NAVAIR News Release FRCSW Public Affairs

Transcription

1 VAST CUTS Group shot Capt. Tim Trainer, NAVAIR Depot North Island commanding officer, and Reggie Donaldson prepare to pull the plug on a VAST machine at NAVAIR Depot North Island, signifying that the VAST is past. The area will be used to make room for AIRSpeed. DeGennaro Paul DeGennaro recalled the early days when he supervised the VAST onsite maintenance shop. Donaldson Reggie Donaldson explained how he fabricated the cables that connect the VAST building blocks. Page 1 of 5

2 End of an era: the VAST is past By Laurie Davies Photos by Scott Janes NAVAIR Depot North Island NAS NORTH ISLAND, Calif. Webster s Dictionary defines vast as very great in size, number, amount, or quantity. It s an adjective perfectly suited to describe the length of time and importance the Navy s version of VAST has been for the Avionics Commodity of NAVAIR Depot North Island s Components Program. The first piece of automatic test equipment used at the Depot, the Versatile Avionics Systems Tester VAST as it is known throughout the avionics world, was officially retired May 17 after 32 years of service. While VAST may no longer be a part of future workload at the Depot, both it and the Depot forever will be intertwined. VAST is a computer-controlled, integrated test system composed of independent, general-purpose stimulus and measurement instruments, referred to as Building Blocks (BBs). The use of interface devices (ID) enables the station to be adapted for the unique capabilities of the various components. VAST was a forerunner of modern automatic test equipment (ATE) such as Consolidated Automated Support System (CASS), Avionics Test Set (ATS), and Intermediate Avionics Test Set (IATS). VAST was manufactured in the late 1960s by PRD Electronics, of Long Island, N.Y. The Navy bought into the concept of VAST, and awarded the first contract to PRD Electronics on July 1, PRD was later bought by Harris Corp., which still exists today. The first VAST station deployed aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) in 1971 to determine whether it would function under the rigors of shipboard use. VAST soon proved its worth, and VAST stations were deployed on ships, at aircraft intermediate maintenance departments (AIMD), repair depots, and at supporting contractor sites. VAST supported 40 percent of the avionics on carriers. NAVAIR Depot North Island was involved from the beginning in a variety of ways. VAST was first installed at the Depot in 1973 at an acquisition cost of $3 million a great investment in hindsight providing the fleet with 32 years of avionics testing capability for the E2-C, A7-E, S-3 and the F-14. The Depot s involvement included sending on-site teams to carriers, and other sites such as Lemoore and Alameda, Calif., to install Page 2 of 5

3 VAST stations. The four-aircraft workload was originally divided among North Island, Alameda, Jacksonville, Fla., and Norfolk, Va. North Island s repair capability was expanded in the mid 1990s to cover S-3 workload when Alameda closed under Base Realignment and Closure. At Jacksonville s request, North Island assisted with the repair of their F-14 workload to alleviate fleet backorder concerns. Depot employee Paul DeGennaro has perhaps the longest association with VAST. I worked on VAST as a young artisan in the Calibration Laboratory (here), he said. To put VAST s lifespan in context, DeGennaro recently received his 40-year length of service award four days before VAST was retired. He also served as a supervisor of the VAST onsite maintenance shop and deputy program manager of Avionics, overseeing VAST component production. Paul s recollections of his and the command s experiences with VAST were a major contributor to this article. Reggie Donaldson is another Depot employee whose career evolved alongside VAST. I was initially brought into the VAST maintenance shop as an electronics worker to fabricate the myriad cables that connect the VAST building blocks, he said. His work was so outstanding, fleet AIMD commanders often requested him by name to repair their VAST cables onsite. Donaldson progressed to the journeyman level and became the reigning VAST maintenance expert in the Cal Lab and had the privilege of disconnecting the final North Island VAST station. VAST Station 46 is the last station to be removed from the Depot. How fitting that this station has a story behind it. Station 46 was first deployed on USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in During a pre-deployment short cruise, a fire broke out in the VAST shop. A welder who was working the area caused the fire. Salt-water hoses were used on all four stations through the overhead duct to extinguish the fire. The salt water completely saturated the stations and as a result made them inoperable. With deployment coming up just a month later, the Depot once again was called upon for help. The Depot sent a team to remove the stations and ship them to North Island. The team then re-directed four Depot VAST stations to the ship, which they verified before deployment. When VAST Station 46 returned to North Island it was thought to be a complete loss. However, this proved to be one more example of why one should never underestimate the talent of North Island artisans. They dismantled the station down to the bare metal, removing circuit cards, motherboards and cables. At the time VAST was so new, many of the technical publications had not yet been created. Depot artisans worked from engineering drawings only and returned the station to working order. The removal of the final VAST station marked the end of an era. VAST has served its purpose well and led to new Page 3 of 5

4 generations of ATE. The nature of the NAVAIR Depot s work involves inherent change and improvement, adapting to new aircraft and repair methodology. The removal of the last VAST station is bittersweet, said Capt. Tim Trainer, Depot commanding officer. This is what AirSpeed is all about. Letting go of test equipment, which is no longer able to support the needs of the warfighter and replace it with newer technology. What remains constant is the dedication of the Depot managers and the workforce, exhibited over the years in the support of VAST. The lessons learned and experiences shared will enhance the Depot s ability to handle the challenges of the future and continue providing quality, cost-wise, warfighter support. Davies is an electronics mechanic apprentice in the Components Program. Page 4 of 5

5 Page 5 of 5