The Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) today “broke ground” on a new and improved facility to remove paint from aircraft undergoing extensive maintenance at the depot aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

NADEP Executive Officer Col John D. Gumbel activated the controls of a track hoe hydraulic hammer to symbolically begin construction on the new aircraft paint stripping facility.

David Heath, Facilities Planning and Engineering Branch Head, welcomed guests and spectators at the site adjacent to Building 4034 before introducing Gumbel, who made opening remarks. Sandie Brazda, Military Construction Program Manager, also addressed the crowd.

The $8.5 million project will provide a 14,486 square foot addition to the depot’s existing paint removal facility hangar. When this new plastic media blast (PMB ) facility is complete and operational, the NADEP’s existing PMB equipment will be removed from its current location in Building 3766. This equipment has reached the end of its useful life. New glass bead blasting equipment will be procured and installed in Building 3766. Once the glass bead blasting equipment is operational, the existing, outdated 50-year-old glass bead blasting facility will be demolished.

In recent years, the depot has transitioned to the environmentally friendlier PMB process for paint removal that virtually eliminates the need for chemical strippers. PMB is generally the first step in taking off paint and corrosion from an aircraft. The PMB media is gritty and less destructive than sand and is more environmentally friendly than other processes. Any corrosion remaining in aircraft surface cracks and joints is removed with glass beads, another environmentally friendly product, which is finer and more powdery than plastic.

The construction project will improve the depot’s service to the fleet capability, reduce overall operating costs, consolidate hygiene facilities and other employee support areas, reduce NADEP’s inventory of outdated and inadequate structures, and comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provisions. The new aircraft paint stripping facility is designed to accommodate the latest multi-service rotary wing aircraft, the V-22 Osprey, as well as the aircraft currently serviced by the depot.

Photo Caption: NADEP Executive Officer Col John D. Gumbel uses a track hoe hydraulic hammer to break ground for the depot’s new stripping facility April 10. (Photo by Larry Conley)