“It was a bit eye-opening because I'd never seen them taken apart like that before,” said Fayos. “These were truly stripped down H-53s, down to bare airframes.”
Since that first visit to the hangar, Fayos has not only seen these aircraft stripped down, she’s seen them completely overhauled and reassembled, piloted them during test flights, and then delivered the finished helicopters to their units.
FRCE ensures warfighters throughout the Navy and Marine Corps are equipped with combat-ready aircraft. The depot accomplishes this through extensive maintenance, repair and overhaul services for a variety of aircraft platforms including the CH-53 Sea Stallion MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopters.
To provide this support, the depot utilizes a very unique workforce comprised of more than 4,000 highly skilled civilian workers. Working alongside them is a small group of roughly 40 Marines.
Fayos is one of those Marines. When she is not manning the controls as one of the depot’s two H-53 test pilots, she serves as the Military Aircraft Production Deputy Director.
“Major Fayos brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to FRC East,” said FRCE Military Aircraft Production Director Lt. Col. Stephanie Cothern. “She’s a force multiplier who has been able to help drive production and decrease turnaround time on aircraft. As a military test pilot, she greatly impacts our ability to provide the highest possible level of support to the warfighter.”
For Fayos, the path to becoming a CH-53 pilot and Marine began when she was a high school athlete growing up in Phoenix, Arizona.
“I had a teammate of mine that got accepted to the Naval Academy,” said Fayos. “I had never heard of any of the academies before, so when he got accepted, I thought this might be a good option for me as well.”
Fayos applied and was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Selection into the Naval Academy is considered highly competitive with a reported acceptance rate of only 9%. It is the undergraduate college of our country’s naval service and prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
Fayos said she wanted to be a Marine officer the moment she arrived in Annapolis.
“I knew I wanted to go Marine Corps,” said Fayos. “I felt challenged by the Marines on the campus and I was drawn to that. The Marine Corps leadership and culture that was present at the academy really impressed me.”
According to Fayos, her desire to be an aviator would come later, during the summer in between her sophomore and junior year at the Naval Academy.
“I got to do a rotation with a Marine Corps Osprey unit out of New River,” said Fayos. “I came down from Maryland and got to fly with them for half a summer, and I absolutely loved it. It's hard not to love it when you get to fly around in an aircraft as a college kid. I knew that's what I wanted to do.”
Fayos said she was drawn to flying helicopters soon after beginning flight training. She cited the crucial role helicopters play in supporting Marines as the factor that influenced her decision.
“I like the team mentality,” said Fayos. “I love the mission of being there for others and getting troops and everything they need to the fight.”
After completing The Basic School, where all newly commissioned or appointed Marine Corps officers are trained and educated, as well as primary and advanced flight training, Fayos served a one year stint with Marine Heavy Helicopter Training Squadron 302 (HMHT-302) at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina.
Her next assignment took her to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 (HMH-465), the “Warhorse”, based in San Diego, California. During her four years flying CH-53s with HMH-465, Fayos deployed twice to the Western Pacific in support of the Unit Deployment Program and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
It was while serving with the “Warhorse” that Fayos became aware of the support that depots such as FRCE provide. Aircraft in the fleet are flown in demanding, austere environments such as jungles or deserts. They are stowed on ships and exposed to elements such as salt water and sand. Fayos said pilots could easily tell when the squadron received an overhauled aircraft from a depot.
“The first thing you notice is how clean it is,” said Fayos. “Aircraft get used hard in the fleet and getting one from a depot is like getting a clean slate. You know you can put lots of hours on it.”
When her assignment with HMH-465 concluded, Fayos headed to Okinawa, Japan, as an operations planner with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW). When that assignment concluded, Fayos received orders to FRCE.
“I had some mixed feelings at first,” said Fayos. “I knew I wasn't going to be flying as much, but on the flip side, I was excited to see things from the depot perspective. Plus, I’ve never minded the challenge of functional check flights.”
Functional check flights determine whether the aircraft airframe, engines, accessories, and equipment are functioning according to established standards while the aircraft operates in its intended environment. These flights are a key part of Fayos’ flying duties at FRCE. Upon check-in, the seasoned CH-53E pilot had to qualify to fly the Navy’s MH-53E as well, in order to test both variants of H-53s that FRCE produces.
“After an aircraft is fully assembled and ready for test, we go out there and fly it,” said Fayos. “Then, working with the civilian plane captains, electricians, and flight check quality assurance personnel, we exercise the systems and make adjustments to get the flight profiles the way we want them. Once we're fully satisfied with it, we deliver it to the fleet.”
Functional check flights occur near the end of an aircraft’s time at the depot. Prior to conducting these flights, Fayos, a fellow CH-53 test pilot and two enlisted crew chiefs are involved in a variety of critical functions, including inspections and safety checks conducted during each phase of the CH-53 maintenance process. The four Marines work alongside civilian artisans throughout every step of the process.
“The civilian workforce truly is a part of the aircrew,” said Fayos. “They don't fly with us but they are there from pre-flight to post-flight. It's a team effort out there every day.”
Fayos said that Marines and civilian artisans working the H-53 production line are committed to ensuring squadrons receive aircraft they can rely on.
“When we test aircraft, we are focused on safety and quality,” said Fayos. “We have to ensure that we’re providing fleet aircrew with an aircraft that is safe and of the highest quality. Ultimately we’re expecting our brothers and sisters out there to strap in, train, fight, and come home safely in the aircraft we deliver. We all understand the responsibility involved and take it very seriously.”
After the functional check flight is completed, Fayos and Maj. Andrew Neuman, a fellow CH-53 test pilot at FRCE, will fly the aircraft to its squadron with two Marine crew chiefs aboard.
The CH-53 and MH-53 helicopters leaving the depot go to Navy and Marine Corps units in the eastern half of the United States, where pilots will fly them on missions ranging from training flights to real world operations.
In addition to being a CH/MH-53 test pilot, Fayos also serves as the depot’s Military Aircraft Production Deputy Director. In this role, Fayos is involved in monitoring schedules, manpower, and other issues or factors that impact the depot’s rotary and fixed wing aircraft production. She said the position also entails an element of customer service.
“There are two things I feel are most helpful to the fleet – proper communication with squadrons and ensuring they receive a quality, trustworthy product,” said Fayos. “Squadrons need to know and understand the timeline for inducting and receiving the aircraft in order for them to plan accordingly. So our planners and schedulers reach out and provide updates to them on a regular basis. We're on the phone with them a lot as well. Most importantly, we deliver a safe and quality aircraft.”
Fayos said this position involves working in the business and production side of the depot which is a completely new experience for her.
“So much of it is business related and involves things that I never thought of while in the Fleet,” said Fayos. “Working here, I'm seeing and learning what goes on behind the scenes. It makes you realize how many elements need to come together to deliver an aircraft.”
While some of the job might be new for Fayos, FRCE Aircraft Production Division Director David Williams said Fayos has learned quickly. He said the experience and expertise Fayos brought to the job from her time in the Fleet has been invaluable.
“With her experience and background, she is a real asset to the team, especially in regard to process improvements,” said Williams. “She coordinates flight schedules and crews for the Rotary Wing division. She keeps me informed on technical issues that I may not be as familiar with when it comes to testing of the H-53 aircraft. All in all, she is a great asset to our Rotary and Fixed Wing divisions.”
According to Fayos, her experiences at FRCE have also made her realize the impact of the depot’s civilian workforce in supporting Fleet readiness.
“Having capabilities like we have here is a huge strategic force multiplier,” said Fayos. “We’re able to provide the Fleet with fresh aircraft so they can continue conducting their missions. The cool thing here is we have a culture that drives this home. It’s always about the warfighter here, and rightly so. The workforce understands this and is driven by it.”
Although she described feeling a bit of culture shock when arriving at a command consisting of more than 4,000 civilian employees, she said seeing them in action has become one of the highlights of her time at FRCE.
“As a Marine, I obviously love being around Marines,” said Fayos. “As a pilot, I love flying with my aircrew. But since working at the depot, I would say one of the best parts of my job is being able to walk around and see the work being performed. There’s still a feeling of shock and awe in seeing an artisan literally piecing these aircraft back together, rivet by rivet. They do amazing and intricate work. It’s a privilege to be here and see that on a day to day basis.”
FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.
Learn more at www.navair.navy.mil/frce or https://www.facebook.com/FleetReadinessCenterEast.