Recently added articles from Mech:
Reader feedback.
Mar 22, 2009 ... We recently received a letter from the commanding officer of VP-8 who wanted to clarify some facts concerning our article "It's Not Running Right" in the Fall 2008, Volume 47, Edition No. 4 of Mech magazine. In the article, the photo caption and the analyst's comments suggest that VP-8 ...
New aircraft, new problems.
Mar 22, 2009; Hofstad, Paul ... As with any new technology, new aircraft come with new problems. VFA-136 aircrew and maintenance personnel had to deal with numerous such issues during our initial months of operating new Lot 30 Super Hornets. On five occasions, aircrew heard a high-pitched whistling noise in ...
A timely "hands off!".
Mar 22, 2009; Bouchard, Theresa ... It was a normal day in VFA-37 Power Plants until aircraft 304 returned early from its flight. After debriefing with the pilot on the flight line about his oil-pressure-low caution, I walked to the back of the jet and found oil sprayed everywhere from door 64 left, all the way to the left ...
World famous fly-off.
Mar 22, 2009; Dowdy ... Troubleshooters work in a fast-paced, highly demanding, and unforgiving environment. They have to ensure every aircraft on the flightdeck is ready to launch at a moment's notice. Even the final flyoff at the end of a deployment is stressful. No one wants a jet to break, forcing personnel ...
"Probably" isn't good enough for float-coats.
Mar 22, 2009; Brown, Dalton ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's a normal day on the flight deck. You're standing on the LSO platform when a blast of jet exhaust hits you. As you're tumbling over the side toward the water, the last thing you want to worry about is whether you did a good job on your float-coat ...
One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch--but 99 might.
Mar 22, 2009; Young, Richard ... Sometimes when equipment mishaps happen, there is a fine line between human error and poor system design. As you read this article, VAW squadrons are begging for a solution to a recurring, time-consuming, and possibly life-threatening problem. The system design in question is "the green ...
Good.
Mar 22, 2009 ... MSDS station central location--it's all about ...
Bad.
Mar 22, 2009 ... A/C power cord for FA-18 still in RFI status--shock ...
Ugly.
Mar 22, 2009 ... Rag was not accounted for during a fuel-maintenance procedure and ended up ...
Bravo Zulu: sailors and marines preventing mishaps.
Mar 22, 2009 ... AM2 Jessica Hayes VFA-87 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] During final checks on an FA-18A+ Hornet, Petty Officer Hayes noticed a cracked up-lock bracket on the main landing gear. She immediately downed the aircraft for this discrepancy. Had this aircraft been allowed to ...
Class C mishap summary.
Mar 22, 2009; Austin, Michael ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From Dec. 10, 2008, to March 1, 2009, the Navy and Marine Corps had 23 Class-C mishaps involving aircraft. After review of several Class-C mishaps and initial investigations, 30 percent of the incidents reported this quarter involved towing or ...
