FOD Fishing | F-4 Phantom
Today we are making more progress toward running the engines. That means we have to do a thorough check for any FOD (foreign objects) everywhere we have worked. One way to do that is a borescope camera which can get into tight spaces that are hard to check with just a flashlight and a mirror. Also had to deal with a tug that wouldn't start.
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/ jones.aviation
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Пікірлер: 32
When a 1 hour job turns into a 30 hour job.. gotta love FOD
Fly upside down and vacuum stuff off the canopy 🤣 I heard some crews use to pass food and other stuff (maybe in the F-14?) by going inverted and sliding it forward or back. One long haul F-117 pilot dropped his go pill before, pulled negative G's and the other guys could see him trying to grab something out of the air. Sounded pretty funny.
Opening with a shot of a classy older lady, I love it! Thanks for sharing.
When you started fishing up washers, I saw them and 10L washers came to mind.
When the Phantom flies again, the pilot should invert it, shake it a few times, and then any missing nuts, bolts, pocket change, etc. will fall onto the canopy and be pretty easy to pick up. Hopefully there won't BE any. Fod check at 20,000 feet!
@Yooyangs
2 ай бұрын
That’s how they did it back in the day. We didn’t have fancy stuff. We pulled the entire pilots cockpit out to find a washer. I think it was a F-4C if memory serves.
Outstanding effort. Finding those tiny washers more than justifies the effort. Don't want anything loose, especially metalic. We didn't have affordable boroscopes in my time, only hand held torches, mirrors of verious sizes, telescopic magnets & those 4 fingered claw grabbers.
Sometimes putting a piece of duct tape folded outwards with the sticky side out attached to the end might work. Sorry, it’s hard to explain. But I’ve done that many times to fish out lost items. Just a thought. Good work by the way!!!!
@DieselThunderAviation
2 ай бұрын
Oh yeah! Used that trick before too. Works well when the area isn’t too dusty or dirty.
Reminds me of borescope fishing for WMS switches under the seat when pilots kick it off the throttle entering and existing F35s. It's a bit of a hellhole down there lol
Worked on f4’s for days retrieving FOD back in the day
@trespire
2 ай бұрын
Yup, when it comes to FOD, or even lost tools, there is absolutly no place for uncertainty. It has to be FOD clean. One time our whole base got grounded (several fighter squadrons), because one bucking anvil was lost. After almost a whole 24 hours, it was found trapped between the double skins of a drop-down engine door on a Kurnass. It took a borrowed boroscope from the engine shop to find it. When drilling out rivits and fastners, we had to collect every last chip, clean up as we go along. Wipe around wing beams, bulkheads & longerons with MEK and gauze, use flashlights and mirrors to inspect conceled every corner. Ex-Airframe maintainer / Fitter.
@pickandstrum
2 ай бұрын
I was a crew chief at nellis on f4d was the best time ever
@trespire
2 ай бұрын
@@pickandstrum I was structural technician / airframe maintainer on F-4E "Kurnass". Watching them rumble down the runway at dusk with a full payload was a sight and sound I'll never forget. Some of our jets were emergency delivered from Vietnam after '73 to refill the heavy losses. Colloqually called "Karpada", meaning Toad, due to them being pressed into service while still in USAF dark green livery. We were forever thankful to the USAF. Thanks for your service.
@Zip104
2 ай бұрын
Oh yes, our crews DID roll over and Command a climb...usually resulted in something. The common write up was, "Lost 1 mechanical pencil". And to note, those required a outside visual of the upper ejection seats before opening the canopies.
Are you going to try to put the seats back in for the engine run or just a chair? Have you had anyone check to see if the cockpit mounted & seat mounted ballistics are still within their time change life? You can find the info in 1F-4D-6 TO. You will also have to find someone to repack the drogue and main parachutes since they have to be due inspection and repack. Can't wait to hear the engines run again and see her fly.
Dude. We have been using xray equipment for years to look for fod in aircraft. If found and it's in a trapped area that posed no problem the AFTO 95 was annotated as so.
S. Korea just retired all their F-4s this month friggin amazing...)...maybe there are 'things' that can be acquired from them to help with this Rhino.
Looks like the Phantom got herself a bit of a blood sacrifice on the panel...
@trespire
2 ай бұрын
Old Spook always demands payment in blood, sweat and tears.
@pickandstrum
2 ай бұрын
I have a nasty scar on the top of my head from an engine bay door on an f4e we were doing an engine change and I was not paying attention, when I was at the hospital getting sewn back up the doctor joked and asked me was the thing landing when it hit me 😂. Was a large gash a guess it’s a souvenir from the air force
@trespire
2 ай бұрын
@@pickandstrum Ouch ! Those engine bay doors like to chew ground crew, heavy suckers.
Using a camera?!! You’re not doing it right unless you’re hanging upside down from the canopy rail with your face in the seat’s rocket pack! That’s how we did it 😂. Telling the pilots to do a slow roll and pick what they find off the canopy was another…
This may be a bit of a “down the rabbit hole” question, but are all the nuts and bolts on her steel? Steel fasteners would add, I’d guess, about 200 pounds all up from nose to tail. Did they use any aluminum nuts/bolts/fasteners on her to save weight?
Oh how we could have used that bore scope in the 70s. We had to call all the specialist out to remove everything. Not a good verbal response. 🙂
@DieselThunderAviation
2 ай бұрын
Oh I bet! Very handy tool to have!
When you are in the WSO seat theres a cable running along the ejection seat rails that looks a bit frayed, whats that for? I'm guessing it gets replaced when that portion gets worked on next?
Question! I was an avionics instrument systems tech on USAF F-4 airccraft late ''70's to early '80's. So many systems to make it functional for flight. Fuel quantity indicating system, JETCAL for the engines, etc.. Does this aircraft have the original CADC? If so do you have all the necessary tech equipment for it?
Ever think the f4 will make it to Oshkosh?
@DieselThunderAviation
2 ай бұрын
Have to fet her backnin the air first. She may go back on the airshow circuit, but not sure at the moment.
What's in your hanger? Me; an F-4. Phantom... 😊😮