TYPHOON GETS A GOOD SOAKING How do you keep one of the world’s most advanced fighter jets looking like new? It’s probably not something that most people tend to think about, but for personnel serving at RAF Lossiemouth it’s a very real problem and they recently achieved an important milestone. In the same way that a domestic car at home gets dirty, aircraft also need regular cleaning. Due to Lossiemouth’s coastal position aircraft become covered in salt; if untended this can lead to corrosion and could pose a significant flight safety issue. A solution had to be found. Sgt Julie Rowland, in charge of aircraft maintenance said: “This was no small project to take on. We have been washing Tornado aircraft at Lossiemouth for some time but Typhoon is different due to the composite construction of the aircraft.” Through extensive consultation with various agencies both military and civilian, Sgt Rowland eventually identified a possible solution: a Rhino Wash Rig. After being granted authorisation to use the Rhino Wash Rig by both Tornado and Typhoon airworthiness teams, the rig was transported to Lossiemouth in preparation for installation. Prior to operating the new equipment the civilian wash team Mr Hugh Brannigan and Mr Jim McKeown undertook extensive familiarisation training. Mr Brannigan said: “It’s simply not as simple as washing your car at home. These jets are worth millions and have some pretty sophisticated kit on them, not to mention their size!” Whilst waiting for the rig to be installed, trials were performed with Typhoon aircraft to check the compatibility of existing work platforms. These platforms would then be used by the wash team to access every part of the aircraft. On Tuesday 22nd July 14 the first Typhoon aircraft was washed successfully and a planned sequence of washes put in place to rotate all aircraft from 6 Sqn through the facility over the next few months.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 10:00:17 +0000
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