Corrosion Experts Preserving Aircraft

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Corrosion Experts Preserving Aircraft
February 13, 2009
Air Force Print News|by Wayne Crenshaw

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. - The Air Force Corrosion Prevention and Control Office at Robins employs only 17 people, but its small staff plays a big role in keeping aircraft and ground equipment operating throughout the Air Force.

The specialists in this tenant office, which is a geographically separated unit of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, serve as the corrosion control experts for the entire Air Force. Their job is to find ways to keep planes and ground equipment in service longer by fending off rust and numerous other elements that can cause structures to corrode.

"The cost of corrosion is going up because the fleet is aging," said Carl Perazzola, the deputy director of the corrosion office. "There is tremendous advocacy out of the Pentagon to really start to increase our role in all of these areas."

The office, in its 40th year at Robins, includes five active duty military and 12 civilians. The group is made up both of engineers and field maintainers. The maintainers, Mr. Perazzola said, help ensure that any recommendations made by the office are practical to implement in the field.

The office staff has the authority to issue technical orders to maintainers throughout the Air Force for new procedures aimed at corrosion prevention.


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