Historical aircraft undergoes refurbishing

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tammie Ramsouer
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  As the sun rises over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, it illuminates the many historical aircraft that call Heritage Park home. The aircraft have seen better days. Years of corrosion and exposure to the climate of the "Last Frontier" have taken their toll. However, one of these planes has the opportunity to have a much needed make-over: the F-4 Phantom II.

The 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Fabrication Flight's mission is to restore the structural integrity of aircraft by repairing everything from sheet metal to faded, old, peeling paint. The aircraft chosen to be refurbished this year is F-4 Phantom II Tail No. AF 66-723. The Phantom II has an extensive history with JBER.

According to Air Combat Command records, the F-4 performed three tactical air roles: air superiority, interdiction and close air support. The aircraft was designed originally for U.S. Navy fleet defenses in 1958, and soon the Air Force began acquiring F-4's for its needs in 1963.

The mission of the 43rd Fighter Squadron here on JBER from 1970 to 1982 was to support and defend Alaska's air defenses using the F-4E. The 3rd Wing later relocated to JBER in 1991 after flying F-4E's in combat during Desert Storm.

"The purpose of refurbishing the aircraft people see at Heritage Park or at [JBER's] gates is to maintain the proud heritage the base has and everything the base has been involved with," said Airman 1st Class Anthony Burton, 3rd MXS aircraft maintenance journeyman.

Refurbishing these historical aircraft is only a small part of the flight's critical mission on JBER. They fix any aircraft that are still used in day-to-day missions. With anywhere from a simple composite sandwich repair in a wing to repairing a large hole in sheet metal, they are always prepared for any situation.

"We maintain and paint the aircraft that people see still out on the flight line," Burton said. "Fabrication, painting and corrosion control, it's our job."

With the flight's fast-paced mission, it all comes down to manpower and time to refurbish these historical aircraft.

"When we refurbish static aircraft, we try and plan around other aircraft paints that we have coming in for a repair. We really can't plan around flightline jobs, but we do try to plan around other things that we do here in the shop so we can dedicate four or five people to just work on refurbishing these aircraft," Burton said.

The MXS refurbishes these historical aircraft every 15 to 20 years.

"When we brought this aircraft in, we could see it needed a lot of repairs done to it," said Airman 1st Class Shaivia Gore, 3rd MXS aircraft maintenance apprentice.

"There was a lot of corrosion and sheet metal repairs that needed to be done to it and a honeycomb repair done to one of the wing flaps," Burton said. "After those repairs are done, we mask off all the vital areas of the aircraft."

Before refurbishing a static aircraft, the MXS team goes through a checklist to make sure they perform the job correctly and efficiently the first time. Repairs and painting are done in a well-ventilated hangar to prevent any toxic fumes from being inhaled.

Sanding is one of the trickiest parts of refurbishing an aircraft, Burton said. The Airmen will sand off a small layer of clear coat and paint to make the surface of the aircraft smooth and dull. They wash the aircraft afterwards with water and alcohol to determine if the aircraft needs a second sanding.

"Our building has its own filtration system, so none of the sand or paint goes back into the environment," Burton said.

After sanding the aircraft, the Airmen remask all the important areas of the aircraft and prime it for the paint.

"With this aircraft, it's really tricky, because there are eight different paint colors that were originally used," Burton said. "Working with the F-4, we have to start from the bottom and from the tail section forward. Once we have it primed, it's just really putting the colors in the right spots and making it look right."

"I think the logos are one of the trickiest parts of painting on the aircraft," Gore said.

Although MXS Airmen have the opportunity to refurbish these historical aircraft, most of the work they do on a daily basis for today's aircraft structure repair is similar to the aircraft in Heritage Park.

"So far it is not anything that I haven't done before, so I think it is interesting to see that our job really doesn't change too much, because that plane is pretty old," Gore said. "The metals and equipment on that plane are exactly the same as the planes we work on today."

Not only do MXS Airmen restore the static aircraft, they also recruit help from across the base to wash and inspect them twice a year.

Heritage Park is a reflection of airplanes that have flown here on JBER, Guasco said.

To the Airmen of the 3rd MXS, painting the F-4 is more than just repairing and painting a corroded plane in a park.

"We preserve a piece of history," Burton said.