Smithsonian søker støvtørker

Hanging with History

Jan 14, 2015by John Croft in Things With Wings

If you’ve ever wanted to get real up close and personal with aviation history, then grab your Nitrile gloves, California Dusters and Bunny Cloths and get yourself down to the Steven Udvar-Hazy Center at the Dulles International Airport and apply for janitor duty.

 

 

Not exactly your typical janitor, the Smithsonian Institution is looking for a contractor to clean the dust off 112 historic and rare aircraft and spacecraft on the floors and hanging from the rafters of Hazy, including the B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay”, the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, and a Boeing P-26A “Peashooter”, once every 3 months for the next year, or perhaps the next five years. (See the full list of aircraft below this post)

 

The request for proposal, which is open through Jan. 21, makes it clear the work is no walk in the park however, but it’s for a good cause. “Removing dust not only assists with the long-term care of the object; it lets the public know that we are diligent stewards of our nation’s aerospace heritage,” says the Smithsonian. 

 

I’d bet the rules and regulations for cleaning these aircraft in some cases are more rigorous and thorough than the original flight manuals and checklists for the aircraft themselves. The “artifact” cleaning list spans two pages, noting that “improper clearing can cause irreversible damage, which is why it’s important to know what you are cleaning and why.”

 

Before dusting an aircraft or spacecraft, the cleaner is to “examine the object without touching it”, having a look and noting the condition of the aircraft, spacecraft or component in the “BLAST artifact cleaning database.”

 

“The single most important aspect of working with museum collections is to record the objects condition in a written document. Damage can easily occur during cleaning and this needs to be documented and reported, so that the collection stewards have a record for the object’s history. Distinguishing historic damage from contemporary damage is critical as this information contributes to the artifacts history,” the solicitation states. “Things to note in the condition report are the following; Missing parts, physical damage, cracks, breaks lines/edges that appear new, tears, area of material loss, fresh/new area of loss, dents, holes, loose parts, wires, bolts, surface damage, flaking paint, dust, grease spots, stains, spotty surface (may be water and/or soap and water spots), bird poop, insect evidence (spiders, cobwebs) and foreign objects.”

 

The cleaning process itself is very precise: 

 

• “Keep in mind that you are removing only dust. Do not attempt to remove stickers or graffiti – please report these damages to Conservation”

 

• “Cleaning should be done with no distractions; no cell phones should be used while working on an artifact”

 

• “Large aircraft can be surface cleaned with California Dusters, or synthetic feather dusters. The duster is moved across the surface of the artifact to trap dust into the fibers. The collected dust is then vacuumed from the duster with each pass over the surface. This collects the dust so that it is not re-deposited onto the surface of the artifact”

 

• “Use Dust Bunny Cloth’s to remove dust from the aircraft windscreen. Dust Bunny Cloths are soft Tyvek, chemically treated to prevent electric static charges, and will not scratch the acrylic on the windscreens or windows. Dust Bunny cloth’s should be washed periodically and can be vacuumed after each use”

 

There are some areas where the cleaners are not to venture for their own health, including the cockpit: “Do not clean inside of aircraft cockpits. Many of the instruments are radioactive and you will contaminate your cleaning tools, and expose yourself to sources of radiation.”

 

 

List of "Artifacts" to dust...

Bowlus 1-S-2100 Senior Albatross "Falcon"

Aeronca C-2

Grumman G-22

Benoist-Korn Type XII

Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser

Missile, Air-to-Surface, Bat

Missile, Air-to-Air, Gorgon II-A

Missile, Air-to-Air, Henschel Hs 298

Missile, Air-to-Air, Ruhrstahl X-4

North American P-51C, "Excalibur III"

Rocket, Booster, Nike, for Nike-Cajun Sounding Rocket

Stinson L-5 Sentinel

Grunau Baby II B-2

Horten H VI V2

Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher

Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat

Naval Aircraft Factory N3N

Vought F4U-1D Corsair

Waterman Aerobile

Satellite, Pioneer I, Reconstructed Replica

Satellite, Pioneer V, Reconstructed Replica

Satellite, Explorer 6, Reconstructed Replica

Model, Telescope, Stratoscope II, 1:6

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (Kittyhawk IA)

Missile, Ship-to-Surface and Test Missile, Gorgon 2C

Missile, Air-to-Air, Drone and Test, Gorgon IV, also Designated KUM-1 or PVT-N-2

Drone, Katydid, also Designated KDD-1, KDH-1, or TD2D-1

Drone, Target,  XKD5G-1

Bensen B-6 Gyroglider

Huff-Daland Duster

Arlington Sisu 1A

Model, Grumman XF8F-1 Bearcat, Drop Test Vehicle

Bensen B-8M Gyrocopter

Satellite, AOSO, Advanced Orbiting Solar Observatory

Drone, Skeet, also Designated KD2C-2

Bomb, Glide, BV 246 Hagelkorn (Hailstone)

Bomb, Guided, Ruhrstahl Fritz X (X-1)

Missile, Surface-to-Air, Lark

Missile, Test, RTV-N-15, also Designated Pollux

Boeing FB-5 Hawk

Boeing P-26A Peashooter

Nelson BB-1 Dragonfly

Bücker Bü-133C Jungmeister

Schweizer SGU 2-22EK

Satellite, Vanguard 3a, SLV 5 Refurbished Replica

Satellite, Explorer 10, Reconstructed Model

Satellite, Explorer 17, Replica

Satellite, Ariel I, Reconstructed Satellite

Satellite, Vanguard 3 Magne-Ray, Replica

Satellite, Vanguard, Lyman Alpha

Satellite, Explorer 12, Backup

Satellite, LOFTI 1, Engineering Model

Cessna 180

Satellite, Alouette, Model

Satellite, Explorer 8, Replica

Satellite, Explorer 7, Replica

Piper PA-18 Super Cub

Beechcraft  D18S Twin Beech

Satellite, IMP-A, Engineering Model

Piper J-3 Cub

Eipper-Formance Cumulus 10

Sportwings Valkyrie

Cessna O-1A Bird Dog

Missile, Cruise, Air-launched, AGM-86A

Stanley Nomad

Manta Pterodactyl Fledgling

Westland Lysander IIIa

Oblique-Wing R.P.V.

Monocoupe 110 Special

Missile, Ship-to-Air, Talos

Missile, Cruise, Air-launched, AGM-86B

Farman Sport

Frankfort TG-1A (Cinema)

Delta Wing Phoenix Mariah M-9

Delta Wing Model 162

Delta Wing Phoenix Viper 175

Delta Wing Phoenix VI B Jr.

Delta Wing Streak 130

Missile, Air-to-Surface, Henschel Hs 293 A-1

American Aerolights Double Eagle

Pitts Special S-1C

Kreider-Reisner C-4C Challenger

Missile, Anti-Missile, Homing Overlay Experiment, (HOE)

Rotorway Scorpion Too

Arrow Sport A2-60

De Havilland-Canada DHC-1A Chipmunk, Pennzoil Special

Mitchell U-2 Superwing

Ultralight Lazair SS EC

Satellite, Explorer 1, Replica

Monnett Moni

Gyro 2000 Ikenga 530Z

Gondola, Raven

Grob 102 Standard Astir III

Loudenslager Laser 200

Travel Air D4D

Payload, Scientific, Spartan 201

Sukhoi Su-26m

Cannister/Mast, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Payload

Robinson R22

Bell 47B

Globe Swift GC-1A

Ryan PT-22A Recruit

Hang Glider, Wills Wing Talon 150

Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer

Pathfinder Plus

Spacecraft, New Horizons, Mock-up

Grumman G-164 Ag-Cat

Benoist-Korn Type XII

Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay"

Solar System Probe, Landing Apparatus and Orbital Bus, Vega

Missile, Air-to-Surface, Gargoyle

F-14D(R) Tomcat