IDEA will save Air Force $5.7 million

  • Published
  • By Darren D. Heusel
  • Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFPN) --  A Tinker man’s idea to have depot-level maintenance on air traffic control radars performed on-site will save the Air Force more than $5 million and earned him $10,000 through the Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program.

Instead of having the vital airport surveillance radar systems sent to depot as in the past, Vern Shurrum came up with an idea to repair the radars using an alignment tool, made locally, and everyday tools such as a socket and ratchet. Shurrum is a logistics management specialist in the product support directorate here.

His plan is to correct out-of-tolerance pivot pin hole dimensions on Air Force radar antennas by installing a self-lubricating bushing.

“Radar antennas are designed to pivot and after a period of about 15 years, the base of these structures gets worn down and has to be replaced,” Shurrum said. “With the limited amount of (spare parts) we have now, I wanted to come up with a way to improve the life expectancy of these systems and reduce the cost of depot maintenance.”

He said damaged antenna pivot pin holes may contribute to catastrophic damage to the structure and result in injury or death to maintainers.

The idea for performing maintenance on the radar systems on-site was spawned after one of the radars failed last year at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Shurrum said.

Under the old system, the antennas were returned to depot in their entirety and exchanged for new ones already built and prepackaged by the Federal Aviation Administration at $139,568 each.

The new process will save the Air Force a total of $5.7 million once all 41 radar sites are repaired worldwide, officials said.

Shurrum said all that is required to repair the radar antennas under the new plan are two bushings, a hand reamer guide and collar, supplied by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, and four hours of labor. The parts and time are valued at a total cost of $345.

The logistics center’s program manager for the radar systems contracted repairs at Grand Forks AFB, N.D.; Vance AFB, Okla.; and Dover AFB, Del.

“We … think Vern is a great innovator, and it certainly shows in this process,” said Martha Cooper, deputy system support manager of Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems. “It’s going to save the major commands (more than) $400,000 a year, so that really is a major step. These radars are very important to the Air Force’s mission.”

The IDEA program rewards people up to $10,000 if they can verify a tangible savings in a product or service.