TM 1-1500-204-23-1CHAPTER 13AIRCRAFT CLEANING13-1. General.Proper and frequent cleaning is themost important part of a corrosion control program. Fre-quency of cleaning and related treatment will depend ontype of aircraft and local conditions. All aircraft shall bewashed and cleaned every 30 days, unless aircraft arestationed within two miles of salt water. Extended or lowlevel operations over salt water require daily fresh waterrising. External corrosion prone areas will require morefrequent cleaning.Do not use synthetic wiping cloths with highlyflammable solvents having a flash point of100°F (37.8°C) or less, such as aliphaticnaphtha TT-N-95. Static electricity may buildup and cause ignition.Do not use aircraft cleaning compoundsMIL-C-43616 or MIL-C-25769 at strengthother than specified because this will damageaircraft finish and components. Do not allowcleaning solutions to dry on aircraft surface.NOTEUse only authorized cleaning materials andequipment.13-2. Cleaning Practices and Procedures.The fol-lowing paragraphs explain preparation for cleaning,cleaning methods, cleaning of corrosion prone areas,and post-cleaning.a. PreparationforCleaning.Prepare aircraft forcleaning by accomplishing the following procedures:Make sure that static vents are not fouled bytape adhesive transfer. Cover static ventswith a properly sized disc of suitable material,then apply masking tape. Fouled vents willgive wrong readings.(1) Prior to lubricating any components orparts, remove all foreign matter from joints, fittings, andbearing surfaces. Cleaning cloth CCC-C-46 shall beused for this purpose. Clean up all spilled or excess oilor grease. Some solvents can damage rubber, neo-prene, and electrical insulation. They can also damagepaint and should be removed as soon as possible.(2)To protect against cleaning solution entrap-ment, inspect all lubrication points that have exposuretype lubrication fittings. Lubricate those that have notbeen regularly lubricated in accordance with the applica-ble maintenance manual.(3)Close all doors and emergency openings.(4)Make sure that all drain holes are clear byinserting a probe such as a pipe cleaner, except wherepressurized flapper valves are located.b. Cleaning Methods. Various cleaning methodsare explained in the following paragraphs. The methodused depends upon the availability of tap water.(1) Waterless wipedown. Waterless wipedownprocedures will be used when water is not available forrinsing or when cold weather prevents the use of water.The preferred waterless wipedown method for removingsoils and corrosive salt residues is accomplished usingthe following procedures.Open all circuit breakers associated with bat-tery power prior to application ofMIL-C-43616 cleaning compound. Thiscompound is flammable.When using cleaning compounds MIL-C-25769, MIL-C-43616 or MIL-C-85570,wear faceshield or goggles, rubber glovesand coveralls. These compounds are toxicand can cause skin irritation.(a)Spray the exterior surfaces of the air-craft with water emulsion cleaning compoundMIL-C-43616.Change 213-1
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