Vertical lift machinist work leader Justin Glines said he was only doing his job.

But by "just doing his job" when he repaired a hard-to-reach fitting on a Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar CH-53E Super Stallion at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, he avoided a potential $35 million loss to the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE). For his efforts, Glines received a NAE Boots on the Ground (BoG) Site Visit Excellence Award during a two-day BoG hosted by Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) at NAS North Island, California, July 26.

Glines said the in-service repair (ISR) is commonly done on the H-53s, but the fitting in need of repair which netted him the recognition was elongated, oversized and in an awkward place.

"The H-53 program at NAS North Island was extremely shorthanded, so I was assigned to go help them out," Glines said. "The hole was near the actuator in the very corner at the bottom of the helicopter. It was at a bad angle and there were different panels covering it. It wasn't located in a large, open area like other fittings."

Because of its size and shape, engineers gave vertical lift specific instructions on what size the hole to drill and Glines worked with sheet metal artisans to get access. He also cut down the drills and reamers to get into the spot and ensure the hole would be a specific diameter.

"You have to oversize the hole to get it to a perfect circle, then use a bushing to bring it back to nominal," Glines explained. "It's all about not going beyond the allowable edge distance. The correct drills and reamers give the hole a better finish."

Once he was able to access the area, it was just a matter of getting to the fitting.

While the repair of the H-53 is an example of how he can work independently, think a problem through and come up with a fix, Glines said any artisan could have done the same.

"It wasn't that special," he said. "Anyone could have developed a solution and done the work. It's a simple and common procedure."

The repair on the CH-53E eliminated the need to disassemble the entire aft portion of the aircraft, resulting in an immediate cost avoidance of more than $1.5 million and ultimately kept a $35 million aircraft in the fleet.

Glines was also recognized for his work with maintainers at MCAS Miramar, NAS Lemoore and NAS Fallon, providing them with his 18 years of experience as a machinist.

"You have distinguished yourself as a vital part of the success and sustainment of the [FRCSW] Continuous Process Improvement culture," read a commendation letter from Commander, Naval Air Forces Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, which was presented to Glines at the BoG. "Your ability to think 'outside the box' and synergistically collaborate with engineering has led to countless innovative procedures for performing [ISR] work, ultimately providing superior customer service and readiness to the fleet."

Glines said the repair is what the vertical lift workforce does every day at best possible cost.

"I have a wonderful team behind me," he said, "and none of the repairs I perform would be possible without them. Our job is supposed to be service to the fleet. We have to remember that there is not a cheap part on one of these aircraft."

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