I spent 4 years at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. Was a SSgt about this time.
Serving and repairing the tugbo-prop engines on the OV-10A Bronco.
www.gruntonline.com/US_Forces/US_Aircraft/us_aircraft12.htmI did not enjoy being assigned there as my AFSC was Jet Engines.
But behind the prop was a jet engine. We also learned to service the prop.
Often one of our aircraft would break down at a NATO Air Base and one of us technicians would be sent in the co-pilots back seat to repair the other aircraft.
I was 6 plus hours into a 8 hour shift and pulled of the flightline and sent on this aircraft repair at a place call Leiphiem in Belgium (Not sure of spelling). After I passed through the Surival Shop and got my oxygen mask & helmet fitted I was taken out to the aircraft and dropped off.
Within 15 minutes the pilot was dropped off. He was a 1st. LT. who I had not notice around the flight line before, and wondered how new he was to flying and this Vietnam era aircraft.
We did the walk around together and he inquired about the aircraft I was going to repair. I told him it was reported as a fairly large prop leak. That my tool box and special tools were already secured in back.
We took-off and he was a smooth flyer and the weather was excellent. About 30 minutes out we were flying above and down a large valley. I was looking around and had my camara ready to shoot some film of castles we might pass. As we flew I took in the country side and the cows & small european towns on the hills below me.
It was not to long before I noticed that I was not looking down at this beautiful valley hill side, but level with it. And the horizon was above not just alittle bit below us.
So I decide to see what was going on in the front seat. I could not see above the ejection seat infront of me as the seat belt and harness was very tight. I loosened the straps abit and pushed up to look over the seat. Still could not see much but what I did see made all the hairs stand at attention on my body.
All I saw was the top of a nav map and above that, it was all green around me . We were flying down a valley and coming to the end of it and my pilot had a map infront of him.
Pilots of T-33's and OV-10A's had often give me and other technicians the control stick on flights. I had also flown on many of our FCF flights for maintenance.
Not knowing if I had the time to intercom the pilot and get his attention to avoid a ground impact I decided to act.
In a second with one hand I pulled the control stick back and with the other hand advanced the throttles. We zoomed up above the horizon and I flicked the intercom switch and yelled trees.
Just as the stall warning buzzer sound I pushed the stick forward abit and the warning buzzer stopped. I then quickly intercomed the pilot and asked if he had the aircraft. He said yep, and then I asked what was going on. He said he took a few seconds to check our position on a map and had the control stick between his legs for a that few seconds.
We found our Lephiem Air Base and our broken aircraft.
A major and captian were waiting. My pilot said he'd wait for me till I fixed the aircraft. I responded that by the amount of hydrolic fluid in the drip pan on the ground under the prop it would take me several hours. I suggested that If the major or captian wanted to get back to home base quicker I'd fly back in the repaired aircraft. That sound good to them as they were ground there over night. The captian flew back with the 1st Lt.
I never talked about that flight with anyone except my wife several years after it happened.
The 1st Lt. and I now and then crossed paths on the flight line and around base ops. We never spoke about that flight and were always friendly. Everyday on the flightline or in the air is a learning experance.
We are all on the same team and the Russians had aircraft in the eastern countries only 75 air miles away.
