doors and the landing gear doors. It’s
all the large components that we need
to get out, routed and inspected so that
they will be ready [to re-install] when
the aircraft is restored.’ If the aircraft is
scheduled to be completely repainted,
at this stage it will be stripped back to
bare metal.
The ‘BUFF’ is a challenge to t inside
the building from a width perspective,
but its pivoting undercarriage allows it
to be crabbed into the building almost
sideways. Up to six aircraft can be
accommodated at any one time inside
the Tinker PDM hangars. However, a
complex jigsaw puzzle is required to
make this work.Once inside, the B-52 enters the
inspection gate, where experts use
non-destructive techniques including
X-ray, ultra-violet light and eddy-current
testing to assess the condition of the
airframe and components. The landing
gear is removed and the fuel tanks
opened up and thoroughly checked. It’s
a big team e ort between the agencies
that are involved. ‘We need to have good
conversations with our engineering
partners,’ says Davis. ‘The B-52 is an
aging aircraft and has many di culties
associated with that, requiring a lot of
communication [in the team] in this gate.’
Indeed, speci c parts may need to be
speci cally fabricated by local companies,many original spares being long out
of production. Rather than having
replacement parts manufactured in all
cases, technologies like 3D laser mapping
can be used to reverse-engineer speci c
components in a cost-e ective manner.
It’s all part of nding new and innovative
ways to support the aircraft.
Next is the repair gate. ‘When we go
into the repair gate it’s hard to know
the overall condition of the aircraft,’
explains Davis, ‘but we know primarily
where we are going to have issues.’ HeBelow: B-52H
serial 60-0057
prior to being
moved into the
paint hangar
for the two-day
procedure.
All photos
Michael Keaveney
unless credited
otherwise
Serial 61-0017 in
PDM during 2015.
The aircraft was
not stripped on
this occasion
and would only
receive a touch-
up before being
returned to its
squadron.90 December 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
INDUSTRY REPORT // B-52H MAINTENANCE