topboltsto400

might take a bit...one of them needs an engine at least.....

Some food for thought.....I read a service bulletin about the APU, found it on here a while ago.....mentioned the 15 versus 35 was for airflow, ie the 15 restricted it so it wouldn't flame out.

And...now that I'm thinking about it....how would you know if the APU door went to 35 in flight?

Imagine the concern is with the door getting ripped off??

edit....here ya go, found the article

http://www.herkybirds.com/LSN/V03/V3N4.pdf

I've seen a commercial recently on the TV, A-model airdropping a Chevy. There was one out a while ago, Herky airdropping a Range Rover (I think). Verizon has a commercial out now, has these skydiver dudes jumping out, back of the plane looks alot like Herky. Herky goes to Hollywood....(again)

The panel in the photo looks like an Air Refueling panel....seperate from the regular fuel system/panel......diagonal is allowing selection of either primary or secondary valve....horizontal is neither selected, kinda like "off"

hope that helps knock the dust off...

Thanks MT for the directions...and thanks Sonny for sharing the photos...they're cool. I do enjoy when you guys share the history....

where are these newly posted pics?

Dragon Spear and Wombat are the same....well, we called the original, HAR, infil/exfil, low level, airdrop W the Wombat, and the gun/sensor/sopgm version the Dragon Spear...on paper it is the Combat Spear. Wombat is the friendly name, the one everyone likes, maybe not so "professional", so of course the really blue people don't like it.. Dragon Spear is the MOD project name, it just kinda stuck around....

You'll be assigned to the 551st when you get to Cannon. It's the training squadron. You'll get some kind of class start date, then it should be ~15 wks till you're done. Apply any type of variable you want to lengthen/shorten the class...Good Luck!

W flt manual says 63+/-7 (or 56-70..half dozen one way, 6 the other). Not sure of the current page number as my (home) -1 doesn't get the changes, but it is section 2 under the "Starting Engines checklist"

Hope that helps.

Guessing flag check was seeing if a 5th or 10th puck was stuck open?

You could also man on the stand it...a bleed port gasket could be blown out, could cause performance problems. Anything bleed air related could be leaking, sometimes tough to find (hence the man on the stand run)

Maybe stating the obvious, but is the torque gage calibrated correctly? Another thing, in LSGI, do the anti ice check, should see at least a 24 degree rise. Anything less and an anti ice component could have failed (ant-ice=fail safe) many an anti ice solenoid have failed and been the culprit to a low power -7

Saw this a few times...found the ground stop switches under the throttle quadrant (ACTUATED BY THE CONDITION LEVERS) to be the culprit more often than anythign else. Dirt, dust, spilled coffee etc gunks up the contacts. Can of electrical contact cleaner should do the trick, making it easier would be a little extension to get down to the switches, then blast away. (little tube, often seen when you get a can of wd-40)

-good luck

You could go through the rigging, and blade angles...ensure they're all set properly. LSGI pitch should move enough air across the oil cooler to keep it cool. Also ensure the oil level is proper, lower oil level will result in higher temps. Could always clean the oil cooler, could be mucked up restricting flow. As mentioned, the ol' bump the throttle technique works well, and has forvever. But given crappy weather you could easily flame out an engine if you're not careful. Sometimes you got to go with the time limitation associated with the high temp and live with it (5/30 min, in-flt/grnd ops {your limitations could be different}).

Classic C-130 ops, oh how I love augmentation these days...

good luck with it!

Helen Back has free pizza for military on Monday nights...line gets long but free is free. Fokkers is cool too...good pizza, and I love their wings. Its on Miracle Strip (98), tucked in the back behind that snowcone stand. McGuires as mentioned, never had anything bad to eat there, however I haven't tried all of the burgers. Gus' Corona Cafe is good for lunch, off of 98, behind Daddy's Bar-B-Q, good food, and cheap. Slick Micks is good for a cheesesteak (not as good as Philly [home for me], but worth it. Bellisimo's on Eglin Parkway for Italian...I like Joe and Eddies for breakfast, has that northeast diner feel to it...cheap and quick...waitress will call you sweetie or hun and keep dumping coffee in your cup.

Bar's...there are ton's there, pick one...I like the local's places, drinks are cheaper people are more interesting...

Out in Pensacola on the NAS is a neat museum...been thru it a few times, always enjoyed it. Also strolled the Eglin armarment museum, again neat if you like museums. Spent most of the summer down there doing Dragon Spear testing...got the idea to pick up a fishing rod one day. Cheap little Ugly Stick combo, little tackle box, foam cooler and a 12 pack...loadmaster and I got 156 fish in 3 afternoons...nothing huge, but fun nonetheless.

That is some of my routine when I go down there, but if you know someone with a boat...whole other world.

Have fun

maybe excessive but nice to have....

m-4 w/3 45 rnd mags and 203 grenade launcher for FE's and Loads, m-9 Beretta (9mm) with 3 15 rnd mags, m-249 (SAW)...w/1200 rnds, FE's and Loads got qual'd....and that was fun to get qual'd on

Cool video, thanks for sharing. I get a kick out of seeing some of that nostalgic AF stuff, particularly seeing friends having fun in some place that isn't home.

Been doing the Afghan/Iraq thing past few years, coolest spot is the smokepit..

my only guess would be the back of the 2J-T56-56. Manufactures tech manuals sometimes had stuff like that tucked away in it as well...might be another place to look.

I did T/C for a few yrs in Germany, hands down best job I had in the AF...loved it. Not sure we ever had a "run" cklist, other than the -56.

Not to hijack you, but is that a CelTech test cell? We had an "A" model and a "D" model test cell...one was steam gages, the other had a computer monitor for the gages. The computer one sucked...bad...worthless....POS...etc.

Good luck!

Sounds like you had a good time. Good to hear it!! Strange as it may sound, I kinda miss the mighty E-models....don't miss the (lack of) A/C as opposed to the W's, but was nice to grow up on them....

It's not Cannon that is bad...whole Wombat mission has been a good gig, squadron (people) are VERY cool...Been out here ~2.5, and the base while not a good one, is getting better. Maybe in 5 yrs it'll be "just OK"

clovis is another story...not a big fan, I vol'd to come out here. My AF time started at Hurlburt as an Engine Troop. Was a great first base, location was great...hot and humid.. but a good time. Had some great co-workers/supervision...and that AFSOC mentality was implanted from the get go. After PCS'ing, seen some different sides of the AF, and while none is better than the other, just different, I liked the AFSOC business better. So when Pope got BRAC'd I had to go, LR was an option but having done the AMC gig, I wanted something different, and then got the Wombat gig..whether a Dragon Spear or Combat Wombat, they're both pretty cool and I sure like doing that better than 56/2 all over the desert. clovis, (note I do not capitalize it) is OK for living...I go to work and come home...that is about all it is good for. I shop on base as much as possible or go to Lubbock/Amarillo/Abq. I try not to give the a$$hole locals a dime...sure there are some nice ones, but I've had some run ins with them and wouldn't mind seeing this place incinerated.

Having said that, for location I'd love to go back to Pope, but mission wise, and not knocking Pope/AMC, Cannon takes the win for me. Cool job, $hitty spot.....

oh yeah, when I retire, law school, congress, BRAC the $hit outta that place, I'll take that vote!

yup, if you wanna work on Hercs...you'll likely see one of the big 3 (Pope, LR, or Dyess). Hurlburt is one of those place you may get to and never leave, but with AFSOC west (cannon), that's a gamble, with a devastating outcome should you lose the bet.

Pope wasn't too bad (by my own definition) when I was there. Location is nice, NC is a nice state...Fayetteville is iffy at times, but not bad. Lot to do around there, I liked the coast, not a long drive. Mountains on the east end as well. Doesn't compare to clovis, Fayettville/Sanford being a mecca, should you put them against each other.

Air Force is Air Force...meaning knuckleheads at base X are gonna be at base Y...you'll never escape them..

Ramstein is a 130 base..don't want to stay there? I 'd sever a limb to go back....

good luck with your assignment

if you're committed to heading down the V/H path...might want to look at the filters before going with a total valve housing, they're often overlooked.

good luck

are these the "Talon III"?

Just spent two weeks at Eglin doing some test lines on one of the Dragon Spear planes that just got mod'ed.

Drove past a few planes, curious if anyone knew anything about them....looks like an E-model is parked out there, kinda behind the climate test hangar, off the main drag near the gun test spot. Anyone know what that plane is up to/history/story etc?

Also there was a C-27 (i think) parked right in front of it. Watched 'em take it apart, put it on a truck and disappear. Any info on that? Heard it had a fuel line rupture, messed up the wing, grounded it...the windows were blacked out.

Just curious...thanks!

Indoc, hope its smooth for you. Should be painless, few orientation flights (although you flew at LR and are staying at LR), then get on your way. Get through that, get out on your own...local stuff gets old, but is what it is...experience. Get on a few TDY's, work hard play hard...good time crew dogging it up!

Prior Crew Chief? don't forget those guys...just got back from a 2 wk trip to Eglin. It was like 100 degress 100% humidity. Takes a bit after engine start to get our stuff fired up in the back (dragon spear mod'ed plane). Well, CC was out to marshall us, we opened the door invited him in to sit in the AC instead of melt on the line....He was dumbstruck....

Also had a wing fuel leak out there, plane went to fuel cell for a day. No flying for us, but MX had to work, aircrew had fun that day, lot of seafood and beer. However, we brought our maintainers a few cases of beer on ice next day after the plane was fixed, flew a 2.0 and brought it back A-1, short enough the ice didn't melt all the way...little things like that go a long way....

Sure you'll hear "stay in the books" alot. Don't know about you, but my pubs bag is heavy, Ileave it at my desk. I got an extra -1 from the pubs shop, leave it at the house, bust it open every know and then, knock the cobwebs off the cranium. Beats carrying it home all the time

Again, good for you, and have fun!!

Good for you! This FE gig is fun stuff. I graduated LR about 4 yrs ago...kinda miss being an engine troop sometimes....

61st still flying the mighty E-models?

I think RZhill is referring to the Guard stuff you mentioned...

few know what they're doing...some just in it for the money.....

Maybe? IDK...but I'm guessing you weren't trying to knock anyone with that...

no harm no foul...

again I've never worked with the Guard/Reserve guys in tha atmosphere, and I don't really want to speak on my old workmates behalf...but they weren't saying anything like treating each other like $h1T, more like cultural differences, for example I've seen Guard/Reserve planes with built in tool boxes, never seen one like that on a AD plane...know what I mean...

those are all split beween AD and Guard/Reserve...seems odd they are the only choices.

Cannon...I'm stationed there now. Gunships (H's) and MC-130W Wombats, no talons...it snows, but stay away. When it snows that "when hell freezes over..." statement just happened Cannon is the base funding forgot about, knowing it would one day close...but it didn't. That said it is OK and on the up....but it will take a while to get some resemblance of being a nice base. clovis....story in itself. I hate that town and more so the born and breed locals..... it has inspired me to graduate law school, get into politics, then lobby to get that base BRAC'd once and for all. I dream mother nature will unleash her wrath on that hole....just incinerate the whole area, put it and its "proud citizens" out of existence...OK enough, it is a shithole, if you get orders there, RUN AWAY!!! There is nothing around it either, you'd be stuck in clovis or Portales....closest glimpse of civilzation beyond that is Lubbock, which BTW is like a mecca to me now.

Pope was OK. Things have changed there, it being one of those split Guard/AD deals. Not sure how much air they put in airborne anymore. I'd seen all the pics and heard the stories about the mass airdrops...looked cool. However, I think the c-17s stole that one from them. I was there 04-08....did a couple fo the green ramp large package weeks....couple of 130's moslty 17s. Even after x-training, dropping actual troopers was a rarity. Some friend still there have mixed emotions about it...working with the Guard guys that is. Won't speak for them, as I have never worked in that enviroment. North Carolina was nice....actually like that state.

never spent a whole lot of time at the others. Heard Cheyenne is pricey but beautiful. Keesler...Gulf Coast right? may not be the best place to live for a few years till this oil business gets figured out. Peterson, few TDYS around that area liked it