Glossy Eagle was a program directed by Gen.John T.Chain Jr., commander in chief of Strategic Air Command to recondition the command's combat aircraft. Started in February 1987, the program's goal was to extend the service life of the aircraft, and to provide a better working environment for maintenance and aircrew members. In addition, 'Glossy Eagle' provided incentives to keep the aircraft fleet in top shape through competition. The Glossy Eagle program included an annual competition by all SAC wings to determine which unit could claim the best looking aircraft in the command. The award consisted of a trophy given to the wing commander, and a plaque to be given to the crew chief of the best aircraft in each competition category in SAC. The award was presented during the annual BombNav Competition symposium held at Barksdale AFB, La. As of July 1, 1987, Strategic Air Command officials extended the program to include the FB-111A. Unlike the KC-135 refurbishment which involved mostly the interior, the FB's exteriors were getting a majority of the attention.

This wing-level program encouraged base-wide participation to give every person in the wing the opportunity to get some "hands-on" time with the bombers and tankers. In order to give everyone a chance to participate, each squadron and division in the wing was given the opportunity to "adopt a jet". People in the adopting agency worked on their aircraft, helping the maintenance Glossy Eagle team to restore it to its original condition. A job of this magnitude required attention to detail to ensure the jets looked their best inside and out. Four weeks was needed for maintenance to restore a KC-135 and two full weeks for an FB-111A. The FB-111A program consisted of a five-day plan that stripped old paint from the entire airframe, detailed the cockpit, nose and main wheel wells, and the weapons bay.

Before 'Glossy Eagle' began, Pease AFB and the 509th BW was already working on its planes. Col. 'Gordy' Harmon, DCM at the time, was very keen on 'pretty airplanes'. He got the crew chiefs personally involved with their planes and was the key motivator in the rapid change of the FB-111A camouflage from the old green and brown to the new strategic camouflage called 'Dark Vark'. The flow plan for 'Glossy Eagle' allowed approx. 30 days for the aircraft to be down. It was difficult for the 509th to keep up with the flow plan due to the weather and construction at the DCM hangar at the time. And there was environmental concern for Pease AFB. "You can't sand the paint unless you can wash it off afterwards," explained Maj. C.McWilliams, 509th OMS commander. "And you just can't let it go into the storm drains. It would contaminate Great Bay."

The fluctuating weather in New England was another problem for keeping the aircraft up. Painting could not be accomplished during the winter months due to the cold making the paint roll off and not stick to the plane. The summer months could be too hot, making the paint blister and not stay on the plane. Acrylic lacquer, used on the FB-111A, had different wear properties than the polyurethane, which was used on the KC-135. How often to paint, what to paint and what's in the vicinity had a bearing on the schedule of painting. Pease also had the highest corrosion level of any SAC stateside base due to the salt air. This factor, coupled with acrylic lacquer wear properties of the bomber paint reduced the time required between washes. The lack of washing increased the corrosion on the aircraft. Scheduled painting and washing was later arranged with Plattsburgh AFB for the FBs.

The 509th BW claimed the 'best-looking FB-111A' in Strategic Air Command during SAC's Bombing and Navigation Competition Symposium, held at Barksdale AFB, La., between Nov.23 and 25, 1987. According to Capt. Jack Stewart, SAC's Glossy Eagle project officer, "Competition for the top spot was tough, factors used in the selection process included more than just overall condition and appearance, cleanliness, configuration and standardization of aircraft. The quality of the wing's program action and involvement also played a part in the evaluation process. Winners generally just had cleaner aircraft and stuck to the authorized configuration". Attending the symposium were Sgt. Peter Kabelka, SSgt. Tony Berwager (FB-111A Crew Chief), A1C Maryjo Spaulding (Assistant Crew Chief) and SrA. David Swan, 509th FMS corrosion control monitor.