It’s Darwin, early 70s, pre Cyclone Tracy and a “Canary Coloured C--- Carrier” DC3, possibly EWE, is parked at the front of the hangar. She’s loaded with food and essentials for a 3am charter to a Territory mission that was isolated due wet season flooding.
Comes 3.15 and the captain still hasn’t shown, Al the FO and Jack, the departure engineer have another coffee and a smoke.
3.30 and a car skids to a halt at the hangar door. Jerry, as a senior captain of the airline, doesn’t have to explain anything, but in one sentence he squares away the underpants he is holding in his hand and why he is late. “**** mate, sorry. Didn’t have time to put these on. I woke up early and thought I'd have a quick run over the target but after half and hour of rasping, no matter what I did, I couldn’t shoot my bolt, couldn’t unload.” Mouth agape, all Jack could muster was a feeble, “fair enough.”
With that, Jerry goes to the back corner, dons his jocks and completes his dressing. Then, with Al, walks out to EWE. Al at this time was going through the separation process and was heard to say to Jerry, “Couldn’t blow your bolt ay? That’s interesting because I’ve got the opposite problem…we’ll have to talk some more about it.”
They crank up the 3 and taxi off into the darkness. About 10 minutes later, Jack gets a phone call from ATC, EWE has a hydraulic leak and is returning. “Don’t go home.” She pulls up, Jack throws the chocks in and has a cursory look around but there is no sign of red oil. He climbs aboard and while checking the hydraulic reservoir sight gauge just aft of the FO, Jerry says, “Relax, Jack. There’s no leak. That’s bull****. But check out that load back there will you? We were 10 miles out and struggling to make 300 ft.” The shirt backs of the drivers, soaked with sweat, confirmed they had been under the pump.
Jack didn’t bother to ask for the Trim sheet because he knew there probably wasn’t one. But it was now that he was hearing the 1 inch oleo extensions (normally about 3½ ins) that were shouting, “I’m heavy!”
It turns out the truck driver who delivered the pallets, mainly tinned and bottled food, unloaded his consignment for 2 charters beside the 3 and the loaders, not familiar with cargo ops, thought they had done a marvelous job in managing to fit it all aboard in one load.
To be sure, the Take Off power limits of 5 minutes and 48 ins would have been pushed that morning. And a frustrating night for Jerry; twice he didn’t get to unload.
Last edited by Wingnuts; 22nd Jan 2009 at 10:53.