Lemoore cuts

The Field Services Team at Naval Air Station Lemoore pose in front of the first F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the first such aircraft inducted for an airframe modification. Joe Garcia, head of Field Services, is standing at the far right.

Boeing representative D. J. Wright, Capt. Pete Laszcz, and Joe Garcia, Field Services head, cut the ribbon giving the nod to begin the modification program on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Lemoore artisans given nod to start mod on Super Hornets

By Bill Bartkus
NAVAIR Depot North Island
Photos by PH3 Travis Jones, NAS Lemoore

The F/A-18E/F is the Navy’s newest fighter, and artisans working for Naval Air Depot North Island, based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., are modifying the Super Hornet to make it a lean, mean fighting machine to fight the U.S. war on terrorism in south central Asia.

“This is a great day for the Navy, NAVAIR, the Boeing Co. (which built the F/A-18E/F), NAS Lemoore and its squadrons, and everyone together who contributes to build the powerful war machines that are leading the fight against terrorism,” said Capt. Pete Laszcz, Naval Air Depot North Island commanding officer to depot artisans at the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet modification kick off ceremony July 11 at Lemoore.

Laszcz said that the depot is proud to begin a longstanding modification program in the Navy’s constant search for improving the Super Hornet. He called the aircraft a mean fighting machine. “But we’re always seeking ways to make the aircraft better. And to do this, artisans are part of the team who are installing modifications.”

Each Super Hornet will undergo a two-month-long program to improve some of its airframe capabilities and qualities that will improve a number of warfighting, handling and capabilities of the aircraft, according to Laszcz. The airframe modification program is part of the F/A-18E/F Integrated Readiness Support Team (FIRST).

“This is the first phase of a long partnership. But reflecting back, NAVAIR North Island has been in the aviation business since 1919, almost since the inception of naval aviation,” Laszcz told the artisans. “Back then, the main battery of the Navy was the battleship and the 16-inch gun.” The captain said that the main battery of the Navy today has been replaced by naval aviation and represented by the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

“Rather than being involved with repairing Sopwith Camels and spotting planes, and what now may be referred to as the small boat division of a shipyard, the depot now maintains the main battery of the Navy which is the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. And we’re proud to be a part of that team, we’re proud to be partners with the fleet and the Boeing Co. Together we have initiated some fantastic new support agreements such as FIRST,” said Laszcz.

FIRST is a partnership between the depot and Boeing to provide even better support to the warfighter and taking the best of both worlds of the private and public sectors to deliver a better product to the fleet.
Laszcz said, “This small but modest kick off ceremony commemorates the initiation of a new relationship (with Boeing), a new aircraft and continues the depot’s relationship with naval aviation.”
Machinist Tom Moore has been working for the depot for eight years, and he said that he is looking forward to working on the Super Hornet. “There are some similarities from the F/A-18 Hornet, but more differences. The modification work will be a challenge,” he said.

Moore enjoys working with the depot’s Field Services Team, Code 6.2.1.1.8, because every day brings a different challenge. “I like the ‘putting out the fire’ aspect. Jobs come in that are must meets and after completing them, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I met the challenge.”

There are some sacrifices in working for Field Services. Said Moore, “Being separated from your family and living out of a suitcase are two of them.” He’s been married for two years and has been working away from home for 13 months of his married life.

The Super Hornet is his future. “I look forward to being one of the first artisans selected to be involved with the E/F,” Moore said.

Moore enjoys all the sites he visits and “especially the interaction with the squadrons. We get to know the people and establish a rapport. I like the personal satisfaction of knowing that I’m talking to the people who run the various shops. The hands-on, face-to-face dialog with the people who operate the aircraft is the best way to know our customers, those people who pay my wages,” he said.

John Diaz, a sheet metal mechanic with Field Services has been working for the Depot for 23 years. “Working on the latest warfighter is a great opportunity for me. They’re a little different from the (F/A-18) C and D models in that they’re bigger and have more composites,” he said.

Diaz said that working for Field Services gives him a chance to visit the world, see different cultures and hear different languages. “I don’t work with the same people month to year and year to year. There are changes that I enjoy,” Diaz said. “I’ve been traveling with Field Services for 11 years, and I like it.”

To Diaz, the modification kick off means a chance to work on something new. “I realize that the E/F is the same aircraft F/A-18, but it’s a new plane,” said Diaz, who has been working at Lemoore for two years.
Antonio Araiza is a first line supervisor for Field Services. “The Super Hornet is a good airplane and has a lot of improvements. It’s bigger, it has new fuel cells and new hydraulics,” Araiza mentioned.
To him, working for Field Services has its immediate rewards. “Customers, at times, are right there with you. They wants us here, and they let us know then and there that they appreciate the work we perform,” said Araiza, who has been working at the Depot for 38 years.

Araiza was quick to note that being away from the family is always a sacrifice when a person works for Field Services. “My children are now grown and on their own, my youngest is 22 years old and in college, and my wife travels with me. She stays for a little while and then goes home to visit our grandchildren,” he said. “But if you have a young family, the separation is even harder.”

To Araiza the kickoff ceremony means that the Depot has a lot of work to do and the future looks good. “We have work for the next seven years,” he said.

Araiza said that working at Lemoore is fine. “There isn’t a lot of traffic. Plus we have established a good rapport with the squadrons. The personnel here appreciate us and take good care of us,” he said.