[TowerTalk] scariest repairs

[Joe - WDØM]

Yep - I'm thinking that "Maverick" (Tom Cruise) got the nickname from 
that event, and "Goose" (Anthony Edwards) did too, since that's almost 
what they did to me.... ;-)

73
Joe

Michael Ryan wrote:
> I saw that in TOP GUN. ...."damn that guy"... - Mike
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Joe - WDØM
> Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 2:01 PM
> To: towertalk
> Subject: [TowerTalk] scariest repairs
>
> My scariest repair happened in the summer of 1963 - I was a new high 
> school grad, working for the California Institute of Technology's Owens 
> Valley Radio Observatory near Big Pine, CA.  We had turned one of the 
> largest radio telescopes vertical to do some maintenance on a MASER 
> receiver at the focal point of the scope. 
>
> While standing atop the focal point platform at about 120 feet above 
> ground level - no safety belts of any kind - a USAF F-4 Phantom from 
> Edwards AFB flew by at about the same level I was at.  The jet blast was 
> so strong that it rocked the telescope - and me - and I had to grab 
> something solid to hang onto - I can still smell the JP4 jet fuel.  Sure 
> wish I could have gotten the tail number on that F-4.
>
> Lesson learned - use a safety belt when climbing - you never know when 
> you'll be visited by one of the USAF's fastest and finest.  ;-)
>
> 73,
>
> Joe, Colonel, USAF (Ret)
> WDØM
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