Author Topic: There I was!  (Read 4409 times)

Offline Canberra Man

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There I was!
« on: October 14, 2009, 09:36:58 AM »
Out front with  Canberra on start up.  Pointed to starboard engine, turbo starter banged, cloud of black smoke and she settled down to idle.  Pointed to starboard engine and all hell let loose.  The turbo starter blew up, red hot turbine blades weht through the fuselage into No 1 tank and kerosene poured out onto the still burning fragmnts of the cartridge and the whol lot went up.  The aircrew were out in ten seconds flat and theyhad their chutes with them (They would have been charged for them otherwise!)  An urgent phone call to the fire section had there brand new (just out of the box) fire engine speeding round the peri track.  It screeched to a halt at the bonfire and an erk in gents natty asbestos suiting jumped down, pointed a huge pipe at the blaze and shouted "Send it froo".  Trouble was, noffink  came froo!  The trouble was,they had been so busy polishing their new toy, they had forgotten to fill it with foam!  So we stood there in a big circle warming our hands!  Then the whell hubs and cockpit coaming which are made of magnesium alloy went up with a brilliant flash, we just looked the other way.  Then some wag muttered "What about the ejector seats"?  Sure enough there was a triple explosion and three steel tubes with the remains of the seats hanging shot a couple of hundred feet into the air.  The next day there was a perfect silhuette of a Canberra etched into the tarmac.  There also were new faces at the fire section.

Ken

Offline TheSoccerMom

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Re: There I was!
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2009, 10:19:48 PM »
 ::eek::

 ::eek::

 ::unbelieveable::

 ::sweat::

HOLEEE CRAPP!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 ::unbelieveable::
Don't make me come back there!!!!

Offline Jean Loup

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Re: There I was!
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2009, 11:12:38 PM »
Nobody believes what magnesium can do when catching fire...in dust, it is like gunpowder. In a VW block...even the Sunlight pales ! Some dudes here in México, WELD the damned things (& with success!)...they crack usually at the oil cooler base.

Summer time...1978 - At the VW factory in Puebla México, two young "campesinos" from Tlayacapan Morelos, got a job. For mopping floors until better trained. They started their mopping, near the shop machining the blocks. Magnesium when drilled, has the chips coming out redhot & sparkling all over the floor. Like the Bengalas for children, at their birthdays (well, here in mexican birthdays).

So the young campesinos, to proove their worth and good intentions (& to earn a better income) tryed to put them out...throwing at them their buckets full of watter. Five people there, were icinerated instantly. NOTHING was left, nor even a shoe...it's the worst you can do for putting out magnesium (if the heat lets you go near it!): adding watter !!!

Thery have a better trainig section at the VW mopping squad, now.

P.D.- The VW aircooled Beetle block, was a Magnesium alloy, with a slight amount of aluminum, phosphor & tin added. That formula is a secret of state, Achtung!
« Last Edit: October 14, 2009, 11:21:40 PM by donYan »

Offline Lt.Fubar

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Re: There I was!
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2009, 12:30:24 PM »
I love the magnesium, so light... but when catches fire - go away whistling  ::whistle::

I once had a pocket folder knife with magnesium handles - branded Smith & Wesson (HRT model) what they didn't write in the instructions is to keep it away from bonfires. Yeah, we knew what will happen... we did it anyway  ::drinking::

BTW can't remember last time I stared fire in a "normal" way... using day time flares is so much easier ;)
« Last Edit: October 15, 2009, 12:32:51 PM by Lt.Fubar »
“I'm a leaf on a wind, watch how I soar.” Hoban 'Wash' Washburne

Offline Oddball

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Re: There I was!
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2009, 04:23:05 PM »
did the chutes deploy on the bang seats?  ;D ;D
"You can teach monkeys to fly better than that!"and "spring chicken to sh**e hawk in one easy lesson"