Blaze & Daze

raratt

raratt

Well-Known Member
FirstCavApache64 said:
While these engineer screw-ups are bad, you haven't lived until you see the fun stuff aviation engineers dream up. I'm betting @raratt has seen some of the same mind blowing BS I have like blind holes just big enough to squeeze your hands in that require 12 bolts and safety wire on each. Having to remove entire engine assemblies just to replace a sensor that is known to fail frequently or need replacing as part of maintenance. If mechanics could just get 5 minutes alone with these geniuses in a locked room......

View attachment 5354233
Click to expand...
I was talking with an engineer who was making a mount for a new system in the SR-71. The existing mount has slidable brackets so it would fit any of the aircraft. He said "I have the drawings with the dimensions so I was going to make them solid". :shock: After decades of basically reforming the frames in the bay from the heat those design measurements were basically a ballpark estimate. I talked him out of it, thankfully.
The fun thing was a Schrader valve where you filled nitrogen inside one of our transmitters with a metal cap over it you had to remove with a nutdriver. If it fell inside the system it had to go back into the shop and get torn apart to get it out. That system was put in with cable hoists and weighed almost 1K pounds. I never did drop one thankfully.
 
FirstCavApache64

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
raratt said:
I was talking with an engineer who was making a mount for a new system in the SR-71. The existing mount has slidable brackets so it would fit any of the aircraft. He said "I have the drawings with the dimensions so I was going to make them solid". :shock: After decades of basically reforming the frames in the bay from the heat those design measurements were basically a ballpark estimate. I talked him out of it, thankfully.
The fun thing was a Schrader valve where you filled nitrogen inside one of our transmitters with a metal cap over it you had to remove with a nutdriver. If it fell inside the system it had to go back into the shop and get torn apart to get it out. That system was put in with cable hoists and weighed almost 1K pounds. I never did drop one thankfully.
Click to expand...
There's nothing worse than the sound of a nut or worse a tool falling down into the airframe where you can't reach it. The aircraft got grounded until it was recovered and downed aircraft hours were a really serious thing to command so they'd have a shit fit. We were grease monkeys that did all the major system work but were not allowed to repair electric or body panels. They had specialists for all 3 areas. I was just happy I didn't have to deal with the electric side as the amount of wiring in an Apache is mind boggling. I have enough trouble trying to find a loose ground wire on my car lol.
 
raratt

raratt

Well-Known Member
FirstCavApache64 said:
There's nothing worse than the sound of a nut or worse a tool falling down into the airframe where you can't reach it. The aircraft got grounded until it was recovered and downed aircraft hours were a really serious thing to command so they'd have a shit fit. We were grease monkeys that did all the major system work but were not allowed to repair electric or body panels. They had specialists for all 3 areas. I was just happy I didn't have to deal with the electric side as the amount of wiring in an Apache is mind boggling. I have enough trouble trying to find a loose ground wire on my car lol.
Click to expand...
Most of my work time was doing wiring modifications on the U-2. I had to sit for months in the engine bay adding and deleting wires due to system updates to different airframes. Initially it had "goldenrod" wires which were aluminum wrapped in mylar for weight reduction for all the power lines. Less weight is more altitude. We had really small coaxial cable for signal lines and a cross body line was triaxial that didn't want to bend, that stuff sucked. When running new lines into the engine bay we had to dig out potting compound around the existing wire harness without damaging it to fit them through the bulkhead, lotsa fun... Cannon plugs sucked.
 
Jeffislovinlife

Jeffislovinlife

Well-Known Member
raratt said:
Most of my work time was doing wiring modifications on the U-2. I had to sit for months in the engine bay adding and deleting wires due to system updates to different airframes. Initially it had "goldenrod" wires which were aluminum wrapped in mylar for weight reduction for all the power lines. Less weight is more altitude. We had really small coaxial cable for signal lines and a cross body line was triaxial that didn't want to bend, that stuff sucked. When running new lines into the engine bay we had to dig out potting compound around the existing wire harness without damaging it to fit them through the bulkhead, lotsa fun... Cannon plugs sucked.
Click to expand...
And with all that being said it only sounded like one thing to me a skinny man's job. Lol wow love the thought of it though calling around inside one of them hmmmm
 
GreatwhiteNorth

GreatwhiteNorth

Global Moderator
Staff member
raratt said:
I was talking with an engineer who was making a mount for a new system in the SR-71. The existing mount has slidable brackets so it would fit any of the aircraft. He said "I have the drawings with the dimensions so I was going to make them solid". :shock: After decades of basically reforming the frames in the bay from the heat those design measurements were basically a ballpark estimate. I talked him out of it, thankfully.
The fun thing was a Schrader valve where you filled nitrogen inside one of our transmitters with a metal cap over it you had to remove with a nutdriver. If it fell inside the system it had to go back into the shop and get torn apart to get it out. That system was put in with cable hoists and weighed almost 1K pounds. I never did drop one thankfully.
Click to expand...
A little dab of heavy grease in the nut driver otta hold it in.
 
FirstCavApache64

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
raratt said:
Most of my work time was doing wiring modifications on the U-2. I had to sit for months in the engine bay adding and deleting wires due to system updates to different airframes. Initially it had "goldenrod" wires which were aluminum wrapped in mylar for weight reduction for all the power lines. Less weight is more altitude. We had really small coaxial cable for signal lines and a cross body line was triaxial that didn't want to bend, that stuff sucked. When running new lines into the engine bay we had to dig out potting compound around the existing wire harness without damaging it to fit them through the bulkhead, lotsa fun... Cannon plugs sucked.
Click to expand...
Every box in the avionics bay had huge cannon plugs with bundles of wires and due to redundancy needs there were two of most all critical flight control and weapons systems. We would pull and replace components but if it needed spark chasing it fell to a 67X. I was 67R which were engine, transmissions and tail rotor gearbox guts. I specialized in full phase maintenance jobs for about a year doing overnight shift which was way nicer than the 120 degree Texas sun on day shift. Just missed getting my A and P license before I got out.
 
Jeffislovinlife

Jeffislovinlife

Well-Known Member
FirstCavApache64 said:
Every box in the avionics bay had huge cannon plugs with bundles of wires and due to redundancy needs there were two of most all critical flight control and weapons systems. We would pull and replace components but if it needed spark chasing it fell to a 67X. I was 67R which were engine, transmissions and tail rotor gearbox guts. I specialized in full phase maintenance jobs for about a year doing overnight shift which was way nicer than the 120 degree Texas sun on day shift. Just missed getting my A and P license before I got out.
Click to expand...
So what I'm hearing from you is if we took out at least half that stuff we could go twice as fast :fire: I know I know smoke more and talk less
 
FirstCavApache64

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
Jeffislovinlife said:
So what I'm hearing from you is if we took out at least half that stuff we could go twice as fast :fire: I know I know smoke more and talk less
Click to expand...
Apaches work slow and low with ground troops and therefore are bullet magnets. They build backup systems in case one gets shot or hit by an RPG they can still survive and stay in the fight. They're flying tanks, it takes a lot to knock one out of the sky. Back to cannabis now, sorry for the aviation geek out lol.
20231219_153350.jpg
Trinity mom and and bigger Trinity I'm getting ready to flower. Such a cool plant structure on this strain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top