The new covers were tested for three weeks in all weather conditions. “Right now, they cost about $45 to make and each pair takes about 22 hours in the 3-D printer.” “You just line it up and stick it on the side of the plane and it covers the ports quickly, without anything sticking out that can bend or break,” O’Donnell said. Christopher O’Donnell, an AFREP technician, who along with Tech Sgt. They can be used on either side of any F-35, said Staff Sgt.
The triangle is lined with 20 small magnets embedded around the edges. Their new covers seal the ports with an O-ring, centered in a slightly oversized plastic triangle that is rubber-like, and flexible. The AFREP shop here has a history of coming up with fixes for everything from broken F-22 maintenance equipment to new designs for missile silo button-covers.Īfter some trial and error, the AFREP shop finalized a design. When the pins or seals fail they cannot be repaired, and replacing the entire part costs roughly $650.Įssue went to the 388 th LSS Air Force Repair Enhancement Program shop here with the idea of creating magnetic covers, something he had seen tried and failed during his time as an F-22 maintainer. There are also a rubber seals that frequently fail or fall off in high temperatures. These pins are easily bent or broken, sometimes inside the aircraft. The original data port covers from the manufacturer are mechanical, they lock into place with tiny quick-release pins. Christopher Essue, 34 th Fighter Generation Squadron production superintendent, “If those sensors fail, it could provide bad flight data and affect the avionics.” “We have to keep out debris and moisture and anything that could obstruct those holes and keep the sensors from working properly,” said Master Sgt. After a sortie, when a jet is parked, those ports need to be covered. Behind them are sensors that collect in-flight data, like air pressure. On either side of an F-35’s nose are small clusters of tiny holes. Their design protects a critical part of the aircraft and can be produced in-house, reducing the replacement cost of a failed part from more than $600 to under $50.
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah – Two 388 th Logistics Support Squadron maintainers are accelerating change by using their design skills to create sturdier covers for air data ports on F-35A Lightning IIs.
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