Historic logo painted on 445th AW C-17

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Santana Austin
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The 445th Maintenance Squadron painted a new logo on the tail of one of the wing's C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Aug. 18. The logo was of the historic Wright Flyer.

"I don't think there could be a better logo for this unit than the Wright Flyer," said Senior Master Sgt. Richard Burkheiser, 445th MXS structural repair shop supervisor. "There's a lot of history that goes with it because had it not been for the invention of the Wright Flyer, the U.S. Air Force wouldn't exist."

Dec. 14, 1903, marked the first flight of the Wright Flyer. The Wright Flyer is the first powered aircraft and notably the first powered flight in aviation history. In Kitty Hawk, N.C., it was flown a total of four times, each flight having a longer distance. It is because of that aircraft and its inventors that air travel and air warfare is now possible.

With paint, a roller and a stencil at the ready, Tech Sgt. Aaron Bullucks and his partner Staff Sgt. Josh Hamilton, both from the 445th MXS structural repair shop, board the lift and set off to give the C-17 its brand-new logo.

"The painting aspect of it is pretty simple; you apply the stencil to wherever you want the logo to be, and then you paint over the stencil and let the paint cure," said Tech. Sgt. Aaron Bullucks. "The paint we're using for this logo is gunship black polyurethane paint. It takes 12 hours for it to be dry to the touch and a total of 72 hours for it to completely dry and cure."

A dangerous and very important part of this process, however, is setting up. Before any work is done, the personnel using the lift must ensure that the lift is functioning properly.

"The steering mechanism, which is located on the platform of this machine, can move in a variety of ways," said Burkheiser. "Given that fact, there's a lot that could possibly go wrong with it. We make sure that every part of that lift is functioning correctly before we use it; safety is our biggest priority."

According to Burkheiser, it takes three people to do this; one person stays on the ground, while the other two go up on the lift. The person on the ground makes sure the people on the lift are safe. The two people on the lift have two different jobs; one person steers the lift, ensuring that it isn't about to hit the plane, thus scratching it and possibly causing damage to the plane. The other person is the painter. They both must also wear fall restraints to ensure that they do not fall off the lift.

"I work with a talented group of people in this squadron," said Burkheiser. "They accomplish so much. I can't help but be proud."