By Gary Rice
NADEP NEWS Editor

When they identify a need in the fleet, the artisans of the Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) Cherry Point can be counted on to rise to the challenge and take steps to meet that need. Such was the case recently in the H-53 Sheet Metal Shop, where an old model Engine Air Particle Separator (EAPS) was converted into a much-in-demand newer model.

“Since most of the H-53s currently in the fleet use the new EAPS Echo model rather than the old Delta, there is a critical shortage of Echo replacements available right now,” Al Almore, aircraft sheet metal mechanic supervisor, said. “There are aircraft on the ground that can’t fly until they get new Echo parts, and those parts aren’t being produced fast enough to meet the high demand. That’s the problem we set out to solve here at the depot.”

Almore explained that there are currently 54 Deltas sitting on storeroom shelves around the world waiting to be repaired. But because there are so few H-53s in the fleet that still use the old Deltas, it makes no sense to fix them as Deltas, and they are simply going to waste. If only those Deltas could be converted to Echoes, they would not be wasted, and grounded helicopters could get back into the skies much quicker. This situation was discussed at various levels at NADEP, and wheels were set in motion to undertake the conversion effort.

“I said we could do the job if we had the proper funding and authority,” Almore said, “and once we got the green light, we secured a job order number for funding and made the proper contacts with the engineers and shops that would be involved.”

The tragic events of September 11 created an even greater need for Echo replacement parts than previously existed. Like many other aircraft types, the H-53 has seen a significant increase in operational requirements since the war on terror began in Afghanistan. The desert conditions in which the helicopters fly in that part of the world create special problems due to the high volume of sand and dirt in the air. There is an increased danger of Foreign Object Damage (FOD) to the engines in that type of environment.

“The EAPS sits in front of the engine and acts as its primary FOD control,” Jim Lawley, sheet metal mechanic, said. “It filters all the dust, dirt, and grime out of the airflow intake and blows it out away from the aircraft.”

Lawley was the artisan who performed the first EAPS conversation at the depot. He removed a fiberglass component from a Delta and took it to the NADEP Fiberglass Shop for modification. Once the component was modified, Lawley did the work required to re-install it, and the conversion was complete. The actual conversion process involved about 27 hours of work for Lawley.

“This is something that was never done before,” he said. “It’s an important first step in getting these things off the shelves and out to the commands that really need them.”
So far, only one Delta has been converted, but as many as 34 of them are expected to arrive at the depot over the course of the next several quarters.

“The list price for one of these things is more than $131,000,” Almore said, “so we’ll save the government a bunch of money by converting them for a fraction of the price.”

Photo Caption: In the NADEP Cherry Point H-53 Sheet Metal Shop in Building 137, Feb. 15, Al Almore (right) and Jim Lawley stand behind the Engine Air Particle Separator (EAPS) prototype that Lawley converted from a Delta to an Echo model. (Photo by Gary Rice)