Subzero Surface Solutions conducted a controlled dry ice blasting demonstration on Yanks Air Museum’s Lockheed EC-121T Warning Star in Chino, California (KCNO), evaluating the process as a preservation and contamination-removal method on this historically significant aircraft. Delivered in 1955, the EC-121 served in the airborne early warning mission during the Cold War before eventually joining the Yanks collection in 2004.

The demonstration targeted select areas of the landing gear assemblies, wheels, wheel wells, and surrounding surfaces where decades of accumulated grime, grease, hydraulic staining, and contamination had built up. Controlled test areas allowed the Subzero process to be evaluated against long-standing contamination while respecting the aged coatings, materials, and finishes present on the aircraft.

Because this was an evaluation rather than a full restoration scope, the photographs document individual test areas and varying stages of the demonstration rather than a completed cleaning of the aircraft. The objective was to establish what could be safely and effectively removed, observe the condition of the surfaces beneath, and demonstrate the potential of precision dry ice blasting as a tool for historic aircraft preservation.

On an aircraft of this age and significance, cleaning is not simply cosmetic. Restoring visibility to mechanical assemblies can support inspection, maintenance, preservation, and presentation while minimizing unnecessary disturbance to surviving surfaces. It is exactly the kind of application behind Subzero’s philosophy: what you preserve matters just as much as what you remove.