Rain is whipping around the front of the helicopter in thick swirls, you can see the heavy currents coming down from the rotorhead in the inch or so of standing water on the concrete. Every so often a particularly well-formed vortex will whip up and send a sheet swirling six inches or so off of the ground, riding over the surface in a Brownian dance of physics and hydrodynamics. The contents of a freshly burned 74-minute MD of the first Paul Oakenfold: Global Underground, New York disc is read by a tiny laser in my pocket. Encased in a sheet of anodized blue metal and a plastic bag, the player forms an analog audio signal which it in turns passes to the headphones in my cranial.
Which of the following components is not a part of the automatic carrier landing system?
-AN/APX-76 IFF Interrogator
The cord is slick with water dripping off of the back shell and in turn coursing down the back of my neck to trace a line of damp discomfort across flesh beneath a heavy coat and olive drab coveralls. Blowing off steam at the moment by standing in front of this plane, staring at the pilots snug in the cockpit turning over controls and unaware of the fact that I have pretty much failed my advancement exam. Calculator decided it didn't want to work about three minutes into the test, leaving me to convert 011011 0110 from BCD into binary in my head. There was a point about six years ago when I could do this. Unfortunately, the little dogged Casio had been doing it for me which made forgetting the manual override not too much of a large problem.
What is the primary purpose of this circuit?
-Refer to figure 21-A. Audio amplifier.
The exam goes on like this for one hundred and fifty questions, most of which involve mathematics I cannot complete without the use of serious scratch paper and half a dozen pencils. Meanwhile, the calculator sits mute on the table mocking me with a silent screen and cold rubberized keys. I want to throw the thing across the room except for the certain penalty of being ejected from a test that I will now fail. Chiding myself about preparedness for all situations accomplishes nothing as I stand in front of the bird in the rain, watching the pilot give the open hand signal for brakes off.
How many paces per minute at a quick time march?
-120. I think.
The tail lurches as the main mounts begin to pull forward after acknowledging with a thumbs up and the rapid open-hands-palms-toward-the-plane-closed-fists-open hands-palms-toward-the-plane signal followed by the waving forward known universally at airports everywhere. Brakes on, fists closed arms rotating, then brought down to meet leather glove covered thumbs together and knuckles down at crotch level. The tail sinks, sending up another gray wave of mist from the concrete flightline. Brakes off, unlock tailwheel hands over head palms together split hands at wrists twice then turn toward hanger. One arm straight out the other waving at the elbow in a repetitive left salute.
What is the differentiation between a BT and SAR sonobuoy?
-BT stands for bathyeothermic and SAR stands for search and rescue. BT buoys are used to survey ocean conditions (salinity, temperature, current speed, etc.) and SAR buoys are dropped to talk to survivors in the water.
The aircraft shimmies, comes loose on the tail pivot point and then swings briefly toward the hanger. Thumbs up, right turn. Left arm straight right arm arcing through the familiar motion as sodden black leather boots walk rapidly backwards, quick glances over either shoulder every few steps to make sure nothing is being backed into that could cause serious injury. Index and middle finger visible through the cut off fingers with a sliver of thumb joining them twice a second as the turn nears completion. The now ochre gloves were white the last time I stood on the flightline and did this last October. The gloves are well worn and have the remaining fingertips coated in shiny layers of cyanoacrylate (read: SUPER glue,) holding the stitching firmly in place. As always if you read the thick black magic marker across the knuckles you get LOVE and HATE. If you ready the inverted words the other direction, you wind up with GOOD and EVIL. Of course EVIL and LOVE are on the left with GOOD and HATE on the right. Salutes are always rendered with pride and always with the right hand.
What is the maximum effective range of the SH-60F dipping sonar array?
-Classified kids, classified. Shouldn't even be on this test anyway.
Nothing there after an arc into the neighboring parking spot, pass off to the end of the flightline tap both hands on front shell wave right. Straight starched attention and a final salute to the pilot who returns and then goes back to taxiing the aircraft toward the helo pads at the end of the flightline.
What is the sum of the hexadecimal numbers 0011 and 02A6?
-02B7. Too easy.
More wind and water blow past with knees bent slightly and legs tensing to meet the sudden onrush of the now visible rotorwash spraying toward where I am standing. Watching the bird go I again ponder what it would be like to lay on top of the hydraulics bay just forward of the rotorhead and watch the blades go by six inches from my face.
How often do TACAN ground stations transmit identifying pulses?
-Once a minute, sixty seconds.
For all that crap in the Gulf, they're making me Sailor of the Month for January. Oh joy. I'm not supposed to know yet, either. I wonder if they knew what was banging around in my head right now if they would still be willing to do that. Such is the
breakdown between
fooling everyone into thinking you know what you are doing and just
guessing particularly well for seven years.
Galvanic corrosion is caused by what two factors acting with what process?
-Oh shut up, I've had quite my fill of that today thanks.
More inanity in the form of Phase Maintenance