Aircraft Flight Deck Duty

By, Eric Johnson
A6E Intruder Plane captain
AMH-2, US Navy, 1973-77

This is a short story you might be interested in coming from personal experience. Its about the dangerous job of flight deck operations aboard US Navy Aircraft Carriers. Not glider related but the Jets have wings too...

I’m not one to brag or make light of my achievements in life, but in this case, I can honestly state a fact,

I worked in one of the 3 most dangerous jobs in the world!

 

Being a teenager just out of high school in 1972 without a job and no prospects in sight, I had to make a "Y" in the road decision. I just acquired my military draft number in high school from good ole Uncle Sam, #298 I believe when 350 was the cut-off. I was more than likely bound for Vietnam! I had 90 days to report for a physical. So, I did what every other scared kid would have done to avoid carrying a rifle in some foxhole witnessing pain and agony. I spoke with my cousin Don who had just been discharged from the Air Force and his best friend Tommy who had also just been discharged from the Navy. I was looking for some advice from their experiences that would help me make this important life decision. Out of these conversations I decided I didn't want to go to Germany or some other foreign country in the Air Force. Also, I was very concerned about living aboard a ship in the middle of the ocean! So, I chose Airplanes aboard ship. How I came to that resolve, I’m not sure to this day except Tommy had mentioned, "if you join the Navy, be an "Airdale", so you don’t work at the bottom of the ship as a ‘Blackshoe’ where you will never see the light of day or breath the fresh air again!” Tommy's second piece of advice was "Make sure you sign up with a guaranteed "A" school program. I joined the US Navy!

"I haven't the slightest idea where I’m going or what I’m doing" 
So I’m fresh out of Boot Camp in San Diego with orders to report to jet engine "A" school in Millington Tennessee. I report in, I take all the fundamental entry exams for aviation technician and my counselor says, "The aircraft jet engine billet is filled up, we can offer you sheet metal or the aircraft hydraulics tech." Dejected I chose hydraulics of which I hadn't a clue what it was. After 4 months of intense schooling only 11 out of 45 students graduated!

 Left end top row, 1973

Everybody in the Navy at this point of their rookie first year are pretty nervous about now not knowing where they are going to send you next. I filled out what the Navy calls a "Dream Sheet" at the beginning of the school session that I believe to this day was used to let you do just that - Dream. If I remember correctly, out of 10 choices, I picked 4 or 5 west coast locations, a couple each Southern and Midwest locations, and 1 east coast location, Virginia Beach, VA. So, after graduation we waited a week for our next set of orders to arrive. Guess which dream I got - Virginia Beach! The orders said “Sea Duty" with Attack Squadron 42, NAS Oceana Virginia, A6E Intruder. I was ok with the plane, certainly not the sea duty. This is NOT exactly what I would call my dream!

"Is it possible I’m a little over my head?" 
 Up to this time I had heard from the other veteran sailors that working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier was a life or death situation at best especially at night. I just ignored the comments or maybe I subconsciously resisted to believe it out of fear. When I reported for duty, they told me to “Go check in at the line shack. You’re going to be a Plane captain for a few months.” What the heck is a Plane captain? It didn't sound like a hydraulic technician to me, did they make a mistake? Wrong. Come to find out, being a Plane captain for a minimum period of 12 months was required before you qualified to work in the shops.

 My Plane Captain cert.

I served aboard the USS Saratoga, CV-60

USS Forrestal, CV-59

 USS Lexington, CV-16

The Plane captain is the person that has the most intimate hard-working relationship with the aircraft. They are the last people to visually examine an aircraft before it is sent on its way. 18 hours day and night he or she washes it, inspects it, starts it, launches it, retrieves it, refuels it and actually finds themselves talking to it in language I cannot repeat here! Basically, they are the sailors that certify the aircraft is safe and ready for the next combat mission.

        

PC Bob Frame launching 504 for bombing run training.

One of my favorite tasks performing this incredibly important job was doing the walkaround with the flight crew. This is where your work is scrutinized to a tee and questions are asked of you to answer in a completely truthful and positive manner with a paper trail backing you up. You see, after the PC has turned in the post flight inspection results to all the shops, he has to follow up that they have done their routine and special maintenance on the aircraft with the proper signed documentation before the flight crew sits their butt in that aircraft. If the aircraft has a major in-flight failure and you haven't done your homework on getting the plane in tip-top shape, "your ass is grass" as they say! So, I enjoyed walking around with the pilots because I knew I had done an excellent and thorough job for them because I didn't want my ass to be grass! Then you could talk to them in normal fashion like, how’s the wife and kids and did you have a nice weekend or something instead of standing there in stark terror thinking, did I remember to check the hydraulic fluid level in the main reservoir?

It's getting real, my no. 512 ready to catapult off the USS Forrestal, 1974.

"Jet Pilots are Ego Maniacs"
There were a few pilots that always displayed a macho by the book stone faced stature that was intimidating to all of us. Our commanding officer was one of them. I realized later after I completed my four year tour that these pilots deserved to act how ever they wanted towards us enlisted pukes. You see, I realized for a pilot to be the best he or she can be taking the risks needed in order to defeat the enemy or protect our troops on the ground, they need a GIGANTIC EGO to do so. If your life depends on a single jet pilot’s actions in the cockpit, I want them to believe they can do and be anything they want to be. It just comes with the territory.

"The scary part of a Plane Captains job"
The one thing they do time after time on a daily basis is assist the flight crew in strapping them into the cockpit ejection seats. I attended 3 weeks training on the GRU7 ejection seat before becoming a Plane captain and I’m glad the Navy spared no expense in these classes. Not only do you help them get comfortable in the seat, you also arm the seat. That is to say, you pull out all the safety pins to make the seat ready for firing the pilots out of the aircraft should they encounter a sudden emergency situation. These lifesaving seats travel around 300 feet per second and pilots can pass out! You can imagine what would happen to both the pilot and the Plane Captain if there were an accident on the ground during this strapping in process. Probably a mess you wouldn't want to witness! Oh yes, the GRU7 seat is powered by a series of fuel rocket motors underneath it and they burn around 4000 degree's! This is just one of the many daily highlights enjoyed by the trained Plane captain. Then, doing this service aboard ship while the jet engines are running in pitch black darkness at midnight in the middle of the ocean with aircraft screaming by at 200 mph. Now we're talking about a real scary existence. You better know what you are doing up there.

"Was this my dream job?"
They say the top 3 most dangerous jobs on earth are, 1. Oil well fire Fighting, 2. Flight deck Duty, 3. Law Enforcement. I served aboard the USS Forrestal, USS Saratoga, USS Lexington, and I tend to believe Flight deck Duty is number 1 for these reasons:

1. If you’re not paying attention, you'll be blown overboard into the sea from 100 feet up by the jet blast, which I’ve witnessed, possibly never to be found again especially at night. I came close to this myself, once!
2. Sucked into a Jet Engine Intake maiming and probably killing you instantly.
3. Wiped out by the failure of the aircraft arresting cable that catches the plane on landings.
4. Crashing aircraft on the flight deck due to pilot’s stupidity or equipment failure.
5. Dismemberment of limbs on catapult takeoff of aircraft should you forget it’s a missile 24 inches away.
6. Walking into a spinning ghost-propeller at night from not paying attention to see or hear your way on deck.

"There is life after being a Plane Captain"
I was finally transferred to the hydraulics shop after 18 months of very hard and intense work. The shop was a good solid grounding that greatly complimented my experience on the flight line as an aircraft hydraulic flight controls troubleshooter the next 2-1/2 years of my tour. What did I enjoy the most while facing danger every day on the flight deck? The camaraderie first, and the fact I could successfully accomplish flight readiness of multimillion dollar aircraft for the precious flight crews. And the result of the experience rewarded me with the hydraulics career I have enjoyed for over 40 years!

I think of my Plane captain brothers everyday who are serving aboard ships today knowing the grueling and dangerous work they are performing to keep the birds in the air, and our country free...