JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Besides the C-17s which arrive at Charleston hot off the assembly line, a different breed of bird also touches down in the Lowcountry to join the fight in providing global mobility.
These aircraft arrive at Charleston when local C-17s are transferred to other bases, and for some of the new additions, as was the case recently, it means taking on a new mission and making a transition from trainer to warrior.
The recent acquisition was an Altus-tailed C-17, and its first stop was to receive a proper indoctrination to the Charleston fleet at the 437th Maintenance Squadron here. The task at hand for the 437 MXS was to remove the Altus tail flash the aircraft displayed while serving Airmen in training at Altus AFB, Okla., and to crown it with the yellow Charleston namesake.
Step one - strip the paint. Step two - put the new paint on. Just like white washing grandma's fence? Not for these maintainers. They use high-speed pneumatic sanders which create a dust storm their protective goggles shield from their eyes. When a sander is too harsh, the smallest imperfections are carefully chipped away with razor blades. Great care is taken, and no damage to the skin of the aircraft is acceptable, said Master Sgt. Jack Taylor, day shift supervisor with the 437 MXS aircraft structural maintenance flight.
The process takes a little more than simple elbow grease, Sergeant Taylor said. Due to the painstaking nature of the project, it can take up to five days to complete. Work cannot even commence until the aircraft is placed into a specialized hangar, known at Joint Base Charleston as the Corrosion Control Facility. The facility is specially equipped with a high-powered ventilation system which uses monstrous fans to evacuate harmful chemicals out of the hangar and filters to keep the particles from reaching the outside air.
For the golden crest topping the tails of Charleston aircraft, nothing but the finest quality workmanship is produced through the capable hands of Airmen like Staff Sgt. Michael Reed, an aircraft structural maintainer in his prime, said Sergeant Taylor. Sergeant Reed has approximately five years of painting experience, and according to Sergeant Taylor, he is the "go to" NCO for structural maintenance concerns.
Although a pro with paints, Sergeant Reed and fellow maintainers in his flight are not limited to only painting, said Sergeant Taylor. They also tackle the everyday challenges of sheet metal and composite materials repair. Have a crack in the wing or aircraft cargo floor? Call aircraft structural maintenance. Screw stuck in a panel? Call structural maintenance. Is a section of corrosion out of control? Aircraft structural maintainers are on the job again.
The calls present new challenges each time, said Sergeant Reed, but for tail flashes, a call means painting a fresh coat of high-solids polyurethane, specifically designed to hold up against the bitter wear and tear of flight. Precise stencils and masking mark out each area to be painted - from the horizontal band of yellow to the white moon, palmetto tree and black letters branded onto the aircraft's towering tail.
Although the section requiring a paintjob has a not-so-sizeable appearance from a distance, a much larger perspective is gained from an up-close and personal view through the eyes of a 437 MXS aircraft structural maintainer who applies the paint while wearing a full-face, fresh-air-fed respirator and cumbersome protective overgarments.
Coat by coat the paint is applied, and eventually, the end appears in sight. Fans blades come to a halt. Cleanup work is done. Tools are inventoried and safety gear is hung, but the inaugural Charleston flight is postponed for the paint to dry.
After a 24-hour cure time, the hangar doors open. The job is complete, but where's the parade? There is isn't one. No bells or whistles. No fanfare or kazoos. All that's found is a team of Airmen after a hard week of work with the evidence to show for it - a bridled, saddled C-17 - primed, painted and ready for flight.