Fort Rucker flight students clean up history

By Russell Sellers, Army Flier StaffMarch 11, 2011

Fort Rucker flight students clean up history
Soldiers in D Co., 1st Bn., 145th Avn. Regt., clean up a helicopter at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum during Class 11-008's community project March 5. The group of flight students from Class 11-008 worked with museum personnel to clean up various air... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- A group of 54 flight students worked together to clean up a series of classic aircraft from Army Aviation's past as part of their class project March 5.

Soldiers from D Company, 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment Class 11-008 worked in tight and rainy conditions to help the U.S. Army Aviation Museum in its efforts to maintain various aircraft models it is preparing for future display, said 2nd Lt. Tim Kingston, Class 11-008 historian and public information officer.

"This is a three-fold process for us," he said. "We're helping out the community that we'll be involved with for the rest of our careers, helping the outside community to see what else there is to Fort Rucker beside the flight school and we're giving back to Fort Rucker for all it's given to us."

The class, made up of second lieutenants and warrant officers, not only cleaned the aircraft, but also reorganized them in various hangars around the installation and cleaned the floors in those hangars.

Richard Willis, U.S. Army Aviation Museum maintenance officer, said he was happy to have the help and enjoyed working with the students on their project.

While the cleanup was beneficial for the museum, he said he thinks the Soldiers got a lot out of it as well.

"They got a chance to learn a lot about Aviation history," he said. "It's part of the museum's job to go out and provide insight into the past as well as what the future holds. We want to give them an opportunity to see the past, but also see what the future holds. They also get a chance to work closely together in a way they might not have before."

Breaking down barriers was another goal of the project and 2nd Lt. Justin Dillow, Class 11-008 project officer, was happy with the results.

"We had some close groups in the beginning, but those groups have slowly melted away as the Soldiers worked together," he said. "Some people in the class might not hang out together on the weekends, but this gives them an opportunity to get to know each other better and form new bonds and friendships."

TOP STORIES