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I was down at the De-arm end of EOR duty one day, just me and our 4 man, John. We'd just sent the Student A-10s back to the ramp when the IP comes in and taxies up to us. Throughout his landing roll I noticed that something was wrong with his Stb. Main Gear. There was something big hanging off, going round and round.

I marshaled him into the slot, kicked a chock under the nose gear and plugged in the comm cord. After a normal, "How ya' doing Sir, all switches off, safe, and normal, hands clear?" He say's "Yep, all my switches are good my hands clear. Uh, could you do me a favor there chief and give me quick look see?"

As soon as I saw his hands go up, I gave John the go ahead, but instead of going to the Left Main Gear well to get his safety pins, he went straight to the Right side to see the tire there. I joined him and we both stood there looking at a huge hunk of cactus stuck by the needles in the side of the tire. I had John go ahead and safe the racks while I started to work on the cactus and finished looking him over.

"Well Sir, you've got a hunk of Cactus the size of my head stuck in your Right tire."

"You reckon you could pull that out for me" he asks?

"Yeah, but it'll take a bit. You also have a big green smear down the right side from where the right Wind Fence USED to be all the way back to the tail."

"What do you mean, 'used to be'?"

"Well Sir, it's gone, nothing left but the bolts that used to hold it on."

Well John and I spent the next 15 minutes with pliers getting the cactus out of the tire, those needles were in deep, some almost 1/2" deep. We were both amazed that it stayed in through the landing roll.

While we were digging out the rest of the cactus, he told me that this Suguaro Cactus WAS over 100' tall and just on the military crest of a hill he'd often zip over on his egress from the target. He'd nearly hit it a couple of times before but this time, his run was off just a little. Dought!

How about it, any other funnies?

"Slow is Fast - Fast is Slow"

_________________
Slow is Fast, Fast is Slow
Violence may not be the best option, but it IS an option

I don't really have any funny stories however you really dated yourself when you said your 4 man.

Fender

"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it."
George Bernard Shaw

I've got one.......
One time we were at D-M for a Snowbird TDY. We had to do a gear swing and after the tires were clear of the ground, we proceeded with the retraction. One thing that was over looked was the chock on one side wasn't pulled clear of the tire. When the gear started to swing up the tire rolled over the chock and lifted the jack pad out of the pocket and then dropped right back into it.
I never knew your heart could actually stop. Everybody took a long smoke break after that one!!!
Cheers
db

Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret

That story reminds me of the two incidents here at Shaw when the hog was here. I was working in the phase hangar pulling bomb racks with my crew when someone tried to close the speed brakes with the safety devices installed. The brakes or ailerons whatever you call'em over rode the devices and POW it made heck of a noise and some very scared phase crew dogs.
The other incident was also in Phase. Same type scenario, brakes were opened on to a ladder that was directly under the wing. OOPS!


Fender

"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it."
George Bernard Shaw

I have a real funny one but it involves me and a 727. Can I put it here or do I have to start a seperate thread in general aviation chat ?

"By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a peerage or Westminster Abbey !" Nelson the Immortal Memory

_________________
YGBSM !

Hey Fender,
Yes I'm almost the point of farting dust. I was at DM from 78 to 80.

DB,
That one just reminded me of the time we were pulling an entire gun system late one night on mids. We'd pulled the elements, all the ammo chutes and drive shafts. We pulled the J-4 up and were lowering the drum. Had that puppy halfway out of the bay when the nose starts to climb and the mains settle just a little. We all froze and looked at the nose gear all stretched out, looked back toward the tail where the jack stand SHOULD have been and nobody even breathed.

My crew chief, Mac, got me and our 2 man to slowly move to the gun and literally hang on it until he could get a jack over and get it under the tail. Our 4 man was told to not move, himself or the jammer, or as Mac put it, "don't you even Fu@kin breath!"

We spent the next 15 minutes hanging on the muzzle clamp until Mac finally showed up with a jack and got it inplace. After watching that nose climb, I know just what you mean about having your heart stop.

"Slow is Fast - Fast is Slow"

_________________
Slow is Fast, Fast is Slow
Violence may not be the best option, but it IS an option

Was doing a main strut gland nut retorque once and encountered the jack problem. After I got the wheel jacked up the guy helping me noticed something odd. Strange feeling watching that thing teeter on those wing jacks. In a Tab-V too, so no help anywhere close. Yeaaaa.

I think maybe we all have experienced the "forgetting the tail jack" thing once! And I mean "ONLY" once!

I myself have been involved with hanging on the gun while someone frantically searches for the tail jack!

I'm trying to remember We got an Ex-Snoopy driver in and on one of his first landings at Alex's did one of the "Prettyist" landings in a Hog without speedbrakes,must of had that Baby on its Main tires the whole way until he was at EOR and ever so lightly came to rest on the nose gear.
But doing that he GROUNDED OFF THE BOTTOM OF THE TAIL CONE!

Then the CoronetIII joke when "Vern" caught and killed a 5ft Bullsnake and put it on the seat of the Port-a-potty and scared a couple of people but One of the Pilots came back and had the
"Shit's" REAL BAD, got out of that plane ASAP ran to the Port-a-John,
Opened the Door ,jumped in locked the door ,un-did his suit went to lift the seat and <img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>seeing that snake coiled up!
BUSTED THREW THE DOOR GETTING OUT RUNNING! needless to say he didnt have the "Shit's" anymore and had to go get another Flight suit.
And it was all caught on Video tape .
I wonder if he still has it?

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Goose,
If you ever get your hands on that tape, I'd love a copy. ROTFLMAO<img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/spit.gif border=0 align=middle>

I almost got coffee through the nose.

"Slow is Fast - Fast is Slow"

_________________
Slow is Fast, Fast is Slow
Violence may not be the best option, but it IS an option

Carl and 80-0248 Should remember it too, It was "Badger" the call sign of the pilot.
We had to go to work at "O Dark Thirty" and we would launch the Hog's out with Live Loads to REDROCK , and not see them again until 1100 hrs, but on that end of the base was a Bayou,so I brought my fishing pole and fished while waiting to Turn them later on.
They would give the Daily briefing on how the Excerise was going,But
CMSGT Shep said "You know what the biggest question they have everyday is?"
Who was 1st on the Leader board for the biggest fish<img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>
Because alot of folks started bringing their fishing poles.

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

I remember! Dont know who had put the snake in there. I have never laughed so hard almost pissed myself.I do know he was covered with mud and grass We heard he screaming over the engines and we were three or four jets down the ramp. And that damn snake was later found in the 55 gal drum that the cold sodas were in over in support AFTER I HAD DRANK ONE
Dont know if you remember this or not: Every morning a load crew had to go with the RAFFERTY to check the tail fins for snakes.Look in each tail fin or he would not come under the jet. Seems that he had found a snake in a fin one morning and about had a heart attack.
And about the fish, Someone had made a few FIRCRACKERS with blackpower, spent Co2 cartridges, and cannon fuse When they lit them and tossed em into the fishing hole BOOM water went about ten foot up, Damn ground shook. And about five minutes later SPs show up wanting to know what blew up.

We had two incidents with the same procedure so this could be a little long winded but bear with me.......
Our trim pad was shaped like a key hole just off one of our taxiways. In the center, was a deadman that the cables were attached to cable down the jet. For those non-maintainers, the cables were about twenty feet long and an inch and a half thick with a fitting swedged on the end, to attach a clevis to a ring on the main landing gear. Our normal ops was to tow the jet into the keyhole and position the jet in the general direction of the wind. We would stop the jet with the main gears straddling the deadman or just a little beyond and attach the cables to the main gear. We would then fire up the Hawg (tow rig disconnected and tires chocked), pull the chocks and ease the jet into final position, getting the cables equally tight. With the the jet pulling the cables up taut, we would then chock the tires and get set up to trim the engines. (Keep in mind this was the Reserves back in the 80's and 90's) I know it's done differently active duty. And the rest of the story may be why...
Anyway one time we got complacent and the operator thought we were ready to trim and spooled the jet up to mil power with the mains still back at the deadman. If you can picture a dog chained to his doghouse and running to bite the mailman and coming to the end of his chain at full tilt, that is what happened that day with the Hawg. The jet rolled forward at a pretty good clip till it came to the end of the cable. The first thing that happened was the the nose gear came about two feet off the ground, since the cables didn't get tight at the same time the nose of the the jet rotated to the left as it came back down. Since it was moving sideways when the nose tire contacted, it rolled off the wheel and the wheel hit the concrete breaking the wheel. The operator shutdown the engines and and we all just stood there repeating "Holy SH#T".
Believe it or not but the only trouble we got was some verbal abuse by our supervisor.
The second time I was in QA and got called out to the trim pad. The crew chief,(Rivet Work Force), was trimming an engine and said while they were at power, the swedged fitting on the end of the cable pulled out. Well, you all know the TF34 ain't that powerful. They had already moved the jet out of the way and while I was checking things out I stretched the cables out full lenghth in the direction the jet was facing. With that done I noticed two skid marks... about 10 feet BEHIND the end of the cables. BUSTED. He did the same thing we had done a couple years earlier. Last year he was named Crew Chief of the Year for our tankers and I had to remind him back when we had the A-10's he wasn't so great!!
Cheers
db


Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret

DB- You with the MI ANG?

The Second Amendment: America's original homeland security.
Ya just can’t take life too seriously, because you aren’t going to get out of it alive anyway.

_________________
\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

Currently a jet troop on KC-135R's 434th ARW Grissom ARB IN
Former A-10 jet troop, crew chief, QA with the 930th FW and former AFET.
Cheers
db

Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret

D.B.
I used to know the TF34 engine manager at Grissom before they moved to Whiteman. Name was GrifF. Did you happen to know him?

Engineguy

Carl,

It was Powers who did the snake"Joke" but never thought he'd get a pilot.
To show how "MUCH" we had too do out there during that 4hrs, The Pot-a-jOHN Guy came out to clean them out and Vern gave him some <img src=newicons/anim_bs.gif border=0 align=middle>story about how he was the "Offical" camera man for the excerise and that he had to tape everything.
He had that explaning how he "Sucked the Shit out with the truck at such and such PSI to get a certain Gpm rate and how the truck works etc... and Vern wasnt even running the Camera<img src=icon_smile_evil.gif border=0 align=middle>
It was so hard to keep a straight face we had to go behind the tent.<img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>
I remember the "Depth Charge" thing they had that SP who later on was driving that small damn pick-up they used to Patrol the line with I dont even remember what they called those "Baby Dodges" came out to investigate somemore.
He was the one who got bored one night driving around and we had just Defueled a jet on the weekend and the Jet was so damn high he could drive that truck under it and he did so he said later on that he figured he would go down the line,1st one he cleared the 2nd one
BAM!<img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_dead.gif border=0 align=middle>Broke the Gear door troque tube and dented the metal.
He tried to hide it buy using a pair of pliers to fix the bend in the metal and put the torque tube back so that it looked like it was still together.
The next day "Gid" went out to up date Pre-Flights and happened to look at the "Pre-Charges" and put his hand on the tube and <img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/tard.gif border=0 align=middle>the thing was BROKEN because he had done the Orignal PRE-FLIGHT on Friday night.
So everyone and their brother came out and when the SP's showed-up their was a BIG SCRAPE across the Top of the Truck,that matched the BLUE PAINT.
The Kid finally came clean after the AFOSI showed-up, 30 days CC,BUSTED and fined but stayed in.

DB ,I got one for you along that same line, a couple of you guys know him too, he left a "Plug" in that wasnt on the "Whips" and the Jet took-off and during the Flight the #1 engine ATE IT!, DESTORIED THAT ENGINE it was the same week he was Featured on the cover of AIRMAN MAGAZINE
<img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

One more,

We had one of the those "O-DARK THIRTY" Flying days first Crewshow was 0245am and LAG and myself had the farest jets on the AFLT side to get too.
We had the 2 spares,after the Jets took-off we were BSing and it was still "DARK" and the place was dead quite so we were sacked-out on or Jets wing,Him on his Left I'm on my right wing and were BS-ing
to pass the time,Lag gets-up to get something to eat out of his pail and all I hear is "Come-on Puppy,come here Boy" I asked him "Whats-up LAG"? still laying down He goes "There's a dog next to my nose gear and I'm trying to get him to come get some of my sandwhich".
I sit-up and <img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle> I said "Hey LAG, you ever seen a Coyote before"? He said "No" I said "Well you have now,that isnt a Dog thats a Coyote"
He was up that ladder faster than a Jack-rabbit!!!!!!!!!!
He just about had that Coyote about 5 ft from him trying to feed it part of his Sandwhich.
Those were the Day's before the put in the "Stadium Lights"
I laughed so hard that I missed the 2ND step on the ladder and fell off wing, THAT HURT! but didnt notice it because I was Laughing to Damn hard.

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Ah, OK. 30MM Jr is a crew chief for the 126th IL ANG at Scott.

The Second Amendment: America's original homeland security.
Ya just can’t take life too seriously, because you aren’t going to get out of it alive anyway.

_________________
\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

I don't know if you can call my story funny but it sure was memorable to a lot of people.

It happened during a drill Thunderwart Exercise back in the early 1980's. We had a four man crew on the trim pad doing a post phase double engine trim check. The crew consisted of 1 full time technician Tsgt and 3 traditonal guardsmen all SSgt's. One of the SSgt's who was fully engine run certified was the initial operator of the aircraft but during the run there was some problems so he shut the aircraft down and the Tsgt replaced him.

Our trim pad back then at Barnes was of medium size and fenced it which made it difficult at times to head the nose of the aircraft being trimed into the wind.

So there was a un-written policy know by then the DCM,engine shop supervisor's and maintainer' from various sections that 100% single engine runs were done only using the aircraft chocks providing that there was a full load of fuel on board and that your feet were firmly pressed down on the pedals.

So after the engine operators switched positions the team pressed on with there trim run. Then for some reason the inevetable happen the aircraft jumped the chocks. In doing so it went through the fence,which had barded wire along the top, dragging along the old trim box,power cords,comm cords and anything else that was attached to the aircraft.

As the aircraft went through the fence it sheared hydraulic lines on the main gears. When the aircraft went through the fence it was traveling across a snow covered open field and right after the field was a deactivated runway where about 6 A10'S and a couple of fuel trucks were positioned. Fortunately and for the grace of God there was no loss of life and no one got injured. Just a lot of damage to 1 aircraft and a few people who had to go home to change there shorts.

Hey Hawg 166 I think there are only a few people at the base who remember this like T.J. Bates,Mike Burgess and Sulukowski especially Sulu. because he was one of the ground grew.Also the aircraft in question was 78-0642.

We all knew then the obvious reason this happened not using the tie down cables but still we questioned did he have his feet on the brakes at all times. Were both engines at max power as some thought they heard. Neithier questioned was never answered.

The incident made Tac Attack,which is now Air Combat, back then. There was even a drawing on the cover showing the aircraft going through the fenced. One heck of and a embarassing way to get recognition.

"GLAD TO HAVE BEEN THERE AND HAVE BEEN PROUD TO HAVE SERVERED"

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote> The incident made Tac Attack,which is now Air Combat<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

And caused a lot of changes at other bases too.

OC

Some days it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints

And then there was the safety officer who decided to try a maximum braking landing with the anti-skid in the OFF position, proving once again that the -1 was indeed correct and the aircraft will veer to the right. Unfortunately, it happened at the intersection of two runways thereby closing the airport until maintenance could extract said aircraft from the mud.

There's also a story of a skycop who wanted to show his buddy the cockpit of an A-10. The wisdom of putting the canopy ejection handle next to the door that contains the normal way to open the canopy was questioned. I've no idea if the story is true, it supposedly happened in Korea in the 80's.

OC

Some days it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints

I just remember when I was in Japan Chief somewhere a seat was ejected but dont know if it was a A-10,
I remember when at Kadena the RF-4 Crewdogs talked about the "Hangar Ejection" There in the early 80's.

Did they use to have a "Full Power" run license and a "Under 80% one on the A-10 at one time reading your Story Mike?
On C-141's we did you could be 80% qualified but had to be Certified to go Full power plus your Brake rider had to be Certified too to ride the brakes on each Power run for that Certifcation.
On T-39's when I first got on them as soon as you made A1C and your 5 level you went to Engine run school until 3 guys were killed in I think either 82 or 83 when doing a engine run in Germany the Jet jumped chocks and crashed into BIG BRETHA then you had to be a E-4 SGT to run.

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Hey, Ice Pirate. Is your profile e-mail address current? Have had 2 returned to me.

_________________
Just give me some ammo, a little water.....and some chips if you got 'em

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I don't know if you can call my story funny but it sure was memorable to a lot of people.

It happened during a drill Thunderwart Exercise back in the early 1980's. We had a four man crew on the trim pad doing a post phase double engine trim check. The crew consisted of 1 full time technician Tsgt and 3 traditonal guardsmen all SSgt's. One of the SSgt's who was fully engine run certified was the initial operator of the aircraft but during the run there was some problems so he shut the aircraft down and the Tsgt replaced him.

Our trim pad back then at Barnes was of medium size and fenced it which made it difficult at times to head the nose of the aircraft being trimed into the wind.

So there was a un-written policy know by then the DCM,engine shop supervisor's and maintainer' from various sections that 100% single engine runs were done only using the aircraft chocks providing that there was a full load of fuel on board and that your feet were firmly pressed down on the pedals.

So after the engine operators switched positions the team pressed on with there trim run. Then for some reason the inevetable happen the aircraft jumped the chocks. In doing so it went through the fence,which had barded wire along the top, dragging along the old trim box,power cords,comm cords and anything else that was attached to the aircraft.

As the aircraft went through the fence it sheared hydraulic lines on the main gears. When the aircraft went through the fence it was traveling across a snow covered open field and right after the field was a deactivated runway where about 6 A10'S and a couple of fuel trucks were positioned. Fortunately and for the grace of God there was no loss of life and no one got injured. Just a lot of damage to 1 aircraft and a few people who had to go home to change there shorts.

Hey Hawg 166 I think there are only a few people at the base who remember this like T.J. Bates,Mike Burgess and Sulukowski especially Sulu. because he was one of the ground grew.Also the aircraft in question was 78-0642.

We all knew then the obvious reason this happened not using the tie down cables but still we questioned did he have his feet on the brakes at all times. Were both engines at max power as some thought they heard. Neithier questioned was never answered.

The incident made Tac Attack,which is now Air Combat, back then. There was even a drawing on the cover showing the aircraft going through the fenced. One heck of and a embarassing way to get recognition.

"GLAD TO HAVE BEEN THERE AND HAVE BEEN PROUD TO HAVE SERVERED"
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

The same jet which I am currently the ACC on. I'm willing to bet Scooby was involved too!