Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Random Happenings

Every once in awhile during my career funny little things happened, that may or may not have been funny, but sure made me laugh.

We were going out to do a training flight one day. As normally happens we are all listening in to the pilot and the ground troop talk to each other on the plane interphone system.
This is required in case something bad happens so we'll all know the best way to get off the plane safely.

In the Air Force when you're using the interphone you make a call-up by saying who you are calling followed by who you are. For example; Ground - Pilot would be the pilot calling down to the guy on the ground connected to the plane by his headsets connected to a long headphone cord.

One day I had a new trainee, and we were going through the start-up procedures and she looks at me and asks "Which one is the ground pilot?" I sort of stare at her blankly thinking to myself that no one could possibly be that dumb.

"What?" I asked her.

"The ground pilot...where does he sit?" she asked.

Thankfully I stopped myself from smacking her by taking off my headsets and wandering down the aisle of the plane.

Another day we were going through the start up procedures again. Get all the engines started and get ready to taxi to go take off.

"Running them up crew, brake release." we hear from the cockpit, and the plane starts moving forward.

"UH...PILOT - GROUND!" we hear excitedly exclaimed over the interphone.

Pilot slams on the brakes and brings the plane to a stop. "Ground-Pilot, you're cleared off.......thanks" the pilot says.

"Uh...copy sir. I'm off"

And I'm sure he had some choice words after he was disconnected.