Vortex Ring State Versus Settling With Power.

[Hello-bird]

With who or with what?

 

JD

 

You JD. Take me now !!

This thread. The stories. This industry. And everyone in it.

What's not to love?? I can't wait to fly.

 

 

 

[Guest jacdor]

You JD. Take me now !!

This thread. The stories. This industry. And everyone in it.

What's not to love?? I can't wait to fly.

 

 

OOokk but I will have to wait till nobody is looking.

 

JD

[splitpin]

Well...I guess it's time for my HUP-3/Greasegun story. Once again, it happened to Yours Truly.

I was stationed at VU-33 Squadron (Naval Air) at Pat Bay Airport at Sidney, B.C. The year was 1961. I am now an Able Seaman Aircraft Technician (ABAT). I had been working on the Queens Machines for a grand total of 3 years and I figured that I pretty well knew everything there was to know about helicopters. One morning I was told to do a D.I on HUP 621 and that also entailed a grease job. I had finished the aft head and was just starting the forward head when I was called into the hangar for a phone call. After the call I returned to the machine only to find the crew in the machine ready for startup. Ready to go? says the Captain. Yes Sir I reply, she's Tickety-Boo. I'm standing about 20 feet in front of the machine when the Navy Blue arm sticks out the window with the thumbs up. Returning a thumbs up the honkin' old radial burbs to life in a cloud of blue smoke. Within moments she is purring like a kitten. The blue arm sticks out again making a twirling motion. I return the motion and the blades slowly start to rotate. They pick up speed quickly when I see with shock an object fly like a bullet from the front head and land right beside me. I glance down and see to my horror a fricken grease gun!! SHYTE!!!

I do a little shuffle to my left in a vain attempt to hide the evidence. To little-too late! The machine shuts down and the Pilot walks over to me and asks what a greasegun is doing on the ground behind me. I stammer and mumble for a few seconds and realize that life as I have known it is over for me. The Captains manner was not very professional and he called me several names that up to that point in my young life had no idea what they meant. I hoped my Dear Mother would understand why they shot her Son at the crack of dawn.

A few days later there I am, up on charges for dereliction of duty, etc, etc, etc. I'm marched into th C.O.'s office to answer the charges. How do you plead, I'm asked after the charges were read out to me. "Not Guilty Sir' I reply. There is a hushed silence in the room as all the officers in the room tried to digest what they had just heard from an obviously guilty culprit.

The C.O. asks me how I have managed to consider myself not guilty in the face of such damning evidence. I replied that I am sort of guilty but there are other party's that are equally guilty and they should be charged as well. How so? says the C.O. I asked if the crew had done a complete walkaround in accordance with regulations. Well Shyte, you would think I had pulled the pin on a hand grenade. All these Offices start arguing with each other as to the merits of my statement. This went on for several minutes when they realized I was still there listening. Some agreed with me, some didn't. What a clusterf-ck!! I was asked to leave the room and wait outside. Then they really got at it!! I could not believe what I was hearing from Officers. After some time they all filed out of the room. Some glared at me, some smiled.

I was called back into the room and lo and behold the C.O. asked me to have a seat. Just the C.O. and me in the room. Very cosy. He asked me if I realized what could have happened th the machine and the crew. Absolutely, I replied. I feel very bad about what happened, but I was interrupted in my job and I just lost track of what I was doing. It won't happen again Sir. Well, try to be more carefully in the future Son, and that was a slick move on your part dodging the bullet. I swear to this day the was a very slight trace of a grin on his face.

The irony is that a few years later I ended up working for the C.O. on civvy street and we had a few good chuckles over the incident when quaffing a few pints after work.

 

I guess the moral of my story is "Never let yourself be interrupted when working on or around Helicopters"

[splitpin]

You JD. Take me now !!

 

JD!!! You lucky Dog!!

 

[splitpin]

Splitpin -------Yeah, my dad sent me for the 'propwash' gig, but started that crap on me at a very young age (11), so momma stepped-in and saved my young heinie on that one. I was left to 'flounder' on the rest of those and no motherly love came to save me again.......except a lot of head-shaking by her.     Years later I was sent to a auto junk yard to get a set of old points from a 1948 International 1/2T and I said......."Not this time baby. Get another fool". Had an old engineer years later that went and got the EXACT same thing to replace a set of points we didn't have in spares for a Bell 47G4A. They didn't quite fit inside and the points hung on the outside of the mags and 'clapped away', but they did the job for sure. So much for being a smart*ss one time too .

 

Oh, for the good old days. eh Cap?? I've rebuilt many starters and generators from the local Ford dealership when stuck in places like Buttf-ck Alberta. No tags, no paperwork, just get her flying!! I guess those days are gone forever. Probably for the best.

[Hello-bird]

Well...I guess it's time for my HUP-3/Greasegun story. Once again, it happened to Yours Truly.

I was stationed at VU-33 Squadron (Naval Air) at Pat Bay Airport at Sidney, B.C. The year was 1961. I am now an Able Seaman Aircraft Technician (ABAT). I had been working on the Queens Machines for a grand total of 3 years and I figured that I pretty well knew everything there was to know about helicopters. One morning I was told to do a D.I on HUP 621 and that also entailed a grease job. I had finished the aft head and was just starting the forward head when I was called into the hangar for a phone call. After the call I returned to the machine only to find the crew in the machine ready for startup. Ready to go? says the Captain. Yes Sir I reply, she's Tickety-Boo. I'm standing about 20 feet in front of the machine when the Navy Blue arm sticks out the window with the thumbs up. Returning a thumbs up the honkin' old radial burbs to life in a cloud of blue smoke. Within moments she is purring like a kitten. The blue arm sticks out again making a twirling motion. I return the motion and the blades slowly start to rotate. They pick up speed quickly when I see with shock an object fly like a bullet from the front head and land right beside me. I glance down and see to my horror a fricken grease gun!! SHYTE!!!

I do a little shuffle to my left in a vain attempt to hide the evidence. To little-too late! The machine shuts down and the Pilot walks over to me and asks what a greasegun is doing on the ground behind me. I stammer and mumble for a few seconds and realize that life as I have known it is over for me. The Captains manner was not very professional and he called me several names that up to that point in my young life had no idea what they meant. I hoped my Dear Mother would understand why they shot her Son at the crack of dawn.

A few days later there I am, up on charges for dereliction of duty, etc, etc, etc. I'm marched into th C.O.'s office to answer the charges. How do you plead, I'm asked after the charges were read out to me. "Not Guilty Sir' I reply. There is a hushed silence in the room as all the officers in the room tried to digest what they had just heard from an obviously guilty culprit.

The C.O. asks me how I have managed to consider myself not guilty in the face of such damning evidence. I replied that I am sort of guilty but there are other party's that are equally guilty and they should be charged as well. How so? says the C.O. I asked if the crew had done a complete walkaround in accordance with regulations. Well Shyte, you would think I had pulled the pin on a hand grenade. All these Offices start arguing with each other as to the merits of my statement. This went on for several minutes when they realized I was still there listening. Some agreed with me, some didn't. What a clusterf-ck!! I was asked to leave the room and wait outside. Then they really got at it!! I could not believe what I was hearing from Officers. After some time they all filed out of the room. Some glared at me, some smiled.

I was called back into the room and lo and behold the C.O. asked me to have a seat. Just the C.O. and me in the room. Very cosy. He asked me if I realized what could have happened th the machine and the crew. Absolutely, I replied. I feel very bad about what happened, but I was interrupted in my job and I just lost track of what I was doing. It won't happen again Sir. Well, try to be more carefully in the future Son, and that was a slick move on your part dodging the bullet. I swear to this day the was a very slight trace of a grin on his face.

The irony is that a few years later I ended up working for the C.O. on civvy street and we had a few good chuckles over the incident when quaffing a few pints after work.

 

I guess the moral of my story is "Never let yourself be interrupted when working on or around Helicopters"

 

I thought stories came with tucking in... ?

 

[oban]

Oh, for the good old days. eh Cap?? I've rebuilt many starters and generators from the local Ford dealership when stuck in places like Buttf-ck Alberta. No tags, no paperwork, just get her flying!! I guess those days are gone forever. Probably for the best.

 

I wonder if the timing coincides with the change in terminology from mechanic to engineer..... I like mechanics better.

[cap]

Splitpin........Your 'phone call episode' reminded me of another 'phone call' made many years ago that spurred a possible catatrophic event and also attests to proper pilot DI's......or lack of.

 

It's the late 60's and a certain 204 for a certain eastern company has just been pushed out after an all-winter O/H. It''s supposed to go north ASAP to service a long term Dew Line contract.........and it's already about a day late on departure. Everything has been checked and double-checked and a very experienced and very good 204 engineer is now ensuring that the last thing is done to the a/c.........ensuring that the mast nut ('Jesus nut') has the proper torque setting and is lock-wired correctly.

 

At the same time as the above is taking place, said engineer's wife is in hospital for the birth of a child. A call for said engineer to take the phone comes over the outdoor loudspeaker from a secretary in the hangar. Without hesitation, he climbs quickly down off the a/c and runs into the hangar to answer that call because he was sure it was from the hospital and he was concerned about wifey and babe. The pilot, we won't name who, comes outside and DI's said a/c because it's already fully loaded (and then some) and he awaits his accompanying engineer because the pressure is on and they are late already........and it's a long way from that part of eastern Canada all the way to the Arctic Islands. Engineer appears with personal gear and away they go and a/c is flying just great...... and verrrry smooth. Through the central part of Quebec the weather deteriorates to blowing snow, 1/4 vis at times and very high winds......and it defines 'sparsely-settled area'. Good time to land and wait it out, but decision made to keep at it, since HF radio has indicated that area around Ungava Bay (oooops...old name) is sunny and just great for miles and miles.

 

What was not known by said pilot and engineer was that after they took-off, previous 204 engineer who was doing the inspection on the head and managed said wintertime O/H, now arrives back out on the tarmac to complete job and lockwire mast nut...........and the 204 is GONE.....but WHERE? He rushes into hangar and asks. It's quickly discovered that it's someplace beyond radio contact because it's down very low because they can't contact it. The company tries all manner of things without advising anyone of how serious the problem is. Finally they give-up and after contacting all manner of MoT radio stations with 'veiled' messages to be passed-on to said 204 a/c , they contact the Ungava Bay Station and advise them that when the 204 arrives osite, they are to advise said aircrew to not move another foot without contacting company HQ and that the a/c is "Grounded" immediately upon arrival. The 204 and aircrew arrive some time later after their 700+ mile trip to be advised by HQ that they had just made said trip, through the weather conditions mentioned......and the mast nut was only a little more than HAND TIGHT.....AND not lockwired. Pilot and engineer have 600 ft. Lb. torquewrench with them for their Arctic summer and they tighten and lockwire said mast nut 'toute suite'.........then spend that whole evening imbibing some 'medicinal alcohol' in large, huge quantities.

 

 

That's an event that involved an experienced 204 pilot and a very experienced 204 engineer, who was good enough to be in charge of that O/H. He still exists in this industry today and I'd still fly any a/c he worked on though **** upside down if he stated it was okay to operate. So it's not just the newbies of aviation who make boneheaded mistakes. Throw in some hurry, hurry to get going, a wife having a possible difficult time in hospital having a baby and one anxious to-be-father who should not have been on-duty that day and a pilot who knew who was inspecting the Head and had infallible trust in said engineer.......and didn't make that final top-most check......and you have your recipe for disaster.

[cap]

Ooops

[splitpin]

http://www.copters.com/aero/settling.html