23 November 2020: The United States Navy and Marine Corps training squadrons recently received the initial T-34C Military Trainer from Stevens Aerospace and Defence Systems. The delivery was not only done six weeks ahead of schedule but also about twenty-five per cent under budget. The completed T-34C is part of a program that calls for the inspection of six aircraft by 2023.
Feeling proud of their team performance on the T-34C project, Jim Williams, Vice President of Government Operations at Stevens said, “We’re extremely proud of the performance of our teams on the T-34C project, particularly with the impact of the pandemic throughout our industry. Even during these extraordinary times, our crews live by a simple commitment: On Time, On Budget, On Target. This is what our customer requires, and it’s our job to meet these expectations on every project.”
The two-seat, turboprop trainers require standard five-year conditional inspections to keep them in top operational shape. To expedite the inspections, the Navy’s Undergraduate Flight Training Systems program office (PMA-273) coordinated with AIRWorks, the Naval Air Warfare Centre Aircraft Division’s in-house systems integrator to locate a cost-effective solution. AIRWorks selected Stevens, along with Science and Engineering Services LLC, from more than thirty industry partners.
Key to the success of the project was a collaborative working relationship and open dialog between all parties using frequent teleconferences. This was particularly helpful when early inspections revealed significant corrosion issues on the first T-34C inspection.
