"We freeze the lubricant, Petrolatum, which breaks down into a liquid after it's heated," Nelson said. "I came up with the idea of freezing it because the colder it gets the stickier it gets. We tried it and it was very successful."

"Basically it all came down to inexperience from the younger Airmen on the flightline," Nelson said. "Between the inexperience and lack of knowledge, plus being in a hurry to get the job done."

Nelson said the change in the temperature, from being in a warmer hangar to going out on the frigid flight line, caused the problems with the struts.

"Whenever you go from hot to cold it contracts the seal and cold to hot expands it," Nelson said. "When that happens it allows fluid to pass and leak out, which turns into maintenance, which makes us tear apart the strut and put new seals on. There's a cam in there that has lock keys, and if you don't put the keys in exactly right it will cut through the metal and makes its own keyways, which destroys the component."

Often people are afraid of change because of the "we've always done it this way" mind-set. That wasn't the case with Nelson's idea.

"For the most part everybody jumped right on board," Nelson said. "I did back-shop overhaul at Seymour-Johnson for 11 years, so I'm used to tearing these things apart and knowing what goes on inside of them, so no one really opposed the idea. Plus it never really changed the process itself."

Although it helped the maintainers by not having to work as hard, the big picture is the dollar sign. With this idea, Nelson made that a pretty picture.

"Each strut's exchange cost is roughly $133,000; the repair kit we use to re-seal it now is about $60," Nelson said. "Man hours required for the new process with a good crew is about 12 hours opposed to changing a strut which takes close to 72 hours."

With no good deed going unnoticed, Nelson and his crew did receive recognition from their leadership. Nelson was invited to the 5th MXG leadership meeting where they were awarded by their group commander.