Members of Fleet Readiness Center West Pacific (FRCWP) and Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 269 stand in front of the final delivery of an AH-1W helicopter at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, on July 1. The aircraft was the last of 37 legacy H-1s to undergo planned maintenance intervals (PMI) with FRCWP and Nippon Hikouki Corporation (NIPPI), before being delivered to the squadron. (U.S. Navy photo)

FRC West Pacific delivers last H-1 helicopter to Marine squadron

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NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Fleet Readiness Center West Pacific (FRCWP) delivered the final AH-1W helicopter to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 269, July 1 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma, Okinawa, Japan.

The helicopter was the last of 37 legacy H-1s to undergo planned maintenance intervals (PMI) with FRCWP and Nippon Hikouki Corporation (NIPPI), before being delivered to the squadron, which is aligned under Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 36, also at MCAS Futenma.

“My maintainers have had nothing but positive things to say about the state of the final Integrated Maintenance Plan aircraft,” said 1st Lt. Brendan Lyon, maintenance material control officer for HMLA-269. “They have never seen an aircraft returned from maintenance that has been so thoroughly and completely overhauled and rebuilt; especially not with the care which has been evident throughout the PMI process.”

FRCWP began the first AH-1W PMI in 2002. It has also performed 17 PMIs on UH-1N helicopters, delivering the last of those on March 16, 2012.

This latest PMI didn’t go without challenges, however. The Strip and Paint Facility suffered a problem with fume ventilation during the paint process, which delayed the delivery by nine work days. Staff Sgt. Joseph Napolitano, from Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 36 at MCAS Futenma — which provides support to the MAG-36 squadrons — improvised a temporary repair that allowed the PMI to continue, averting what could have been a significantly longer delay.

“Napolitano and his Marines epitomized resourcefulness and teamwork and proved, once again, that the H-1 IMP Line is essentially a partnership among FRC WP, MAG-36 and NIPPI Corporation,” said Ken Fowler, the H-1 Integrated Maintenance Plan lead for FRCWP.

That partnership between the groups will be temporarily halted in the near future. In 2016, MAG-36 will transition from flying AH-1Ws to the upgraded AH-1Zs. This shift follows the change from the UH-1N to the UH-1Y and is part of the Marine Corps' overall transition from the legacy H-1s to the current upgraded versions.

“This delivery is bittersweet,” Fowler said. “While FRCWP looks forward to the challenges of performing PMIs on the upgraded H-1 aircraft, we know that this final delivery marks the end of an era and also temporarily suspends the close affiliation with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 36 and NIPPI Corporation until the first UH-1Y PMI induction in November 2016.”