Grounded P-3s

[stick717]

I have just heard that 39 fleet P-3s have been permenantly grounded. What's going to happen with the pilots?

 

[SIG600]

Shooter tours for all my friends

 

[puck_11]

That sucks for all of my friends who were sucked up into a huge P3 draft while I was in primary. They're just hitting/finishing the RAG right now, not sure they're going to do.

 

[COpilot]

I have just heard that 39 fleet P-3s have been permenantly grounded. What's going to happen with the pilots?

What resason; costs, emergency grounding (ie F15), USN done with it?

Thanks, ex girlfriends husband chief engineer for P-3 project with Lockheed in Atlanta, "so sad for him, NOT"!

 

[erj-145mech]

What resason; costs, emergency grounding (ie F15), USN done with it?

Structural fatigue cracks in the wing panels, and corrosion in the lower wing planks. There are a few airplanes at PDM depot in Waco that have 48 months since last fly day.

 

[RogerMOSA]

Each of the 39 aircraft will be individually inspected and repaired. 18-24 months is the estimate for completion depending on depot maintenance capacity, materials availability, etc.

Of the 39 A/C, some are deployed, some are with CONUS squadrons and some are already sitting in depot. One time flights will be approved sometime in the future to reposition all remaining A/C to depot maint.

We're still waiting to see how this affects our monthly/yearly flight hour curve.

 

[SIG600]

Why the hold up with the P8 acquisition. It's not exactly a new air frame, or new design.

 

[Some guy]

Structural fatigue cracks in the wing panels, and corrosion in the lower wing planks. There are a few airplanes at PDM depot in Waco that have 48 months since last fly day.

:laugh: Most likely caused by the engines being mounted upside-down.

 

[LearLove]

this time its the P3 - what happens next when its a kc135 and it goes fleet wide or even 30% of the fleet?

 

[huronip]

Do they still have the 58 hour limit per month on each of the airframes? I tell all of the guys/gals I instruct in Corpus to fly the EP-3. When I left VQ-1 in Whidbey they didn't have any hours restrctions on them. I'm glad I got out when I did. Good luck to you guys/gals.

 

[Oh-ryan]

this time its the P3 - what happens next when its a kc135 and it goes fleet wide or even 30% of the fleet?

Translation:
This time it didn't matter. What about next time when it's an important plane?

 

[Col Reb]

I have just heard that 39 fleet P-3s have been permenantly grounded. What's going to happen with the pilots?

The Titanic is sinking, and there are not enough lifeboats for everyone.

 

[pilotyip]

Lifted on Mods

Do they still have the 58 hour limit per month on each of the airframes? I tell all of the guys/gals I instruct in Corpus to fly the EP-3. When I left VQ-1 in Whidbey they didn't have any hours restrctions on them. I'm glad I got out when I did. Good luck to you guys/gals.

Some P-3's are coming out of mod and have the 58 hr limit lifted, so one of our Navy Reserve pilots has told me.

 

[T1bubba]

Why the hold up with the P8 acquisition. It's not exactly a new air frame, or new design.

I asked a friend at Pax that, he said it's much newer than Boeing would have you believe. Putting ordnance on the wing has caused structural issues, flying at low level over water for extended periods has caused some issues with the engines, and there were some other things I don't remember.

Bottom line is the P-8 is using fewer off-the-shelf components than most people thought.

 

[zippy]

Do they still have the 58 hour limit per month on each of the airframes? I tell all of the guys/gals I instruct in Corpus to fly the EP-3. When I left VQ-1 in Whidbey they didn't have any hours restrctions on them. I'm glad I got out when I did. Good luck to you guys/gals.

HONA is now an 80 something hr a month limit (83.3 i think). Still no Hrs restrictions on the EP-3Es and it shows... Guys leaving their first fleet tour in P-3Cs with high 900s in pilot hours while the EP-3E guys come with low 2000s.

 

[erj-145mech]

From www.defenselink.mil:

BAE Systems Applied Technologies, Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $12,645,000 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-06-D-0038) for the production of Emergency Rate Initial Production P-3 fatigue critical area Zone Five components, including engineering, analytical and manufacturing efforts in support of the P-3C and derivative series aircraft. Work will be performed in Brea, Calif., (45 percent); St. Louis, Mo., (25 percent); Wellington, Kan., (20 percent); and Calif., Md., (10 percent), and work is expected to be completed in Sep. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.