Naval Aviation Maintenance Program for Central Technical Publication Library

References:

  1. OPNAV 4790.2G, Volume I, Chapter 14: Delineates that the management of the CTPL is a function of Quality Assurance and provides guidance on its use.
  2. NA 00-25-100 (Naval Air System Command Technical Manual Program): Provides detailed procedures for establishing and operating the CTPL.

Objectives:

The Central Technical Publications Library (CTPL) Program:

a. Provides a central source of up-to-date information for the use of all personnel in the performance of their work

b. Serves as an excellent source of reference information to facilitate personnel training and individual improvement.

c. Ensures configuration management of technical data at the activity level.

Background:

Technical publications (manuals) are essential in achieving system and equipment effectiveness and readiness. For technical manuals to be used in a Navy/Marine Corps fleet maintenance environment, its information must be accurate, adequate in depth and scope of coverage, clear in meaning, usable and complete. Due to the high risk involved in aviation, the quality of the technical data available to the technician directly impacts safety of flight, safety of the individual maintainer in the workspace, and the quality of maintenance performed.

Management of the CTPL is a function assigned to the Quality Assurance Division of Navy/Marine Corps fleet units. CTPL is solely responsible for the analysis of an activity's requirements, procurement of documents, receipt and local distribution, maintenance and update of all technical publications under their cognizance. However in order to provide accessibility to the individual maintainer, technical manuals specific to a work center will be physically located in that work center and managed by a dispersed technical publications librarian (DTPL) who is accountable to the CTPL. To perform these functions properly, the Central Technical Publications Librarian must manage all NALCOMIS manuals, desktop guides and all publications affecting the assigned and supported aircraft and related equipment consistent with the maintenance level of responsibility involved. Technical publications consist of:

a. COMNAVAIRSYSCOM approved military specification technical manuals.

b. COMNAVAIRSYSCOM approved, numbered, and issued commercial off-the-shelf technical publications.

c. Other such commercial technical documentation, when no documentation has been issued by COMNAVAIRSYSCOM, and the requirements of this section have been met.

d. PMS publications consist of checklists, MRCs, SPCs, PMICs, SCCs, and SDLM specifications. These publications provide a basis for planning, scheduling, and complying with scheduled maintenance requirements.

The CTPL responsibilities also apply throughout the entire activity when the Maintenance Department has cognizance of all aeronautical technical manuals for the activity. The Weapons Department requires a TPL containing an appropriate number of those publications necessary to properly perform its maintenance responsibilities for assigned Aviation Weapons Support Equipment. This TPL will be a dispersed library of the Intermediate Level CTPL, since both departments require many of the same AWSE publications. Requests for publications will be processed and ordered through the Intermediate Maintenance Activity. The following data shows the average numbers of persons normally assigned to a CTPL in the indicated activities and their average level of effort.

Activity Persons Assigned Manhours Expended

Major Shore AIMD / 2-3 / 6-7 hours per day
Afloat AIMD / 1-2 / 8-10 hours per day
Intermediate Shore AIMD / 1-2 / 6-7 hours per day
Small Shore AIMD / 1 / 5-6 hours per day
Squadron (Major) / 2 / 6-7 hours per day
Squadron (Regular) / 1 / 6-7 hours per day
All Activities (conducting audits with 25% page checks) / Depending on size
1 to 2 / 3-12 hours per week

There are 20,000 publications in use in the Navy and Marine Corps. These publications are procured by Weapon System Program Offices and managed by NAVAIR field activities or OEMs when contractor logistics support is provided. An average Intermediate Level CTPL has more than 2980 copies of publications and an Organizational Level CTPL has approximately 1886 copies of publications.

Due to the large number of publications necessary to safely perform maintenance, the effort required to maintain configuration control on these publications, and the high cost of update, NAVAIR has started an initiative to convert all publications to an electronic medium. Authorization to use electronic versions of NAVAIR technical publications for maintenance took place July, 1996. Since then, NAVAIR has been issuing new publications in a CD ROM format. In 1999 NATEC stood up a web site for all NAVAIR publications. More than 2650 of the 20,000 publications NATEC manages for intermediate and organizational level maintenance are available on the WEB and 2,000 are produced on CDs. In addition, Integrated Electronic Technical Manual Systems (IETMS) are being developed to bring the technology planeside. The H-60 and F/A-18E/F platforms have already converted the majority of their publications onto the Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) System and many other weapon systems and support equipment programs are currently evaluating its use. The IETMs will be interfaced with the new ASM Module of the Aviation Maintenance Training Continuum System (AMTCS) which is currently being prototyped in the fleet. This interface allows for an integrated approach to training and maintenance metrics not previously available.

Effectiveness:

The effectiveness of this program is measured in terms of the configuration control and availability of the publications at the activity level.

Recent AMMT visits have found that the CTPL program is one of the top ten programs graded as Off Track or Needs More Attention. However in the activities off track, ninety percent of CTPL discrepancies are related to technical manuals being outdated due to insufficient PRL/PRE.

Analysis:

Central Technical Publications Library Program requirements are listed below. The responsibilities are listed by the individual within a squadron or intermediate level maintenance activity who is responsible for completing the task and classified into the four categories requested. The manhour estimates are based on a 10-12 aircraft F/A-18C squadron with 180 sailors assigned to the maintenance department and a 420 person AIMD Afloat with 400 persons assigned.

PROGRAM ELEMENT / ELEMENT IMPACT
Commanding Officer:
- Responsible for the development, establishment, and operation of technical library services in support of local operations and maintenance. (1hr/yr)
- Designate an appropriate officer to implement and carry out policies and procedures to effectively maintain an aeronautical technical library.
(1 designation/yr) / Manhours expended
Admin: <.001 hours per day.
Quality Assurance Officer (QAO):
Administrative:
- Manage the CTPL.
- Designate, in writing, a Central Technical Publication Librarian. (1 designation/yr)
- Develop local command procedures. (as required) / Manhours expended
Admin:<.001 hours per day.
Central Technical Publication Librarian:
Administrative:
- Be knowledgeable of NAVAIR 00-25-100 and the OPNAV 4790.2G.
- Requisition, receive, screen, review, route, distribute, as necessary, and file all incoming technical publications.
- Establish dispersed libraries and necessary control functions. (1 time/chgs as required)
- Establish and maintain a program to distribute data to dispersed libraries.
- Utilize an automatic verification program.
- Utilize and maintain a program for classified technical data receipt, stowage, distribution, inventory, and distribution.
- Establish and maintain a program to audit the central library annually and dispersed library quarterly.
- Utilize an effective check list/audit form.
Training:
- Attend formal CTPL Librarian Course at FASO.
(once in career)
- Establish and maintain an indoctrination and follow-on training program for assigned library personnel, including dispersed librarians. Provide training and assistance to both the work center and the dispersed librarians.(1hr/wk) / Manhours expended
Admin: <7.0
Train: <1.0
hours per day.
Dispersed Technical Publication Librarian:
Admin:
- Manage the storage, update and user availability of the DTPL publications. (daily)
- Coordinate all efforts of the DTLP. (daily)
Training:
- Attend formal CTPL Librarian Course at FASO.
(once in career) / Manhours expended
ADMIN: <.33 hours per day.
Training:
Work Center Supervisor:
- Ensure work center dispersed library maintains only the required number of copies of applicable publications on hand. Avoid excessive stock piling and ordering of publications. (as required)
- Ensure all publication requests are submitted to the CTPL for procurement.
- Provide the necessary guidance, supervision and support necessary to manage the dispersed library. (as required)
- Ensure the Audit Inventory List, provided by the CTPL, is used to identify the location of all publications held in the work center. (as required)
- Ensure that when publications are no longer required, they are returned to the CTPL with justification for the return of the publication. (as required)
- Inform the central library of additional manual or change requirements and replacement of damaged manuals.
- Assign the functions and management of the DTPL as a collateral duty for a minimum of six months. (1 designation/yr) / Manhours expended
ADMIN: <.1
hours per day.
Total Admin: 7.431 Total Training: 1.0
Total Operational:0.0 Total Assessment:0.0 / Overall Total Manhours:
8.431
per day

Recommendations:

The Central Technical Publications Library Program is critical to the quality of maintenance, the safety of the individual maintainer, and the configuration management and control of the weapons system. While the administrative effort required to maintain configuration control of the technical data is high, the cost of not providing current and accurate data to the maintainer is much higher - loss of components, loss of aircraft, or loss of sailors. For these reasons, it is recommended that the Central Technical Publications Library Program not be deleted from the OPNAVINST 4790.2G and no further changes be made beyond those NAMP changes already submitted.

CURRENT INTIATIVES:

a. NAVAIR has started an initiative to convert all publications to an electronic medium. Authorization to use electronic versions of NAVAIR technical publications for maintenance took place July 1996. Since then, NAVAIR has been issuing new publications in a CD ROM format. In 1999 NATEC stood up a web site for all NAVAIR publications. More than 2650 of the 20,000 publications NATEC manages for intermediate and organizational level maintenance are available on the WEB and 2,000 are produced on CDs.

b. In addition, Integrated Electronic Technical Manual Systems (IETMS) are being developed to bring the technology planeside. The H-60 and F/A-18E/F platforms have already converted the majority of their publications onto the Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) System and many other weapon systems and support equipment programs are currently evaluating the use of the technology. Technical manual updates are automated eliminating a significant portion of the administrative tasks at the CTPL level.

c. The new ASM Module of the Aviation Maintenance Training Continuum System (AMTCS) currently being prototyped in the fleet is designed to interface with the IETMS being developed for the individual platforms. This interface allows for an integrated approach to training and maintenance metrics not previously available.

d. In the future, Optimized NALCOMIS will provide the capability to track the configuration of a weapon system on a real time basis with upline data replication. Included in this upgrade is on line data on technical publications and directives availability and requirements at the activity level. This will allow NAVAIRSYSCOM/NATEC to push the required publications to the activity.