Photo By Staff Sgt. Edward Hermsen | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Lloyd, an aircraft structural maintenance specialist...... read more read more
You’ve probably seen the iconic strip of yellow across our C-130 tails before. It’s what makes our aircraft distinct from everyone else’s. But what you might not have known is that those tails are actually painted here in shop by our own Airmen.
Meet Staff Sgt. Timothy Lloyd, from the sheet metal shop in the 153rd Maintenance Squadron. Lloyd recently completed a paint job on Wyoming’s newest yellow tail. The work was done on one of the unit’s newest aircraft, received from another Air National Guard unit about a year ago. As of this weekend, the transformation is now visually complete.
The responsibility of painting the aircraft falls to the sheet metal shop, a section within the 153rd Maintenance Squadron responsible for aircraft structural repairs, surface preparation and painting. While the shop’s primary mission centers on maintaining the structural integrity of the wing’s C-130H fleet, painting the iconic yellow tail is among the more visible of their tasks.
What is typically about a three-day process begins by printing stencils in the shop. From there, the tail is sanded, primed and masked in the hangar.
“That’s really the hardest part,” Lloyd said. “Just prep. Getting everything sanded down, masking off, wiping it down. That’s where most of the work is.”
Once the surface is primed, the crew applies the base layer of the yellow tail and lets it dry overnight. The next day, they apply the “Wyoming” stencil and paint it brown, along with the iconic Wyoming bucking bronco and the Wyoming brand. After another overnight drying period in the hangar, the tail is mission ready.
If you’ve ever been around base or Cheyenne, you’ll know the aircraft are commonly referred to as “Yellow Tails,” an iconic representation of Wyoming’s colors taken on temporary duty assignments, deployments and missions across the state, nation and globe. It’s how members and families can spot an aircraft from miles away, and it’s one of the traditions that represent the unique Wyoming identity.
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.19.2026 11:59 |
| Story ID: | 560584 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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