Dover Air Force Base Named New ISO Inspection Site

WASHINGTON, DC — Delaware’s Congressional Delegation — Senators Joe Biden and Tom Carper and U.S. Representative Mike Castle – today issued the following statement regarding the announcement that Dover Air Force has been selected as the only active-duty base for isochronal, or “ISO”, inspections of the entire C-5 fleet. Currently, eight bases are used for C-5 isochronal inspections. The Air Force is consolidating that to a total of three – one active duty, one Reserve, and one Guard base. By consolidating to three bases, the Air Force expects to make C-5s more available for missions and to reduce maintenance costs for the fleet. Isochronal inspections must be done on C-5s every 420 days. During these inspections, all of the systems on the aircraft are examined and repaired as needed. In addition, any structural damage or corrosion is caught and fixed. ISO inspections used to take approximately a month, but Dover AFB maintenance teams have managed to reduce the time to a mere two weeks. The Dover team includes active duty personnel, reservists, and civilians. Dover AFB is one of the few bases that has a fully enclosed hangar with fixed ISO docks, which provides better lighting and stable working conditions. This allows repairs to be done more efficiently. The Air Force anticipates being able to move about 10,000 more pallets a year because of this consolidation. In addition, the Air Force anticipates increasing personnel at Dover AFB for the new ISO work. While the mix is still being determined, early estimates are that Dover AFB will gain approximately 70 active duty personnel, along with additional civilians and reservists. “This is a tremendous acknowledgement that Dover’s C-5 maintenance team is the best in the Air Force,” said Senator Biden, “It is also an indication of how heavy the demand is for airlift today. This consolidation is one way to get additional airlift, but the real improvement will come when we see fully modernized C-5s flying with new avionics and engines.” “Today’s announcement once again proves that Dover’s reputation in the Air Force is second to none,” said Senator Carper. “Demand for airlift remains high, so it makes sense to find ways to improve C-5 inspections. We should all be proud that Dover was chosen for this effort.” “Time and again Dover has set the standard when it comes to airlift efficiency and reliability. The men and women at Dover have shown tremendous dedication to this mission and today’s announcement is yet another clear indicator of the importance of this base to our air mobility. The C-5 could not be in more experienced hands than it is here at Dover,” said Congressman Castle.