Tanker's appearance reflects maintainers' pride

Published May 27, 2011
By Tech. Sgt. Douglas Hays
434th ARW Public Affairs

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- In 1960, 3-year old Stephen Edington didn't know it, but his KC-135 rolled off the assembly line.

Edington, now a master sergeant with the 434th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, and others recently put the finishing touches on refurbishing that same aircraft -- 'tail number' 60-0314 - on which he now serves on as a crew chief.

Sergeant Edington and Senior Airman Alina Biesenbach, an assistant crew chief, teamed with other maintainers in the isochronical inspection shop and other shops on base to give '0314' an Air Force version of a complete restoration.

In 30 days, the aircraft's entire composite flooring and cargo deck is removed and refinished, the crew seats are refinished and repainted, and the troop seats and rails are removed.

In addition, the instrument panels are taken from the cockpit and painted; the nose of the aircraft is taped off and repainted; and the boom seat and gauges are removed and repainted.

"It's like restoring an antique car," Sergeant Edington said.

While auto-restoration garages may have different companies to draw support from, Grissom's maintainers have the back-shop maintainers.

"The back shops really made this happen," Sergeant Edington said. "They did as much or more work than we (crew chiefs) did. The restoration process was a true team effort.

"The most tedious part of the process was the cockpit area...there were so many pieces to take off or out, or tape over for painting and paint preparation," he said. "It's very tedious."

For Airman Biesenbach, the 'refurb' was a great way to get attached to 'her jet.'

She just became an air reserve technician earlier in the year, and was assigned to '0314' just before the refurb began.

The refurbishment gave her an opportunity to work the aircraft at much deeper levels than most ordinary crew chief duties.

"When people come onto my aircraft, I want them to see that it's well taken care of and maintained," Sergeant Edington said. "That comes from all the people who work on it, as well as the aircrew who fly it."

"I'm a clean freak," said Airman Biesenbach, "my house, my car - and now my jet. I love when people get on board and think it's a new aircraft - it even smells new!"

The refurbishment of an aircraft usually takes place every five years - right after the aircraft returns from depot level inspections.

Master Sgt. Todd Moore heads the ISO shop, and serves as the lead for the refurbishing of each aircraft.

"Sergeant Moore has a well-run operation," Sergeant Edington said. "They did an excellent job."

"When the finished product rolls out, it justifies all the hard work that went into it," he concluded.

The 434th ARW is the largest is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command.

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Tanker's appearance reflects maintainers' pride

Public Affairs Staff