Keeping It Clean

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Washing antiques wasn't something Mark Cole thought he would be doing when he joined the Air Force Reserve. These planes are a piece of American history, even though they still fly combat missions. After all, the plane Cole maintains rolled off the assembly line the same year Alaska was made a state.

Regular maintenance and repair are required to ensure these planes can still perform their in-air refueling mission for the 927th Air Refueling Wing, a reserve unit based here. Part of that maintenance involves monthly scrub-downs and lubes for the aircraft.

"This is something like washing a car, just on a lot bigger scale," said Master Sgt. Cole, a crew chief with the 927th Maintenance Squadron.

Bigger is an understatement. The plane Cole was responsible for washing and lubing this weekend weighs more than 30 full-grown elephants.

The task begins by crew chiefs unplugging the electrical systems and batteries inside the aircraft. Then all the rudders and flaps on the wings are opened so washers can clean those hard-to-reach areas. Next, doors and windows of the plane are sealed with waterproof tape. This preparation work can take up to four hours alone.

"We place covers over all the engines and brakes so that the soap won't damage them," Cole said. "It's all a very detailed process."

When it is time for washing the aircraft, crew chiefs break out fire hoses and extendable poles in order to scrub the top of the 41 foot-tall aircraft.

"We all wear personal protective equipment throughout the wash," Cole explained. "Goggles, gloves and boots ensure no one gets hurt by the chemicals in the soap."

When the scrubbing and washing is done the crew chiefs have to lube and protect all the moving and metallic parts on the aircraft. It is not uncommon for the entire wash and critical corrosion inspection to take more than 8 hours.

"It's one of the more miserable jobs that we do, but it has to be done," Cole said.

Although many maintenance Airmen are unanimous that this is one of their more thankless jobs, pilots do understand its importance and appreciate the newly-cleaned aircraft they fly; perhaps none more so than Capt. Matt Sayers, an assistant chief pilot who used to be a crew chief himself.

"As someone who used to participate in these washes, I can say that the preventative maintenance against corrosion is invaluable," said Sayers, currently serving as the Chief of Safety with the 927th Air Refueling Wing. "These planes start to rust as soon as they come off the factory line, and this work may keep them from breaking down later on."

"The life expectancy of these planes would be half of what it is if not for these washes," Cole said. "Because of these washes and corrosion inspections, you have a plane that is 53 years old and still serviceable."