Photo By Sgt. Tyler Main | An aircrew consisting of a crew chief, aerial observer, ordnance mechanic, flightline...... read more read more
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HANA AIRFIELD, MAUI – In a CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter, seven aircrew and nine passengers enjoy a routine training flight to the Big Island of Hawaii. The helicopter passes by mountains and over of multicolored reefs surrounding the neighboring islands.
Slowly, an odd black haze blurs the tropical scenes. It’s a mixture of smoke and hydraulic fluid. The aircraft can no longer fly safely, so the pilots safely landed the Sea Stallion on a remote airstrip off the east coast of Maui.
This was the situation mechanics and pilots from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 faced during a flight to support exercise Lava Viper at Pohakuloa Training Area on Monday. But their training kicked into gear.
“We lost a third of the hydraulic systems crucial to maintaining flight controls,” said Sgt. Jake Hale, an air frames mechanic and aerial observer. “We have encountered the problem before and knew what we needed to do.”
As soon as the helicopter touched down the mechanics, crew chief and aerial observers jumped out like a NASCAR pit crew to assess the situation.
Instinctively, the crew took a hydraulic line from an unpowered system to replace the one needed for a safe flight. About 10 minutes later, the hydraulic line was replaced and the safety checks passed.
“Everyone did very well, just like we normally do and have done in Afghanistan previously,” Hale said.
But the crew ran into another problem.
The avionics systems in the Stallion wouldn’t allow a safety light to extinguish and the mechanics called in avionics technicians.
From Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, another Sea Stallion flew out avionics technician Sgt. Logan Thompson with the parts to assist the stranded crew.
Hale credits Thompson with figuring out the new problem.
To ensure everything was in optimal condition for flight, the crew stayed overnight to work on the aircraft. They accomplished their mission and delivered the Sea Stallion safely back to the air station Tuesday morning.
“Our whole air crew is qualified in multiple billets,” Hale said. “Everyone is capable of being a hydraulic mechanic, like we needed at the time, or a crew chief, which every flight needs. With a team like that, there aren’t many problems we can’t resolve very quickly.”
The squadron is deploying to Helmand province, Afghanistan, this month to support ground units by transporting infantry, hauling various cargo and conducting raids.
According to Capt. Orion Jones, who piloted the once stranded Sea Stallion, there’s no crew he’d feel safer with while on deployment.
“Our maintenance department is very experienced and extremely well-trained,” Jones said. “You have it as good as it gets when you go into Afghanistan with a crew like that.”
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2011 14:28 |
| Story ID: | 64825 |
| Location: | MAUI, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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