September 25, 1998
This might interest you homebuilders. I know where there is a nearly new 1700 hp Wright radial just waiting to be dug up. Needs an overhaul, but may be in pretty good condition.
Late in the War, Dad was Operations Officer at an airbase near Phoenix. One day a PBJ-1 made an emergency landing with an engine out. The PBJ-1 was the Navy version of the B-25 Mitchell. It turned out that Dad's people had a spare B-25 engine of the identical type in inventory, so they swapped out the bad engine as a simple expedient to get the Navy crew on their way. The only difference between the two engines, apart from the "-N" suffix on the PBJ-1 engine's serial number, was the starter (the Navy used a cartridge starter, which was OK), so the starters were simply swapped in the process. The Navy pilot signed for his new engine, thanked everyone, and the PBJ-1 was sent on its way.
Dad then tried to send the Navy engine in for overhaul. Every time he tried this, the paperwork bounced. No matter what he tried – sending the engine to the Army engine maintenance facility, sending the engine to the Navy engine maintenance facility, even just sending the engine back to the Navy where it had started – there was some problem with the regulations. There was something about that "-N" serial number that made it impossible. This went on for months. There was apparently no way for the Army to send a Navy engine to either the Army engine maintenance facility, or back to the Navy, for overhaul. Couldn't be done. What was worse for Dad, was that every time he had an inspection, he was gigged for having an engine in his inventory that was overdue for overhaul. The paperwork file by this time had grown to over six inches high.
One day the main runway was being extended. Dad calls in his crew chief. "Sergeant," he says, "You see that big hole out there where they're extending the runway?" "Yessir." says the sergeant. "And you know that Navy engine we've been trying to get rid of?" "Yessir," replies the sergeant, again. "Well here's all the paperwork." says Dad, handing him the sheaf of papers. "I don't ever want to see that engine, or this paperwork again. Is that clear?" "Yessir!" says the sergeant a third time. And no one ever saw that engine again. Even though Dad worried about it some, the FBI never came to get him.
Now, anyone want to dig up a runway in Arizona?
Bob
Copyright Ó 1998 Robert T. Chilcoat