Today, with 30 days to go until my retirement from the Coast Guard, this 20 Years a Coastie is the fourth and final of my Props to the Aircrew posts. First, it was my time as a Duck. Then, it was time to feed the ego of the Rescue Swimmers. Yesterday, I recognized all the Pilots who flew me out and back safe. But today, I will recognize my fellow Flight Mechanics, and the one irreplaceable Human Factor on any SAR Case...their thumb. Ill get to that in a bit, but first, Id like to delve into the question most of you non-aviators are probably asking yourselves. Just what IS a Flight Mechanic? And what makes them so fricken awesome? So a Flight Mechanic, or Flight Mech, is a member of Helicopter Aircrew who has multiple roles, both in the air and on deck. In the air, Pilots fly, Rescue Swimmers sleep...er...swim, and the Flight Mech is the back-up for everyone. We assist the Pilots with communications, navigation, traffic avoidance, and monitoring of the various parameters of the helicopter. We make suggestions on approaches, mission changes, and constantly scan and monitor for elevations of risk. When hoisting, it is the Flight Mech who commands the helo into position. Once over the target, the pilot cant see what is happening, and must rely on the Conning Commands from their Mech to effect a safe hoist. And I can tell you from experience (not just my own, but remember, I used to go as a Duck with trainees all the time), a cool, calm Mech will put a nervous Pilot at ease. Conversely, a Mech who gets wrapped around the bit, so to speak, can make things go wrong in a hurry, just by the tone of their voice. Additionally, while hoisting, we assist the Rescue Swimmer into the water, either by lowering them with the hoist, or just letting them jump for it. Then, when they are back in the helo (hopefully with a Survivor) we assist with any medical treatment necessary. We make sure everything and everyone is secure and safe. It is the Swimmers patient, but it is our cabin. But that is just what is done while flying. On the ground, the Flight Mech is the guy or gal who fixes the aircraft if you break down away from homeplate , using little more than a leatherman, a flashlight, and any goodies carried in their helmet bag. Some of us carry everything from a bit of safety wire and a few select o-rings up to a spare chip detector or a small (and, yes, accounted for) tool kit for removing inspection covers and the like. A few old guys like me will also carry some spare helmet parts (I have replaced about 4 helmet mics in flight), extra weight bags and batteries for Night Vision Goggles, and some personal protection gear (gloves, goggles, CPR breathing masks, and the like) for those times you will get diverted for SAR and you dont have a Swimmer (and their EMT Kit) onboard. I personally have personally have had to don the gloves and treat patients we picked up several times with no Swimmers on board, as have many of my fellow Flight Mechs. Additionally, if you do land away from home plate with mechanical issues, they carry the knowledge to diagnose the problem, make any required inspections, and give an informed assessment back to home plate. They are the technical experts of the crew. Many a solid Mechanic has used spit and bubble gum to fix an aircraft in the field that would have otherwise been stuck until a crew was sent to repair it or a truck and trailer were dispatched to tow it home. Many of us carry various troubleshooting charts in our knee boards for things like Servos and (at least back in the day) Torque Splits. Ahhh....how I miss torque splits, and running the process of figuring out if it was the anticipators or the air flow modulator. But what, you may be asking, does this have to do with their thumbs? Well, with all the avionics on board, we can basically program in a flight plan and have the helo come into a hover, all by itself. Granted, I wouldnt want to fly without a pilot guarding George (our solid, but sometimes erratic flight computer), but you get the point. And I would be willing to bet a Survivor would figure their way into a basket that was lowered to them without a Rescue Swimmer to put them in it. And, yeah, I get that they may be unconscious, but I have scooped up Sponge Bob, I bet I could scoop a Survivor. But the real critical Human Element, as I said before, is the Flight Mechs thumb. That is what controls the Hoist, raising and lowering the basket. Without that thumb, all we could do is look down as the people go under. So whenever you non-aviators out there hear about an amazing SAR Case where people were pulled from the clutches of an angry sea, think of the thumb first. For while Pilots and Swimmer get the glory, its the Flight Mechs thumb that really saves the day.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 02:21:36 +0000
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