An Analysis of the United States Naval Aviation Schedule Removal Component (SRC) Card Process

Abstract

Schedule Removal Component (SRC) cards provide aviation part information such as flight hours accumulated, last-installed date, last removal date, and last depot-level inspection or overhaul date. When a naval aviation squadron receives an SRC card-designated part not accompanied by its respective paper card, naval instruction restricts the part from being installed on the aircraft. This prevents the aircraft from flying, which directly affects squadron readiness levels and mission capability. The difficulty of adequate SRC card custody and tracking lies in the current inter-organizational process. The objective of this project is to study the SRC card process by examining its purpose, card production and inherent custody imperfections. A Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) model is introduced for discussion and serves as a valuable concept for Automated Information System (AIS) implementation using Unique Identification (UID) technology. An AIS with UID transformation technology in a Web-based environment embraces current DoD mandates and can greatly reduce the millions of realized dollar losses associated with the current process. Improvement of the SRC-card custody process will virtually eliminate the loss of critical part documentation, which leads to attributable increases in aircraft availability and squadron readiness throughout all of naval aviation.