KC-10 at Tinker for first-ever paint maintenance work

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Public Affairs
Aircraft typically arrive at Tinker every few years for paint maintenance. The KC-10 Extender, an air refueling aircraft, is an exception. It arrived at Tinker Jan. 3 for it's first-ever paint upkeep work.
   The KC-10 is a prototype for future Tinker work and comes on the heels of the Federal Aviation Administration awarding Tinker, a Department of Defense facility, a repair station certification. The certification was obtained for the KC-10 paint workload.
   "This is important for Oklahoma City, because it enables us to bring new workload to our depot facility," said Brig. Gen. Judith Fedder, 76th Maintenance Wing commander, at the KC-10 workload press conference Jan. 16. "Nationally, this is going to enable the Air Force to bring in work that is FAA certified and help better support the warfighter in a cost-effective way."
   Derived from the commercial McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 made its Air Force debut in 1981. Because of its civilian origins, any and all repair work has to be certified by the FAA.
   There are 59 KC-10s in the fleet. They are primarily housed at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. and Travis AFB, Calif.
   The KC-10 prototype is stationed at Bldg. 2280's north dock and has been stripped of its exterior paint and inspected for corrosion. It will be repaired and repainted.
   Officials said about five to seven days were spent stripping the aircraft of paint, seven to 10 days were spent doing sheet metal work and 10 to 12 days will be spent prepping the aircraft for paint and painting it.
   The expected delivery date is Feb. 21, said Theresa Farris, E-3 Aircraft Production Flight swing shift chief.
   Upon completion, the KC-10 prototype will likely not need to return to Tinker for paint maintenance work for five to six years, Ms. Farris said.
   When the KC-10 paint workload is approved on a permanent basis, the OC-ALC will be responsible for painting 10 aircraft each year, Ms. Farris said.
   So far, the 566th Aircraft Maintenance Group, which is doing a majority of the work, has experienced a few challenges.
   "This aircraft has had about eight paint jobs on it," said Shelvie Tabb, 566th AMXG Disassembly and Cleaning Unit section chief. "It had about 24 mils of paint; the normal paint job has three to five (mils)."
   A mil is a measurement term and equates to one-thousandth of an inch.
In addition to the excessive paint on the KC-10, the aircraft is larger than most in the 566th AMXG workload.
   Its wingspan extends 165 feet. It stands at 58 feet tall and is more than 180 feet long. It's larger than the Boeing E-3 Sentry, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, B-1 Lancer, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, Boeing E-6 Mercury and Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
David Painter, 566th AMXG Disassembly and Cleaning Unit deputy section chief, said setting up support for employees and making sure equipment stretches has been a challenge.
   "The airplane is much larger than anything we're set up to do," Mr. Painter said.
Yet, despite the challenges, officials said the experience is a wonderful challenge.
"It's a great Team Tinker experience," said Mr. Tabb.
   Shawn Moon, 566th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Paint Section chief, agreed.
"It's just one more thing we can do," he said, quoting the 566th AMXG's motto.