21 minute read
TEXAS “HUMP” PILOT BUILDS AVIATION LEGACY
Story by Nancy Andersen
A TEXAS “HUMP“ PILOT BUILDS AN AVIATION LEGACY
NEAL AIRCRAFT - 75 YEARS IN AVIATION
In 1945 Roy Neal joined the U. S. Army Air Corps 4th Ferry Group flying 48 missions in the China-Burma-India theatre during April15, 1945 - July 18,1945. Roy had been chasing his dreams of aviation and now he was flying on a daily basis in an aircraft that was not built to fly the missions he was carrying out, flying supplies at an altitude unheard of for a C-47.
Neal Aircraft has proudly been serving the aviation industry for 75 years. Family patriarch, Roy Neal began working in aviation on January 1, 1946, in the city of Lubbock, Texas as a Piper dealer for the West Texas region – Wes-Tex Aircraft.
THE FORMATIVE YEARS
Roy Neal was born in Philadelphia on March 1917, as a young child his family moved to Plainview, Texas. He was a young man who was always seeking adventure and was curious by nature. At a young age he began building his legacy. Rumor has it that when he graduated from Plainview High in 1923 the sheriff was kindly awaiting him for a personal escort; as he walked across the stage from receiving his diploma and officially graduating from Plainview High, the sheriff escorted him out of town, telling him “now that you have completed your education it would be best if you left town.” To this day, the family keeps that secret tucked away in a vault.
Heeding that advice, Roy and his good friend decided to head for the sun and fun of Florida. His friend, having family in Florida, hitchhiked across the southern part of the U.S. with a log of bologna to eat on the trip. They decided to grab a bus the last few miles to Miami. After all, they didn’t want to look like a bunch of vagabonds. It would look much better if they called his friend’s aunt to pick them up from the bus stop. They were fortunate enough to quickly find work on a banana boat. Always an adventure seeker, this job fulfilled their desire to travel and provided them money for their daily needs. The boat disembarked from Miami and sailed to Cuba, there they loaded the boat with bananas and brought them to Miami. Roy was able to make three, of these two week long trips before he decided he was homesick and it was time to come back to Texas. ➤
Realizing the importance of furthering his education, he enrolled at Texas Tech University, where he met his lovely bride Emma Nell Thatcher. They married in 1936, she continued her work at the Texas Tech bookstore while he attended school. World War II had begun; but, the U.S. was not yet engaged in the fight. Soon after they were married, the U.S. entered the War joining forces with its allies against the Nazis. Roy felt the urge to join having just completed his private pilot’s license. In 1942 he became a pilot in the U.S. Army. His first job was as a civilian flight instructor, flying almost daily from 1942-1943.
THE CHINA-BURMA THEATRE
As the U.S. became more engaged in the War, Roy was selected to fly in the China-Burma-India Theatre, becoming what were known as “Hump Pilots”. Aircrews flew C-46’s, C-47’s and other aircraft over “The Hump”, the nickname the pilots gave the airlift operation that crossed the Himalayan foothills into China. It was the Army Air Force’s most dangerous airlift route, it was the only way to supply Chinese forces fighting Japan. When the United States started running supplies to the Chinese forces fighting Japan, the Western part of the country was firmly controlled by the invading Japanese. The Japanese also controlled Burma, on India’s Eastern border, cutting off the last land route to the Chinese. Supplies would have to come by air and American planes would have to come from the West — over the “Roof of the World.” Flying the Hump was incredibly dangerous. More than 1,000 men and 600 planes were lost over the 530-mile stretch of rugged terrain. I t was dubbed the “Skyway to Hell” and the “Aluminium Trail” for the number of planes that did not make it. The mountain ranges of the Himalayas caused jet stream - strength winds and dangerous weather at extreme altitudes. And when that does not kill you, a Japanese Zero will be there to try. Pilots traversing the route had to fly the Kali Gandaki River Gorge, a depression much wider and deeper than the Grand Canyon. The mountains surrounding the gorge were 10,000 feet higher than most of the planes could fly. The pass to escape the gorge was 15,000 feet high — but pilots could not often see it. The “Hump” initially contained few en-route navigational aids. En-route communications were poor and air traffic control, except for local control towers, did not exist. Aeronautical charts were very unreliable and weather reporting was very poor. Pilots were issued fleece-lined jackets, boots, and gloves to keep their extremities from freezing during the flight. Lack of oxygen could cause pilots to veer off-course and into an almost certain death. C-46 cargo planes did not glide, their heavy engines causing an almost immediate dive. Roy flew C-46’s daily for the next 2 years, “The Hump” never closed. The war was over, Roy headed to Dallas to collect his wife and family. He brought them back to Lubbock to start their new lives. Roy and Emma Nell had three children. In Lubbock his passion for aviation continued and he set his sights on an aviation business. He pursued M.T. Dagley to buy his Piper dealership, they had an agreement that would allow Roy to buy him out. Roy lacked the funding to buy the dealership, he set out to find a bank that would lend him the money. He knocked on every banker’s door and was turned down. The bankers said, “there is no future in an aviation business”. This did not discourage him; it fueled his passion and determination that he would find a lender and be a success. Lubbock National Bank listened to his business plan and saw his vision; they agreed to lend him the money for the dealership.
Roy Neal began Wes-Tex Aircraft in 1946 at the Lubbock Municipal Airport. There he started what would become the Neal family legacy in aviation. He sold new and used Piper airplanes, parts and service. At the airport he was a flight instructor, he rented planes and there was only one piece of the puzzle missing - no one in the area knew how to insure an airplane. The insurance companies came to Roy and convinced him he needed to set up his own insurance company. Roy who never viewed things as challenges only as opportunities set out to become a licensed insurance agent. Thus began Roy Neal Insurance. Roy could teach you to fly, sell you a plane, annual it, rent you a hangar, and insure the plane - Roy may have coined the term one stop shopping.
ENTERING OF A NEW ERA
Larry Neal; the middle child of Roy and Emma Nell, enjoyed his time working at the airport. At the young age of 10, he worked at the airport driving the fuel truck, cleaning the aircraft and learning all of the odds and ends at the airport. He would ride his bike from his home to the airport to fuel the jets flying into the Lubbock Municipal Airport. One day while he was standing on the wing of a plane fueling it, an individual called the FAA to advise them of a kid who was fueling the aircraft. The FAA quickly ended his career of fueling airplanes. ➤
In 1965, Larry entered college at Texas Tech University to pursue a degree in Engineering. He continued his studies while the Vietnam war was raging in the Asia Pacific region of the world. One day he was sitting in his very last exam that he was taking to complete his graduation from Texas Tech. He decided that his exam and his diploma were inconsequential to what was going on in the world. He got up from his test and walked out of the classroom. He headed straight to the Army recruiter’s office across the street and enlisted in the summer of 1968. Once he completed the Army paperwork, he drove to the airport to tell his father the news of joining the Army. As Larry entered his father’s office, Roy was holding up his newspaper and reading the latest news. While Larry explained to his dad what he did, Roy never put down the paper and his only words to his son were, “are you going to tell your mom, or do you want me to?” Soon after, Larry was off to Vietnam where he worked in Air Traffic Control for the U.S. Army. He was stationed along the Cambodian border in the Tay Ninh province where for 13 months, they took incoming fire almost daily to the point that he usually slept under his cot more often than on it.
After Vietnam, Larry enrolled in night classes at Troy state university while stationed at Ft. Rucker as the air traffic control supervisor. Once he was discharged from the Army, Larry re-enrolled at Texas Tech in 1972 and returned to work for his father at WesTex Aircraft. While he was there he met a beautiful, tall, leggy Texas girl full of moxie named Melanie. He was quite smitten by her and they married in 1975, shortly after he had graduated from TTU in Spring 1974. While working at WesTex in accounting, he also spent time flying new planes from Lockhaven, Pennsylvania, Vero Beach, Florida and delivering planes all over the US, Mexico and even to Iceland. Piper soon merged with Textron. The corporate decision was made to eliminate dealers and sell directly to the customers. During that time one of Larry’s customers told him about Leland Snow, who needed dealers in the northern Texas area. The customer arranged for a meeting between Leland and Larry; there was born the relationship between the Neals and the Snow family.
SLATON AIRPORT SEEKS NEW FBO MANAGER
Neal Aircraft began selling Air Tractors in 1986, and that same year the city manager and mayor asked Larry to move to Slaton. The Lubbock FAA tower was preparing to take the ability to clear non comm aircraft. At that time there were many ag planes that did not have radios. After some thought Larry came back with a two page list of things the City of Slaton needed to get done before he would move. The Slaton Municipal Airport worked better for flying agricultural aircraft where the airspace was not as restricted as the Lubbock International Airport, which had grown dramatically with the addition of airlines and many cargo carriers. As Larry managed the airport, also an Air Tractor dealer; he was also raising a family and growing the airport.
The Slaton airport has a unique dynamic not seen at other municipal airports. I t currently has an aviation museum that has aircraft from WWI to current military aircraft, G-B Aerial (SEAT firefighting operation), Pro-Agri (ag aviation operators), Raider Aviation (aviation school/GA mechanic) and The FatTire Cowboys who fly the YAK-110 to air shows and let’s not forget Neal Aircraft (Air Tractor dealer), Sekon Aviation (aircraft turbine mechanic).
In June 2019 the city of Slaton memorialized Larry T. Neal by renaming the airport after him, becoming the Larry T. Neal Memorial Airport (F49). The airport sign is now the very recognizable Air Tractor aircraft with the new renamed airport.
LOOKING FORWARD
Robert Neal now carries on the family legacy of aviation; you can find Robert stepping into the big shoes that his father and grandfather have left him. He has grown into them quite well. Robert and his wife Cory are busy parents of 4 beautiful children ages 4-13. Cory is a true Texas woman, full of energy, fierceness and cuteness. She has the family running in precision - on schedule, on time and while she works for a real estate team of 5 agents in Lubbock.
After graduating from Texas A&M and from the prestigious Texas A&M Corp of Cadets, Larry spoke to Robert about the family business and decided to not push it, to just let things fall into place. Robert chose to not enter the family business and make his mark in the pharmaceutical industry. He and Cory were living in San Antonio and Boerne pursuing their careers. As he climbed the corporate ladder and traveled more for work, they were starting their family. They decided it was time to be near family, so the children could enjoy their grandparents. Robert decided it would be nice to have the time to learn and work alongside his father. Now you can find Robert behind an aircraft talking business with customers.
The Neal family has continued their passion for aviation and share that passion with their family. In the summers you can find the Neal kids working at the airport, continuing the family’s aviation passion. No matter where you are flying from, the FBO is truly Texas…Texas hospitality. Come visit us at the Larry T. Neal Memorial Airport, where you will find a family with a rich 75-year Texas aviation history.
Neptune Aviation Services’ Winter Maintenance Assures Year-Round Readiness
Story by Paul Seidenman
As wildland summer fire seasons extend into autumn, and the fires, themselves, become increasingly destructive and widespread, aerial tankers must be ready to fly on a moment’s notice. For Neptune Aviation Services, that mandates a 99+ percent dispatch reliability rate for its fleet of nine BAe 146-200s tankers, converted from regional airliners to retardant dropping aircraft by the company. Neptune, in fact, became the world’s first operator of the BAe 146 in an aerial firefighting role, with deployment of its first one as an air tanker in 2010.
The near-perfect dispatch rate, which would be the envy of most commercial airline operators, is due to Neptune’s aggressive winter maintenance program, carried out at its Missoula Montana Airport (MSO) headquarters and maintenance complex. Another major contributor is the aircraft itself, but in order to appreciate that, it is necessary to have some understanding of why Neptune selected the BAe 146 to replace its fleet of 11 Cold War Era, ex-Navy P2V Neptunes.
As far back as 2006, Neptune realized that the aging Lockheedbuilt anti-submarine patrol aircraft could not be kept in service indefinitely, and a replacement would have to be found. Since the P2Vs were no longer supported by Lockheed-Martin, successor company to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Neptune, itself, took over the responsibility for all airframe maintenance, as well as 90 percent of the parts and labor support for the engines, which also had no OEM support. Each P2V was powered by twin Curtiss-Wright R3350 radial engines, and two Westinghouse J34 jet powerplants.
Neptune’s winter maintenance program involves complex planning and dozens of staff members.
At the same time, in the wake of a series of high profile fatal air tanker accidents, the US Forest Service (USFS) indicated that it would no longer put aging military and commercial, legacy aircraft—typically operated by the airtanker industry— under contract after 2018. Effectively, it was telling the industry it wanted a next-generation large air tanker.
With no purpose-built air tankers capable of carrying a minimum of 3,000 gallons of retardant in existence, Neptune turned its attention to the commercial airframe pre-owned market. According to Greg Jones, Neptune’s Vice President, Project Development, while both the BAe 146 and the Boeing 737 were considered leading candidates, the BAe 146— powered by four Honeywell ALF 502 jet engines—was eventually selected. “The next-generation tanker, by government specification, had to carry 3,000 gallons of fire retardant, and have manufacturer support for use in the aerial firefighting environment,” he explained. “The size of the aircraft had to fit current USFS air tanker base infrastructure, have a robust design, and meet all USFS next generation tanker requirements. What it came down to was supportability, maintainability, and available airframes at a reasonable acquisition cost.”
Jones pointed out that Tronosjet Maintenance of Prince Edward Island, Canada, developed an internal tank and held a supplemental type certificate (STC) for what he called “the basic first generation” of the BAe 146 internal tank drop system. “We quickly learned the 1st generation Tronos tank needed improvements to meet IAB (Interagency Airtanker Board) requirements,” Jones pointed out. “Neptune took over the program, purchasing the original STC from Tronos, and made the necessary changes to improve tank performance to the level it is today—a 3rd generation system, with full IAB approval.” The 3rd generation drop system was successfully fielded in 2013. Neptune, added Jones, has a continuing relationship with Tronos, but mostly on an as-needed basis.
“We implemented technologies that have never before been utilized in the airtanker industry, particularly in the tank and gating system, and monitoring of the aircraft,” Jones noted. ➤
Asked if the tankers have met the operator’s expectations, Jones is emphatic. “We’ve had these aircraft for 12 years and they have performed as expected. There have been no surprises, the BAe 146 airframe is robust, the pilots like its simplicity, and it flies and maneuvers well in the firefighting environment,” he said.
Clifford Lynn, Neptune’s Director of Maintenance, cites the company’s highly structured winter maintenance program as an important contributor to the reliability of the next-generation air tanker. According to Lynn, Neptune’s maintenance team designed the FAA-approved airframe inspection program (AIP), which builds upon BAE Systems’ OEM maintenance protocol for the aircraft as a commercial jet.
Neptune had procured a fleet of well-maintained airliners with a fleet-wide average of 34,355 cycles, on acquisition. (A cycle encompasses one take-off and landing). As Lynn stressed, this was not out of line for an airliner which had been in service since the 1980s and 90s.
As he described it, every year, each aircraft gets an A Check, a C phase check, and a D phase check. Every two years the C check is completed and every four years the D check is completed. These C and D phase checks include a corrosion control and structural inspection program. The airframe, retardant tanks, and the engines are what the winter maintenance primarily targets.
“We schedule our winter maintenance, so anything due in the next 12 months, 400 hours, and/or 600 cycles is complied with during the heavy (C and D) check,” said Lynn. “To date, the nine air tankers are averaging 300 cycles per year. Some line replaceable units (LRU) are not changed during the checks if they have significant time on them remaining.”
Lynn added that for most life-limited components such as the landing gear, oxygen, and fire bottles, Neptune follows the OEM maintenance protocol.
Because of the stressful environment in which the aircraft fly, some components have to be inspected at more frequent intervals, he noted. “Also, we have some additional tankrelated inspections.”
In that regard, Neptune has equipped one aircraft with Curtiss-Wright strain gauges, under USFS contractual requirements. The strain gauges generate data, which Neptune can use to make sure its calculations for fatigue are correct. All aircraft also have a monitoring system that alerts the company’s maintenance control staff about what Lynn termed “over-G-events,” which are rare. Winter maintenance on Neptune’s BAe 146 airframes is carried out exclusively in-house, the only exception being an occasional component X-ray for corrosion control. Similarly, all inspections and maintenance on the ALF 502 powerplants are done by Neptune’s technicians, with the exception of a few specialized subcomponent inspections and tests, which are outsourced. Neptune owns six hangars, plus three additional support buildings at Missoula, with total hangar space encompassing 140,000 square feet. Of that, the 33,000 square foot main hangar is dedicated to tanker maintenance. Lynn reported that his team has the capability to run three maintenance lines simultaneously, but Neptune usually runs only two at a time.
Lynn cites the dedication, skill, and drive of its maintenance staff as the primary reason behind the success of these onetime regional airliners as repurposed air tankers. “It is the Neptune team that drives that success,” he said.
Currently, Neptune’s maintenance staff numbers approximately 100.
“We look for airframe and powerplant (A&P) certified mechanics with the heavy airframe, as well as avionics experience; however we do not shy away from uncertificated or entry-level mechanics with the right attitude,” said Lynn. “Experience on the BAe 146 and the Honeywell ALF 502 engine is nice to have, but not a must-have.”
He added that about 60 percent of the current maintenance cadre worked for Neptune when it still flew the P2Vs. All of them transitioned to the successor airplane through completion of a BAe 146 familiarization course, which Neptune runs itself. Specifically, that includes multiple online BAe 146 system-specific courses as well as a 40-hour in-person class. New employees, said Lynn, are assigned to a shop lead. “The shop leads are the coach mentors of their team for professional development,” he pointed out. ➤
Montana based Neptune Aviation services all of its aircraft during the winter break at its Missoula headquarters. The familiarity of Neptune’s maintenance team with the BAe 146 extends from depot-level inspections and repairs to field-level service, utilizing Neptune-owned business aircraft to fly parts and mechanics to the air tanker’s location if the aircrafts dedicated support van does not have the specific part needed. Usually, a field repair—and aircraft return to service—can be accomplished within hours, or a day at most. As with many businesses today, Neptune has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, as Lynn explained, the initial COVID restrictions came to Montana towards the tail end of the winter maintenance period in 2020-21.
“Those positions that could work from home-such as those focused on records, and the Maintenance Control Center (MCC), as examples--were allowed to work remotely,” said Lynn. “Overtime in the shop was voluntary. As sick days increased from the usual 10 percent to as much as 30-40 percent at times, everyone pitched in where and when they could as far as supporting different shops people were not assigned to. Vendor supply shortages have been mitigated by Neptune’s extensive inventory of parts & equipment.”
Nicholas (Nic) Lynn, Neptune Aviation’s VicePresident, Operations (and Clifford Lynn’s brother), cites BAE Systems customer support as a contributor to Neptune’s successful BAe 146 operation. “BAE Systems has been a great partner,” said Lynn. “Their level of support is outstanding, especially given the size of the remaining operational fleet. They have maintained a group dedicated to supporting the BAe 146 fleet worldwide. As the global fleet diminishes (currently about 90), that group has gotten smaller, but the level of support from our view has remained top-notch.” ➤
Neptune’s winter maintenance program can include scheduled maintenance and also system and avionics upgrades or even repainting of aircraft.
As Lynn explained, as with many BAe-146 operators, the OEM provides Neptune with technical, engineering, and spare support. “There was definitely a learning period for both sides early on, but now we are a little over 10 years into it, and things run very smoothly,” he noted.
Currently, according to Lynn, approximately 35-40 percent of replacement parts come from BAE Systems, while the rest are sourced by Neptune from various other vendors through its internal spares and logistics departments. “BAe primarily provides us with engineering support for the airframe and systems as things pop up,” he pointed out. “We did work with them regarding the purchase of the aircraft structural load data,” said Lynn. “We then, in turn, used that data to support our evaluation of the aircraft structural loads in the fire environment to develop Instructions for Continued Airworthiness of the aircraft in the firefighting mission.”
Neptune’s Vice-President, Project Development Jones, reported that for now, the company plans to keep its BAe 146 fleet at its current level. “But, you can never really predict what will happen the next year regarding the need for more resources, since aerial firefighting has become more of a worldwide operation,” he said.
