The other side of the ECP
You never know what you're gonna get. an adventure story without an ending .That is what i love most about my job. I can get on a c130 and fly to Benning for BAC (basic airborne course) troop drops....mon they jump once "hollywood" just the chute...twice tues, twice weds (one used to be a night jump but they havn't done that in awhile while i was there. Thurs is a weather day. Even so...everytime I go to Benning the trip is way different. The planes personality is a s varied as the troopers we drop.
We might go and it might be a "skate" trip,where the planes doesn't break and we hae little more to do than refuel and inspect theplane or we might go and work our tails off, depending on what we brake for and how often. I have gone on the road and had the plane fly for two weeks without a writeup. I have left for and overnight trip, to return a week later after changing a generator and voltage regulator, the c phase loadmeter for the apu generator and a starter....on one plane!!!
I like the unpredictability of it too.....i love flying along not knowing wether you will be working all night or sitting at dinner with the crew. Cuz when she brakes.... you do whatever you can to make the next mission.
And it is something to be the only mechanic there....to troubleshoot and fix your ride home.....
no matter which country it is that you are going home from.....wether you are carrying rock stars for uso tours, political figures and cia guards, special forces, navy seals, retirees flying space a , soldiers, airmen civil air patrol, bombs, bullets, mres...whatever.......if it can fit in the back we have hauled it.
The people who maintain them are as varie as what we haul. I know guyss that joined the military in 1968....who still turn wrenches along side of me. 36 years. no lie . My 14 years (full time) makes me the new kid on the block. Say that about active duty airforce. Enough said.
We might go and it might be a "skate" trip,where the planes doesn't break and we hae little more to do than refuel and inspect theplane or we might go and work our tails off, depending on what we brake for and how often. I have gone on the road and had the plane fly for two weeks without a writeup. I have left for and overnight trip, to return a week later after changing a generator and voltage regulator, the c phase loadmeter for the apu generator and a starter....on one plane!!!
I like the unpredictability of it too.....i love flying along not knowing wether you will be working all night or sitting at dinner with the crew. Cuz when she brakes.... you do whatever you can to make the next mission.
And it is something to be the only mechanic there....to troubleshoot and fix your ride home.....
no matter which country it is that you are going home from.....wether you are carrying rock stars for uso tours, political figures and cia guards, special forces, navy seals, retirees flying space a , soldiers, airmen civil air patrol, bombs, bullets, mres...whatever.......if it can fit in the back we have hauled it.
The people who maintain them are as varie as what we haul. I know guyss that joined the military in 1968....who still turn wrenches along side of me. 36 years. no lie . My 14 years (full time) makes me the new kid on the block. Say that about active duty airforce. Enough said.
posted by militarybrat at 1:10 AM
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