Offutt soaps up Rivet Joint for safety Published Aug. 20, 2025 By By Charles J. Haymond 55th Wing Public Affairs OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- Members from the 55th Maintenance Group washed an RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft inside the Bennie L. Davis Maintenance Facility dock 5 at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, July 25. Washing allows 55 MXG maintainers to better identify any corrosion that may have built up during its flying period or while it was deployed. “It lets different shops to come together allowing us to use soap, water, and brushes to get all the dirt off the plane so we can better inspect it,” said Staff Sgt. Jesus Arriaga, 55th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. In the beginning of the wash, members of the group have specific responsibilities assigned for cleaning of the aircraft. “We spray down the aircraft with some water to get surface level dirt off the aircraft, and then we will spray it down with soap coming from the foam brushes,” Arriaga said. “Then after that we will have the maintainers come in scrubbing with paint brushes, sponges to scrap off the dirt and then we will give it a rise down to better see what is left. We will repeat the process until it is clean.” Even minor corroded surfaces on the jet could lead to further damage if the infested areas are not probably cleaned and identified. “If we cannot identify any corrosion on the jet, then we start to send it up into the air and the minute it comes down, all that stress can go into the corroded areas and begin to crack the metal, allowing for unsafe landings,” Arriaga said. “By washing it, and finding any corrosion and fixing it, it makes the jet safer to fly.” Arriaga and other maintainers live by the motto, “safe and compliance maintenance” and have the assurance that their work will continue to keep Offutt’s no-fail mission relentless and ready. “It’s probably one of the hardest things maintainers have to do but it is something we take pride in because whenever we see the airplane fly, knowing its sparkling clean, it boosts our morale knowing that it’s safer,” Arriaga said.