Cool story, thanks for sharing. Did the NY ANG guys get some replacement tubing from NASA?
-- Max Dillon Charleston SC '95 E300, '87 300TD, '73 Balboa 20 WILTON <wilt...@nc.rr.com> wrote: >Speaking of Cessnas reminds me: > >One evening in early winter of 1978, while I was Director of >Engineering at >Sondrestrom Air Base, Greenland, I was in my room reading and listening >to >classical music when Base Commander called and asked me to go over to >the >Officer's Club and talk to a NASA guy about a problem with one of their > >aircraft. They were there with a Cessna Citation and a Boeing 707 >doing >high altitude atmospheric research with the National Science >Foundation. > >At the club, Base Commander, who knew that I had also been a B-47E >maintenance crew chief before I was commissioned and started flying >B-52's., >introduced me to the NASA guy. NASA guy had just discovered a problem >with >the braking (or steering - can't be sure which now, but more likely >steering) system on forward landing gear of their Cessna Citation, a >small >business-type jet aircraft. A small, U-shaped piece of stainless steel > >tubing under hydraulic pressure of 3000 psi was cracked and leaking. >They >needed to fly one more mission with the Cessna to be finished for the >season. If they couldn't find or make a replacement for the part >locally, >they were going to fly the 707 to Los Angeles and back over the next >couple >of days to get a part. After the NASA guy described the problem, I >told him >that I may be able to help - I'd certainly try - I don't give up very >easily. > >We jumped in my truck and went to the hanger to look at the leaking >part. It >was a U-shaped piece of ¼-inch stainless steel tubing with each leg of >the U >less than 2 inches long with a flare and a compression nut on each end. > I >vaguely remembered that I had seen some ¼-inch stainless steel tubing >in a >hanger that was used by the NY Air National Guard for their summer >C-130 >operations on the Greenland ice cap. We removed the offending part and >took >it with us to the National Guard hanger. In the hanger, I could see >several >six-feet-long pieces of the appropriate stainless steel tubing several >feet >away on the inside of a shop secured by an 8-feet-tall chain link fence > >topped by strands of barbed wire. We drug a work table from across the > >hanger up to the fence; I jumped up on the table and went over the >fence >onto another table inside the fence, walked across the shop, got a >piece of >the tubing and stuck it thru the fence to the NASA guy. I quickly and >easily went back up on the table inside the shop and back over the >fence. > >Still not sure we'd be able to make a proper part, I stopped by my >Danish >civilian contractor chief engineer's living quarters to ask him if he >may >like to help. Years before, he'd been chief engineer on Danish >sea-going >merchant vessels. He was VERY enthusiastic as we rushed to our Base >Civil >Engineering ground equipment shop, hoping to find the tools to help us >make >the appropriate part. When we walked into the shop, we interrupted a >card >game of several Danish civilian contractor workmen/mechanics. When >they >realized what we were doing, they were all anxious to help and rushed >to >find three or four plumbing flaring tools in this shop and the plumbing >shop >nearby. These tools were for copper tubing, of course, but we forged >ahead. > >Soon, there were at least half a dozen well-experienced mechanics in >friendly competition to make, bend, flare, etc., the perfect >replacement >part for the Cessna. Special problems, of course, were: the 180 degree >bend >in such a short piece of stainless steel tubing, short sides of the U >leaving little room to form the flare on each end and have the >compression >nut in the right place on each side also. The replacement had to be >exactly >like the original - couldn't be longer because of landing gear >retraction >restrictions (space in the wheel well). After several tries, we had an > >acceptable match visually. We rushed to the aircraft and installed it >for a >PERFECT fit and no leaking. The aircraft flew its mission the next day >and >flew home to Los Angeles the next, all without incident. > >This is just another small part of my very enjoyable foreign relations >experience and an excellent example of Danish mechanics' innovative >spirit >and desire to excel. > >Wilton > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Jon Agne" <jonag...@gwi.net> >To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> >Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2013 6:06 PM >Subject: Re: [MBZ] Ok don > > >> Did I hear Cessna??? >> >> On Feb 10, 2013, at 5:53 PM, Kaleb C. Striplin wrote: >> >>> Is your Cessna air worthy? >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>> _______________________________________ >>> http://www.okiebenz.com >>> For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ >>> >>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >> >> >> _______________________________________ >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > >_______________________________________ >http://www.okiebenz.com >For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > >To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
