Forum: General F-16 forum

parrothead wrote:

OK, I'm just a civilian but I know enough that NOTHING goes down the intake without being specified. The only time I can think of something being specified was when crushed walnut shells used to be put down the intake of a running F-104 to clean and polish the blades. If you don't believe me about that one (I didn't really believe it at first either), just check with JR or contact the USAF museum - they'll confirm it.

In the dim and distant past the walnut shells were apparently a pretty common thing, although it was something that we always joked about in the AF - until - we deployed to Qatar and were rooting around in the back of our borrowed hangar and found sacks of "Product of Vermont" crushed black walnut shells. They were actually crushed to a fairly fine 'powder'.

We asked the Qataris about them and they told us that weekly they would throw a handful down the inlet to scrub the compressor blades on their Mirage F.1EDA's. We thought about doing the same thing to our Vipers, before we thought "Even though it might work, I wouldn't want to be the one caught putting ANYTHING down the inlet..." Too bad everyone doesn't apparently have the same judgement.

The powdery sand actually kept the engines nice and clean and in a seven month deployment I believe the only engine we pulled was for a time change.

Mike

3.7 million pounds of ordinance, 1303 sorties, 42 days. The 'Forgotten 1000'.
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(Generation EXers) These kids now of days don't have any sense ... and I'ts our mission to groom them. Everyone that works the F-16 should know that the intake/engine of a runing Viper (single engine, lots of engine mishaps) is a sacred area. When you train one of these know it all Sheppard graduating, PEP Boys/AutoZone morons, make sure they understand what they are doing, maintaining the backbone of the fighter fleet.

Whatever happened to just turning the lights out in the hush house for a few minutes and cracking burner for a light show after your jet checks good?

Quote:

In the dim and distant past the walnut shells were apparently a pretty common thing, although it was something that we always joked about in the AF - until - we deployed to Qatar and were rooting around in the back of our borrowed hangar and found sacks of "Product of Vermont" crushed black walnut shells. They were actually crushed to a fairly fine 'powder'.

I have heard that the A-10 community still uses crushed walnut shells to clean the engine after it injests gun gas. We should submit this idea to the TV show "Mythbusters" to see exactly handles FOD better. (Pratt or GE engines) I would be willing to put some money on the the Pratt's. Any takers? Very Happy

I'd love to see the look on the producers' faces when they see the price tag for the engines Laughing

!!!

The walnuts shells were used on engines that had accessories mounted on the nose cone of the engine, like a CSD, oil would leak out and the blades would get coated with a gummy residue.

Destro wrote:

I would be willing to put some money on the the Pratt's. Any takers?

Pratt and Shitneys? Laughing

Sure, why not? Umpteen smoking holes near Luke can't be wrong. Wink

I like the P&Ws in the Eagle, but for the Viper, I'm partial to the GEs.

PW = Plenty of Work

GE = Good Engine

Hey TC..I like the acronyms. LMAO

The P-Dub -229's are good motors (in my opinion). However, I would take a GE over a -200 or 220/220E any day! Evil or Very Mad

Yeah, Pops told me those acronymns, who, BTW, worked on aircraft powered by both motors...and yes, the -229s are great PW engines. The ability to increase the F100's thrust by nearly 6,000 lbs. over the -100 is very impressive.

TC,

Pratt and Shitneys, you speakith the truth... LMAO

And yes, the shells work very well in a centrifugal engine like our old J-33 Allison!

Just make sure you don't have to abort a takeoff if you stuffed your golf bag up the intake of the ol' T-Bird like someone else did, right Smile

? Tower doesn't like that very much as all the golf clubs on the runway pose a FOD risk Shocked

!

Maybe the AF should ruin thier lives to the point that one of them kills themselves, oh wait, they already did that at Spang in the mid 90's.

[quote="vinnie"]Maybe the AF should ruin thier lives to the point that one of them kills themselves, oh wait, they already did that at Spang in the mid 90Not even close to the same situation!

vinnie wrote:

Maybe the AF should ruin thier lives to the point that one of them kills themselves, oh wait, they already did that at Spang in the mid 90's.

I've unfortunately known of some incidents of that nature, but this one escapes me Vinnie. What happened?

That is not something I would make a joke of. Very poor taste.

Spang 1993-1996

Forum: General F-16 forum

Frog FOD at the Kun