FOD walk proactively protects aircraft

At right, Master Sgt. Bo Wilcox, 932nd Maintenance Group, moves toward the back of a C-40 aircraft while other Airmen walk the area looking for any small items that don't belong. All successful 932nd Airlift Wing C-40C mission launches start days earlier with mission planning and aircraft preparation. Another area behind the scenes that's important is keeping the ramps and parking spots clean and ready. Here, a team of maintenance and operations Airmen search the flight line for FOD (Foreign Object Damage) items Jan. 18, 2018, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.. Time spent visually getting hands on the ramps during these "FOD walks" protects tires of all incoming and outgoing aircraft, along with their engines. This is done by manually ensuring debris such as ice, trash, and small rocks are removed from the flight line used by planes transiting and stationed here in Illinois. Sometimes a sweeper machine is also called in to assist such as after an ice storm. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Stan Paregien)