Aircraft washing

[Trumpet_trousers]

Do HM Forces aircraft still get washed as part of routine maintenance/pre-delivery to contractors for phased servicing etc? Or is this another activity that has been ‘leaned’ to the great God of efficiency? I am thinking in particular here of the larger transport aircraft etc. It certainly used to be the case that the mighty C130 was washed as part of the pre-delivery routine prior to flying to Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge.

[5aday]

The Nimrod airframes (based only at Kinloss) were washed after every trip and the engines were sprayed with WD40 or something that smelled the same as they were shut down. Those based in Malta,St. Mawgan and Wyton were not washed though I recall the WD40 treatment remained for all of the bases except Wyton of which I know nothing.
5aday

[Doctor Cruces]

Bristow and British Airways Helicopters did the same to the engines after every rig flight. I don't think they ignited, just turned them over whilst they sprayed something through that took the salt off anf prevented corrosion.

That was back in the seventies when I was but a youngun and standing in as Station Manager at Sumburgh for the airline I worked for.

[Miles Magister]

DC
That is called a compressor wash and should be done to all turbine engines after a flight in a salt laden environment, ie any cloud around the UK! To those of a certain age distilled water was used, to those yong'ns it is ionised water.

[Tankertrashnav]

I remember one day I was loafing in the crew room when the phone rang and our squadron Eng O asked if any aircrew with nothing better to do would come and lend a hand washing down one of our aircraft (Victor K1). There was a general muttering of the "on your bike" variety, and I dont think anyone took him up on the offer. Even 45 years later I still feel a bit guilty about that - it wouldn't have killed me and it might even have been interesting. Sorry chaps!

[ralphmalph]

In the AAC it was an aircrew responsibility to wash the aircraft. Not hugely popular, but it was like that until I left in 2012.

[Yellow Sun]

The Nimrod airframes (based only at Kinloss) were washed after every trip and the engines were sprayed with WD40 or something that smelled the same as they were shut down. Those based in Malta,St. Mawgan and Wyton were not washed though I recall the WD40 treatment remained for all of the bases except Wyton of which I know nothing.
5aday

if you are referring to the automatic wash, that was only at the western end so was not available if you landed on 08. I seem to recall that we didn’t use the wash if the aircraft was due for Quick Turn Round (QTR) nor was the engine wash carried out after every flight. I cannot recall ever going through the wash with an R, no particular reason, we just didn’t do it.

The automatic wash was always said to be for corrosion prevention but I never saw any data that confirmed its efficacy. Indeed when I raised it with an OC Eng he said straight away that an installation at St Mawgan just wasn’t cost effective and he doubted whether in the light of experience they should have bothered at Kinloss. OTOH OCNLS at Kinloss was of the opinion that it was very effective. Who knows?

YS

[Trumpet_trousers]

I am/was aware of the Nimrod ‘drive thru,’ but was wondering if the ‘heavies,’ i.e. C-17, Voyager, A400, C130J, still get a routine ‘Eastern European’ wash down.....

[Trumpet_trousers]

Oops....double posting.... soz!

[jimjim1]

to those yong'ns it is ionised water.

I imagine that would be de-ionised water.

[5aday]

Yellow Sun,
Thank you for your correction. I never landed the Nimrod ( AEOp at the time) and every landing when I was in the back
(stationed at Kinloss) was in the direction for the wash. We also came in from Malta once and made a 180 on the runway and used the wash.
I was at Woodford for a couple of years but never saw anything that suggested the wash was beneficial when the airframes were cut up/cut into for the MK3 AEW.

[Prop Fwd]

As far as I am aware all the jet fleets at Waddington are washed as part of their maintenance schedules.

[diginagain]

In the AAC it was an aircrew responsibility to wash the aircraft. Not hugely popular, but it was like that until I left in 2012.
During my time (78-96) we all got involved, groundcrew and aircrew alike.

[OldAgeandTreachery]

Aircraft wash team composition varied as to location.
Kinloss,in the Nimrod era, was a civilian team who washed externally and cleaned internally.St Mawgan was similar. As I recall Lyneham C130 wash team came from those on the Primary servicing teams who were servicemen and from my distant memory Waddington,in the early 70s was too as I remember a Halton mate,who was posted there,lamenting his new duty.
Nimrods had washes carried out for differing reasons. The post flight taxiway wash,the engine compressor wash and the Wash Team wash.

The taxiway,automatic wash using water only, was on request form the captain(not all sorties were in a salt laden atmosphere),as said previously;no proven benefit but probably helped. XV236 was cut up for corrosion inspection and caused a few raised eyebrows by all accounts. A Corrosion Prevention Team was manned by NLS for many years.

The compressor wash (WD40) had two functions,1.To remove salt and 2.To try to prevent sticky engine bleed valves. These were stopped because there was no indicated benefit and also because the application gun nozzle had a nasty habit of working loose during the wash. (one solution being to wirelock it to the lance.)

The Wash Team wash, using power hoses and detergent, as part of Out Of Phase maintenance was carried out every 35 days and also prior to scheduled servicing; to ensure a clean airframe ready for inspection.

[polecat2]

That is called a compressor wash and should be done to all turbine engines after a flight in a salt laden environment, ie any cloud around the UK! To those of a certain age distilled water was used, to those yong'ns it is ionised water.

In the early eighties, 72 Sqn used to clean the Gnome compressors on their Wessex helicopters using a process called a Turco Blast. Basically an abrasive substance called Turco was fed through the engines during a dry run to clean the compressor blades by removing any deposits. Turco was made up of ground apricot seeds. I cannot recall exactly when these were carried out but I seem to recall after flying in a salt water environment.

[Rigga]

"Turco was made up of ground apricot seeds. " It may have been at some time but it was also made of crushed Walnut Shells. Later developments were ZOK-27! No - I don't know what that was..bit it was reeeely good at cleaning AMQ Ovens!

[Hot 'n' High]

As I recall (from some v hazy days of yore on the RW fleets) a Comp Wash was "water sans salt" - ideally demin. If the cab failed PPI checks the cab got another "WSS" wash followed by another PPI. If that failed too maybe a 3rd WSS - but after that it was "Turco nuts". That was sort of last resort really before an engine change! Had moved on by the time this new-fangled ZOK-27 or whatever that was arrived .. Zork 27? "Mork and Mindy" anyone???? Cheers, H 'n' H

[ian16th]

In days of yore when the V-Force was painted Anti-Flash White, '2 hours a/c cleaning' with a rag and bucket of tepol & water, was the standard summary punishment for any perceived minor misdemeanour.

[hunterboy]

Funny thing is, you could probably get people to pay for the opportunity to clean a Vulcan for 2 hours now!

[goudie]

At Scamptom when The ‘V’s we’re white we had large canisters of Wadpole. We’d form up, on our knees, line abreast and get polishing. That’s when you realise just how big the Vulcan wing is. If night flying was cancelled, that’s how we’d spend the night shift. Aircrew never pitched in, as they did on my Sqdn in Germany.

[NutLoose]

It was bad enough Wadpoling a Ten on a VIP

[charliegolf]

During my time (78-96) we all got involved, groundcrew and aircrew alike.


Yeah, straight after, "Fall out the Hofficers"!:= (Refers to RAF hicopleters)

CG

[Danny42C]

On 110 in Burma, there was a superstition that a washing would always be followed by an accident to the airframe involved. This did seem to happen, more frequently than pure chance would suggest.

Moreover, a good coating of oil-soaked dust and mud improved the (already very effective) jungle camouflage, and was better left alone.

Nevertheless some VV-proud crews did do it - with 100 octane, as it was more plentiful than water down on the Flights. Never did it myself.

[NutLoose]

I still use 100 octane Danny :)

[KenV]

Do HM Forces aircraft still get washed as part of routine maintenance/pre-delivery to contractors for phased servicing etc?I can't speak for anything but UK C-17s which get sent here to San Antonio for depot maintenance. But when UK C-17s arrive here we (the contractor) do a thorough post flight inspection and then a very thorough wash. And by thorough I mean using hot water/detergents and pressure washers. The wash is so thorough that the aircraft needs to be regreased before leaving the wash rack. The aircraft then go to the depaint hangar to have the paint either scuffed or entirely removed.

[alwayslookingup]

Bristow and British Airways Helicopters did the same to the engines after every rig flight. I don't think they ignited, just turned them over whilst they sprayed something through that took the salt off anf prevented corrosion.

That was back in the seventies when I was but a youngun and standing in as Station Manager at Sumburgh for the airline I worked for.

CHC Scotia Heliport, Aberdeen, I regularly see the helicopters being cleaned at the end of the day's flying. Some sort of sudsy liquid on a long hose, brushes on similar extension and then pressure washed.

[Cornish Jack]

charliegolf - and the origin of 'hicopleters' for helicopters was ... Handling Squadron at Boscombe Down. Their AL (10, I think) for the Whirlwind 10 was quickly followed by an AL11, which was almost entirely composed of " for hicopleter read helicopter" :O

[BAengineer]

Wadpol! - there's a blast from the past. I always remember Queens Flight at Benson used to spend hours with cans of that stuff polishing away like mad while us scrotes in ASF lounged around and laughed.

[cliver029]

.......and then again the VIP Britannia and Comet, never be around the crew room on Aircraft Prep at Lyneham when a minor VIP was scheduled to go somewhere unimportant. Many hours spent using Wadpole to get the undersides nice and shiny. Then to our amazement the powers that be had the aircraft painted with a rough finish, explanation, the rough surface would catch air in the pockets and make the plane go faster.................. believe that if you will:ugh:

[gzornenplatz]

The origin of "hicopleter" was a mid-60s amendment to AP 129. 'Er indoors did the amending while I swotted up my JP3 Pilots' Notes.

[pasta]

.......and then again the VIP Britannia and Comet, never be around the crew room on Aircraft Prep at Lyneham when a minor VIP was scheduled to go somewhere unimportant. Many hours spent using Wadpole to get the undersides nice and shiny. Then to our amazement the powers that be had the aircraft painted with a rough finish, explanation, the rough surface would catch air in the pockets and make the plane go faster.................. believe that if you will:ugh:
It *could* be true (I'm not saying it was in this case, but it's plausible). Think of the dimples on a golf ball...

[Chugalug2]

Cornish Jack:-
the origin of 'hicopleters' for helicopters was ... Handling Squadron at Boscombe Down. Their AL (10, I think) for the Whirlwind 10 was quickly followed by an AL11, which was almost entirely composed of " for hicopleter read helicopter" https://www.pprune.org/images/smilies/embarass.gif
I don't know when AL11 for the Whirlwind 10 was, but my AP129 Vol1 Pt1 Sect1 Ch16 (Basic Helicopter Aerodynamics) was amended by AL8 April '59 in exactly the same way. Chicken or egg?

[gr4techie]

I still use 100 octane Danny :)



Press a GS into the drain valve of one of the wing tanks. To get some avtur onto a sheet of blue roll. Then wipe the fin where the reverse thrust buckets have deposited loads of soot. Usually it was to rub out the "comedy cock" somebody had drawn in the soot with their finger.

[Pontius Navigator]

Amazing how it sticks. I wonder how many aircrew of that period don't remember Hecopleter

[dook]

Think of the dimples on a golf ball...

Energises the boundary layer and provides lift, but only if the ball is spinning.

Err...….aeroplanes ?

[pasta]

Energises the boundary layer and provides lift, but only if the ball is spinning.

Err...….aeroplanes ?
Also reduces drag, even if the ball isn't spinning - link (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-dimples-in-golf-ba/)

[The Oberon]

At Scamptom when The ‘V’s we’re white we had large canisters of Wadpole. We’d form up, on our knees, line abreast and get polishing. That’s when you realise just how big the Vulcan wing is. If night flying was cancelled, that’s how we’d spend the night shift. Aircrew never pitched in, as they did on my Sqdn in Germany.

Untill a tame rock RSO ran his geiger counter over a tin of well used Wadpole. After that, power washing only.

[olddog]

In late April 1986 (at the time of the Chenobyl disaster) we were deployed to Andoya from SM on a routine detachment. We returned the day after the disaster and were met by the groundies all in full NBC kit!!! No auto wash at SM. We were told to stay on board, and the ac was give a thorough hosing down. the crew were half expecting similar treatment as there was a 12 by 12 tent clearly marked PERSONAL DECONTAM at the side of the pan. Fortunately, the groundies got fed up of being masked up and allowed us off the ac with just a gentle spray down! Good spoof and typical of the good spirits of the time!

[Pontius Navigator]

Untill a tame rock RSO ran his geiger counter over a tin of well used Wadpole. After that, power washing only.
Which explains the radiation tags all the groundless wore, but never aircrew! Private scared we would find out how much we were zapped.