Air Force One detail is plane perfection for Bradenton man

Rye Wilderness resident Bo Mortensen likes to say he has become one with his Beast.

The Beast is a Flex 3401 polisher that is known for being the paint correction tool of choice of the famed “Detail Mafia,” the official detailing team of (retired) Air Force One.

Mortensen and the Beast worked so hard together from July 8-14 during a special trip to Seattle’s Museum of Flight that the polisher’s previously red handle is now silver from the dust rubbed off the aircraft at the museum.

It was a lot of work, but Mortensen, who only got into the auto-detailing business two years ago, said he had the right tool.

“It’s a special machine,” Mortensen said of his polisher. “It’s one I should consider retiring, but I probably won’t. I used this on Air Force One. I even have a hard time washing the aluminum dirt off it. It’s pretty special.”

He said the trip to Seattle was just as special, even though it was all volunteer work.

Mortensen was given the opportunity after he proved himself talented enough to become a member of the Detail Mafia, led by master automotive and aircraft detailer and trainer Renny Doyle, 52, who puts together a 55-member team to serve as the detailing team.

Doyle, who runs his auto detailing business out of his home, joined Detailer’s Network, a specialized global network of certified automotive detailers, when he started his business. As part of that commitment, he began taking training offered by the organization.

Mortensen caught the eye of Doyle as he began to take certification courses — detailing business, paint correction, headlight repair, ceramic coatings — needed to be part of the Detail Mafia. Doyle said his passion sets him apart.

“He’s talented, and he’s hard working,” Doyle said.

Doyle, who owns a California-based detailing company, added him to his Detail Mafia team, and Mortensen jumped at the chance to work at the museum.

Now he looks back fondly on standing on a lift with that polisher in hand and looking at the American flag painted on the side of the Boeing VC-137B, the first presidential jet plane that served in the capacity now referred to as Air Force One. Its nickname is SAM, short for Special Air Missions.

“You’re looking up at that plane and putting your hands on that machine — and you think of all the decisions made in there,” Mortensen said. “[President John F.] Kennedy was there, [Lyndon B.] Johnson, [Richard] Nixon. … It was pretty special.”

Doyle has led volunteer teams to the Museum of Flight for 16 years. Mortensen said he is glad he is now part of that group.

“You’re putting your hands on a $300 million aircraft,” Mortensen said. “It’s irreplaceable. That’s history. How many people get to walk on the wing of Air Force One?”

His group worked 12-hour days and also helped restore a solid aluminum WWII B-29 Super Fortress Bomber and a recently acquired, deteriorating Vietnam-era B-52G Stratofortress Bomber.

They also cleaned and maintained the first Boeing “Jumbo Jet” 747, the Concorde Alpha Golf and the first 1960s-’70s-era Boeing 727-022 commercial airliner. In all, the team worked on 18 historic planes.

Mortensen paid for his own hotel room and airfare and used his own equipment, but meals and supplies for restoration were provided. It was a week’s loss of business, but Mortensen said it was worth the investment.

“We did it to preserve history,” Mortensen said.

During the trip, Mortensen was officially inducted into the Detail Mafia. He said working at the museum took a lot of teamwork.

The work of each detailer depended upon the other. If they applied different amounts of polish or pressure, the result would look like patchwork rather than the mirror-like shiny finish for which they strived.

Mortensen said he also enjoyed behind-the-scene tours of planes on exhibit to see things like where their pilots autographed them inside and learn other details not accessible to the general public.