$49,000 Opening Saves $20,000 per Year

What a difference 4 feet makes -- in this case it was $20,000 (or $49,000). Every May, the 76th Helicopter Flight's fleet has to move because its hangar at Vanderberg AFB (CA) is used for Guardian Challenge ceremonies. (Guardian Challenge is an Air Force Space Command five-day competition of space and missile units.)

For years, the flight rented a tent to house the helicopters -- it cost $20,000 for the two weeks. Plus, the tent moorings damaged the flightline. Last month, Vandenberg workers modified a door at another nearby hangar by 4 feet, 6 inches to make room for the helicopter fleet. Now they are housed there, and the base saves $20,000 a year.

The project took one month to complete and cost $49,000.

The hangar door opening was originally 10 feet tall, which provided very little room to maneuver a helicopter into it. "There was about a 4-inch leeway for a helicopter to be moved into the hangar. We originally had to have someone hold down one of the propellers [rotor blades] in order to get the helicopter in the building," said John Kalusky, project manager at the 30th Civil Engineer Squadron.

Workers from the 30th CES modified a design that would allow the main rotor on the top of the helicopter to come into the hangar unobstructed. "It fit the bill perfectly. We had exactly what we needed to get the job done," said 2nd Lt. Phillip Baker, 30th CES project programmer. "This will save us a lot of money in the long run, because not only did the tent cost a lot, it was also destroying the tarmac on which it was being set up. It would cost $300,000 to replace the tarmac. So, it was either replace the tarmac or do something about the tent." [Or leave the helis outdoors for two weeks a year, or move them somewhere else, or have the AFSC pay for the tent and tarmac damage, or buy the tents or some tarps, or... --ed.]

Although 2003's Guardian Challenge was cancelled because of real-world operations, saving $20,000 in tent rental this year, the hangar is ready for future events.

[Thanks to Airman Juanika Glover, 30th Space Wing Public Affairs --ed.]

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