School’s in for Taiwan Navy
By Kathy Bozan

Earlier this year, Aeronautical Systems Inspection Representatives (ASIR) West team members James Bradley, Victor Kidklighter, Timothy Hauck and Allen Lee provided classroom and hands on training for ships’ personnel of nine Taiwanese PFG class ships, home ported on the island of Makung, located in the Straits of Taiwan.

The ASIR West team conducted classroom training in the theory and operation of the stabilized glide slope indicator (SGSI), horizon reference system (HRS), the recovery, assist, secure and transverse (RAST) system as well as in the trouble-shooting problems associated with the ship’s JP-5 fuel system.

Each ship received instructions on the performance of a planned maintenance system and ASIR team members helped them resolve system related problems that had plagued each individual ship for some period of time.

Faced with the challenge of a language barrier -- technical information for all the systems had to be translated into Taiwanese/Mandarin for the maintenance operators to understand -- several chief engineers and a local staff member acted as interpreters. Each “student” was given a technical explanation in Taiwanese, which allowed him to better understand the systems’ operation and maintenance. A hands-on approach helped translate the information into practice.

The enthusiasm and participation demonstrated by the Taiwanese naval personnel was outstanding, according to their ASIR instructors. Through the use of hand gestures, the group proved to be eager to practice their newfound understanding of our NAVAIR systems, the team reported.

Another problem facing the ASIR team was that individual ships were on a “ready” state-of-alert, which requires them to deploy within a moment’s notice. At any given time, rendering vital NAVAIR aviation systems down without any certainty as to whether or not they would be restored to fully operational status by the next morning created a daunting set of challenges. Fortunately, the team was able to meet and master each one of them -- precise troubleshooting and repair was the key to the overall success of this foreign military support case.

In addition, meetings were held to brief the local staff on Makung, the support headquarters in Kaoshiung at the Tsoying naval Base, naval headquarters located in Taipei and the KNOX class support staff located in Soochau.

These briefs were invaluable in that they provided this group with a clear picture of the maintenance required and support effort needed to ensure correct overhaul and operation of aviation facilities aboard air capable ships.

The three week effort concluded with an out briefing to the ships’ commanding officers, executive officers, chief engineers and a representative from the helicopter squadron of problems found and corrected. ADM Jason Shieh, commander Flotilla 146, praised the ASIR West team for their extensive support, training and professionalism and set up four additional trips on this FMS case.

ASIR West team also will be involved in the next certification of a new construction PFG ongoing in China Shipbuilding Corporation.