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Flight Suit Pen Pockets suck for Lefties

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MAKE VAPES said:
Prowler folks...
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We just don't do FOD checks anymore before we do our low levels :icon_wink
But yeah there have been many times where ECMO 2 or 3 FOD the jet, usually its a guy back there building up his time in the jet who has no idea what the fuck he is going back there. Recently while doing FCLPs a instructor Ecmo was missing two of his flashlights due to a fuck up at PR shop. They downed all of the aircraft that night. They don't mess around with FOD in prowler land. If you drop something in the Prowler, it could go a lot of places. Unlike the T-45 where it was always under the ejection seat and maintenance could easily reach it. Not sure about the hornet though. You don't want to be the guy that downs a jet due to fod, especially in 129 where the number of up jets is usually very, very low.
 
a-6intruder said:
.....you either had to ask for the pilot to unload the jet, and hope the pen floated back up to where you could get it, unstrap and root around for it in flight.....
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Been there ... and he actually 'caught it' in mid-air ... I love creative B/N's .... :D
 
Pull up 20 or so degrees, bunt nose for negative .5ish g's, idle boards plus a little stick waggle.... grab crap off top of canopy (usually it lands on the glare shield for easy recovery)... repeat if required....

Don't kill yourself.
 
If I'm right handed and reach over and take my pen out of my pen pocket on the left side and then jam it into my eye while simultaneously bunting the aircraft trying to find my Leatherman on the floor, will it make this thread end?
 
OttoWrote8 said:
What about hard candy? Surely some of that must have floated up from the floorboard abyss as well, yeeeaaaas? Something to occupy the oral fixation whilst attending to the cataloging of new writing utensils....

:D
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Well, not hard candy but we had a junior ECMO who's second hop in the squadron was a Translant open one of those giant bags of peanut M&M's which literally exploded showering the entire rear cockpit with the things. M&M's were showing up in flight for months. :D.

I was in the front seat and you could hear the "Oh' shit" from both guys in back without ICS.
 
Pugs said:
Well, not hard candy but we had a junior ECMO who's second hop in the squadron was a Translant open one of those giant bags of peanut M&M's which literally exploded showering the entire rear cockpit with the things. M&M's were showing up in flight for months. :D.

I was in the front seat and you could hear the "Oh' shit" from both guys in back without ICS.
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Well, as long as he brought enough for the whole class. At least it gives you something to do on those long translant flights!

I would love to see/frame a MAF that includes "M&Ms". :D
 
The easiest thing I found is one of these
products_RE_10F_lg.jpg
You can write let go and it's back where you left it. No problem with G's or low levels. You should be able to pick one up at the NEX. The only thing I would do to modify it, is to reinforce with tape on the part that goes around the pen....Money.
 
Kycntryboy said:
The easiest thing I found is one of these
products_RE_10F_lg.jpg
You can write let go and it's back where you left it. No problem with G's or low levels. You should be able to pick one up at the NEX. The only thing I would do to modify it, is to reinforce with tape on the part that goes around the pen....Money.
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Or you could just tie the damn thing to your kneedboard. No gucci gadget can trump 6-8 inches of good old string...free from your local PR shop. No modifications required.
 
wlawr005 said:
Or you could just tie the damn thing to your kneedboard. No gucci gadget can trump 6-8 inches of good old string...free from your local PR shop. No modifications required.
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Or that cord from your flight suit shroud cutter pocket. Works like a champ and between the 4 issued bags, you get about 187 miles of it.

Incidentally, the one thing I've never seen anyone keep in the shroud cutter pocket is a shroud cutter. It does fit a small mag-light, though. Good for preflighting and otherwise poking around the airplane, especially since that survival gear L-flashlight is fucking useless.
 
a-6intruder said:
1. If you drop your pen there's a remote possibility it will get stuck somewhere and jam throttles or flight controls........

2. If you drop your pen and can't find it, you have an obligation to down the aircraft after the flight for FOD in the cockpit. ......
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Excellent points. I will also add in certain aircraft, a pen can find its way into the "spine" of the jet or migrate elsewhere as well. FA-18A-D this can happen and I don't think I need to go on about what can happen then. If you doubt this fact, get your safety officer to search WESS and find the mishap HAZREP.

As for fessing up and downing the aircraft...this is extremely over looked. It takes "balls" to fess up to this (you willl get razzed from maint Chief, and even more so from ready room)...and one reasons I would never "totally" yell and lay into a student for this, yeah mistake but at least fessed up...but still should never have happened.

Mistakes happen, secure pen and take that issue out of the "swiss cheese model". Hell after a while you will learn to debrief a whole flight from memory :icon_tong My humble opinion? The pen pocket is for office convenience only. When you walk on a flight, for god's sake 'de fod yourself'.

Nothing worse then knowing the jet was downed for FOD (whatever it was) and ready the book to find out "never found". Guess what Chief, I found it on my hop in middle of BFM set.
 
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