Roll out... Gettin' em Home
........Doing an engine run on my break 'cuz i'm one of the only ones qualified to do that out here.... yeah me!!! Especially on those 140 degree days when you are bustin' tail for over 12 hrs....
Anyway....then all the planes decide to come back all at once and everything hits the fan! So i finish the engine run and one plane came back broke for brakes leaking hydraulics....and the one behind it came back "alpha 1" or with out "writeups" ups.
This is a good thing ...because the plane that came back broke was a quick turn and it had soldiers that needed a ride. We also didn't have a spare to give today because it's a "first come first serve deal".........and another flight crew done came got served already.
So had a airplane that just came back and i "quickturned it", to give her to the crew who had the soldiers wanting to go on R&R. (Marginal nose tires....but but no time for that now......she's just needing to get the guys to baghdad....so i'll let it go and get 'em when the plane gets back.)
After the maintenance was complete....had a little waiting around (like all things military....of course) for the rest of the passengers before i "launched" the plane. The guys (pax) from the other (broke ) plane were army guys.......after i gassed up the plane i let them on their new ride. I BS 'd with them to pass the time.
They were infantry....i could tell by their CIBs. I didn' t recognize their division patch but one guy had a 2nd Id combat patch. and the way he was faced i couldn't see his other arm for his division patch. So i asked all the dumb questions airforce crewchiefs ask army guys. Which division are you with?....i forgot what they said as they listed a buch of units they were with and it was kinda hard to hear, but i think they were a guard unit out of Ft Lewis, i might be wrong , it was kinda noisy and hard to hear....but they did mention ft lewis.....weather they are currently assigned there or were previously i can't be certain. I don't know why i said it.......because it is actually pretty unrelated....but i said i knew some 1st Group guys .
And they asked me who i knew, because they have worked with some guys from 1st group out here. I said "John Donovan". And they asked "Captain Donovan?" And i said , yeah.........
Wow we have like thousands of passing thru every day at all hours, during all shifts.... and this small little group of guys (five or so).....their plane breaks.......so they swap them to another....and of all the planes here they swap the one i'm working on is the only one that can take the mission....and of all the crewchiefs here ....i'm working on that plane at that very moment when "Jonh Donovan's" guys need a lift. I think one of there names was "Brugnee"...It was a few hours ago....alot of soldiers ago....and a few broke planes ago.......
And Then.......... it's about shift change and the plane was finally ready to go........and one of the crewchiefs assisting me comes up to me and holds his hand up to me....and it is covered in hydraulic fluid. So he shows me where it came from.........in the cargo compartment......along the wall by the door (where you walk in)......oh boy ....not good !
There were several lines there hidden behind insulation and a panel.....and emergency exit light....all that i had to remove just to get at it. I was hoping it would just be a line that loosened.....and it would be a quick fix......because i knew that if these guys didn't get off the ground soon they would be stuck here over night because the aircrew would "time out"....(or run out of duty day)....and there was no one else available to fly cuz of current taskings....which is another "blue moon" type deal......but John's guys musta been going for the "murphys law for traveling" expert badge....or something.
So of course, the line didn't just loosen up ......it burst........or the ferrule cracked and it is a pressure line for the brakes and that means these guys are going nowhere until it's fixed. (another blue moon type event)......so now we had to "cannabalize" another plane for parts....becuz that particular line never bursts ....so it isn't in the supply system.
The flight crew was getting whiney about their duty day.....and i could tell that they were getting ready to scrap the mission. and let another crew fly them tomorrow.........
so i totally busted tail to make sure those guys would be one step closer to there familys when we parked the planes for the night. And i at least got them out of here..........hopefully there luck will be better from here on out.
Those guys probably don't know how close they were to spending the night here. There traveling was not a good experience for them so far.... but that would not have helped.
Even though it was sucky for them..... running into people who know your freinds ....so i can share my " this one time at band camp stories" & it gives purpose to the days that i find myself wondering .....if i went to the doc today for an ear infection.....i wonder how many bags of fluid i would get this time.....cuz today i can tell i'm dehydrated.......but it was one of the best days i've had out here.... it's little things................the people, that matter
Anyway....then all the planes decide to come back all at once and everything hits the fan! So i finish the engine run and one plane came back broke for brakes leaking hydraulics....and the one behind it came back "alpha 1" or with out "writeups" ups.
This is a good thing ...because the plane that came back broke was a quick turn and it had soldiers that needed a ride. We also didn't have a spare to give today because it's a "first come first serve deal".........and another flight crew done came got served already.
So had a airplane that just came back and i "quickturned it", to give her to the crew who had the soldiers wanting to go on R&R. (Marginal nose tires....but but no time for that now......she's just needing to get the guys to baghdad....so i'll let it go and get 'em when the plane gets back.)
After the maintenance was complete....had a little waiting around (like all things military....of course) for the rest of the passengers before i "launched" the plane. The guys (pax) from the other (broke ) plane were army guys.......after i gassed up the plane i let them on their new ride. I BS 'd with them to pass the time.
They were infantry....i could tell by their CIBs. I didn' t recognize their division patch but one guy had a 2nd Id combat patch. and the way he was faced i couldn't see his other arm for his division patch. So i asked all the dumb questions airforce crewchiefs ask army guys. Which division are you with?....i forgot what they said as they listed a buch of units they were with and it was kinda hard to hear, but i think they were a guard unit out of Ft Lewis, i might be wrong , it was kinda noisy and hard to hear....but they did mention ft lewis.....weather they are currently assigned there or were previously i can't be certain. I don't know why i said it.......because it is actually pretty unrelated....but i said i knew some 1st Group guys .
And they asked me who i knew, because they have worked with some guys from 1st group out here. I said "John Donovan". And they asked "Captain Donovan?" And i said , yeah.........
Wow we have like thousands of passing thru every day at all hours, during all shifts.... and this small little group of guys (five or so).....their plane breaks.......so they swap them to another....and of all the planes here they swap the one i'm working on is the only one that can take the mission....and of all the crewchiefs here ....i'm working on that plane at that very moment when "Jonh Donovan's" guys need a lift. I think one of there names was "Brugnee"...It was a few hours ago....alot of soldiers ago....and a few broke planes ago.......
And Then.......... it's about shift change and the plane was finally ready to go........and one of the crewchiefs assisting me comes up to me and holds his hand up to me....and it is covered in hydraulic fluid. So he shows me where it came from.........in the cargo compartment......along the wall by the door (where you walk in)......oh boy ....not good !
There were several lines there hidden behind insulation and a panel.....and emergency exit light....all that i had to remove just to get at it. I was hoping it would just be a line that loosened.....and it would be a quick fix......because i knew that if these guys didn't get off the ground soon they would be stuck here over night because the aircrew would "time out"....(or run out of duty day)....and there was no one else available to fly cuz of current taskings....which is another "blue moon" type deal......but John's guys musta been going for the "murphys law for traveling" expert badge....or something.
So of course, the line didn't just loosen up ......it burst........or the ferrule cracked and it is a pressure line for the brakes and that means these guys are going nowhere until it's fixed. (another blue moon type event)......so now we had to "cannabalize" another plane for parts....becuz that particular line never bursts ....so it isn't in the supply system.
The flight crew was getting whiney about their duty day.....and i could tell that they were getting ready to scrap the mission. and let another crew fly them tomorrow.........
so i totally busted tail to make sure those guys would be one step closer to there familys when we parked the planes for the night. And i at least got them out of here..........hopefully there luck will be better from here on out.
Those guys probably don't know how close they were to spending the night here. There traveling was not a good experience for them so far.... but that would not have helped.
Even though it was sucky for them..... running into people who know your freinds ....so i can share my " this one time at band camp stories" & it gives purpose to the days that i find myself wondering .....if i went to the doc today for an ear infection.....i wonder how many bags of fluid i would get this time.....cuz today i can tell i'm dehydrated.......but it was one of the best days i've had out here.... it's little things................the people, that matter
posted by militarybrat at 6:44 AM
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