47th MX: Gives an old bird a lift Published May 16, 2012 By Airman 1st Class Nathan Maysonet 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Since the founding of Laughlin in the midst of World War II, numerous aircraft have taken flight from the base's flight line. Over the years, more than 15,000 pilots have trained here. Now, resting on display for those who live and work here are the static images representing the birds and pilots that once soared through Laughlin's sky. Over the course of a week members of the 47th Maintenance Directorate's Corrosion Control section have restored the battered and beaten body of one of those old birds poised at the base's front gate. The T-33 Shooting Star jet trainer, whose exterior was beginning to falter under the heat and the unwanted attention of Texas' wild life, gained the attention of the corrosion control section, whose duties include the upkeep of Laughlin's aircraft static displays. "The aircraft on display represent the history and pride of what we have done here and accomplished through the years," said Helen McCracken, 47th MX corrosion control supervisor. "It's important we maintain them to the best of our ability." The corrosion control section has several duties in support of Laughlin's pilot training mission that as McCracken describes it, is anything but mundane. Here, men and women work throughout the year to ensure that each piece of the aircraft flying over Laughlin are free of corrosion and waste and that the plane's coat of paint is bright and crisp. Such a skill set makes them the perfect choice in keeping Laughlin's static aircraft in top form. "The work we perform is our way of giving back to those who serve and shows how much we care in everything we do," McCracken said. For one month of the year, the corrosion control section cleans and repairs the 11 aircraft that populate Laughlin's landscape. Aircraft that Jack Waid, 47th Flying Training Wing historian, believes gives those who work and serve at Laughlin a connection to the base that nothing else can match. "They provide a scale of history to those who've worked here and served here," he said. "We clean them and pamper them to honor their history." Such as the U-2 on display, a reminder of the bases contribution to the Cuban Missile Crisis and in the case of the T-33, our legacy of training world class pilots. To begin the process of maintaining the aircraft displayed, maintainers first inspect the aircraft, checking the bodies for signs of wear and tear. When problems are found the process of coordinating resources and preparing for the actual cleaning, painting and metal work begins, often taking as long as three weeks, said McCracken. All must be accomplished along with the section's daily tasks of helping to keep Laughlin's aircraft flying. "Many other bases contract the work out for the maintenance of their displays," she said. "Those that do are not done as well as ours." Since Del Rio does not have a lot of difficult weather beyond heat, most just need minor touchups of paint but in the case of the T-33 the entire body needed to be stripped and repainted. For more than a week, a team of maintainers, donning protective suits like those one might see at a forensics scene, set about bringing the aircraft back to life for those passing through Laughlin's main gate to see. "It's a lot of work, and a big endeavor but everyone who helps is proud to have played a part in making her shine again," said Juan Gonzalez, 47th MX corrosion control aircraft painter. Over the course of those days, he and his fellow maintainers washed the plane, stripped it clean of the old paint, then primed it, painted it and lastly, reapplied new decals. After spending many long hours drenched in sweat under the oppressive Texas sun, the team accomplished their task. A piece of Laughlin's history has been restored. "Many of our fathers worked and maintained similar planes as young Airmen here, and we are working to maintain for future generations what our fathers helped keep flying," said McCracken. "What we have out here on display will help inspire others to defend our freedom."