Newly painted J-1/J-2 area floor functional, eye-catching

  • Published
  • By Shawn Jacobs
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do, even for a test area floor.

The J-1/J-2 high bay floor, a part of Arnold Engineering Development Center's (AEDC) Engine Test Facility (ETF), is all the talk because it combines functionality with two attractive decals that contribute to pride in the workplace.

The area is an elevated concrete floor, which causes certain areas of the floor to have a different load rating than other sections. Knowing the load rating for each different section of the floor is important when installing and removing test articles in or out of the J-1 and J-2 test cells, according to McGhee Caperton, a J-2 test/installation engineer who oversaw the painting project.

"Prior to the paint job the areas of concern for loading capacities were designated by yellow and black paint stripes with stenciled lettering detailing the capacity of the particular area," Caperton said. "The old paint for the stenciling was starting to wear and it wasn't as obvious what the load ratings were."

The safety aspects of the floor include the ability to distinguish between the different load areas, the area of concern during hatch operations. The new paint has a mixture of grit in the top coat to help protect against slips during routine work in that area, Caperton said.

In years past, attempts were made to try and find the time to get the area painted. It was always difficult to find time in the busy test schedule of J-1/J-2 to accommodate painters without impacting testing or test article reconfiguration.

"However, this year with a little luck (persistent flexible scheduling) and the ability of Volunteer Paint (the Manchester contractor that performed the job) to accommodate a time frame when a base-wide raw water outage was in effect and the ability to work on the Saturday prior to Labor Day, the paint job was a success," Caperton said.

The AEDC shield was placed on fresh, gray paint to show a sign of pride to be able to work at AEDC and provide top quality testing support for the Air force. The "Flying J," which was created in years past as a symbol of teamwork present in the J-1/J-2 test cells, was painted below the shield. The "Flying J" was modified to show an F-35 Lightning II aircraft flying around the "J." The F-35 was chosen because it is considered the aircraft of the future and both J-1 and J-2 have supported F-35 propulsion system testing, according to Caperton.

Since being hired in November 2004, Caperton said he's seen the pride the crews have about working at AEDC and at J-1/J-2, which are approaching 60 years old.

"The floor paint just simply brings attention to the area to outsiders, who otherwise would not think twice about the hard work, pride and dedication of the J-1 and J-2 test cell crews," he said. "Pride is about doing your job and doing it right, whether it be preventative maintenance, test customer support, or testing.

"The J-1 and J-2 test cell crews take pride in what they do and not only care about doing the job right; they care about each other and keep safety as a key part of any task. The test area supervisors along with the other engineers associated with the J-1 and J-2 test cells help provide pride and safety in the workplace by example."