Criticizing MX got airman ousted

[BQZip01]

I'd like to throw in a few more tidbits to the discussion. In my limited military flying career, I've been rather impressed with maintenance (they'll call it broken when its broken, fixed when it's actually fixed, and fess up and bite the bullet if it's their responsibility), but I cannot say the same of life support.

Example 1: In our parachutes, there is a high-pressure Oxygen bottle that I was told as a BUFF guy "should always be above 1800 unless it's cold". Well, I'm flying out of Barksdale on a "cold" day in February and the gauge's needle was pointing below 1800 PSI. My instructor said, "that's ok", but I wasn't so sure, so I asked the life support to come out to the jet. They looked at it and said, "Oh yeah, if it isn't lower than the numbers on the guage [not the tick mark on the scale], it's good to go." Well, with two people saying it was ok, I took it...like a dumba$$.

After the flight I wondered what the regulations/T.O. states about it. In our dash 1, it doesn't state the limits and I had to go over to life support. The answer is the gauge should read "in the black" in temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. For each degree below 60, it could be 2.5 PSI lower (in the jet, it was pretty cool, but not much below 50 outside, so the jet had to be a little warmer. Accordingly, it should have just been a smidgen lower than the minimum, not an 1/8-inch gap.

I told the supervisor and she said she'd talk to the appropriate tech and make sure the bottle was appropriately tested. It was and the bottle came back 50 PSI low. Imagine if I'd needed that bottle...

Example 2: Fast forward to my pre-checkride. Same kind of O2 gauge, but this time the gauge is well above 2200 PSI (the max). Since this is a precheck, my instructor, a patch-wearer, is simulating being an evaluator and not saying anything; just writing notes. I tell my instructor that I would call life support and have them check it out, but if it is ok and I'm wrong, we can save an on-time takeoff time for the crew. He looks at it and says it's my call, but he'd take it. Since he left the call up to me and I had the previous experience, I call out life support to look at it.

The airman comes out, looks at the gauge and says, "Oh, as long as it is above 1800 PSI, it's ok."

Internally, I'm thinking, "Then why the f*** do they have a maximum pressure listed at all...", so I say, "Can you get the T.O. and let's look at it?"

"Well, the T.O.'s back in the shop, but my supervisor is in the truck. I'll ask her and, if she disagrees, we'll check the T.O. But if we have to replace the bottle, we'll just replace the whole chute since that's faster"

"Ok"

She goes back to the truck and a few minutes later, they drive off without coordinating with anyone. About 20 minutes later (mind you, engines are running and we are burning fuel...) they come back with a new chute. "You were right. The upper limit is 2200 PSI, no matter what the temperature is."

We take off about 20 minutes late...

In any case, you are the seat commander and NO ONE should encourage you to take a jet you don't feel is safe.

One last 'war story' as told to me by a Lieutenant Colonel (I'll tell it as I remember it):

"There I was: I was stepping to the [T-1] jet when I was told I'd be getting a no-notice checkride as a Senior Captain. I was told the week prior that I was up for an ADO position after I returned from SOS in-residence (which started the following week). My wife had also been having some medical problems, but still, with all that, I felt I was ok to fly and didn't feel intimidated by all the extraneous "life clutter" on top of a checkride. As we took off, we experienced an engine fire in #1. We ran the boldface, but I felt WAY behind the jet all the way back to the field, to the point it kind of scared me. We shut the engine down and landed. As we stepped to a spare, I didn't feel I was fit to fly and I told the group evaluator pilot that I wasn't going to go. He insisted that I had to. I told him he was wrong.

"Well, they took off without me and I went back to my squadron and reported to my commander what had happened. He told me to go home and rest for a few days. Once I got home, I told my wife what happened. She asked, 'Well, what are they going to do with you?' I said I'd probably lose my SOS spot and the chance to be an ADO. Three days later, the commander called me in. He informed me that the Eval IP was none too pleased and was royally pissed about the whole situation and that he took it to the group commander...who kicked it back to the squadron commander to deal with. He then stated that the SOS slot had been given to someone else and the ADO slot had been filled.

"The squadron commander then told me that I should go home and get my personal affairs in order and take some relaxation time...

"...he said to come back to work when I was ready, but cautioned that I'd need the rest...because I was coming back as his DO!!! He then stated that SOS was available whenever he was ready for it."

In short, the commander rewarded someone for doing the right thing in the face of a superior illegally countermanding such actions.

I herd Lucero made 2LT

Where have you heard this information?

[M2]

I herd Lucero made 2LT

Now I know you are full of shit! No one who is denied reenlistment would be allowed to be commissioned. And, just to confirm, there is no 'Adam Lucero' listed in the AF White Pages.

Welcome to your first warning, your posts will be moderated indefinitely from this point forward until you quit posting bullshit like this, or you are banned. Your future is up to you...

[Ziplip]

Now I know you are full of shit! No one who is denied reenlistment would be allowed to be commissioned. And, just to confirm, there is no 'Adam Lucero' listed in the AF White Pages.

Welcome to your first warning, your posts will be moderated indefinitely from this point forward until you quit posting bullshit like this, or you are banned. Your future is up to you...

Thanks M2

[cragspider]

Well the other mx guy in the article is a eng in my unit. From what he said that Mr Lucero went into the army to fly helo's now. Be it as a WO or a O I didn't ask to much about it. But thats all I know about that.

[M2]

Well the other mx guy in the article is a eng in my unit. From what he said that Mr Lucero went into the army to fly helo's now. Be it as a WO or a O I didn't ask to much about it. But thats all I know about that.

Well, I guess that confirms the Army's standards; there is a 2LT Adam Lucero in the Alaska Army National Guard 207th Infantry Group according to AKO...

Anyone know if there are any aviation units assigned to the 207th?