Tales of An Old Aviator .... The Big Chill
A few hours ago....
"Well Duke...(that's not my real name)the news is not good," said the doc. "The cancer...it's back.Your CEA count is up and...." I only half listened."Mass on your liver...something in your abdomen..blah blah blah"
A chill, like a rapier, shot up my spine... a big chill..the information he gave was only the clarity of dreams.My wife and I never even looked at each other. She had been through it once with me already.The chemo, the pukeing, ****ting, needles, hair all over the house, nausea and fear.Like some creature devoid of form, the big "C" was stalking me.
Fear you say....from an old Aviator?
Thursday, November the 28th.2002
The call came as usual on this date every year...from my old co-pilot.
"Happy Lobster Day!" and then we laughed and recalled that fatefull day five years ago out over the Atlantic.
The plan sounded simple...we were to base the C117(Super DC3) in Yarmouth Nova Scotia in order to fly live lobsters to New York prior to shipment to Japan. I had already done a couple of trips but now with B Check Authority I was to line indoctrinate a new Captain and co-pilot.A flawless day, although cold, made flight planning easy except for the forty knot headwind. We had plenty of fuel and nine thousand pounds onboard.We climbed to ten thousand or so on this bright blue day and I settled into the nav chair to think up some relevant questions for the Captain, a steely eyed ex Voodoo pilot named Les. He was all excited about his new GPS with the VNAV function.In the right seat was Slaz, a strong and jovial young chap bursting with keen-ness.
The Captain toyed with his GPS and, as we approached what I had figured out to be the PNR, I asked him, "Where would you go now in the event of an engine failure?"
He correctly stated he would return to Yarmouth due to the headwind, and, of course his GPS. "Aha!" says I. "You cannot give me an ETA UNTIL you turn around and use your new groundspeed read-out." He knew I was right and promised to learn the PNR formula.
Then....BANG!... a backfire.
"Which engine?" I blurted out. We hadn't caught it.Then...BANG! again...I saw the guage flicker...the left engine.I scrambled over the load of squeeking live cargo and, in horror, saw oil trailing from the cowling. I ran forward only to have Les inform me that we had a chip light.
A chill crept up my spine......
Down below the spindrift streaked off the waves...I found out later that the seas were thirty feet.
"Do you mind if I assume command of the flight?"I respectfully asked Les...after all I had three engine failures in this airplane before.
Without an answer he moved to the right seat and Slaz stood between us.Les immediately called a Mayday to Boston in order to clear the airspace below as we were going down as we completed the shutdown procedure....except the engine wouldn't feather.With all trims maxed out and full aileron it was difficult to control the airplane and indeed we couldn't hold altitude.
The feather button was in and lit and yet the prop turned...it took a while to figure out..prop turning..feather pump running...****! we must have broken the crankshaft...Yes! that's it..the RPM read zero...Won't feather...never..all the oil is gone....windmilling...****!
Slaz taps me on the shoulder and points to the feather button...still running..no oil...fire danger.
Yep! The co-pilot had saved our lives for sure so I pulled the button.
Les in steely eyed fashion informs me we won't make it to any shore according to VNAV.
"Upgrade the Mayday "says I...whatever the hell that meant.
Down to eight thousand...next we see a DC10 circling us...Boston had diverted him from his trip to Germany to at least get a visual on us...EASY...we were at the leading edge of the oil slick.
Imagine what those pax thought with their noses pressed up against the glass.
A Coast Guard Falcon 20 appeared and scorched around us and the DC10 went on his way...we never did talk to him, but we were given a discreet frequency to talk to the Falcon.
I was busy flying the plane when Slaz asked if he should start throwing cargo out and this permission was quickly granted but he had to use the emergency exit.The cockpit was a busy place.Les monitoring the good engine, updating me on where we would ditch...but oh so cool."Is your airplane falling apart?" the Falcon asked as they saw stuff hitting the tail...it was boxes of lobsters.
"What can you do for me?" I asked. "We will drop you a life raft" was the answer.I struggled with the controls...200fpm down was the best I could do. I looked at the mountainous seas..."It will blow away in this wind and besides, we have a problem with ditching" says I. "I need a helicopter"
They dispatched one from Cape Cod. That is why I decided to continue straight ahead in order to close the distance as soon as possible.Four thousand....Slaz worked feveriously in back and we could hear the boxes hitting the tail..the airplane shuddered with every hit.
We had METO power on the good engine and as we descended , Les was pulling back on the power...we were still descending..."Want more power? " he asked.
It was the hardest decision in my aviation career. "No" say I, "I want to save that engine till ground effect, maybe get to shore
that way"
The seas were huge. Two thousand...
"Go back and get Slaz" says I "I want to brief on the ditching. Slaz arrives..."Half the cargo gone " he says breathlessly, eyes as big as dogs balls.
While I was briefing, Les yells, "We are levelling,****..we're gonna make it."
And make it we did...into Provincetown,Cape Cod...JUST. The capitol of the NW USA.
Another story...Wendy the Windsurfer...
A few lessons here...
Don't give up till you're licked.
Don't whine and trivialize when you haven't been there.
Lets keep our profession out of the gutter...we need each other.
I have another difficult mission ahead...and if I croak...I would like on my tombstone.....
HONOUR IS A MANS GIFT TO HIMSELF
[ This Message was edited by: Duke Elegant on 2003-05-21 18:33 ]
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Rebel
Joined: Nov 13, 2001
Posts: 565 Posted: 2003-01-22 02:33
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Wow, that's good...
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alame
Joined: Nov 16, 2001
Posts: 231 Posted: 2003-01-22 05:43
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That is THE best post on this board to date, don't just stop at this one please, there has to be more.............
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CarbIce
Joined: Nov 28, 2002
Posts: 24 Posted: 2003-01-22 06:46
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A perfect story to start the day off right. Excellent post! Keep em coming.
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Snoopy
Joined: Oct 17, 2001
Posts: 431 Posted: 2003-01-22 07:07
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GREAT