Close Call!

[NavAir42]

An IFT. Found probably smoking in the head or at the galley vent or sleeping next to the P-chutes, waiting for the opportunity to yank a box out of the rack, smash it with a hammer or flashlight, reattach the plugs and kick it back into the rack. Then the gear works, just like magic...

We had been having problems with our one of our UHF radios while we were out in Sig and called our IFT to see if he could do anything. I had just got out of the seat and what do I see the IFT do? Pull the RT out and drop it from about chest high before sticking it back into the rack. Didn't have a problem with that radio again. I can think of no logical explanation for why that would work, but it did.

 

[dbatt005]

Buoy falls through a house in Mandarin

http://jacksonville.com/timothy-j-g...racking-device-landed-near-bed-was-unoccupied

 

[Jim123]

... smash it with a hammer or flashlight... Then the gear works, just like magic...

... drop it from about chest high... Didn't have a problem with that radio again. I can think of no logical explanation for why that would work...

Maybe a cold solder ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_solder_joint )? I had an old car with an intermittent relay that would work just fine using some Rick James troubleshooting on my dashboard (technique only). My passengers didn't always know what to think about that... and it wasn't even an airplane.

 

[picklesuit]

No drift on that bouy...

 

[wplax26]

"The commanding officer who just assumed command a week ago." Talk about a welcoming present! Seriously though I'm concerned over the fall out of this. I'm extremely curious what the circumstances were but I know that's not for public forums. Should be an interesting Monday....

 

[Red_]

I first heard about this from this article:

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23635121/detail.html

The comments at the end are the best part.

 

[Flugelman]

An IFT. Found probably smoking in the head or at the galley vent or sleeping next to the P-chutes, waiting for the opportunity to yank a box out of the rack, smash it with a hammer or flashlight, reattach the plugs and kick it back into the rack. Then the gear works, just like magic...

LMAO...

One of my favorites was when the ASA-16 (P3-B TACCO Scope) wouldn't pick up a marker and it would go zipping across the screen at 3 second intervals. Open the door next to SS3 position and apply a hefty size 10 boot to the big black box. Problem solved...

As far as smoking in the head or galley, we could smoke anywhere. :icon_tong

 

[Flugelman]

We had been having problems with our one of our UHF radios while we were out in Sig and called our IFT to see if he could do anything. I had just got out of the seat and what do I see the IFT do? Pull the RT out and drop it from about chest high before sticking it back into the rack. Didn't have a problem with that radio again. I can think of no logical explanation for why that would work, but it did.

It's called percussion alignment...

 

[ea6bflyr]

My S-3 buddies said they did the same drop re-alignment. It would re-seat the cards in the box without opening it up.

-ea6bflyr

 

[Able Dog]

IFT? What, no more Ordnanceman on these crews?

 

[NavAir42]

Me thinks someone just dated himself.

 

[PerDiem]

We had been having problems with our one of our UHF radios while we were out in Sig and called our IFT to see if he could do anything. I had just got out of the seat and what do I see the IFT do? Pull the RT out and drop it from about chest high before sticking it back into the rack. Didn't have a problem with that radio again. I can think of no logical explanation for why that would work, but it did.

IFT wizardry. Too bad in this case, simple physics turned it into a bad day.

 

[Brett327]

It's a miracle this doesn't happen more. It's very easy for the buoy's locking mechanism to give you a false locked feeling when they're being loaded. Nice work, LM.

Brett

 

[twobecrazy]

It's a miracle this doesn't happen more. It's very easy for the buoy's locking mechanism to give you a false locked feeling when they're being loaded. Nice work, LM.

Brett

I don't think its a miracle because if everyone does their job those bouys have hands on at least 4 times before that plane is wheels up.

On another note when I checked them if I found more than 3 that were loose I would reload the entire belly. In fact I recall one time when I was on a Det in Whidbey I found 4 that were loose. So I performed my standard reload. Then my TACCO comes out of his brief and wanted all the setting changed. Two reloads in one day was a pain. I learned to check the bouys after the TACCO shows up after that one.

 

[HeloBubba]

What you P-3 guys miss out on is the post-mission-throw-the-empty-tubes-over-the-side drill.