Yet another incredibly annoying story "from the old days."
Another thread tweaked my memory
Stationed at NAS Miramar, 70-74, our shop was way out near the W end of the runways. We were a small crew, and worked 24 on / 48 off. So typically 2 or 3 of us "in a section" worked a normal day, then cleaned up the shop, stayed the night
We had the walking talking "twin" to "Frank Burns" (MASH). Mr Gung Ho career lifer complete with pre-formed permanent coffee cup forefinger. And an asshole in between
So of COURSE when you left, day crew for the day, or duty section next morning, you were expected to pick up your personal crap. And if you left your coffee cup out, dirty, you might just expect to have to look for it next duty, possibly IN THE FREEZER
So ET1 Charles X XXXXXXX SIR!! comes in one morning and can NOT find his coffee cup. And he is irritated. And he finds it in the freezer. So what to do? OF COURSE he throws it into the one-hole porcelin kitchen sink in the shop and CHIPPED the PORCELIN in the sink!!!
So next time the rest of us come in, 2 days later, "it starts." And it went on for A COUPLE OF YEARS
You'd put the office chairs upside down to "swab the deck" and --grease pencil-- on the bottoms of the chairs-- "Charlie chipped the sink."
You'd open the empty towel dispenser and ----"chips"
Go down to the TACAN building and unlock the door, there were those infamous big frosted globe lamps. Someone had pulled the down, and written backwards on the inside----"flying chips"
This goes ON and ON
One time we had one of our trucks over for maintenance, and they'd given us a "loaner" . So Dave and I got out the brass DIY stencil kit and neatly stenciled "FLYING CHIPS" on the rear bumper.
One night Dave and I (on duty) were trying to get out of the shop. So we told "Charlier" were were heading to the "linen locker" Charlie wants to go. So Charlie is driving, Dave in the middle , me (ETR2) on the pass side. We come rolling up to some traffic on base at a stop sign, and THERE IS THE TRUCK. I sideways glanced at Charlie and the purple veins on the sides of his head were about to explode SAID NOT ONE WORD!!
BUT THE APEX was yet to come
The RADAR had certain "PM" (preventative maintenance) procedures/ skedules. "Chapman" was "short" not far from "getting out." So he had carefully looked (the day before our crew came on duty) for a low level maintenance to perform that would not be looked at for a very long time
In the one RADAR trailer, there was a "voltage regulator" which consisted of 3 identical chassis. # phase power. There was a metal/ hermetic enclosed bridge circuit and 3 motor driven variable transformers commonly called "Variac". The bridge monitored line voltage, driving motors which moved the wiper on the transformers to stabilize the voltage.
Our crew (with Charlie) comes on duty, and the "controllers" called from the tower "the 52 is dead"
So we go out to the trailer and NOT EVEN THE A/C is running. NEVER seen ANYTHING like THIS!!! before.
Check AC power at the main disconnect, OK. 10 minutes later we had one of the regulator chassis pulled out. DAVE AND I HAD NEVER BEFORE SEEN OR TOUCHED THESE. And there, written in grease pencil, is a "personal message" addressed to ET1 Charles R XXXXXXX and dated "ETR2 XXXXXXXX Chapman"
TO THIS DAY I don't know why he wasn't disciplined, other than he was ONE HELL of a tech, and was getting "out" pretty soon!!!!
Below, "me" early 70's pretending to adjust something in the trailer
Below, overhauling both QUAD FPN-36 RADARS. No idea why we did both at once Tower is behind one of the antenna frames This is looking kinda N. These two RADAR were between the parallel runways
Below, the RADAR I went to school on, AN/CPN-4A a complete search/ precision/ communications air control facility Trailer with antennas was the main trailer "operations." Had all the operational gear except the A/C unit which was ducted over with flexible duct from the center trailer. Main trailer had about a 45mi search RADAR, the precion GCA RADAR, and 3 UHF and 3 VHF radios, and space and displays for 3 controllers
This was NAS Glynco, Georgia, 1969--early 1970
Another thread tweaked my memory
Stationed at NAS Miramar, 70-74, our shop was way out near the W end of the runways. We were a small crew, and worked 24 on / 48 off. So typically 2 or 3 of us "in a section" worked a normal day, then cleaned up the shop, stayed the night
We had the walking talking "twin" to "Frank Burns" (MASH). Mr Gung Ho career lifer complete with pre-formed permanent coffee cup forefinger. And an asshole in between
So of COURSE when you left, day crew for the day, or duty section next morning, you were expected to pick up your personal crap. And if you left your coffee cup out, dirty, you might just expect to have to look for it next duty, possibly IN THE FREEZER
So ET1 Charles X XXXXXXX SIR!! comes in one morning and can NOT find his coffee cup. And he is irritated. And he finds it in the freezer. So what to do? OF COURSE he throws it into the one-hole porcelin kitchen sink in the shop and CHIPPED the PORCELIN in the sink!!!
So next time the rest of us come in, 2 days later, "it starts." And it went on for A COUPLE OF YEARS
You'd put the office chairs upside down to "swab the deck" and --grease pencil-- on the bottoms of the chairs-- "Charlie chipped the sink."
You'd open the empty towel dispenser and ----"chips"
Go down to the TACAN building and unlock the door, there were those infamous big frosted globe lamps. Someone had pulled the down, and written backwards on the inside----"flying chips"
This goes ON and ON
One time we had one of our trucks over for maintenance, and they'd given us a "loaner" . So Dave and I got out the brass DIY stencil kit and neatly stenciled "FLYING CHIPS" on the rear bumper.
One night Dave and I (on duty) were trying to get out of the shop. So we told "Charlier" were were heading to the "linen locker" Charlie wants to go. So Charlie is driving, Dave in the middle , me (ETR2) on the pass side. We come rolling up to some traffic on base at a stop sign, and THERE IS THE TRUCK. I sideways glanced at Charlie and the purple veins on the sides of his head were about to explode SAID NOT ONE WORD!!
BUT THE APEX was yet to come
The RADAR had certain "PM" (preventative maintenance) procedures/ skedules. "Chapman" was "short" not far from "getting out." So he had carefully looked (the day before our crew came on duty) for a low level maintenance to perform that would not be looked at for a very long time
In the one RADAR trailer, there was a "voltage regulator" which consisted of 3 identical chassis. # phase power. There was a metal/ hermetic enclosed bridge circuit and 3 motor driven variable transformers commonly called "Variac". The bridge monitored line voltage, driving motors which moved the wiper on the transformers to stabilize the voltage.
Our crew (with Charlie) comes on duty, and the "controllers" called from the tower "the 52 is dead"
So we go out to the trailer and NOT EVEN THE A/C is running. NEVER seen ANYTHING like THIS!!! before.
Check AC power at the main disconnect, OK. 10 minutes later we had one of the regulator chassis pulled out. DAVE AND I HAD NEVER BEFORE SEEN OR TOUCHED THESE. And there, written in grease pencil, is a "personal message" addressed to ET1 Charles R XXXXXXX and dated "ETR2 XXXXXXXX Chapman"
TO THIS DAY I don't know why he wasn't disciplined, other than he was ONE HELL of a tech, and was getting "out" pretty soon!!!!
Below, "me" early 70's pretending to adjust something in the trailer
Below, overhauling both QUAD FPN-36 RADARS. No idea why we did both at once Tower is behind one of the antenna frames This is looking kinda N. These two RADAR were between the parallel runways
Below, the RADAR I went to school on, AN/CPN-4A a complete search/ precision/ communications air control facility Trailer with antennas was the main trailer "operations." Had all the operational gear except the A/C unit which was ducted over with flexible duct from the center trailer. Main trailer had about a 45mi search RADAR, the precion GCA RADAR, and 3 UHF and 3 VHF radios, and space and displays for 3 controllers
This was NAS Glynco, Georgia, 1969--early 1970
