diff --git a/src/osgPlugins/flt/LongIDRecord.cpp b/src/osgPlugins/flt/LongIDRecord.cpp
index 2ae8ec4b3..5f4ba1ca1 100644
--- a/src/osgPlugins/flt/LongIDRecord.cpp
+++ b/src/osgPlugins/flt/LongIDRecord.cpp
@@ -6,12 +6,6 @@
 
 using namespace flt;
 
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//
-//                       MaterialPaletteRecord
-//
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
 RegisterRecordProxy<LongIDRecord> g_LongIDProxy;
 
 LongIDRecord::LongIDRecord()
diff --git a/src/osgPlugins/flt/flt2osg.cpp b/src/osgPlugins/flt/flt2osg.cpp
index 9437deebe..127751a93 100644
--- a/src/osgPlugins/flt/flt2osg.cpp
+++ b/src/osgPlugins/flt/flt2osg.cpp
@@ -245,7 +245,12 @@ osg::Node* ConvertFromFLT::visitLongID(osg::Group* osgParent, LongIDRecord* rec)
 {
     SLongID *pSLongID = (SLongID*)rec->getData();
 
-    osgParent->setName(pSLongID->szIdent);
+    // these cout's are here for double checking whether handlng of the longID
+    // string is being managed corectly. 
+    // std::cout << "ConvertFromFLT::visitLongID '"<<std::string(pSLongID->szIdent,pSLongID->RecHeader.length()-4)<<"'"<<std::endl;
+    // std::cout << "ConvertFromFLT::visitLongID cstyle string '"<<pSLongID->szIdent<<"'"<<std::endl;
+
+    osgParent->setName(std::string(pSLongID->szIdent,pSLongID->RecHeader.length()-4));
 
     return NULL;
 }