Herc has built in preheat for the engines but the props which are hydraulic have seals that become leaky if the blade angle is changed before the fluid gets warmed up and even when it "warms up" if there's such a thing with all of the airflow over the prop they can leak.
On that particular trip out of Alert we had a prop low oil warning--which is a shutdown condition on one engine, another prop leaking with fluid running back over the engine-just waiting for the warning lite to come on, a cracked window and the refuelling system leaking really bad.
After we put it in the semi heated hangar in Thule and got some rooms we had a crew discussion>very long and serious and made a decision based on the biggest factors--2 leaky props that we'd call it unserviceable. There was a chance that they would seal after 24 hrs. in the hangar and an equal chance that they would still leak. If we waited 24 hrs. and they sealed we would be able to go home and the flight would only be 24 hrs. late. If they /or even one leaked we would still be unserviceable and we'd need an MRP with a prop which would make it 24 hrs. plus the time to get an MRP and a prop to Thule. The other factor was the cracked window. If the leaks sealed we were still limited in pressurization and had to limit our altitude. If the cracks progressed we were looking at flying with no pressurization and the possibility of the prop leak(s) coming back. Blundering along at 10,000 with an engine or two shut down would be not a good thing. We also had another small factor.
The first officer had left the bulk travel claim and the US $3,000.00 advance on the top of the TV in his apartment in Trenton and the only US$ that we had between the crew and 12 passengers was $70.00 that I had in my wallet plus the odd 10 or 20 that a couple of others had. That wouldn't go very far.
We called Trenton and they sent an MRP with two props. They arrived and we switched aircraft with them and went home. Only a 24 hr. delay. The MRP topped up the leakers and ran them for an hour. The result was no leaks on either of them so they brought it home with the two replacement props in the back.
Some careful research disclosed that over many years there were only a couple of occasions where a CC-130 had been declared us in Alert during the (real) cold months but there were many occasions where CC-130s had been declared us in Thule after arriving from Alert. Obviously something was happening. Either our aircraft were getting sick between Alert and Thule or people were "not seeing" problems in Alert but upon arrival in Thule their vision improved, or maybe it was a combination of both.
At any rate we were able to have the itinerary changed so that Service Flight 85/86 would overnight in Thule vs Alert from Sept. to March. I retired a few years later so I don't know if that is the case now or if it somehow got changed. Things do have a way of changing over time so wouldn't be surprised.
A good crew always takes the battery to bed with them. The loss of power in a battery as the temperature drops is phenomenal. At -30 it's only a shadow of itself and aircraft are only equipped with minimal battery power at best. The engineering people go for little batteries to save weight so aircraft can haul more cargo. Problem is if you can't get them started they don't haul anything.
That's something that should be specified on our new acquisitions. Two batteries. One big one is too hard to handle.
There are lots of things that our forces need for our specific operations that aren't standard for most military ops. Our old Chinooks had more modifications done to them in the first five years that we had them than the US Army had done since they were built.
From my Log Book>>>Apr. 10, 76 Ottawa-Shearwater 4.7 hrs. Apr. 15 Greenwood-Ottawa 5.0 hrs.
That was the test run on the Chinook long range fuel system. It was pure bootleg equipment. Even 10 TAG HQ queried the duration of the flight. The first production of the system was a squadron secret.
That's a story all on it's own. But it's a fact. The Canadian Forces only learned about it after it was built.
I just noticed. It's next year!
Happy New Year !
On that particular trip out of Alert we had a prop low oil warning--which is a shutdown condition on one engine, another prop leaking with fluid running back over the engine-just waiting for the warning lite to come on, a cracked window and the refuelling system leaking really bad.
After we put it in the semi heated hangar in Thule and got some rooms we had a crew discussion>very long and serious and made a decision based on the biggest factors--2 leaky props that we'd call it unserviceable. There was a chance that they would seal after 24 hrs. in the hangar and an equal chance that they would still leak. If we waited 24 hrs. and they sealed we would be able to go home and the flight would only be 24 hrs. late. If they /or even one leaked we would still be unserviceable and we'd need an MRP with a prop which would make it 24 hrs. plus the time to get an MRP and a prop to Thule. The other factor was the cracked window. If the leaks sealed we were still limited in pressurization and had to limit our altitude. If the cracks progressed we were looking at flying with no pressurization and the possibility of the prop leak(s) coming back. Blundering along at 10,000 with an engine or two shut down would be not a good thing. We also had another small factor.
The first officer had left the bulk travel claim and the US $3,000.00 advance on the top of the TV in his apartment in Trenton and the only US$ that we had between the crew and 12 passengers was $70.00 that I had in my wallet plus the odd 10 or 20 that a couple of others had. That wouldn't go very far.We called Trenton and they sent an MRP with two props. They arrived and we switched aircraft with them and went home. Only a 24 hr. delay. The MRP topped up the leakers and ran them for an hour. The result was no leaks on either of them so they brought it home with the two replacement props in the back.
Some careful research disclosed that over many years there were only a couple of occasions where a CC-130 had been declared us in Alert during the (real) cold months but there were many occasions where CC-130s had been declared us in Thule after arriving from Alert. Obviously something was happening. Either our aircraft were getting sick between Alert and Thule or people were "not seeing" problems in Alert but upon arrival in Thule their vision improved, or maybe it was a combination of both.
At any rate we were able to have the itinerary changed so that Service Flight 85/86 would overnight in Thule vs Alert from Sept. to March. I retired a few years later so I don't know if that is the case now or if it somehow got changed. Things do have a way of changing over time so wouldn't be surprised.
A good crew always takes the battery to bed with them. The loss of power in a battery as the temperature drops is phenomenal. At -30 it's only a shadow of itself and aircraft are only equipped with minimal battery power at best. The engineering people go for little batteries to save weight so aircraft can haul more cargo. Problem is if you can't get them started they don't haul anything.
That's something that should be specified on our new acquisitions. Two batteries. One big one is too hard to handle.
There are lots of things that our forces need for our specific operations that aren't standard for most military ops. Our old Chinooks had more modifications done to them in the first five years that we had them than the US Army had done since they were built.
From my Log Book>>>Apr. 10, 76 Ottawa-Shearwater 4.7 hrs. Apr. 15 Greenwood-Ottawa 5.0 hrs.
That was the test run on the Chinook long range fuel system. It was pure bootleg equipment. Even 10 TAG HQ queried the duration of the flight. The first production of the system was a squadron secret.
That's a story all on it's own. But it's a fact. The Canadian Forces only learned about it after it was built.
I just noticed. It's next year!
Happy New Year !
