"Bucket Of Prop Wash, Anyone?" by Ron Darrah, TSG,
USAF(Ret.)
I
was a two-striper crew chief in the 16th Tac Recon Squadron at Shaw AFB, SC, in
the winter of 1958-59, working on Douglas RB-66B bombers. One very cold
winter day we were preparing for a critical cross-country "mission" to, I think
Las Vegas or perhaps Phoenix. I use the term "mission" carefully, because we had
to load the bomb bay with more than one set of golf clubs and lots of other
recreational luggage, and I doubt if any vital Cold War training was going to be
involved.
Our pilot seemed to consider him-self a
legend in his own time-one that knew everything there was to know about anything
and was impatient with any problems of any kind. Of course, as fate would have
it, when the two of us began our start procedure, as soon as the Number 1 engine
began to turn over, the starter shaft sheared in two and the turbine spooled
down.
Legendary Pilot climbed out, frothing at the
mouth and demanding another starter. We did not have a spare J-71 shaft at the
time, as parts were scarce then as now. Our only option was to set up another
plane, which would take a good bit of time, or switch starters with another
engine, which would take even more time.
The Pilot said that these time options were unacceptable and that he had a better
idea -we would air start the engine! Namely... Down at Base
Operations, they had a polished up WW2 B-25 Mitchell Bomber that they used as a
VIP transport, and we were to use it for the air start. A crew of snickering
mechanics duly towed the Mitchell as close as possible in front of the B-66 and
chocked it down. A pilot climbed in the B-25, Legendary Pilot and his crew got
in the jet, and the B-25 started in a cloud of smoke. The Mitchell soon went to
full military power, shaking and rattling for all it was worth.
The
crowd that had gathered by now just stood, laughing and being very entertained
by this event. I was on the ground headset and was getting blasted by the prop
wash. Needless to say, the jet compressor never got over a few rpm's, and they
shortly stopped. Legendary Pilot climbed out, still frothing, but now resigned
to taking another RB-66 aircraft.
To this day, many years later, I can still see those big twin tails of that
Mitchell bouncing up and down a couple of feet in front of the B-66 refueling
probe, and I often wonder how much scrap aluminum we would have had, if the B-25
had jumped the chocks and plowed into the other jets in front of it. I do not
remember who this pilot was, but I do remember being very careful around him whenever
he flew my airplane!
