mj-1 Jammer problems (Read 2,945 times)

When I got to The SCAB in November 1952, I was assigned to the 79th Air Base Squadron.
We had a T-6D and a C-47A.
When an engine or prop change was needed, all us 43s would pull them, put them on a stand and take them to the prop or engine shop. While the unit was in the shop, one of us 431s would stay there until the job was done.
If a radio needed work, we pulled the radio, took it to the radio shop and got a replacement. Then we took it back and put it in the plane.
If there was a hole in one of the fabric control surfaces, we did the patching. That meant we had to trim the hole, put a new patch of skin over the hole, use a curved needle and thread to sew it in place, then apply several coats of dope, when the dope was dry, we painted it with paint the color of the skin.
In other words, the only time we saw a specialist was when we took a unit to him.
The only exception was the sheet metal guys. They had to come to the bird to do repairs.
It was the same situation with the F-51Ds the 87th FIS had.
Sometimes we would help out the 87th with some jobs, like an engine pull or a radiator change.

When we got our Saber Dogs, Things didn't change a whole lot.
However, because of placement of some units, we did see the radio guys and E-4 radar guys.

When I worked the alert hanger, we had specialists on each crew (24 on, 48 off), who we trained to launch and recover the 86, they acted as crew chiefs. That way we had to have fewer people at the alert hanger.

I was on a travellng alert crew for a couple years. We would pull alert at other bases when they went to Yuma or Mobile.

We had three 431s on a shift of 7 men. We all helped each other. It was the only way we could get the job done.

In later years, we began going more to specialists, and there was something lost.

I much preferred the crew chief being the guy who did everything on the plane, from cleaning the windshield to packing and loading the drogue chute.

Jim Too

:god_bless_usa

What was weird when I started on the 6' in 61 MA-1 did Inst, UHF, TACAN, IFF, along with the MA-1 stuff. When the new UHF, Tacan, and Air Data Computer, and Gyro for the Inst came out Then we had CN&L and inst troops asigned to the Flt Line. these new systems were way more reliable than the old ones but we were not qualified to work on them.

Bear

PS Jim hows the walnut supply?

There was a saying "AGE does it all". Sometimes, a line weenie would pop off about us AGE troops as being lawnmower repairman or the like. The best response I ever heard was from my then supervisor. When were at sunny Zweibrucken GE, an RF4C base. Sully looked at the feller and asked him now many specialist were needed to keep a recce flying. The CC mentioned avionics, sparkies, hydraulic troops, jet mechs, etc. Sully replies that we worked on low pressure air, high pressure air, air cooled engines, water cooled engines, generators, alternators, gas turbines, hydraulics, AC, DC circuitry.... on and on. That sent the CC off a little less inflated.