C-130 News: It'll take more than a bit of Bondo to fix damaged Air Force planes hit by Colorado hailstorm

[casey]

The hailstorm that hammered eastern Colorado Springs last week dented plenty of metal. Police cruisers, minivans and sports cars all fell victim to balls of ice the size of oranges that plunged from the sky at terminal velocity.

Airmen at Peterson Air Force Base are trying to fix the dents in much larger vehicles - 40 ton, four-engined C-130 transport planes. Several 302nd Airlift Wing planes - the Air Force won't say how many for security reasons - were outside when the hailstorm hit July 28.

On Friday, two of the aircraft looked like they had been attacked by hammer-wielding elves.

"It breaks your heart," said Master Sgt. Zach Jankovsky, a crew chief for one of the dented planes.

Airmen of the 302nd keep their C-130s polished like classic cars. On July 27, the 23-year-old planes probably looked like they had just left the Lockheed factory.

And repairing a damaged C-130 is nothing like caring for a dented Dodge.

"Cars don't take aerodynamic forces the way planes do," explained Col. Jeff Higgins, the wing's top maintenance officer.

Dents on an aircraft can't be pounded out the way they can on a car - that could crack and stretch the aluminum skin, causing a disaster in flight. Another favorite of body and fender shops, Bondo dent filler, can't be used on planes because the putty isn't sturdy enough.

Parts of the aircraft that were seriously damaged will have to be replaced. And that could take a while.

"You don't go down to Walmart to get airplane parts," Higgins quipped.

The storm caused heavy damage across the base. Windshield replacement crews were doing a booming business Friday and seemingly every vehicle carried scars from the storm.

"Ice the size of baseballs fell from the sky reaching speeds capable of damaging any opposing object in its path. From car windshields and windows to aircraft on the flightline, nothing was safe from the devastating impacts," Peterson said on its website.

Airmen from the 302nd, primarily reservists, have spent a week assessing the damages. At first, they used a grease pencil to circle each dent on an aircraft. But it was obvious Friday they stopped when the circles threatened to cover one plane.

Spotting the dents is the easy part. Each 100-foot-long C-130 that was caught in the storm is getting a thorough "non-destructive inspection" from nose to tail. Inspectors, including a team of engineers from Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, have X-rayed the planes to detect hidden structural damage and are checking out wiring, hydraulics and engines for damage.

It's not like an insurance inspection. Higgins said the Air Force has no plans to "total" any of the $30 million aircraft.

The Air Force hasn't determined how much it will cost to fix the hail-damaged planes.

Senior Master Sgt. Bill Harris, the wing's sheet metal expert, said some dings and dents on the C-130s will be cut away and patched. Smaller imperfections, if deemed no threat to safety, will be left in place.

That hurts.

"We take pride in having the best-looking planes in the Air Force," Harris said.

But keeping the wing's planes in the air takes priority over their beauty.

As soon as they're ready, the hail-damaged planes, the 18-wheelers of the Air Force fleet, will be flying missions around the globe - some with a few dents to show their Colorado heritage.

Source: http://gazette.com/itll-take-more-than-a-bit-of-bondo-to-fix-damaged-air-force-planes-hit-by-colorado-hailstorm/article/1582072

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[scottyjrson]

On 8/5/2016 at 9:26 PM, casey said:

The hailstorm that hammered eastern Colorado Springs last week dented plenty of metal. Police cruisers, minivans and sports cars all fell victim to balls of ice the size of oranges that plunged from the sky at terminal velocity.

Airmen at Peterson Air Force Base are trying to fix the dents in much larger vehicles - 40 ton, four-engined C-130 transport planes. Several 302nd Airlift Wing planes - the Air Force won't say how many for security reasons - were outside when the hailstorm hit July 28.

On Friday, two of the aircraft looked like they had been attacked by hammer-wielding elves.

"It breaks your heart," said Master Sgt. Zach Jankovsky, a crew chief for one of the dented planes.

Airmen of the 302nd keep their C-130s polished like classic cars. On July 27, the 23-year-old planes probably looked like they had just left the Lockheed factory.

And repairing a damaged C-130 is nothing like caring for a dented Dodge.

"Cars don't take aerodynamic forces the way planes do," explained Col. Jeff Higgins, the wing's top maintenance officer.

Dents on an aircraft can't be pounded out the way they can on a car - that could crack and stretch the aluminum skin, causing a disaster in flight. Another favorite of body and fender shops, Bondo dent filler, can't be used on planes because the putty isn't sturdy enough.

Parts of the aircraft that were seriously damaged will have to be replaced. And that could take a while.

"You don't go down to Walmart to get airplane parts," Higgins quipped.

The storm caused heavy damage across the base. Windshield replacement crews were doing a booming business Friday and seemingly every vehicle carried scars from the storm.

"Ice the size of baseballs fell from the sky reaching speeds capable of damaging any opposing object in its path. From car windshields and windows to aircraft on the flightline, nothing was safe from the devastating impacts," Peterson said on its website.

Airmen from the 302nd, primarily reservists, have spent a week assessing the damages. At first, they used a grease pencil to circle each dent on an aircraft. But it was obvious Friday they stopped when the circles threatened to cover one plane.

Spotting the dents is the easy part. Each 100-foot-long C-130 that was caught in the storm is getting a thorough "non-destructive inspection" from nose to tail. Inspectors, including a team of engineers from Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, have X-rayed the planes to detect hidden structural damage and are checking out wiring, hydraulics and engines for damage.

It's not like an insurance inspection. Higgins said the Air Force has no plans to "total" any of the $30 million aircraft.

The Air Force hasn't determined how much it will cost to fix the hail-damaged planes.

Senior Master Sgt. Bill Harris, the wing's sheet metal expert, said some dings and dents on the C-130s will be cut away and patched. Smaller imperfections, if deemed no threat to safety, will be left in place.

That hurts.

"We take pride in having the best-looking planes in the Air Force," Harris said.

But keeping the wing's planes in the air takes priority over their beauty.

As soon as they're ready, the hail-damaged planes, the 18-wheelers of the Air Force fleet, will be flying missions around the globe - some with a few dents to show their Colorado heritage.

Source: http://gazette.com/itll-take-more-than-a-bit-of-bondo-to-fix-damaged-air-force-planes-hit-by-colorado-hailstorm/article/1582072

 

View full article

 

oh gosh ii dont remember what year my dada scotty took pics have know clue if i have them but a hawk went throutght 3 and 4 or 1 and 2 miss the damn props all togeather and went right thfrough the leading edge of the wing he said i stunk awful bad when they took off the damages panels and had to clean out the wing ..