Former OSBI Deputy Director, Charles Curtis, shares his experience about working with FSB on their state-of-the-art forensic science center.
OCU + FSB (Video)
Former OCU President Tom McDaniel, explains why Oklahoma City University chose FSB to help remodel and revive their historic and prestigious campus.
Choctaw Nation Headquarters Campus (Video)
State of Oklahoma: Raising the Dome (Video)
Eighty-five years in the making…
Construction began on the Oklahoma State Capitol in 1914 and was completed in 1917. The present structure includes a dome completed in 2002. The building is a National Historic Landmark.
Frank Keating, Former Governor of Oklahoma
Fire Suppression Systems Testing (Video)
Elmendorf AFB Hangar, Alaska
Airbus delivers its first-ever airliner assembled in the U.S.
Mobile, Alabama (CNN) — Just three years after Airbus broke ground on its Mobile, Alabama, factory, the company has reached a major milestone, delivering its first ever airliner assembled in the U.S. Dubbed, “BluesMobile,” JetBlue’s new A321ceo airliner rolled out Monday in front of an enthusiastic crowd of employees, JetBlue customers, VIPs and locals.
“Today is aviation history,” said Jeff Martin, JetBlue executive vice president of operations. Assembly line workers marched together with the University of South Alabama marching band chanting, “Here we go JetBlue, here we go!”
“We never thought we’d see Airbus airplanes being built in the U.S. in my lifetime,” said John Leahy,
Airbus’ decision to begin rolling out single-aisle airliners in the backyard of its biggest competitor — U.S.-based Boeing — raised eyebrows in 2012.
Less than a year later, it broke ground on the $600 million facility. “It’s a testament to how well executed this project was and how strong the teamwork has been here in Mobile and throughout Airbus,” Leahy said. He took a moment to highlight the existing relationship the airline has with Airbus. “We talk a lot about long term partnership. Airbus truly believed in us when we were getting the airline off the ground.”
JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said the plane is called BluesMobile “as a living memory of this historic event.”
Hayes also thanked the Airbus team. “You have done an amazing job building an incredible airplane,” he said. “Every time we touch it, we think of you.
Leahy presented a gift to JetBlue to commemorate the event, an oil painting of BluesMobile soaring the skies. There are nine other A320 family aircraft in production at the facility. Eight of these will be delivered to American Airlines and one to Spirit Airlines. All will be A321s. Airbus anticipates delivering four aircraft per month from the Mobile plant by the end of 2017. The initial deliveries will be A320 family aircraft with the current engine option, but will begin transitioning to new engine option derivatives in late 2017.
From Hamburg to Mobile
The story of this first Airbus aircraft built in the U.S. begins on the other side of the pond. In early June 2015, the fuselage sections of the aircraft were shipped to the United States from Hamburg, Germany, together with 4,000 other parts. Some 40% of the aircraft was built with parts from U.S. suppliers, as well as the engines.
Although the major components transported to the United States are shipped from Hamburg, these come from different countries in Europe. At the time when the final assembly line was inaugurated, the wing and fuselage mating works were underway and completed in October 2015. Immediately thereafter, the aircraft was sent to Station 35 where the airplane powers on its own. Vertical and horizontal tail planes are assembled here and the wings are completed.
Final assembly of the first aircraft began in mid-July 2015, when the main fuselage sections were placed in the transhipment hangar. There, the major component assemblies are sent to the final assembly line, which is divided into five work stations. The first station, known as Station 41, is where the forward and aft sections of the fuselage are joined. This is also where internal elements such as monuments and galleys are installed.
The second, Station 40, is where the wings and the fuselage are joined. The auxiliary power unit (APU) is also installed in this station and the installation of the cabin furnishing begins. The nose cone and radome are added here and landing gear functions are checked. Lighting, in-flight entertainment, and cabin pressurization systems are installed and tested here as well.
The aircraft finally entered the final phase / flight line station, where engines are installed, along with final testing before the aircraft returns outside and is sent to the paint shop. Last October, Airbus announced plans to ramp up production of its A320 family of aircraft before the end of the decade. It was a move supported by record numbers of firm orders, amid strong global demand for the type.
Airbus expects to increase the rate to 52 planes per month by 2018, supported by its final production lines in Germany, France, China, and the United States.
Get set, ready… fly!
Back on February 24, the nearly completed BluesMobile rolled out from the final assembly line, and was sent to the paint shop for to receive the JetBlue livery.
The paint hangar has an area of 27,700 sq feet (2,574 square meters) and will be capable of painting all A320 family aircraft — A318, A319, A320 and A321s equipped with sharklets and NEO options.
The aircraft soared the skies for the first time last March 24, with test pilots Mark McCullins and Bruce Macdonald, flight test engineers Thierry Cros and Nick Picconi, and ground test engineers/ cabin specialists Alexander Gentzsch and Mike Johns. The flight lasted three hours and 26 minutes, during which standard tests were performed on systems, engines and structure.
The aircraft climbed as high as 39,000 feet (11,887 meters), Airbus said. Pilots performed dynamic flight checks and electrical system tests as the jetliner ascended to 31,000 feet (9,449 meters).
‘Without Airbus, JetBlue wouldn’t be JetBlue’
“JetBlue received the honor of being the first U.S. delivery customer in large part to the partnership dating back to the beginning.” JetBlue EVP Martin said. BluesMobile is JetBlue’s 29th A321, of which 13 are “mint” configured, he said. It’s the 130th A320 family aircraft to join the fleet.
“Without Airbus, JetBlue wouldn’t be JetBlue,” Martin said.
“The A321 core aircraft has been a success due to its lower seat costs and being a proven platform.” said Martin. To date, JetBlue’s A321 fleet has a 98%of dispatch reliability and averages 15 hours per day of utilization.
Aboard the delivery flight
AirwaysNews boarded Monday’s delivery flight, which was commanded by Capt. Rick Smith. The flight’s First Officer was Capt. Bart Robert, JetBlue’s vice president of flight. Capt. Smith was joined on the flight deck by his father and wife, who flies as a flight attendant for JetBlue. The aircraft was delivered with a 190-seat “core configured” layout, with new ergonomic B/E Aerospace Pinnacle seats.
In recent years, JetBlue has focused on keeping customers connected throughout their flights, including free gate-to-gate Fly-Fi high-speed Internet, high-definition seatback televisions, and inseat power outlets with USB ports. All of these features will be offered on this A321. About the incorporation of this A321 to the fleet, Martin said the Fly-Fi and in-flight entertainment installation, which takes place at HAECO in Lake City, Florida, takes approximately 1-2 weeks.
Martin expects that in 14 days, the aircraft will enter revenue service. He also announced that the first flight will start flying routes either at the airport in Orlando or Ft. Lauderdale. Upon arrival in Lake City, BluesMobile, tail number N965JT, the first Airbus airliner built in America — was immediately whisked into a hangar to begin its JetBlue career.
Chris Sloan is the president and founder of AirwaysNews.com.
To better service its American clientele, including American, Delta, Jet Blue and United Airlines, Airbus needed a plant located in the continental U.S.
FSB was selected to design Packages B and C, on the 232-acre site, within the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Alabama’s Downtown Airport, and encompassing six of the nine buildings required. In all, the FSB team provided design and construction oversight for the Final Phase / Flight Line Hangar, Gauging Canopy and Delivery Center, the Transshipment Hangar, Main Entry Gate building, and a renovation to an existing warehouse and receiving facility. FSB assisted Airbus with navigating the differences between European and American design and constructions standards and guidelines.
See the project here: Airbus – Final Phase / Flight Line Hangar, Gauging Canopy & Delivery Center
OSU Bert Cooper Engineering Lab
Congratulations to Lippert Bros on their receipt of multiple “Build Oklahoma” Awards from AGC of Oklahoma – Building Chapter, two of which were designed by FSB: OSU Bert Cooper Engineering Lab and YWCA Shelter project.
New KBI facility to benefit agency, Washburn
KBI forensic science lab on WU campus to be among finest in nation
After an 18-month building project that cruised along faster than anticipated, the new Kansas Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Center is ready to open Monday, Nov. 2, on the southeast side of the Washburn University campus.
“On time and under budget,” KBI director Kirk D. Thompson said with a broad smile during a recent behind-the-scenes tour of the sparkling new facility.
The grand opening will take place Monday, with open houses for the public slated for later next week.
The four-story limestone building, which had a $55 million budget, is a prominent new addition to the Washburn University campus, located along the 2000 block of S.W. Washburn Ave.
It replaces the current KBI lab, which did business for more than 20 years in the cramped basement quarters of the renovated Crane Junior High School, 1620 S.W. Tyler, which was built in the 1920s.
While the crime lab is moving to the Washburn campus, many KBI offices will remain in the old Crane building.
“We’ve been excited about this new building since we broke ground,” Thompson said. “It’s just grown day by day, and transformed what had been a grassy lot into what will be one of the best forensic science labs in the country. It’s really hard to contain our enthusiasm and excitement.”
The new Forensic Science Center sports lots of glass letting in natural sunlight in virtually every room, something KBI officials said was an important factor in worker morale.
Nearly every facet of the building was tailor-made to meet current and future demands of the KBI’s lab, which processes about 10,000 pieces of evidence each year from law enforcement agencies across the state. The lab employs about 70 people currently, with a capacity of up to 110.
Thompson said the goal is for the KBI to complete analysis of each piece of evidence it receives within a 60-day window. He said the agency receives about 50 pieces of evidence each day.
If the evidence can be processed at that pace, staffing levels likely will continue at about 70. However, Thompson said there was a chance more staff members could be hired if evidence isn’t being processed within the 60-day window.
Thompson noted results from the KBI Forensic Science Center lab ultimately are used in court cases — and, depending on findings, can be used to convict or acquit a suspect.
Building planning also took into account Washburn University’s forensic science classes, which will be located in rooms on the south side of the building.
The KBI lab, on the south side of the building, takes up the bulk of the new facility. It features three floors of wet labs, clean rooms for office space and a variety of conference rooms.
All told, the building has about 100,000 square feet of space. Its main entrance is on the northwest side of the building, facing Lee Arena at an angle, where the Washburn University basketball and volleyball teams play.
Washburn officials say they look forward to a cooperative arrangement with the KBI, as the first classes in the new building are scheduled to begin in the spring 2016 semester.
Washburn will offer these courses of study in the KBI building: anthropology; biology; chemistry, including forensic chemical science; computer information science; and criminal justice.
In addition to classroom and laboratory space for Washburn students and faculty, the KBI building also will have an auditorium and an outside dig site, which will be used to simulate crime scene investigations.
Already, some KBI forensic scientists have hired on as adjunct professors for Washburn University, and more are expected to do likewise in coming months and years.
While several other states have cooperative relationships between their bureaus of investigation and a university, the new KBI facility takes the concept to a higher level, said Thompson, himself a Washburn grad.
In addition to the lab enhancing Washburn’s academic science offerings, Thompson said, the KBI also stands to benefit down the road — particularly in the recruitment and retention of scientists: “This whole concept, working with Washburn, has opened up so many possibilities for us.”
For a number of years, Thompson noted, the KBI has had difficulty securing scientists long-term for its lab. Many are recruited from out of state. After undergoing rigorous training lasting up to two years, and costing the state up to $190,000, some scientists stay with the KBI for only a matter of months, then head back to their homes in other states.
Thompson said he is hoping the new facility’s location on the Washburn campus will help put a stop to that, as it will bring greater visibility to the KBI Forensics Science Center and quite possibly result in more students showing an interest in the field as a career choice.
Washburn students also will have the opportunity for internships at the KBI Forensic Science Center.
Thompson praised the job that Thomas L.G. Price did as project manager. In his role as project manager, Price — himself a 23-year KBI forensic science veteran — made sure the building was constructed to exact, almost painstaking, specifications.
Many of the ideas for the building came from other KBI staffers who consulted with Price frequently throughout the project.
Price also collaborated with Washburn professors, including Gerald Bayens, associate dean of applied studies, who came up with the previously unheard-of idea of putting rotating bright lamps in the floor of vehicle bays, allowing scientists to get a better look underneath cars and trucks brought in for evidence.
Other features of the building include: the height of desks in office spaces; extra-strong overhead LED lighting in evidence rooms; the presence of three different bays equipped with heavy-duty lifts capable of examining vehicles that were involved in crimes; and a room with thick metal walls where electronic devices such as cellphones can be stored, eliminating the chance anyone outside the facility could have access to them and thus tamper with the evidence from outside the building.
Giant refrigerators and freezers also have been installed to preserve blood and urine samples, as well as weapons that may be caked with human tissue. The large-scale refrigerators and freezers replace a series of smaller ones at the previous building.
Clothes washers and shower facilities are in place for men and women who may have come into contact with biohazards materials, and pull-out shelving allows for storage of items based on their size. Water purifiers, evidence driers and exhaust hoods also have been strategically placed for use in labs as needed.
Price said efficiency was a key factor in each of the building’s components, including a new system whereby scientists can request evidence from storage rooms a day in advance of actually needing them. Those items, in turn, can be placed in secure lockers accessible only to the scientist who asked for them and can be picked up early the next day.
Such advance planning not only saves the scientists time, but also allows the person working in the evidence control center to serve the KBI’s external customers — or members of law enforcement agencies — in a more timely manner.
Video conferencing also is possible from the KBI Forensic Science Center. In some cases, KBI scientists can testify by video from the new Forensic Science Center instead of having to drive several hours to appear at a court hearing or trial.
KBI officials believe the ability for their scientists to testify via video is likely to increase in coming years.
Price said the KBI — which also has offices in Pittsburg, Great Bend and Kansas City — assists more than 400 police departments, sheriff’s offices and prosecutors’ offices across Kansas.
“Sedgwick County and Johnson County both have forensic science labs that serve those counties,” Price said. “A few of our customers have had to contract with private forensic science labs to complete their work due to our lack of capacity in the past.” Sections of the new lab include: firearms and toolmarks; crime scene investigation; evidence control; latent print and impression evidence; biology DNA and databank; digital evidence; drug chemistry; trace evidence; and toxicology.
Each lab is located in a highly secured area of the building, open only to scientists and KBI workers, though guided tours again will be offered when advance arrangements have been made.
For many years, Washburn University has offered a criminal justice major. The expanded course offerings at the KBI Forensic Science Center will complement the university’s criminal justice program.
Washburn students taking classes at the KBI Forensic Science Center, meanwhile, must pass security clearance before being admitted to the building.
Jerry Farley, Washburn’s president, said two or three new faculty positions are being formed to work in the KBI building. He said he expects the classes to max out with waiting lists possible in the future.
Beyond that, he said, the KBI facility may well come to define Washburn as a major player in the field of forensic science.
“It’s an ever-growing field,” Farley said. “The facility is going to help us keep up with that.
“We’re pleased to have the KBI on campus,” Farley said. “It’s something people are going to envy all across the country.”
FSB’s long-standing partnership with lab design specialists MWL helped to streamline the design and construction process for this project, working in collaboration with the Topeka-area architecture firm PGAV. Click here to see the related project: Kansas Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Laboratory
Progress at Heartland Middle School in Edmond
Video of Progress at Heartland Middle School
OSU CEAT Engineering Lab
FSB has completed programming / project definition for the OSU CEAT Engineering Lab which entailed interactive workshops with students, faculty and staff. We are excited to move forward with the design of this important project.
