SEFEGeorge

Almost forgot some of the attitudes from the stick-actuators in the 6594th Test Group. After take-off most FE\'s tuned the HFs to the CB channels and the ADFs to the local radio stations.

The same goes for the Firebirds losing their 17th designation, and become the 517th, just so the frigging C-17s could get the designator. Glad I missed all the BS with that one. Sill have my 3 17th patches (basic, Instructor, and Flight Examiner).

There were a few times that I had a pilot or co-pilot reach up to the fuel panel, the air conditioning panel, or the electrical panel. I let it go the 1st time that they did it, but the 2nd time I had my pointer (those extending pointers shaped like a pen), and smacked them across the knuckles. Didn\'t set well with a few, but the ACs realized the no-no, but some of the co-pilots got beligerant and either got put in their place by the AC or by my \"tactful\" approach to their response.

The T-29 had the R2800-97w, if I remember correctly. The dash numbers had to do with what was mounted on the gearbox. The C-131 had the R2800-99w. Or was the 103w just on the C-118s? Damn hard to remember now. The auto-feather was turned on before take-off and turned-off after take-off. From what I remember (since 1975) was a loss of torque oil pressure. The 29\'s power indicator was Torque Oil Pressure. Same for the 131\'s through the B model. The C and D primary power indicator was BMEP (Brake Means Effective Power). This is from 30+ years ago so I hope memory serves me ok. Always remember syncing the props with a cup of coffee sitting on the pedestal. High lights, low lights (props at high or low stops). Ahhh, how I miss the days of those.

Automatically pulling the power on the symmetrical engine may be good for directional control, but that being the case, \"crash straight ahead\". That extra power may be what\'s keeping the bird in the air until the situation can be controlled. That\'s what 2 hard-pushing feet on the rudder pedal is for. The only \"auto\" system that I thought was useful was the auto-father system on the old Convairs (T-29, C-131). Engine quits on take-off, it\'s auto feathered to reduce drag from a wind-milling prop.

Haven\'t heard anything in the news about the move to EDF or the land left behind. But it wouldn\'t surprise me any if good-ole-boy Stevens had a hand in it.

For any female members the M actually stands for MALE. My bad........

Forgot the JC (test bed, etc.) and the YC (experimental, etc.), but that was a pretty thorough list though.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/projectfailures/?p=562&tag=nl.e550

Spent a great night at ABQ once. Picked up a bird from WR and flying back to EDF. Crew chief called from the back an hour after we passed near LRF. Went in back and he had been checking out his bird and had a ladder up to the crosswing duct. Yep in was leaking bleed air. Informed the AC and I suggested we head back to LRF, E model bird, E\'s at LRF. Plus I could see some old friends. Sounded like good thinking to me. AC decided we\'d press forward and landed at ABQ. Got into some BOQ (I think they were) and spent the night. We headed out to dinner and the O\'s decided we\'d rent a car and go to a restaurant by going in a tram car. Started talking with a young lady in the tram. She was on a business trip and we had dinner together. Hit a bar afterwards, and well, as the story goes the un-planned RON turned out pretty nice as the story goes...... The take-off from there proved interesting - E model, full fuel, high altitude, loooong take-off. The only other TO I had that was longer was LRF to Kelly, top off fuel and fill the fuel bladders in the back, then headed down to Guatamala to support rescue efforts after their earthquake in \'75. Now that was a long take-off and very slow rate of climb.

We got ours from the in-flight kitchen. One filled with water and the other filled with so-called \"coffee\". I always carried some Folgers instant coffee in my bag. It may have been instant coffee but typically it was better than the \"coffee\" from the in-flight kitchen.

Humorous email I got - You Might Be Taliban If: .You refine heroin for a living but have a moral objection to beer. .You own a $300 assault rifle and a $5,000 rocket launcher, but you can\'t afford shoes. .You have more wives than teeth. .You think vests only come in two styles: Bullet-Proof and Suicide. .You\'ve ever opened a can of falafel with a mortar round. .You\'ve used a Stinger missile given to you by George Bush Sr. to shoot at a helicopter sent by George Bush Jr. .You can\'t think of anyone you HAVEN\'T declared Jihad against. .You consider television dangerous, but routinely carry live ammunition in your robe. .You\'ve ever been asked, \'Does this burka make my ass look fat?\' .You believe the Quran is the divine word of Allah, worth dying for, but yet you don\'t know how to read. .You were amazed to discover that cell phones have uses other than setting off roadside bombs. .You\'ve ever uttered the phrase, \'I love what you\'ve done with your cave\'. .You wipe your butt with your bare left hand, but consider bacon \'unclean\'. .You\'ve ever said, \'I\'d Walk a Mile for a Camel\' and you don\'t smoke. .You get excited over T&A, only to you it means \'Toes and Ankles\'.

Don\'t worry about the surgeon, the wife and divorce will suck everything out of you anyway! There\'s a joke about how women are like hurricanes, but have to be P.C. :woohoo:

Back many years ago, probably 1979-80, while assigned to the 16 T.A.T.S at LRF \"they\" chose 4 crews to fly to Davis-Monthan, get a \"walk-around\" course on the DCs, and fly them back to LRF the next day. It was an interesting trip back. No big deal with anything only the \"caution\", \"do not play with the fuel transfer panel, etc.\" Well damn, no fun. But guys enjoyed playing with the cameras. Even flying PPs out of the 16th guys would sit back there and play. That \"bugger-nose\" radome seemed to cause some nose gear vibration though.

60g\'s on wing pylons is a hell of a load isn\'t it? A full external is a heavy load, but you\'re talking over 3.5 times the externals weight.

Arctic Village is a native village near Fort Yukon, AK. The 17th use to collect Christmas presents, O and NCO wives were a big hand in this) and fly out there with a plane load of people, wrapped presents, and Santa Claus, and treat them to a Christmas party. Usually colder than a.... and getting in on the gravel strip was not a problem. You rode snow machines or on sleds pulled by the snow machines to get to the village. No idea where all my pictures are any more from my trip out there.

I made the Arctic Village trip in 83 or 84 I believe it was. Awesome trip to go on. But it was a good thing that I had my tonsils taken out long before that. When I stopped off the plane into the COLD some other things took the place of where my tonsils would have been!!!! :ohmy: But I think that that snow machine ride to the village was the best, and the coldest......

Looked around the site some and there\'s a login required for the tech journals. But I did find out that you can retro-fit the old girl with a flush toilet for only $180,000. Not too bad to get to sit on a crapper that actually flushes and is serviced from the outside... Lookheed must be really proud of some of there mod kits....

Amen Dan......

Curious, I thought that the Herc\'s flight manual restriction for banking was 60 degrees. I\'ve seen a could videos when they were surly at 90 degrees. Maybe my old brain is getting senile.....

I stopped at Iwo once. Amazing sight. In \'83 (?) headied out of the Dorf, flying duck-butt for a C-12 heading for Korea. Made stops at Adak (gas for C-12 mainly), Midway (2 days), Wake (2 days), Iwo (gas), Japan (2 days) before we landed in Korea. Couple days of shopping and we headed back to the \'Dorf. Loads of Tac-treasures out of Yokota and Korea..... Was in the 17th at the time. Carried survival gear, etc., in case the C-12 had to ditch. Felt sorry for those guys though. They had an extra fuel tank mounted inside the fuselage. A lot of water for a 2 engine bug smasher to be flying over. \"Worst\" part of that mission was being administered my flight evaluator check ride at the time by Chief Grant. Guess he needed a reason to head to Japan and Korea for some shopping! Oh besides the fact we had an augmented crew. B)

I agree, these pieces of history need to be more than just an entry in some book. They need to be restored and displayed, along with all their pertinent information. It\'s been over 20 years but I do believe that I have some hours on the old girl.... Especially if she was at EDF or the Dorf.

About all I can remember right now is that the 3 bladed props out performed the 4 bladed props at lower altitudes. But at higher altitudes the 4 blades performed better.

I read the King 56 report. I know that they looked at the sync and TD amp issues. But wasn\'t the final opinion the engines failed due to fuel starvation brought on by improper fuel management by the FE? - i.e., all 4 engine pumps off and feeding the engines from the fuselage tank using cabin pressure so when the tank was empty the cabin pressure feed overrode the tank to engine gravity feed.

I didn\'t necessarily mean blade failures. I was just asking if the faster blade RPM contributed to the props loosing blades.