Fleet Readiness Center Southwest

Public Affairs Office

P.O. Box 357058

San Diego, CA 92135-7058

(619) 545-3415

Release #: 16-008                                   February 4, 2016

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FRCSW Lands CNO Aviation Safety Award

NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, CA – In recognition of its consistent, effective, and safe airborne operations, Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) was recently chosen by the Naval Safety Center to receive one of several, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) 2015 Aviation Safety Awards.

The award announcement was made via all-Navy message released on January 16, which stated “these award winners are recognized for their exceptional professionalism, commitment to excellence, solid leadership teamwork, and an in-depth risk management culture which resulted in safe and effective operations.”

Joining FRCSW in the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command category was the Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, MD.

As the Commander Naval Air Forces’ West Coast premier aircraft repair and maintenance facility, FRCSW conducts more than 100 initial test flights annually of Navy and Marine Corps aircraft including F/A-18 Hornet fighters, E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning planes, C-2A Greyhound transports, and CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters.

Aircraft that have completed repairs or servicing are transported to the FRCSW flight test area on Naval Air Station North Island, where a staff of approximately 40 civilian artisans and military personnel put them through a series of tests to establish safety assurances and component reliability.

Prior to test flights, the pilots conduct functional check flight procedures that entail a series of ground checks. Once airborne, the actual flight checks are performed.

A post-flight report details the condition of the aircraft and any unusual or hazardous occurrences experienced. The reports are forwarded to the FRCSW managers and quality assurance departments to analyze and, if necessary, create recommendations through new checklists, training, or awareness programs.

The reports also capture data for metric-based analysis on any repeat failures of an aircraft’s systems. The data can be used to introduce cost-savings or safety improvement measures.

FRCSW enhanced test line safety procedures 10 years ago with the purchase of a foreign object damage (FOD) sweeper. FOD is any errant material such as a sheet metal screw, rocks, or any item that may prove harmful to an aircraft engine or its components.

In addition to normal FOD, the sweeper picks up micro-FOD (sand and dust) not only from the aircraft ramp, but also from the parking lot. The sweeper picks up approximately 10 times the amount of FOD as a traditional visual inspection, thereby reducing the amount of hours spent screening for this material.

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