Joint base Airmen restore historical aircraft

Published Oct. 27, 2009
By 2nd Lt. Carolyn Glover and Pascual Flores
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The traffic circle at the McGuire passenger terminal buzzed with new activity Oct. 23 as Airmen from the 305th and 514th Maintenance Groups prepared to clip the wings off the C-118 Liftmaster that has guarded the entrance to the terminal since 1982.

The maintenance groups on McGuire have set out to completely restore the C-118 Liftmaster, the most significant aircraft in the history of the former McGuire Air Force Base.

"The Liftmaster is integral to the history of the base," said Gary Boyd, 305th Air Mobility Wing historian. "It made McGuire Air Force Base the gateway to the east."

The aircraft was the first cargo plane assigned to McGuire. Its presence revitalized the base entirely, turning it from a combat base into a mobility base. Most of the support structures present on base today were built to support the C-118's mobility mission years ago.

The plane has operated during Operation Save Haven I and II, helping save more than 10,000 Hungarian refugees from Communist oppression. It was the very plane that brought Elvis Presley back to the U.S. after his term in Germany.

After years of operational use and weather abuse, the Liftmaster will now undergo a series of changes that will return the aeronautical icon to its original splendor.

"There has not been any long term restoration to the airplane in the past. It has been guarding the base's passenger terminal for 27 years with little maintenance," Mr. Boyd explained.

"We are finding it is mostly cosmetically damaged. The structure is still pretty much intact," said Mr. Boyd, who is involved with the project to ensure the restoration team adheres to all Air Force Museum restoration guidelines.

"We also want to put it in the right paint scheme for 1960. Currently, it is in the Navy paint scheme it had when it arrived in 1981," he added.

Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Hofrichter, project officer for the restoration, and his staff accomplished the first of several phases from Oct. 20 to 23: the dismantling of the wings and cutting of the main landing gear mounts.

"We have completed the first phase which is moving the plane from the circle to the hangar, the second phase is to make an assessment of the planes condition by doing an in-depth inspection and cost analysis before the work begins and the final phase will be to return the plane back to the circle," said Sergeant Hofrichter.

Restoration is expected to continue through spring of 2010 at the earliest. The timeliness of the restoration depends on time, money and resources available.

The restoration team intends to conduct sheet metal work on the frame of the airplane and remove radioactive radium from the hand and faces on the instrument panel. The aircraft will be stripped and repainted in compliance with Environmental Protective Agency guidelines.

"The big thing is getting the paint off. The plane has a polyurethane paint coating. Acrylic paint is preferred by the EPA because it poses no risk ecologically," Sergeant Hofrichter said.

The Airmen of the 305th and 514th Air Mobility Wings are using the original C-118 manual to complete the restoration in addition to the help and recommendations of aircraft experts.

"We are looking for individuals with particular skill sets in getting the structural airframe repaired, as well as those who are familiar with vintage aircrafts and can provide technical guidance on the C-118," Sergeant Hofrichter said. "We want to keep the restoration organic to McGuire."

"We have to do our part so the future generations understand the accomplishments of the aircraft and its place in our Air Force history," concluded Sergeant Hofrichter.