Here is one for you. :-)
Here is one for you. :-)
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. (ACCNS) -- Aircraft structural troops in the 5th Maintenance Squadron are putting a new twist on an age-old tradition of personalizing the base's B-52 force.
Using leading-edge computerized equipment, people in the unit are creating distinctive artwork to decorate the noses of Minot's bomber force.
Computer-drawn decals are starting to replace the hand-drawn designs on the front of the bombers - a tradition carried on since World War II.
As part of their daily duties, troops with the aircraft structural maintenance shop are already responsible for applying the aircraft markings that denote the aircraft's serial number and home station. As a way to highlight the pride Minot's maintenance community shares in keeping the Air Force's oldest bombers in the air, the shop's troops add nose art on each bomber. The pictures illustrate specific events or places in military history or pay tribute to fallen heroes.
"Since these designs are often steeped in history, [the art] elicits a heightened sense of pride in our aircraft ... for all those who work on them, as well as the general American public," said Master Sgt. Kathy Kinney, noncommissioned officer in charge of the squadron's structural maintenance shop.
For years, maintainers used paint, stencils and long hours to transform artists' creativity into works of art. Weather and age took their toll on images over time, and the art would disappear altogether each time the bombers received a scheduled repainting or deployed to certain locations overseas.
Using decals instead of hand-laid paint offers plenty of advantages, Kinney said. The vinyl markings are cheaper and faster to produce and easy to replace. Since it doesn't use paint, the new system eliminates hazardous materials and improves air quality, she added.
The decals boast a sharper, distinct image that gives the art much stronger impact, Kinney said.
"We also have the ability to easily re-apply any nose art," she said. Repainting was sometimes held up for months until a qualified person was found to redraw art.
The structural maintenance shop recently debuted its new nose art when Staff Sgt. Joseph Johnson, Senior Airman Felix Irving III and Airman 1st Class Brad Haines applied the first nose art decal to the 23rd Bomb Squadron's flagship, the "Bomber Baron." Irving, who led the project, spent many hours working on the computer to transform a hand-drawn picture into a graphic artwork that was printed on an adhesive decal.
With the first aircraft finished, the airman continues to invest many hours to immortalize the wing's remaining bomber nose art by gradually turning them into decals.
By Tech. Sgt. Brian Orban