BE THE BEST WHEN AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE MEETS AN IMMOVABLE OBJECT By AD3 (AW) Thomas R. Scott
“LIKE MANY OF THE THINGS WE DO IN NAVAL AVIATION, SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTING AN F/A-18E LOW-POWER APU/ENGINE TURN REQUIRES A TEAM EFFORT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO IN ALONE, YOU’RE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS LIKELY TO BE SUCCESSFUL.”
Photos courtesy of AD1 (AW) Jonathan J Hunt, ENS Brandon Shackelford and CDR Christopher M Amis
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MECH
It was an unusually cold late February night on the flight line at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, home of America’s forward-deployed Carrier Air Wing, CVW-5. Usually, shore-based operations have a little more relaxed pace than underway operations, but this was a hectic shift on top of an unusually busy workweek. Maintenance control warned everyone that at least two of the currently “down” jets would need to be “up” to successfully execute the flight schedule in the morning. Like many squadrons, ours leaned heavily on night check to get things done. My shop was also spread a little thin as a result of Sailors attending mandatory training in the morning. To pick up a bit of the slack, Maintenance Control tasked our “Mech”-qualified Quality Assurance Representative (QAR) with conducting maintenance instead of conducting their regular duties acting as safety observers. As a qualified turn operator and Collateral Duty Inspector (CDI), I was well-positioned to make a significant contribution in taking a dent out of the workload. After speaking with the other CDI and qualified “turn body” in the shop, we agreed to split the workload to get as many of the
tasks done as possible. With a plan to work from easiest to hardest, we could complete our own tasks and come together to conquer more challenging tasks at the end of the night. I volunteered to take on two downed generators and an engine wash. All of these tasks required low power turns. I’ve been through the routine of conducting these kinds of turns plenty of times before. When preparing for a turn, a series of steps need to be completed before approaching the jet. First, the turn operator is supposed to read the Aircraft Discrepancy Book (ADB). Then there is the gathering of all the required personnel. Specifically, you need the turn operator, a plane captain, a CDI, two safety observers and a flight deck Chief. Once you’ve completed all the prerequisites and gathered the required personnel, a brief is held in maintenance control to ensure everyone is on the same page. Finally, the turn operator is given a turn card to head out to the jet for final inspections and, eventually, the turn itself. I repeatedly completed this routine and would be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a little complacent and overconfident with my abilities.
