PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMGyE3
HEADQUARTERS
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TASK GROUP 7,4, PROVISIONAL
APO 187, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
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23 March 1954
Joint Task Force SEVEN
APO 187 (HOW), c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
Dear Lt
A fact clearly understood by all airmen is that aircmft which sit
on the ground for extensive periods collect serious maintenance deficiencies
with an increasing possibility of an abort on the next flight the longer
the period the aircraft remain grounded,
This well known pitinwips.e may
not be quite so obvious to those unaccustomed to maintaining ana onerating
aircraft.
I will therefore explain that the reasons for this deteriora-
tion in maintenance condition lie in such difficulties as drying up of
various neoprene seals in numerous hydraulic lines, corrosion of metal
surfaces which must move past one another with close tolerances, sticking
valves caused hy precipitation of sediment in the valves or by lack of
the lubricating action of the fluid which normally flows through the valve
and seepage of moisture and/or corrosion into numerous electrical circuits
and devices, Frequent flight eliminates the cause of these conditions
since all of the various systems of the aircraft are overated, thereby
expanding seals, lubricating the close tolerance surfaces and the valves,
and heating the electrical circuits, thus preventing the accumulation of
moisture, It is possible, by operating the aircraft on the ground, to~activate a considerable number of these systems but unfortunately, the
remainder can be activated only in flight.
As examples of these conditions, on our flights yesterday, when we
exercised all of our aircraft, the landing gear would not retract on two
B-34's and numerous F-84's had tip and pylon tanks which would not feed
due to stuck valves.
In order to counteract this serious deterioration of maintenance in
this prolonged period of relative inactivity of our critical aircraft, I
am taking the risk of flying our aircraft frequently.
proc:ss is as follows:
ae
TAB NO. 16
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Ww AY
3=3214-S
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