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This story should be titled a day in the life of being a Swing Shift A-10 Crew Chief since that’s my background.


1530 hrs – arrive to work and get prepared for a long and grueling day. What’s this mean, it means you come in to work, go to support section and check out your tools, see your fellow crew chiefs and shoot the breeze about what ever the topic of the day is. It may be something you seen on television or the expeditor who screwed you the night before. Pretty much it’s an opportunity for a bitch session with your fellow crew chiefs.

1600 hrs – Roll Call, this is where you find out what your job assignment for the night will be. Well that is unless you haven’t already been cornered and sent out ahead of time. If you do make it to roll call this is another great opportunity for a bitch session only this time it will include your flight chief who will hopefully listen to your bitching (not that anything will be done) and afterwards he’ll send you out to work.

1615 hrs – you start walking to the flight line, however since they conveniently placed the Smoking Area next to the ECP (Entry Control Point) you’ll stop for a cigarette before going any further. What’s that, you don’t smoke? That’s ok, because you’ll still stop in for a fresh air break and another bitch session. This time the session will include your dayshift counter parts who you’re typically bitching about and affords you an opportunity for a little one on one confrontation or good natured ribbing.

1630 hrs – Finally made it to where your jet should be only to discover that either A) it’s still up flying or B) has been towed to the hanger for maintenance.

*Note* From this point on there is no such thing as a typical day it’s all up to the expeditor (refer back to the 1530 hr time frame.). So with that in mind I’ll proceed from this point with a best case scenario, your jet is still up flying and everything is going fine.

1700 hrs – As your aircraft is taxing back to the spot you place your hands up in the air to indicate to the pilot that this is where you’re supposed to park. Now if you’re lucky, your pilot will follow your hand signals and you’ll park the jet on the spot, if not your going to catch hell from your fellow Crew Chief’s about you lack of marshalling abilities.

1730 hrs – Completed the aircraft recovery and now it’s time to start your pre-flight / basic post-flight inspection.

*Note* For the sake of keeping this short your aircraft flew code 1 and you found no major discrepancies during your PR/BPO (Remember I said best case scenario).

1900 hrs – With your inspection complete you head back towards the flight office to start the paperwork portion of the job.
1915 hrs – As your walking out the ECP you stop at the smoking area again for another cigarette or fresh-air break and join in on another bitch session with the unlucky soul who got screwed by the expeditor.

1930 hrs – Finally arrived at the flight office and start on your paperwork. After that is complete it’s over to the CAMS terminal. (By the way wasn’t CAMS supposed create a paperless Air Force, all it did was create twice the work at twice the amount of time.)


2030 hrs – Finished your paperwork and take your forms to the Flight Chief so he can review them for mistakes. Once again this is a best case scenario, so you’ve made no mistakes and the Flight Chief is a happy man. He tells you to turn in your tools; NO you’re not going home yet! However you can at least have your tools turned in and be ready to go home if and when you’re released.

2230 hrs – After two hours of sitting around BS’ing with your fellow Crew Chief’s the expeditor walks in, he needs someone (namely you) to go over to the hanger and help out on an engine change (once again refer back to the 1530 time frame).

2300 hrs – As you’re walking towards the hanger your cussing and bitching the whole way so of course you have to stop at the smoking area to vent out your frustrations.

2315 hrs - Finally you arrive at the hanger only to discover the engine you have to change isn’t ready. You climb up on the jet and start removing safety wire / cannon plugs and everything else you need to remove. Drop the engine and bring over the new one when you discover that it is set up as a number one engine and the one your changing is a number two. No problem, swap out the mounts and your ready to go. Several hours later the engine change is complete and you head back to the flight office.

0400 hrs – Arrive back at the flight office only to discover the place is empty the only people there are the Mid Shift Crew Chiefs sitting around playing games on the computer. You stop and think about saying something but realize that you’ve just worked a 12 hr shift and it’s not worth the time to bitch about it you do that at the 1530 time frame tomorrow.


capche-capche da - we go forward together

Faugh ah Ballaugh -Clear The Way-

_________________


Faugh ah Ballaugh ~ Clear the Way

I thought only MAC (Oh excusse me AMC) HAD midshift CrewChiefs???

Thats about right almost most of it is Exactlly the same as it was 20 yrs ago(Man did I say "20 YRS AGO"<img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle>)BUT no midshift.


Thats what makes CrewChiefs,Specialist and Weapons or "CrewDawg's"a special breed.
No set Hours unless your on Days Now I'm speaking only from the Days in TAC here. Nights your there for the time it takes,cut backs sometimes other times your meeting Days coming in.
It wasnt that strange to put in 12+ hours 16 comes to mind alot.
A few 20 hours and Hutch and MACK remember before we left 23+ hours without stop on the line ,go home eat finish packing,say your Good-Bye's and off you went in a 6 hour time frame.

But Hey I wouldnt of done any other job. I loved it! The Jet was like a "PET" I loved it too.

So Hitler I can go along with your story no problem.

Goose

I know now for a FACT that Truth is Stranger than Fiction and IT CAN ALWAYS BE WORST!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Yeah I was wondering about the "Mid Shift" Crew as well......never saw one of those in my time!
As Goose says I saw dayshift many times as I was leaving, they were coming in.
Speaking of my days with the 23rd/75th, as that was the only "real" flightline I worked, I think swing could have been dubbed the grave crew!

I only saw a couple area's that might could be changed or maybe added to a bit.
Everything is done and everyone heads to the farm, except enough guys having to stay for a tow team, only because one of the bird on the flying schedule was broke dick in the hangar and had specialists crawling on it like ants!
So for a number of hours you sit playing spades or whatever other thing you can find to bide your time.
Remember now this is in the times before rivet workforce and a crew chief was considered by most just a glorified gas station attendant!

Then there was the Friday afternoon bashes on the patio between us and the pilots pad. Of course all of days is out having a beer or three and we come in but cant have a drink because 1/2 the birds are broke and we have like 14-16 hours ahead to fix everything! Not all Fridays were that way, but I remember more than enough that were!

Great little plot though Hitler!

SOunds more interesting than being a weapons troop on the 117!

Ignorance may be bliss, but it sure ain't fun!

_________________
Evil is evil, no matter how small.

I remember the days of mid-shift crew chiefs. Seeing as I was a mid-shift supervisor once in my younger formative days. I was a brand new Ssgt on F-15's. We had a full on maintenance shift, one of each specialty and a half dozen C/C's to take care of everything that was left by the swings guys (they almost never had to work beyond midnight). Of course on top of that we were the servicing crew.

<img src="http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/457/bgnrjsiiw81q1gc.jpg" border=0>

Gravity....its not just a good idea, its the law.

Well they did before I got to the 76th a 2 man "Mid's" servicing team.
2 crewdawgs who did LOX and TP, STRUTS,Nose bottles,hydro stuff like that.
It went away after the "GOLDEN FLOW 85" NOT ENOUGH FOLKS

We use to meet days drinking beer in the parking lot,give them turn over and go eat Chow,go home and "Crash" for about 4-5 hours and be back in.
I hated Night flying weeks,you went in at 1700 did almost everything and if you had broke dick jets you saw Days but on Friday they would change the times back to regular hours so you were back at 1400hrs.

Black Section was the "TOUGHEST" SECTION, nobody wanted to go over there because those guys were "RODE HARD"
Thats where the saying came from about the 3 AMU's
"I rather be RED than Black or Blue " we had our own little world on the north ramp.

But hey, we all got along,I had friends in all 3 sections like everyone else,it was a pretty good place to work and I enjoyed it.

Goose

I know now for a FACT that Truth is Stranger than Fiction and IT CAN ALWAYS BE WORST!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

I was wondering if you would ever post this.


Assault is a type of behavior, not a type of rifle.

ROFL...funny...and so true! <img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

Visit my A-10 website at
http://www.warthogpen.com

First thing STOP smoking you will have more time. The second thing is if it takes you with help four hours to change A TF34GE100A well I am not going to insalt any further you have done that enough on your own. Now there is some things you have forgotten some things like yelling at some tweecker for not fixing a lets say a repeating Comm problem and then maybe heading over to support to find out where the parts you ordered to clear some BS DD that your flight chief wants off the books.

live to wrench, wrench to live

_________________
Press one for English, Press two to disconect untill you do.

Glad to see you guys enjoyed my little satire and I'll agree with all of you there are a lot of things I could have added. However, I was trying to keep it as short as possible while covering all the bases.

Goob, I thought 4 hrs was a pretty good estimate. Especially when you consider having to change the thrust mounts, wait for QA to show up to do a pre-install, install the motor, wait again for QA to show up to do the post-install, tow the aircraft out of the hanger and then finaly perform the required operational cks. But then again it's been several years since I've changed a TF34-GE-100A engine or any engine for that matter.

capche-capche da - we go forward together

Faugh ah Ballaugh -Clear The Way-

_________________


Faugh ah Ballaugh ~ Clear the Way

I was never a crew chief, but it looks like what I used to see...smokin and bitchin

Coach

Goob - It SHOULD only take 4 hours to change an engine, but it always turns into the whole night. Between getting enough people rounded up, getting an empty trailer, engine bay inspection, QA, fixing whats wrong with it, getting the new motor, getting enough people all over again, QA again, servicing, green run and trim run.
Not a huge deal, but the peoel is the biggest thing. When you have each crew chief on two jets, well then, it's gonna be a little tough rounding up folks to get it done.
If you gave me 5 people, all the required gear <b>and didn't take me or the people away from it</b>, I could change it in 2 or 3 hours, and that's for everything except the trim run.
The way we would like it is not always the way it is.



Assault is a type of behavior, not a type of rifle.

Coach - PM sent

Assault is a type of behavior, not a type of rifle.

When I was in we always had to wait for the crew chiefs to drop the panels for an engine change. Usually we ended up dropping them ourselves and then got bitched at because it wasn't our job. Probably because us "specialists" ended up stripping a screw or two and had to wait for sheet metal to come out to remove them. However, that was way back when we were in the Can't Repair Shit squadron. When we were assigned to the AMU we got friendly with all the troops and everyone would help out with an engine change. I remember working F-16's at Hahn in the "Blue Zoo" (10th TFS)and even had hydraulics and electrics helping. Great comrads all.

"Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget, in time, that men have died to win them."
Franklin Deleano Roosevelt

I have been duly chastized for impugning the reputations of Crew Chiefs everywhere by implying that all they do is smoke and bitch. I apologize for all pilots who drop shit in the cockpit, step late, land late, fail to call a code-3 in early, make bogus 781 write-ups, ignore your marshalling signals when parking, leave piddle packs in the map case, spit dip on the floorboards, and turn the APU off 20 minutes before taxiing when its below freezing outside. We are not worthy.

ATTACK!
Coach

We "Smoked and Bitched"
I'll admitt it, Flying schedules that were "BS!"
Broke DICK JETS that were on the next days first Block and back then the DCC or ASST had their JET, not like how you guys got screwed later on.
12 hours worth of work,CRS or EMC wouldnt come out when you asked,parts slow to get to the AMU, CANXing parts and all that BS PAPER WORK that went with it.
PHASE DOCK giving you the jet back on FRIDAY NIGHT, with every F-ING
OP's Check left to do and get there and NOT ONE F-ING PANEL ON!

Or JET CODE 3 for the WORST JOB OF ALL
"FOD IN COCKPIT" either Pilot dropped his "Ring" or "Pen" and cant find it or the worst of the BUNCH "MIKE SWITCH KICKED-OFF"
<img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_cussing.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_cussing.gif border=0 align=middle>
The little bitty SPRING and those 2 Micro BALLS
fLOOR BOARDS ,SEAT,EVERYTHING OUT!

Now how many times did we really find those little "BALLS"?
Not too many and yes,some of us had "Extras" because "THEY WANTED TO SEE THEM" they didnt pose a threat and after going over it with 3-4 guys with a Fine tooth comb we signed it off.

But when a ring gets dropped in the Cockpit and 10 hours later you cant find it and RED-1 calls pilot to tell him and he goes
"Oh I found it in my pocket when I got home "SORRY" I hope it wasnt too much trouble"
<img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle>
That is a REAL BITCH!

We werent prefect either.

Yep we bitched and moaned,smoked,chewed,ate,drinked sodas while working,who had time to wash their hands??
But We all worked together in the AMU'S the Specialist would help,weapons would too,you got towards the end there a dedicated crew on your Jet, Hutch or Vinnie was always on the Jet loading weapons Specialist would help launch and recovery we had some good ones,
The REAL BITCHES" were when you lost a Pilot or Friend you worked with.
Having One of your best friends Go Home and Kill himself after work and you never saw it coming was a real "BITCH".
Mikey was one of the best Spark Chasers I ever worked with.

So yes we smoked and Bitched,but the day you dont see them doing that I'd be worrying.
Professionalism was always there,it might not be what the BOOK said but trust us "IT WAS THERE"

I'm proud I was a CrewChief wouldnt of done anything else in the USAF that gave you that "FEELING OF PRIDE" in your work and Your JET.

WE GOT THE JOB DONE, and it was a "TEAM EFFORT"

Sorry for the rant,it wasnt directed at anyone here.




Goose

I know now for a FACT that Truth is Stranger than Fiction and IT CAN ALWAYS BE WORST!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

<img src=newicons/smiley_salute.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/icon_hog.gif border=0 align=middle>

Goose,

You may be the best as saying it politely! LOL
But I got to agree with you on a couple points. I will admit it....I had a supply of micro balls, and only got caught using my "spares" once.<img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>

My jet flew the day after we "found" the mic switch parts. Funny thing last flight of next day. Pilot (No names will be released here) apparently had something "fly" up inot the canopy area and he happened to catch the damn thing somehow!<img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle>

Imagine my surprise when called to shop after debrief and being asked by Pro Super where the micro ball could have came from or how it got in my cockpit!<img src=newicons/anim_furious.gif border=0 align=middle>

OK Enough of sour grapes.....I didn't smoke but I sure did my fair share of bitching! <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>

To end this I will make my real only point of responding to this one.....I feel just like you in saying that during my 8 years of service, there was not 1 other job I saw that would have compared to my job as crew chief!
The flexibility, the freedom, the bortherhood we had as ramp rats....there was nothing else got even close in camparison in my book!

Not to get onto Coach for his comments, but to Pilots in general. While I had a few, mainly on TDY's that would try and help the crew chiefs a little, I think the Air Force guys could take some lesons from the Navy guys!
My final assignment I worked a joint service unit. I had Air Force, Navy and 1 Marine for our crews.
I was elbow to elbow many a time with the Navy guys and the Marine, as we did engine changes, serviced the birds, whatever was going on at the time. It rubbed off on the Air Force guys after a short time. I only saw one thing came from it.......it made us all a better, closer team!
The crew chiefs respected the air crew alot more for it.





Edited by - Hogsnort on Aug 08 2006 19:18

Thanks Snort,

I would just like to add too The Pilots became family to alot of us,back when you could get together and have a Beer with each other and "Shoot the Shit".
The Comm Cord was the best thing in the world,it was just you and your pilot.
Depending on how you were with your pilot you would call them by their "Call sign or Name and they would too" YOU JUST NEVER DARE DO IT IN FRONT OF OTHERS!!! BIG NO NO!

We had pilots on small TDY's that would help us with fixing a Jet.
You would cover for them too,if they did something lets say like
Leave a S&W 357 in the Cockpit you would run it over to OP's REAL QUICK RAPPED IN A RAG.
A wink and a Nod was all that was needed.

Coach tell you one thing CrewChiefs I dont know how it is now but Your Pilot was "YOUR PILOT" . When "ROOT" became my Last pilot I wanted to put his Call sign on the door and Fix it up(The one you see in Books now) I went into OP's to get the Stickers for the Door and when the other pilots found out they said "Hey Goose put Flounder " on it. I said "Nope" then I got "If you dont DO IT YOU AINT GOT NO BALLS YOU P---Y" I just smiled and said "Ok I'm a P---Y but I'LL BE DAMNED IF I PUT FLOUNDER ON IT!".
I got SHIT FOR DAYS for not doing it but You dont F--- with my PILOT!.

So it was a "PRIDE ISSUE".
I even had Father RAY in 1986 at LECK AB "Bless 166 with Holy Water"
I still feel to this day It still works.

Watch CrewChiefs sometimes, they'll be petting their Jet like a Dog and talking to it.
The Jet to us is a "Living ,Breathing object.

Thats what it was like when I was on the line, I'm sure it still is to some.


Goose

I know now for a FACT that Truth is Stranger than Fiction and IT CAN ALWAYS BE WORST!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Yea, things have changed alot in the past five years I will apoligize to you. We used to do one in two hours down and back up now you guys have to do so much other crap to deal with now. I am glad I am out of it I never could stand waiting for someone else to do their job it is always the crew chief that gets it in the end and waiting on EMB to release a motor has always pissed me especially when they are the ones that say pull it or what is realy bad is swaping low timers for high timers. I remember changing F4 tires on the comanders aircraft because they did not look good or having to change his 370 tanks because of scratchs. I am not sure about you and how you felt but I crewed a combat aircraft not a circus wagon. I always thought it was more important that my beast preformed it best not just looked good on the ramp.My hat is off to all that still serve there is way too muck BS.

live to wrench, wrench to live

_________________
Press one for English, Press two to disconect untill you do.

Goob,

I was "ATE-UP" I cleaned 166 everyday or night etc..... If I had to stay late I would,I was just Brought up the MAC way early on and I kept it up until I finally was taken off the line as a CC to driving the Expediter truck my last year on Trash Haulers

I was taught early on by CC from the "BYE GONE DAYS" early as 1957 on the Active side and Then we had ARTS around Who had CC in WW2,Korea and NAM.
So it rubbed-off.

Goose

I know now for a FACT that Truth is Stranger than Fiction and IT CAN ALWAYS BE WORST!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"