As a new to the squadron (Herc’s) rookie I was given the task of pulling the ground power from a RAAF Mirage after the start. Nobody had told me about wet starts and as I was straight from apprentice course had never worked the flightline before (or night shift).
So there I was sitting under the Mirage in the dark scared witless about the intakes sucking me in when I exited from under the A/C, hearing all sorts of noises as they tried to get her to light. After two failed attempts she spun up but I could hear/feel a strange rumble from the A/C. I’m sitting there watching the Fire Guard waiting for the signal to pull the GPU when all of a sudden it got very bright and hot behind me. I turned round and there was a fireball exiting the tail pipe and walking across the tarmac. I find I’m suddenly standing beside the Fire Guard in front of the A/C wondering why he’s not doing anything.
He gives the pilot the thumbs up, hands me the Fire Bottle and casually wanders over to pull the GPU cable. A/C departs as if nothing has occurred.
In the Flightline hut the Sarge tells me that if she hadn’t started that time I’d have been up in the tailpipe with a rag mopping up the excess AVTUR before they would have tried another start.
Wardie
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