News Search

Grissom maintainers lighten load with new tablets

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Carl Berry
  • 434th ARW Public Affairs
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. --  Over the course of two years Air Force maintainers have gone from carrying four to five bulky books to carrying an eight-pound ruggedized laptop to now carrying only a lightweight tablet equipped with all their technical orders.

Grissom is one of six test bases authorized to use the E-Tool Lite, a tablet with electronic reading capability, which allows for easy navigation through more than 65,000 technical orders.

During fiscal year 2011 the Air Force converted TOs into a digital format so maintainers could access them electronically.

"The original electronic tool came in the form of a ruggedized laptop that had a two-hour battery life," said Chief Master Sgt. Richard Scully, 434th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron assistant superintendent. "The E-Tool Lite has a battery life of eight hours and weighs just 1.5 pounds, which is beneficial because a lot of our maintainers are working on aircraft all day."

The Air Force originally planned to purchase up to 40,000 laptops at a cost of $3-4,000 each, but now they're looking to purchase tablets at cost of $400-500 each, said Scully.

"The reason for the switch isn't solely for cost reasons, the standard e-tool is much better than bringing a library, but the E-Tool Lite is much more functional because it can be used in any situation," he added.

So far, the feedback from maintainers has been positive.

"They like that the E-Tool Lite is easy to use, has longer battery life, and is much more efficient than the standard e-tool," said Chief Master Sgt. Chad Weisend, 434th AMXS maintenance superintendent. "They also cut down on time of work performance, because they're able to navigate through multiple technical orders, and enlarge photos for clarity."

Currently the E-Tool Lite is the final phase of its testing.

"Once the E-Tool Lite is officially approved by Air Froce Reserve Command, we will be able to use all of its functions," said Scully. "Currently the (wireless internet) connection is turned off and they are updated once every seven days. Once the E-Tool Lite is approved they will be updated every day with cyber security protections."

The 434th AMXS is part of the 434th Air Refueling Wing, the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Airmen from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic objectives.

Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Twitter and Facebook.

Public Affairs Staff

Material contained on the Official Grissom Air Reserve Base Internet Web Site is written and produced by members of the 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office. The award-winning staff includes:

Ben Mota
Chief, public affairs

Maj. Elias Zani
Public affairs officer

Master Sgt. Wendy Day
Staff writer

Tech. Sgt. Alexa Culbert
Staff writer

Senior Airman Elise Faurote
Staff writer

Senior Airman Benjamin Cowles
Staff writer