Corrosion Control: C-130 washes now safer

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
  • 403rd Wing Public Affairs

The C-130J Super Hercules fleet here is a workhorse. The 403rd Wing aircraft deploy to the desert, land in austere locations on almost any surface, and fly into hurricanes and winter storms.

From Southwest Asia dust to oceanic salt spray, the hardworking aircraft need an occasional bath to remove all that grime to prevent corrosion from exposure to these harsh environmental conditions.

That bath happens every 30 days for each of the 20 Keesler aircraft because of the base’s location to the Gulf of Mexico, said Lt. Col. Cody Whittington, 403rd Maintenance Group deputy.

Contractors wash the aircraft, and will now be able to do it more safely and more thoroughly as the 403rd Wing had safety harnesses installed in the Wash Rack Dec. 10-13, 2018.

 “The original fall protection was deteriorated which forced the contractors to use a lift (cherry picker) to wash the top of the aircraft.  However, not all areas can be reached by that method.” said Whittington.

“Corrosion prevention is paramount to aircraft maintenance,” he said. “Now we will have the appropriate safety equipment, in compliance with Air Force requirements, so we can protect the contractors, complete a thorough wash, and prolong the life of the aircraft.”

The wings of the aircraft are 16 feet off the ground but the tail also has to be washed which reaches a height of 38 feet. It takes about five to six hours to wash an aircraft and the contractors do about 240 aircraft washes a year, said Whittington.

“Clean surfaces are much less prone to corrosion, which can damage or destroy and aircraft, so having this fall restraint system and safety harness ensures that Keesler is on the leading edge of corrosion prevention," said Whittington.