Question on Ferrying Military Jets

[Bjoern]

Maybe we should open a new thread titled "Survival tactics for sleeping in aircraft"...?

 

[TeaSea]

Went to Somalia on a C-141 in Dec 1992, forgot my poncho liner (my "woobie" -- without it you "woobie" cold!).

Froze my a** off the whole way! Finally wrapped up in a plastic trash bag and slept on the hood of one of our HMMWV's (the only heat seemed to blow down near where it was chained down).

Then I got to Somalia and spent the next 6 months sweating my a** off!

 

[TeaSea]

Admittedly always used ear plugs unless jumping, but even when jumping, found the circuit flying to be very calming.

Matt

I always used ear plugs, even when jumping and performing Jumpmaster or Safety duties. Sometimes I'd pry them out of my ears after 2nd point of performance, sometimes I'd pull them out on the ground after the non-PLF I usually did. I found you could actually discern speech better with them in while you were in the A/C.

Did you ever notice how quickly you can fall asleep when you're wearing a parachute harness? I would always drop right off no matter how uncomfortable. Really restricts the blood flow.

 

[Bone]

I found you could actually discern speech better with them in while you were in the A/C.

Ear plugs filter out high frequency noise for the most part, is why that is. I wear ear plugs every time I fly, and even when just sitting in the cockpit doing preflight stuff and boarding the peeps. The avionics fan, gasper fan, and PACK air all make alot of noise, not to mention Flight Attendants.

 

[CG_1976]

Ear plugs filter out high frequency noise for the most part, is why that is. I where ear plugs every time I fly, and even when just sitting in the cockpit doing preflight stuff and boarding the peeps. The avionics fan, gasper fan, and PACK air all make alot of noise, not to mention Flight Attendants.

Now this sounds like the CC150 Polaris I dealt with today at Iqaluit. Got to taxi a CC150 out of the FOL to it's parking next to the terminal for it's crew going to CFS Alert. Nono we dont have tugs or push-back bars. My ears are still ringing and sore and the vibrations errr.

 

[strykerpsg]

I always used ear plugs, even when jumping and performing Jumpmaster or Safety duties. Sometimes I'd pry them out of my ears after 2nd point of performance, sometimes I'd pull them out on the ground after the non-PLF I usually did. I found you could actually discern speech better with them in while you were in the A/C.

Did you ever notice how quickly you can fall asleep when you're wearing a parachute harness? I would always drop right off no matter how uncomfortable. Really restricts the blood flow.

Never took longer than about 10 minutes to doze off in harness, which always drove a reaction to assure none of my appendages hadn't slipped under the leg harness when awakened or the end result would be a high soprano yelling upon chute deployment. As for PLF, mine were always perfect three point: feet, arse and head... always laughing at rehearsals and the new guys in their perfection to land by the book.

Matt

 

[TeaSea]

I'm 6 foot 2 inches, weigh 230 lbs, and I used to SLAM into the ground. I actually preferred full combat equipment so it would afford some of the shock.

I'm actually responsible for bending the barrels on two M16A1's by landing on them. Broken two ruck frames by landing on the rucks after I lowered them.

Never broke any body parts though.....

 

[fliger747]

A limit on the fighter transit range is more like how long a guy can sit in one rather than the range of the tanker. The tanker is jusyt carrying more internal fuel, not cargo, so the amount of fuel it can carry internally is rather large. I fly with a bunch of tanker guys but haven't asked them just what the fuel capacity is, though a full loaded KC 135 is heavy indeed (comparatively).

T

 

[ronvking]

I used to work at Gatwick in the ops department for Trans International (later Transamerica) which operated the civil C-130 (L382 or L100) and took a trip from Frankfurt to Cairo htne back to Amsterdam and Gatwick. Trip I won't forget, in fact it was nearly 30 years ago.

As we took off from Frankfurt we were behind a B747 and as we passed abeam Athens I hear the B747 on the radio in the climb and overtaking us, she had fuel stopped in Athens while we were still plodding along mind you IIRC we cuised at around 300kts compared to the B747 at 480kts.

We got the Cairo and due to the usual chaos there the handlers didnt come to offload the cargo for 5 hours or so then I seemed to spend the time trying to stop them nicking cans of coke from the galley. Even had to thump one who thought I was the "lad for him". Net result was that the crew rest for myself and the loadmaster was a few hours shorter than planned, then company decided to change the outward leg and so the pair of us got about 3 hours sleep but as the flying lads had got the minimum rest that was OK.

Our cargo from Cairo was boxes of green beans and about an hour after takeoff we had a small engine problem which needed attention so we did a tech stop in Athens to fix it. On the next sector I was knacked so went for a "lie down" in the back and found that boxes of green beans can in fact be rather cosy when your'e tired. Net result was a few hours kip only disturbed by the loadmaster waking me up before the descent into Amsterdam. Noise, what noise, from the allisons?

 

[kilo delta]

A limit on the fighter transit range is more like how long a guy can sit in one rather than the range of the tanker. The tanker is jusyt carrying more internal fuel, not cargo, so the amount of fuel it can carry internally is rather large. I fly with a bunch of tanker guys but haven't asked them just what the fuel capacity is, though a full loaded KC 135 is heavy indeed (comparatively).

T

Or how long the engine oil will last!