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The real test of a good flight deck crew is to continue flight operations at the same tempo as you do in daytime, without any more casualties. It was always tougher because during the day you usually saw the bad stuff coming at you, at night it was always a surprise when something bad happened to you.
Now, I loved the night. But I have always had great night vision. One of the Native American traits in me was really good night vision, coupled with red colorblindness (the true blindness not the color dysfunction which most people have) I could see all the things that made working at night miserable. Tie down chains, boarding ladders, props or rotors, power cables and fuel hoses. All of these trip hazards I could see pretty well. Most guys that work the flight deck sport a horrible rash on their shins, known as "Tie Down Chain Rash", it comes from stumbling into chains used to tie the aircraft down. The skin being scraped off you shins, night after night after night. This was a similar rash to what is known to those who work inside the ship as "Knee-Knocker Rash". This you get from not clearing the many bulkhead cutouts in the passageways.
Moving about the flight deck, everything is tighter at night. (USN Photo)A Handler signals to "hold" brakes with his crossed wands. (USN photo)+041031-N-6817C-018.jpg)
Another Hoover takes the shot. (USN Photo)
It was good work when you could get it!!
BT: Jimmy T sends.
6 comments:
The Military Channel did a few shows on carrier ops this weekend, and one the things they emphasized over and over and over again is how dangerous it is "on the roof." I nodded north-south a lot...
Buck, yeah it was pretty interesting. I have noticed at how many people they allow up on the flight deck today. They had always restricted the number of people to a bare minimum needed to not only get the job done but to put down any fire or crash that would happen. Today, there seems to be huge crowds on the roof and I don't get it. We had 10/11 squadrons in our air wing but today's air wing is not nearly as diverse and you certainly don't need that many people up there. I guess its a different time, but one nasty accident with a lot of fatalities and they will go back.
BT: Jimmy T sends.
Yeah like when I was on the Kennedy 86 Med cruise. We had an A-6 come in to the right of the foul line, Boom right wing goes through the Helo, continues on and opens the Massive Fire Truck like a sardine can, as the A6 now decides to do barrel rolls on the roof. I was a Mass Casualty Stretcher Bearer at the time and I will leave to gory stuff out. Just a complete wake up call when you hear the call for Stretcher Bearer's at 03:00 in the AM and you hear those chilling words "This Is Not a Drill"
Ed, we had a similar incident with an E-2 once, crossed the centerline and its wing impacted a KA-6 while being refuled. We had 6 dead in that one and it would have been a lot more today because of the crowds that stand around the flight deck.
We also had an A-6 on the Ike that took out the MB-5 fire truck too, made it an instant convertible. Only two fatailites with that one, you may have been aboard for that one, it was on Ike in late '78. The A-6 by the way flew back into the pattern for another try. Two dead in that one, both from the crew of the fire truck.
BT: Jimmy T sends.
Yes I do remember that one VA-65 if I am correct. I had actually gotten a hop to the ship via a Hoover. Only in the squadron 2 months and I was already in the SENSO seat of a hoover and you'll never guess who my TACCO was ...yep Good Ole Ensign Odin. Of course I had no idea who that was and much to my surprise when I tapped him on the shoulder and he rolled to the side, until I realized what a "dummy" he was ;-)
Ed, I've spent a lot of time in the seat next to Ensign Odin!! He was quite the load!!
BT: Jimmy T sends.
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