FLEET READINESS CENTER MID-ATLANTIC, NAVAL AIR STATION NORFOLK, Virginia – Leaders and members of the E-2, C-2, H-60 and H-53 communities, along with participants of Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) Naval Acquisition Development Program (NADP) came together Oct. 9 to learn more about how Fleet Readiness Center Mid-Atlantic (FRCMA) operates and understand how they can best support the warfighter.

Capt. Joseph Rodriguez, FRCMA commanding officer, hosted the event, titled Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) Day, and began with welcoming guests, who included Capt. Pat Everly, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic commodore, and Capt. Drew Basden, Airborne Command Control and Logistics Wing commodore.

Participants from NAVAIR Logistics and Industrial Operations (AIR 6.0), Emmanuel Parial, Mark Harris and Joe McCoy, said they, appreciated getting an up-close look at how the FRC operates.

“This was my first time at FRC Day, and I decided to go because I wanted to know more about what the fleet and fleet support needs are,” Harris said. “I wanted to hear from the Operations level people what it was they were concerned about on a day-to-day basis and what problems they were worried about.”

FRC Day at FRCMA was started this year as an effort to share with aircraft communities and NAVAIR participants the levels of maintenance necessary to meet customer needs. Guests toured the major work spaces corresponding to their platforms or programs of interest. This paring gave leaders and staff a visual and descriptive understanding of the technology necessary for troubleshooting and the manpower essential to maintain steady production.

“This FRC Day was a chance to showcase our Level II product set and services as well as our field depot production lines in support of warfighter requirements,” Rodriguez said. “Our Level III efforts showcased corrosion prone areas of vulnerabilities and incorporation of multiple Airframe Changes and Airframe Bulletins (AFC/AFBs) as a result of utilization and engineering dispositions.”

Guests were also able to tour the power plants, airframes, avionics, parachutes and support equipment workspaces. Representatives from each area presented briefs and gave hands-on demonstrations giving all an enriched understanding of operations. When asked if receiving the information provided better insight, the crowd answered with a resounding “Yes!”

“The tour through the FRCMA facility was very beneficial as was the tour and question-and-answer session at the Preventive Maintenance Inspection hangar,” Everly said. “Having the commanding officers and executive officers see what goes into the various events and what the squadrons can do to better prepare for them will pay dividends in terms of aircraft material condition. As the squadrons garner a better understanding of the problem areas on the aircraft and treat them at the Operational Level, the net result will be a reduced turnaround time and getting aircraft back to the flight line where they can produce the needed readiness.”

For NAVAIR NADP participants, the tour helped enhance their understanding of their individual duties when working with different levels of command for various platforms.

“The most striking thing to me was how as civilians, we contribute greatly to the success of the users and maintainers mission,” Harris said. “I saw that this was a continuous effort; that was never finished. It was apparent to me that as we design future systems for the war fighter we must concentrate more heavily on the support system after fielding to ensure that we have a high level of operational availability. Furthermore, creating sourcing flexibility and not relying on a single prime or resupply contractor will be critical to achieving the level of readiness that will be required to support the warfighter today and tomorrow.”

During the event, Basden presented the Al Kirmes Readiness and Logistics Award to Lt. Christopher Baxter, maintenance material control officer (MMCO) at FRCMA Detachment Norfolk. Selection for the award is based on contributions and dedicated efforts managing maintenance and repairs by an MMCO in the E-2 and C-2 communities.

Overall, guests at the first FRC Day appreciated learning more about the abilities and constraints of FRCs and seeing first-hand how their work transfers to fleet needs.

“Thank you for your participation in FRC Day at Detachment Norfolk in support of the E2/C2/H60/H53 platforms,” Rodriguez said. “Our detachment was proud to demonstrate its knowledge and skills in intermediate level components, engines and airframes. We appreciate the active dialogue by all in dealing with today’s Naval Aviation challenges.”