What they won't tell you

[chilidog]

Here's some more stuff I had stored on my old computer from a couple years ago.


Chilidog

[chilidog]

Subject
what they won't tell you

Posted by
WARzone
Posted on
1/31/01 07:18 AM

What minor surprises did you face when you got to Vietnam?

When our team was moving, from the middle of nowhere to another nowhere site, we had a conex that
could only be moved by a Chinook. I was standing on top of the conex ready to hook up, as the
hovering CH-47 dropped it's sling with a hook on the bottom. As I reacheed up to attach to the hook,
my hand touched that piece of metal and an extremely strong surge of static electricity knocked me
on my keester. I can hear the crew chief on the intercom. "Hey Mr. Doe, we just got another one. You
owe me five bucks plus another five because this one was a dumb ass Lieutenant.

[chilidog]

Subject
Been There Done That

Posted by
101pfdr
Posted on
1/31/01 11:27 AM

That's one of the things we learned in Pathfinder School. Discharge the Static Electricity before
attempting a hookup to a metal hook on a Chopper.

With the Chinook we used nylon sling rings for the hookup and didn't worry too much about the static
electricity unless it was raining. However the Ch-53 and 54 were a different animal altogether.

Once on FSB T-Bone we were getting ready to run an Arty Raid with a battery of 155's and it was a
rainy day. You know one of those overcast misty type days where everything stayed wet but it really
didn't rain. Anyway, I was standing on the tube when this Ch-54 comes in and I had my metal
"SPIKE" with commo line running to the ground stake ready. The bird started lowering it's hook and
when it got within range I threw my spike and watched the electricity dischargre. Only problem was
the guy kept lowering the hook and as it lowered it picked up more static and when I tried to hook up
to it with the metal sling hook I took a full charge and did a backflip with a full twist in the layout
position. My team was watching and they all shouted out "that was a 10 L-T".

I climb back up and went through the procedure again and again the same results only this time the
team gave me an 8. After the third time I called it quits and the pilots called and said that they would
be unable to complete the hookups due to the weather. The Raid was called off for a couple days.

So don't feel to bad about that Don, hell I was trained and knew about it and it got me three times. It
seems as the hook on the Ch-53's & 54's got lower than the wheels of the bird it contiued to pick up
static and in damp or wet weather it's almost impossible to discharge without hitting it several times
after it stops lowering. I'm sure the hook operator on that particular bird got a great big laugh out of my
troubles.