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Old 08-24-2020, 08:05 AM   #11
CALinSC
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Taylors, SC
Posts: 353
During my 1977 – 1980 tour with VF-41 I had to go to the Air Wing and work the desk for them because their maintenance CPOs didn’t have any flight deck experience.

Respotting aircraft on the flight & hangar decks is a very intensive tasking during flight ops. The job requires constant communications with all squadron maintenance departments while constantly updating the ships aircraft handler of all operational aircraft status.

During my time with CVW8 the Iran hostage situation was playing out and the huge H-53 helicopters were aboard the Nimitz. They were constantly being moved up and down elevators to hide them from satellite detection. Cloud cover and rain squalls would bring them to the flight deck for maintenance, engine turns, or short flights.

The helos were flown to Diego Garcia in C5 aircraft. Then the Nimitz made a night run for the island to pick them up and hide them in the hangar bays.

Here are a couple of pictures of their movement between decks.

Note: Yellow shirts are aircraft movement handlers. The reason for so many is their getting familiar with the dimensions of the helos and their turning radius. We never had H-53s stay aboard before this operation.


USS Nimitz - 1980 - 1.jpg USS Nimitz - 1980 - .jpg

Cag 8.gif
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