Apopka, Florida // Engineering & Manufacturing // Est. 2004

NAS Lemoore F-18 fall protection

NAS Lemoore Naval Air Station — F/A-18 Fall Protection

The base’s Executive Officer could only point to an open concrete pad. JE designed a complete fall protection system before the facility existed.
Project record
Delivered
360°
wrap-around aircraft access
Hangar status Not yet built
Designed from Future facility plans
Aircraft F/A-18 squadron
01
The challenge

Aircraft Inbound, Hangar Not Yet Built

NAS Lemoore needed a complete fall protection solution for an incoming F/A-18 squadron, but the maintenance hangar intended to house the aircraft hadn’t been constructed yet. The facility existed only as a concept — an open concrete pad — while the operational need was immediate.
Delivery sequence // conventional vs this project OUT OF ORDER
Conventional sequence Build the hangar, then equip it — too slow for an inbound squadron.
Step 01 Hangar built
Step 02 Facility measured
Step 03 Access equipment engineered
Step 04 Squadron arrives
This project Engineered from plans first, installed once the hangar was complete.
Step 01 Access equipment engineered
Step 02 Hangar built
Step 03 System installed
Step 04 Squadron arrives
JE's step moved to the front of the sequence — engineered from plans, installed once the hangar was complete.

Constraint 01

No Facility Yet Built

Design had to proceed from future facility plans, not existing structures.

Constraint 02

Immediate Operational Timeline

Aircraft would arrive before a traditional build-then-equip approach could work.

Constraint 03

Future-State Interpretation Required

The system had to be designed around plans, not physical space.
02
The solution

Designed From Plans and Maintainer Input

JE worked collaboratively with NAS Lemoore from the earliest planning stages, using the Navy’s operational requirements, future facility plans, and direct maintainer input to design a complete, full wrap-around F/A-18 stand system before the hangar was ever constructed.
Each constraint answered by a design decision

Constraint 01

Design had to proceed from future facility plans, not existing structures.

Design decision

Early-Stage Collaboration

Engaged from the earliest planning meetings, before any structure existed.

Constraint 02

Aircraft would arrive before a traditional build-then-equip approach could work.

Design decision

Full Wrap-Around Stand System

360-degree aircraft access with integrated fall protection.

Constraint 03

The system had to be designed around plans, not physical space.

Design decision

Modular, Mission-Focused Design

Configuration developed with direct customer input and aligned to future facility plans.
03
Operational impact

A Complete System, Delivered Before the Hangar Existed

NAS Lemoore received a complete fall protection solution before the aircraft arrived and before the hangar was built — converting a conceptual requirement into an operational reality through early collaboration between Navy operators and JE’s engineering team.

Squadron ready

Safe Access Enabled Before Arrival

Fall protection ready before the incoming F/A-18 squadron arrived.

Pre-build

Delivered Before Hangar Completion

A complete solution designed and delivered ahead of facility construction.

Concept → operational

Mission Readiness Preserved

Converted a conceptual requirement into an operational reality.
JE delivered a full wrap-around F/A-18 fall protection system engineered entirely from future facility plans and maintainer input — completed before the hangar that would house it was ever constructed, and before the aircraft arrived.
05
Technical & operational FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q01

How can a system be designed for a facility that doesn't exist yet?

JE worked from the Navy’s operational requirements, future facility plans, and direct maintainer input rather than a physical structure — engineering the system to align with the hangar once it was completed.
Q02

What access does the wrap-around system provide?

360-degree access around the F/A-18 aircraft with integrated fall protection for maintenance personnel.

Let's Turn Your Requirements Into a Solution

Planning a facility that doesn’t exist yet? Bring JE in at the drawing stage rather than after the build.
Naval aviationAccess and fall protection as one system.