@NoEffects6

Want to be sure you see this, I wrote a novel.

Spent 4 1/2 years in 2 A6A squadron's on Whidbey Island. The rest of my 6 years were A school and AFTA electronics training.

When I first got out to the fleet, January 1972 my Squadron VA 145 Swordsman was deployed on the USS Ranger CVA 61.

We were bombing North Vietnam. I was an AT2, so worked on Radio, IFF, Radar Altimeter, ICS, Radio scrambler, and later ECM.

ECM, Electronic Counter Measures. Remember this was 1972 and we were using tube gear. Solid state gear did not come until after I got out, 1978.

All the ECM gear was very heavy and placed in odd places where they could "shoehorn" into the aircraft. All systems were several pieces.

The 2 ALQ-100's was a good example. 3 pieces, the 2 bolted together were about 80 pounds each. Then there was the self test unit which was the size of a computer keyboard.

This was the counter measure for SAMS. Surface To Air Missile  It took the radar guidance signal from the missle, scrambled and amplified it.

Then transmitted this strong tampered signal back to the missle causing it to miss the plane. That was the tampering part, gave a false location of the plane.

The ALQ-41 was 3 pieces that weighed about 70 pounds each and was the counter measure for Triple A.  Anti Aircraft Artillery.

The reason I'm given weights is when there was an issue with one of these systems the plane was "down" (could not fly) so was a big deal to get it fixed asap.

So first you have to trouble shoot to find what the problem was. 95% of the time it was the gear, the black boxes.

Panels were unscrewed to gain access. Normally about 40-50 FH bolts using a "speed handle". We had no power tools at all.

Since the different black boxes were tuned as a unit, all of them had to be removed and taken to "the shop" one deck below the flight deck, paperwork filled out.

Then you carried it down 3 decks on vertical ladders, about a third of the ships length forward then up an elevator to where you turned it in, and you were issued new boxes.

So then you get to carry the boxes to the plane and install them. Then you deck checked them keeping your fingers crossed that they passed. Then reinstalled access panels.

If you were issued bad gear, you got to do that all over. Only happened twice to me. They guys fixing the gear were pretty good.

I spent all that time in school learning to fix these electronic boxes. Instead I was sent to the AT shop and changed black boxes. That's the military.

After cruise was over, we were back home about 10 months before going on the Ranger again. That cruise we bombed Cambodia, was supposed to be a secret at the time.

My last 2 years in the Navy I was in VA-128, the training Squadron at Whidbey for new pilots.

No sea duty, we would go to Fallon NV couple times a year so the pilots could practice bombing. Those were fun 2 week trips. Liberty in Reno was fun.

By this time I was an old salt and knew the plane pretty good. It's in your own interest to be able to troubleshoot fast and correctly as it saved you work.

Shortly after I joined VA-128 I was moved to the Troubleshooters crew.

This was a coveted job as you were recognized for you knowledge and had a lot of interaction with the pilots as they were checking over a plane before launch..

Very busy or slack sit on your ass time. What we did is sit in a "Bread van" while the planes launched.

If these was an issue with a plane, like a hydraulic leak, the Airframes Troubleshooter would be called over by the plane captain.

His job was to fix whatever the problem was, or to "down" the plane is the aircraft was unsafe to fly. Lots of responsibility.    

If I had a problem it was usually the radio, so I would remove it, grab the spare out of the AT shop and change it.

Pilots would be happy they could fly, as they wouldn't take off without a radio.          

This was one the few times in the Navy I was on a good crew, no slackers, we worked hard and played hard. Good supervision, they left us alone.

We went to Pensacola a couple months before I got out, so planes could land on the USS Lexington.

Ya, that WW2 boat was still around in 1977. It was used as a training boat, so pilots could get their "traps" landings.

So I got to go on the 2 week training cruise. It was an old dirty boat but was cool being on a WW2 veteran. They had all of their battle ribbons painted on the side of the Island. They had a lot.

As a Trouble shooter I worked on the flight deck, engines are so loud you can't hear anything so your head has to be on a swivel to stay out of trouble.

I was "short", getting out soon, so I was nervous and my head never stopped moving.

Being on a flight deck during launches was serious business, as sometimes you had to go underneath the aircraft when the engines were turning.

The only thing on your mind would be intakes and exhausts, stay away from them, get the job done and stand back out of the way.

I'm done.

You definitely wanted all of your ECM working correctly.

My time is VA-128 was in the 1975-1977 time period. Different time periods, me mid 70's you end of the 90's.

In my 2 years there, we went to Fallon twice and Pensacola once. Only time I was on "sea duty" was Pensacola which lasted 2 weeks.

A lot different that sea duty in VA-145 where you went on 6-8 month cruises, home for 6-8 months and back to sea to do another cruise.