Aluminum mats bear brunt of C-17s' weight
US Marine Corps News
5/21/2009 By Pfc. Jahn R. Kuiper, Marine Corps Base Quantico
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — One-hundred and fifty-thousand square feet of AM2 aluminum tile matting as laid down by Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, on one of their taxi runways April 11 to April 16. Te matting was laid to help the aging asphalt support the weight of safely parking C-17s. At 585,000 lis the C-17s’ weight could, over-time, crush the asphalt.
The matting was requested by Helicopter Marine Squadron One after an air facility ramp was ripped up to make way for new HMX1 hangers. The new hangers are scheduled to be up in two months, said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Saulo D. Ugarte, the commanding officer at Crash Fire Rescue.
Prior to the matting C-17s were flown to Andrew’s Air Force Base to be parked but now they can be parked here, which is more cost effective, said Master Sgt. Anthony Ault, the project lead and detachment noncommissioned Officer-in-Charge.
Quantico has had to wait its turn to receive the matting, which has been used and reused all over the Marine Corps for approximately 35 years.
“Quantico has been looking for matting for the past two years,” said Ault. “This matting has been around since the early 70’s. [The Marine Corps] stopped making new matting so Quantico had to wait to get some aluminum tile until the Marine Corps decided to produce more. Once production was started, Quantico was able to get tiles from a contingency stockpile at Cherry Point.”
The matting is scheduled to be at the MCAF for the 10 to 12 months. After that the MCAF can decide to extend the matting’s time here. The matting is subject to an annual inspection which ensures it maintains safety and function.
The matting usually has to be refurbished every five years, said Ault.
The AM2 aluminum matting is a hollow box one-and-half-inch thick by two feet wide. The rib-strengthened tiles comes in both six and 12 feet lengths. There are two other less sturdy and less permanent tile matting the Marine Corps uses, but none of them could withstand the weight of a C-17.
“It’s like LEGO’s,” said Ault
Seven Marines brought the matting from Cherry Point and 48 Marines from MCAF helped install the aluminum tiles.
“We are just doing our part out here to help make the air facility a better place,” said Lance Cpl. Lamar A. Sharp, a flight line mechanic at MCAF.
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