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www.tinkertakeoff.com/article.htm?intRecID=16589
Tinker finished refurbishing NASA’s ‘super’ large aircraft
Brandice J. Armstrong - Staff Writer

Stamped with Tinker’s proverbial seal of approval, the Super Guppy returned Jan. 16 to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA’s B-377-SG/SGT-4 Super Guppy arrived at Tinker in April 3, 2008 for a programmed depot maintenance-like inspection. Yet, when inspectors examined the aircraft, they noticed significant corrosion and suggested the aircraft be refurbished.

“The Guppy has never had a PDM or any kind of extensive inspection since NASA has owned it,” said Debra Bennett, 565th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron lead Super Guppy project pre-planner. “This has been a very interesting opportunity. It’s been fun, challenging and at times crazy, but it’s a part of history and I’m glad to be a part of it.” NASA obtained the Super Guppy in 1997 from the European Space Agency to transport International Space Station parts from their manufacturers to launch sites in anticipation of orbiting them into space.

Refurbishing the aircraft that Ms. Bennett said never underwent a PDM was only the beginning of challenges.

The Super Guppy is primarily pieced together from three different aircraft. The odd-looking aircraft, which pops open like an Easter egg just behind the cockpit, is fashioned from the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and the Allison Engine Company’s 501D-22C turboprop engine. It also has parts from the Boeing B-52D Stratofortress and the Boeing 737, a commercial jet liner that is comparable to the KC-135 Stratotanker.

Furthermore, the Super Guppy has no current technical or maintenance manuals. Keith Kingsbury, 566th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Super Guppy project supervisor, said in an attempt to create the maintenance manual, NASA officials took excerpts from other aircraft tech data for their manual. Meaning, because the Super Guppy has a C-97 cockpit and part of the fuselage, and B-29 wings and P-3 engines, the pamphlet is pieced together much like the aircraft.

“We’ve had a lot of challenges with the tech data,” Ms. Bennett said. “I’ve never seen drawings as old as I’ve seen on this airplane.”

Mechanics assigned to the Guppy also relied heavily on other shops to manufacture tools and remove parts, including bolts that Ms. Bennett said had never been taken off. Approximately 35 Tinker mechanics worked on the Super Guppy in two shifts. They removed the majority of corrosion from underneath the engine nacelles, replaced a lot of skin, replaced several systems of electrical wiring — which breaks down over time — and replaced flight controls.

In order to efficiently perform their tasks, much of the aircraft was dismantled. The outer wing sections were removed, all four engines were detached, and all 35 fuel bladders were taken off and inspected at the fuel bladder shop on base.

Mr. Kingsbury said the work on the Super Guppy was so extensive that Tinker’s personnel heavily relied on the aircraft’s crew chief to help put the aircraft back together. Mr. Kingsbury said even the Super Guppy’s crew chief had never seen the Guppy dismantled to such an extent.

The overall cost for the refurbishment is estimated at $3 million, Ms. Bennett said. To avoid further overhaul projects, Ms. Bennett said she suggests the Super Guppy return every four to five years for PDM inspections and work.

“I hope this opens the door for more partnerships with NASA,” Ms. Bennett said.

HamiltonAir · Member Joined: 25 Dec 2006 Posts: 937 Location: Bangalore

Wow, I thought these planes were gone for good and ended up in some museums, this is great news!
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HamiltonAir