PLANNED SERVICING: MAJOR INSPECTION OF A LANCASTER [Main Title]
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- Title: PLANNED SERVICING: MAJOR INSPECTION OF A LANCASTER [Main Title]
- Film Number: AMY 81
- Other titles:
- Summary: The film illustrates in detail how a haphazard approach to the major service of a Lancaster can take up to two weeks, but with planned servicing based on the establishment of work schedule and disposition charts, together with the associated schedule cards issued to each mechanic or fitter this time can be routinely reduced to four days.
- Description: Wing Commander Byfield of 430 Squadron visits the office of the Chief Technical Officer, Wing Commander Harris, to complain about the lack of airworthy Lancaster bombers because so many are out of service for up to two weeks awaiting major servicing and repairs. A wall chart shows a list of aircraft requiring attention but no indication of the work required nor who does what and when. Some jobs are taking up to two weeks because of unreliable contractors and insufficient RAF Fitters. The fitters also have to do other station duties of a non technical nature at short notice with a consequent delay to the servicing of aircraft. The film cuts to Avro Lancaster NG403 in a hanger for a major service. Fitters are seen in and around the aircraft but not all are working because some cannot gain access to a location because another fitter at work is blocking the way. Thus fitters disturb each other, and inspection panels are removed and replaced several times for different purposes. There is no co-ordination of the work with a consequent waste of time. A corporal orders an armourer working on a gun to stop what he is doing and immediately go to fire drill duties, who upon his return later finds another armourer has taken over. The displaced armourer seeks instructions from his sergeant who directs him to assist a fitter in the removal of inspection panels, but the fitter has not even started, and earns himself a reprimand from the sergeant. The fitters are left to sort themselves out to get the work done. This is the hub of the problem. Back in the office of Wing Commander Harris, Senior officers are discussing the problem which has been attributed to the non supervision of the fitters. Wing Commander Harris informs the officers that an Air Ministry research panel moved into C hanger last week to establish a planned routine. Wing Commander Harris and the Air Ministry team then construct a plan for a major service of a Lancaster which requires over 1000 jobs, 30 to 40 men, and can take up to two weeks, sometimes up to a month depending on spares and other jobs. The only constant factor is the schedule which can be interpreted in several ways. In industry, production planning, progression and late fixing are all worked out before the job begins, and the man-hours calculated for the job and a definitive turn round time established. From the published major servicing schedule for a Lancaster all the individual jobs required are identified, timed and fitted together as in a jigsaw. At a meeting between Wing Commander Harris and all the NCO’s an assessment is made of the man hours required for major components: Engines 50, air Frame 160, instruments 80, electronics 65, and to identify the key trade that determines the turn around time. Quite separately, an additional team of dedicated fitters are required for the constant repairs and modifications to aircraft. A large work progress chart is compiled by the NCO’s who each submit the tasks they are responsible for together with the duration and man hours required. The Air Ministry research panel allocates the chronological times for the tasks so that no one will be in the way of anybody else at any moment during the whole period. With the schedule chart thus completed a work disposition chart is created which shows the work areas (nose, turret, engine, etc) against the time required. No time is wasted and any unused time gaps are allocated to the more demanding tasks. A third chart, the progress chart incorporates movable pins – one pin allocated to each fitter – that are moved horizontally along the time scale as his schedule is completed thus providing an overall view of progress. The key to the system are the schedule cards. The film cuts to an NCO handing out schedule cards to the fitters at the commencement of the four day major inspection of the Lancaster. The fitters compare and cross reference their tasks thus providing assistance when and where required. Emphasis is made at all times for servicing equipment to be on site, of the correct type and serviceable. Every service operation is allocated a schedule card which describes the work, the stages required for completion and the time allocated. Each schedule card has a separate slip-in card that replicates each stage by number and provision for the fitter to sign as completed and record the actual time taken for each stage. This can be helpful if a fitter is withdrawn half way through a task, as he can then pass his Schedule card to the fitter taking over who can then complete the task. At the end of day, the fitters hand in their schedule cards to the NCO in charge at his desk, who adjusts the pins on the progress chart according to the times recorded on the slip-in cards. These are then removed, filed away with Form 700, and replaced by a new blank slip-in card, thus enabling the schedule card to be used again. By referring to the progress chart the NCO can monitor the overall progress and direct help as required to bring the major service up to schedule. The film shows three fitters at work in the cockpit on different tasks without getting in the way of each other. At the end of day one, twenty minutes is allocated to all fitters to remove inspection panels ready for the next day. Day two commences with the Lancaster being jacked up to check the undercarriage. This requires synchronisation of many of the fitters, so careful planning is necessary. Film shows the jacking up operation, and whilst jacked up very few fitters are allowed on board, assembling instead at the senior NCO’s desk who consults the main progress chart and allocates time to any outstanding jobs identified during the inspection to date. Some popped rivets and an engine head require replacement. A change of engine is allowed for within the four day major service period by two fitters, so the current schedule will be maintained. The work continues through day three and the engine head is replaced. Other fitters replace all the cowls and covers and the Lancaster is ready for engine testing. Day four and Lancaster NG403 taxis out of the hanger for static testing on the hard standing. During engine testing the electronic and electrical fitters check the functioning of the radar, navigation aids and radios. Within the four day service a separate team of fitters have completed major modifications to the radar and gun turrets, the concurrent work of the two teams of fitters dovetailed by the Senior NCO. Lancaster NG403 is ready to fly again, thanks to the careful planning and the use of Schedule, Disposition and Progress charts, in conjunction with the individual Schedule cards. The film ends with close up views of the charts as Wing Commander Byfield explains that co-ordinated planning is the only way forward and can be applied to all sections of the RAF, for they like the Service Organisation Section, are only pieces of the jigsaw.
- Alternative Title:
- Colour: B&W
- Digitised:
- Object_Number: AMY 81
- Sound: Sound
- Access Conditions:
- Featured Period: 1939-1945
- Production Date: 1944
- Production Country: GB
- Production Details: Air Ministry (Production sponsor)
- Personalities, Units and Organisations:
- Keywords:
- Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound
- Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: Footage: 1733ft
- HD Media:
- Link to IWM Collections page:
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