Members of the Improved Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System (IFLOLS) Phase IV development team receive a 2014 Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Commander’s Award for the team category Dec. 10. The team, based at Joint Base Maguire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., participated in the awards ceremony at Naval Air Systems Command headquarters in Patuxent River, Md., via video teleconference. (U.S. Photo)
Patuxent River, MD — A Navy aircraft launch and recovery team was recognized for its exemplary work with a 2014 Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Commander’s Award during a ceremony at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) headquarters in Patuxent River, Maryland, Dec. 10.
The 45-member Improved Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System (IFLOLS) Phase IV development team met the challenge of supplying the Navy’s aircraft carriers with an upgraded optical landing system through an in-house government effort. The project was designed, developed, tested and fielded by NAVAIR engineers at Joint Base Maguire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
According to the award nomination, the team faced numerous obstacles from the program’s onset in late 2009 but managed to overcome them with exemplary teamwork and a “fleet first mentality.”
The group will see its efforts come to fruition with the commencement of its first install aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) this month.
“To be honored with this prestigious award during the same month as the very first shipboard installation is simply perfect timing,” said Jack Byrd, Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment (PMA-251) deputy program manager of fielded systems. The IFLOLS Phase IV team has much to be proud of.”
The NAWCAD Commander’s award recognizes team effort and significant achievements that support fleet requirements or mission readiness and the IFLOLS Phase IV team epitomized those qualities by promoting individual growth through peer mentoring and emphasizing the importance of every member’s contribution, according to the award write-up.
Further fostering cooperation, the project was divided into integrated units, each with a lead and sub-team. Engineers were assigned to work on several teams, allowing them to experience the entire design project and interact with one another frequently.
For decades, pilots have relied on the optical landing system on board the Navy’s aircraft carriers to provide glideslope and other critical information and guide them to a safe recovery. IFLOLS Phase IV is the latest advancement to this technology.
“The new Phase IV system will provide the fleet with a significantly improved IFLOLS, which incorporates fully supportable hardware and an integrated system with increased maintainability and availability, resulting in increased boarding and sortie rates,” said Jaime Madera, carrier landing aids program manager and IFLOLS Phase IV team lead.
Madera explained USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is the next carrier scheduled to have the system installed in 2016, and all carriers will be outfitted thereafter.
Half of the team will continue to support the delivery and fleet readiness of Phase IV, while others will focus on redesign and modification of other optical landing systems, both in the fleet and land-based.
“It’s truly impressive what this team was able to accomplish, despite the struggles and pressures it faced,” Byrd said. “The way this team worked together so seamlessly and the improved, streamlined configuration management process they used will serve as a model for future in-house development efforts.”