Determination of the Float Factor by Queueing Theory.

One of the important problems which is of recurrent concern within the Department of Army is the accurate determination of the operational readiness float factor for a fleet of aircraft. If the float is too small, there will be a loss of service of those aircraft needing float replacements when none are available. On the other hand, if the float is too large, there will be a financial burden of providing float aircraft which are not needed. The important question of the optimum size of the float can be answered by recognizing that the demand for and utilization of float aircraft can be interpreted as a queueing system which can be analyzed by classical queueing theory. The solution of the queueing model provides statistics which represent the average number of aircraft needing float replacement when none are available and the average number of float aircraft which are available but unneeded. By evaluating these statistics for the various possible float sizes, the decision maker can select the optimum size of the float. This methodology provides an excellent means of determining the ideal float size for a fleet of aircraft. It requires very little input data which should be easy to obtain, and it allows easy and complete sensitivity analysis. Author