PACAF'S thread about cc favors

[DC10FE]

This is in response to PACAF’s post about crew chiefs doing favors. His post got me to thinking so I started a new thread so as not to hijack his..

First of all, this is not a USAF bashing rant – it’s just some of my personal observations.

It never ceases to amaze me about the differences between military C-130 and commercial L-100 operations. I can honesty say that I have never “intentionally broken†an airplane just to stay in some garden spot or to visit the family – or for any other reason.

Although the C-130 and the L-100 are basically the same airframe, there are minor differences, such as the lower cockpit windows, the battery bus systems, the cargo compt configurations, avionics, etc, The real difference is the operators; not just the Herc operators, but all airplane operators – military and civilian. If I break down in Honolulu – intentionally or not – I’m losing money. I don’t get paid if I’m sitting in Moose McGillycuddy’s slamming down Bud’s while waiting for a part; I’m spending a lot more than the measly $34.00/day per diem the company hands out. That down time also puts the company in jeopardy – the risk losing a lucrative contract for sub-par performance, plus having to generate another airplane and crew and ferry it to wherever -- on their own nickel, which isn’t cheap, depending on the equipment (check my user name). And when I’m talking about crews, I’m not talking about those prima donna Delta, American and USAir crews – I’m talking about the small freight-dog companies that survive from contract to contract.

I guess after all this BS, what I’m trying to say is that the military and civilian mind-set about aviation is completely different. A friend of mine at Lynden Air Cargo told me a few weeks ago that they had lost their military contracts in Ramstein and Yokota and that the military “powers-that-be†decided the military could handle it. Well, some of you old-timers on this board will probably remember the fiasco back in the early 1970’s when they thought the same thing and canceled the USAF Logair and USN Quicktrans contracts and let MAC do the trips. In no time at all, there were broke MAC planes scattered all over the world. Those crews got paid no matter what.

So, it’s not about integrity. It’s about 2 completely different attitudes about flying and $$$$$.

OK, stick a fork in me -- I'm done.

Don R.

[Dan Wilson]

I never intentionally "broke" the jet on the road just to get a good deal in 5000 hours on the Herk.

The closest I have came was we left Rhine Main and flew to Sigonela. We landed and the new prop on the #1 spot was leaking to beat the band. Well I had the CC service it and we milked it to the next stop which was Napoli, don't really qualify "breaking" the airplane as the plane was already broke, we (the CC and I) we slightly selective in the location we broke:rolleyes:

I felt crappy about doing that, but it was my last run in Europe before PCSing back to the states and I never got the chance to see Pompeii.

Pompeii was great but it always bothered me that I did that, normally if I milked something like that it was to complete the mission, not to get a couple of days being a tourist.

Now to the broken planes on the road, that's almost as much a problem with the supply system as it is with the crews, there were times in the 37th were we had three weeks worth of Weekly Med shuttle crews broken in Aviano - just waiting on stinking parts, normally you could normally find Dan Moen broken there LOL (he had serious bad juju with Aviano).

We wont even talk about AFSOC's LRC - they are even beyond worthless, you would usually have to generate another of your own airplanes to run parts because LRC couldn't get off their butt to do their own job.

The one thing that boiled my bum initially on PACAF's post is when he said that the Nav asked the Pilot if they could "break" the airplane. There were only a couple of times in my 25 years that I went full tilt, military, full metal jacket on people.

One time was when a crew chief told me "you just don't want to fly" when we were in Turkey doing ONW/OPC, poor guys, I thought he was going to crap himself when I was done. Felt pretty bad about that one, he was a really good chief and must have just had a real pissy day when he said that. Normally we got along great.

Another time was at the 550th in ABQ, doing my preflight and the Radio Operator came up and said "break the plane, I dont want to fly tonight", I had that bimbo on the floor of the flight deck bawling her eyes out when I was done and that one I have never felt bad about - at all.

I have always figured if you dont want to fly, your in the wrong job then - so do us all a favor and go away.

Dan

Edited January 30, 2010 by Dan Wilson