De-icing trucks switch to de-ashing

The ash from the March eruption of Mount Redoubt put a dent in many aviation-related businesses as flights were diverted to Outside airports. That was on top of already dwindling numbers from a slowing economy. But Anchorage-based Pegasus found a creative way to stay busy.

"With all the ash and volcanic dust, we thought why not use our de-icers to clean up?" said George Monks, vice president of maintenance for Pegasus Aircraft Maintenance.

De-icer trucks usually sit idle during the spring and summer months. They are used to spray a de-icing solution on the wing and tail surfaces of jets during sub-freezing weather to remove and deter ice and snow buildup.

Air cargo traffic was already waning when the March 15 eruption of Mount Redoubt caused the diversion of as many as 1,000 flights a week from the Anchorage airport.

Pegasus, whose founders Carlos Nelson and Roy Adhern were named as Alaska's Small Business Persons of the year in 2007, have been forced to think creatively in order to keep their employees working.

"Due to the eruption of Mount Redoubt and the world economic conditions, we had to furlough 50 of our employees. So to keep some of them working or lose them, we came up with a way to keep them working and provide a much-needed service for Anchorage," said Monks.

Pegasus is using its de-icing equipment to power-spray water onto buildings and parking lots to clean the airport of volcanic ash. Now they are interested in offering the service to the community.

Pegasus has partnered with Tabb Thoms, of Alaska Snow Removal, which has a contract with FedEx to remove the de-ice solution from certain ramp areas.

"This is a perfect fit," Thoms said. "They blast water on the buildings, walls, parking lots, and we use our equipment to sweep and suck up the dirty water."

Monks and Thoms said their operation is four times faster than traditional cleaning, and with the high water pressure and the suction from the sweeping trucks, they are not just redistributing the ash, but removing it.

"This is about cleaning up the ash for our children and those with allergies and to keep our city clean of dust," said Thoms. "We're used to doing clean-up around aircraft and these aviation companies are real fussy about the glycol and dirt because it becomes gummy and sticky and makes a mess of their aircraft. We know how to do the job quickly and remove the problem."