Unsung Heroes: Taking care of flightline waste

Working an aircraft’s lavatory cart is a job that may elicit sniggers from outsiders, but it’s a vital part of the work Navy Line Division personnel do to keep their jets ready to fly. Petty Officer 3rd Class Ashley Cook, VQ-4, is one of those professionals who explained the job and the cart shown behind her. The two-person task is shared by an experienced maintainer and a rookie who clean out the jet’s seven-gallon tank every 24 hours or when the aircraft is maintained. Wearing goggles, aprons, gloves, head protection and hearing protection, (masks are optional) the team hooks lines that will pump in a neon green mixture of water and glycol (keeps the water from freezing) after flushing the tank. Tips for the rookie? The cart is top heavy and easy to tip over. The red handle on the end isn’t a cart brake; it opens the waste dump valve. And hook your lines up right. If not, “It’s a bad day”, the petty officer said with a smile. (Air Force photo/Margo Wright)