Forum: F-16 Design & Construction

Did not have to do that in the field (ever)..guess I was lucky

F-16.net Sponsor

Sometimes I hated supervision thinking that "Sure, we can do it" (and quickly), afterall - it's in the TO.

For the first wing I assisted on, we didn't have anyone that had ever replaced one, or had even seen it done. We ended up lifting it by hand to the top of a pair of B-4 stands and sort of jacking / shimming it up against the fuselage using chocks, rags, etc... Probably the most difficult part was running and securing the weapons station wiring to the inside (wings come bare, you order a wing, you get just the wing itself).

After a few, we got quite a bit better as we ended up changing a good number when we transferred our Blk. 10's to the ANG in '89. Our squadron bird 78-0063 was on its third pair (including the factory ones) before we sent her to Arizona.

Mike

I know, many lessons were learned the hard way in the field, not the best way to do things but it did make you flexible and able to work under stress and hardships (as in a combat arena) kept you on your toes, even if that is not want anybody wanted or deserved.

Too few parts, lack of proper support equipment, lack of funds to purchase that equipment (once it was identified)...lots of issues the guy or gal on the line did not have to worry about, I guess it was not easy for any of us, then or now huh.

I sure remember....speaking for supervision (having been there and done that, I remember all too well) I can tell you, it was not easy making that flying schedule or deployment package either. Being hounded about "MC Rates", Higher Headquarters taskings, the daily flying schedule (squadron pilot and enlisted training requirements) lack of parts, lack of time, juggling configurations, supply issues, the damn Commander and his pet peeves, my own troops, deployments, sick people, leaves scheduled or denied, damn meetings, commanders call, VIP flights...nope, it was no piece of cake for us either (I should have been a circus clown for all the juggling I and others like me did) Smile

But when the wheels were in the well, we had that hour or so break, just to start doing it all over again...maintenance, nothing like it Smile

No question, and no doubt that the people in Supervision were under just as much pressure - or more - than we were on the line. You're also right in that "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger" - or, after you've found that you can do a pretty complex job under 'less than ideal conditions', nothing seems as bad (although we'll still complain about it, probably a lot...)

One thing I have observed though, is that no matter how complex a job, or how unrealistic a timeline, in the vast, vast majority of cases the maintainers (crew chiefs, specialists, weapons and everyone else) will go out there and get it done. Back in Qatar we were tasked with doing 'Combat Phases' on our Vipers during Desert Storm. "No problem, what's a 'combat phase'?", we asked. No one up to USAFE and TAC level knew. Apparently it was never developed as more than a concept. So we all sat down around our picnic table, from E-3 to 0-6, decided what 'our' combat phases would be, and within days were completing the normal 3.5-4 day 150 flying hour phases in 26 hours (one a day, with some overlap) to keep our jets flying north. Good thing, as our 24 jets were putting on, on average nearly 150 hours every 24 days, and wouldn't you know it the jets we lost had just completed phase...

Mike

You nailed it buddy, it was the toughest most satisfying job I ever had...nothing like flightline maintenance, you sure find out who you are and those around you in a hurry.

Last edited by TJSmitty on Oct 24, 2006 - 06:24 PM; edited 1 time in total

One time, at Hill (again), I was on night shift and we ran a new flight control harness out to the LEF assemetry brake, day shift came in the next day and clamped it off and did the ops check. Well, when they clamped it, they put the "butterfly" clamps facing outwards instead of inwards. The first time the torque tubes spun up they completely ripped out all of the hanesses. The aircraft was "down for almost three months, R2ing ALL of the wing harnesses.

It was the only time I ever saw anybody loose a stripe over a maintenance "screw up". (The 7-level signed off on the red X without actually inspecting it). Went from SSgt to buck Sgt (remember them). I learned from his example though.....I never "pencil whipped" a red X in my entire career....

Smitty

Yep..shame it took something like that to gain everyones attention, but your right, one "r-sh*t", wipes the slate clean, hard to bounce back from too. Damn shame, wont be the first in our business, but you hate to hear it and see the negative results...shame huh, good example of what NOT to do.

we've got a bird in right now for right front and rear fuel shelf, and left upper 341 replacement that should be fun but I'm not working it so I don't know, worst thing I ever did was stuck screw left rear side by the chaff/flare buckets, it was perfectly positioned where you could get one hand in from the bottom and not be able to see the clamp or one hand in from the top and not be able to see the clamp, and it was right behind a line and the harness it was holding up, took two of us a couple hours of feeling around in there and trying to operate an angle drill with neither of us seeing what we were doing and alot of blood from the good old cuts we were getting and the drill bit going through a couple fingers. **shutters**

The two worst jobs that I can think of are cross-canning PDUs (we did it back and forth between three jets for about two weeks and that drain line never gets easier!) and canning ventral panels (this was the absolute worst call on a cann that I will ever see! It had already been canned to that jet about a year prior and didn't fit it well, let alone the new jet it was on!)

I do have to say that EPUs are a pain if you've never done one before and if it's done by the TO. There are several steps that truly don't need to be done and don't do anything besides waste time (IE: removing the clamps on the harness that runs through there only makes the harness get in the way, not out of the way since it's so thick. It also takes sheet metal to put back on since you typical rip out every standoff at least once. Oh, and trying to get the proper sealant for these nuts and bolts is a feat in and of itself). This job took me two shifts to remove, since I didn't know any of the tricks and was the only one working it. One entire shift was just removing the sealant from the wire harness clamps and then the clamps themselves.

As for what someone said about the Block 30 and below LEFs, I can understand that. I've never worked them, but I got to see it at Kunsan and have to say that I don't envy that job at all! The Block 40s and up are MUCH easier, by the looks of it!!!!

Wings are always a pain...

it's always those really simple jobs that suck the most especially when you're right near shift change, cause undoubtedly something goes wrong in a simple job and next thing you know it's 4 hours later before you're leaving for the day.

I'd have to say that r2ing an adg may look intimidating at first but after two or three its a breeze. A true pain is doing landing gear time changes by yourself, now that our manning is so low.

ADG's aren't that bad if you find a buddy that you like working with and just go ahead and do it.

Worst job - anyone remember the old emergency extension handles? The little plastic button that would break off? Well, the lower end of the CP on that thing is about 3 feet down on the left console - seems like its next to the skin - and the CP is bolted together with tiny screws/nuts. No room, can't see - and your standing on your head. I always thought they installed that thing and then built the jet around it.

#2 worst - installing an ADG that someone else removed! Best to do both removal and install with same crew.

#3 worst - R2 old style stab bearings that have rotated and seized.

Worst Cann I ever heard suggested - Cann the Lube/deprime valve - are you kidding? Of course thats when we went AMU to AMU beggin untill we found someone that had 1 in their scrounge.

Dumbest cann - R2 Rudder ISA from a code 1 jet (not on schedule next day), so broke jet can fly tommorrow - OBTW the new rudder will arrive tomorrow! Guess it was too hard to type a 1207 for the schedule change.

Most stupid TCTO - 1996, we got an emergency TCTO to check the torgue on the ADG bolts/Nuts of a new jet in acceptance - seems the torque wrench used at the factory was not calibrated?

Greatest Day in my career - the day my name got painted on a canopy as the DCC.

Worst point in my career - the day I got assigned to an F-15 base and realize that's where my career would end and that my days working Falcons (or Vipers if u prefer) were over.

I truly miss it. I miss my birds too.......especially 754 and 0045 since I had the privilidge of picking them up at DFW.
81-0821, 84-1321, 84-1217, 90-0754, 91-0346, 94-0045

Anyone ever remove the left hand map case in the cockpit? Now that's a bear! Took me almost half a day trying to remove it without breaking it, and then dealing with legs, feet, and hands cramping up trying to get at the very small screws and nuts. Oh, then I had to reinstall it after sheet metal was done under there.

The worst part of my job right now is having gremlins and being pulled off the flying schedule! When it flies it's been called the best in our fleet by most of the pilots. But every couple months I get a CADC or FTIT problem out of nowhere. And recently the JFS started acting up. Doh

On a D model, R2 AFT internal canopy jettison initiator. I spend most of my time upside down, oh and AFT seat rails. you know what the aft cockpit!!! Also, a 15 year time change for egress.

Seeing the Map Case reminded me of one: The upper pin box on Block 40/50s. While it's only four bolts and they do come drilled, they are never drilled correctly! Oh, and for some reason our Sheet Metal/Metals Tech people always just wanted us to order a new one, thinking that it might magically be drilled correctly! As long as you have a pocket knife in your box (since Crew Chiefs can't get files for some reason...) you can make it fit... eventually.

Forum: F-16 Design & Construction

Hardest part about working on the F-16