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Emergency Flight Quarters!
Fall of 1987, I was still aboard the U.S.S. Merrill. And we were on our way up to Vancouver, BC. to an event and port visit. The ship was being prepared for deployment the next year, and they wanted to give us time to play, before we got down to the brutal training regimen that leads to deployment.
My division Chief, Caro, sent three guys to LSE school, and asked as a personal favor that I extend aboard for 3 months to get these guys trained. I said that was cool, and he said that after we came back from the mini deployment, there would be 18 days left before I actually detached, and as far as he was concerned, I was not to be seen for that time period, basically, free paid leave.
Excellent.
So, while we were on our way up, we had at least 6 hours a day of flight quarters. 2 hours for each of my trainees. Then there would be an additional 4 hours at night, minimum.
3rd night out, we got a bonus, the group sent all of their helos for a max training effort. 8 helicopters in a continuous round-robin, one off, the next inbound. We had 1 UH-1N
3 SH-3s
3 SH-2 Seasprites
(By the way, this one is over the flight deck of the same class ship I was on.)
And 1 SH-60 Seahawk
We were running them in and sending them off as rapidly as possible. I did the first few, with all 3 of the trainees in close to watch, then I would give each one of the birds, because they needed to know how to deal with the characteristics of each.
Then we did the night rounds, just 4 birds this time. When we were done, our arms were like lead.
The following day, we did more seemingly endless hours, until my guys were getting the full 'hang' of how it's done.
As we stood down for dinner, the helos went out and conducted ASW (anti-sumarine warfare) exercises.
About 20 minutes into dinner, the alarms sound, Emergency Flight Quarters is called away!
We dash up ladders and the guys line up swiftly for the FOD walkdown (every inch of the deck has to be checked for loose material that can be sucked into an engine, which destroys them rather quickly!)
I'm in phones and gear, talking to the officer in charge, and he tells me it is real, and it is bad. The bird is 10 minutes out, and has a fuel line that has broken, and is losing fuel fast.
I brief the fire crew, and they rig out the gear for rapid deployment, adding a second hotsuit man just in case. The ship is called to GQ, and the other damage control facilities are manned for backup.
The ship heels over, taking winds over the bow, making it easier for the helo to land, an additional safety factor.
The deck speaker blares "HELO INBOUND!" And I see him as a dot, rapidly growing to the shape of a Seasprite, going full out.
The deck crew takes cover.
He is given a green deck, and I line up, ice cold sweat rolling down my spine, 'cause this is the fastest approach I've ever handled.
He races in, and does a 'rocking-chair' maneuver directly over the missile launcher on the next deck. This kills his forward speed, and he follows my fast guidance into place, as I give him the descend signal.
Then the helo drops , and suddenly, I hear the engines spool down, he is about 15 feet above the deck. I'm totally exposed!
Within a breath, I dive into the arc and under the nose as the bird drops, and with a loud whoooommmp, his mains thump aboard!
The rotors bounce crazily for a few seconds, but, holy schitski, he made it!
As the rotor brake is applied, I roll out and to my feet, signaling to my securing crew to tie the bird down.
Had I not dived at that moment the engines quit, the rotors would have given me an instant crewcut, right about neck level.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.comLast edited by BergerKing; 09-21-09 at 09:52 PM.
09-21-09 09:32 PM - These are the other birds I've had experience with.
This is a CH-46, and I have actually been flown around in one of these, off of my second ship, the U.S.S. Fox, but it was too big to land, so they picked us up with a hoist, while hovering.
(This one is doing a vertical replenishment.)
Coastie Dolphin HH-65
And big mama, the CH-53E.
That pretty much rounds 'em up.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.comLast edited by BergerKing; 09-21-09 at 10:11 PM.
09-21-09 10:06 PM - I can't type for crap on my Storm. I love it and all, and for all the texting and that I really do, it's a good phone for me
Just a pain when you really need to do it 
That's sweet lookingThis is one of the evolutions we used to do if one to keep helos in the air, called helicopter in-flight refueling, HIFR.
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com09-21-09 10:07 PM - Way belated goodnight kaka.
I'm pretty sure most of those helos were built by Pratt & Whitney, out of South Florida Beast. Used to be one of my customers when I worked for the inlaws. Saw some amazing test projects while out there.
Goodnight everyone.
The Keeper of Useless Knowledge
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com09-21-09 11:00 PM
MY PHONE STILL WONT WORK WHAT IN THE DONKEY STICKS?! 
Trackball Lights - serving 24/7 - [Maybe NSFW]
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