Aircrafts' static status displays Mother Nature's wear, tear Published July 31, 2008 By Col. Bill Kountz 301st Maintenance Group Fort Worth, TEXAS -- Over the last few months, you may have noticed fabric barriers and workmen around several of the static display aircraft on base. Four aircraft were cleaned and painted by Straube's Aircraft Services out of Hawaii, in response to a message from Maj. Gen. Allan R. Poulin, Air Force Reserve Command vice commander, emphasizing the need to respect and properly maintain our Air Force heritage; specifically static aircraft around the Air Force Reserve. These aircraft were painted as recently as 2001, but birds, time and the Texas weather had taken their toll on the F-105 Thunderchief, F-4D and F-4E Phantoms and the F-16N Fighting Falcon. So the decision was made to refurbish and repaint them using high-gloss paint for ease of cleaning and aesthetic purposes. Maj. Leo Kamphaus, 301st Maintenance Squadron commander, took on the challenge to bring these aircraft back to a condition that reflects favorably on the Air Force, working closely with the AFRC history office to ensure appropriate standards were met. This project required extensive coordination to obtain and use fiscal year 2007 fallout funds to complete this project, coming in at a total of $134,500. This was an enormous enterprise requiring substantial cooperation among diverse functional areas. Major Kamphaus' close oversight synchronized all the elements of this complex undertaking. Tech. Sgt. Horace Honeycutt, 301st Structural Shop, developed the statement of work detailing the actions required to complete the refurbishment of each aircraft and he obtained cost estimates. He also played a key role following up with Mr. Al Gaber, 301st Contracting Flight, and Mr. Jeremiah Straube of Straube's Aircraft Services to ensure the work was properly accomplished. However, many people were involved in bringing these aircraft back to their former glory, including those from the Fabrication Flight who evaluated and repaired structural damage. The aircraft maintenance and weapons sections helped with repairs and downloaded the inert weapons stores prior to painting. Additionally, Mr. Roy Bumpers, Bio environmental Engineering, verified compliance with environmental requirements for painting and disposal of the paint residue. The contract for this project originated in 2007. However, because the work required stable weather conditions to apply paint, work did not start until March 2008. The task took less than a month for each aircraft -- all painting was complete by the end of June 2008. Three of the aircraft are located in the 301st Fighter Wing Memorial Air Park, behind the Base Exchange; the fourth is a little further down Military Parkway, on the opposite side of the street. The air park is dedicated to the men and women who died while serving in the 301st Fighter Wing. In fact, some of their names are painted on the sides of the aircraft as pilot, crew chief, or weapons officer. Other painted names include those who were wing commanders at the time the aircraft were assigned to the 301st inventory. Interestingly, though the F-105 and both F-4's were actually assigned to and flown by the 301st Fighter Wing, the F-16N was actually a Navy asset.