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- #21
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
Speaking of China Lake Naval Weapons Center, here is a story I heard.
China Lake had numerous airplanes being used as targets, including both B-29's and B-47's. A couple of engineers needed some hardware for a project and, as usual, went to see what might be available in the target airplanes. In the wheel well of a B-47 they found just what they needed, a pressure tank of some kind. They removed the tank and noted that there was a gauge that showed some pressure inside, a fact they discounted; frozen gauges were common on that old hardware.
The tank had an electrically operated valve, which refused to budge when they applied 28 Volts DC to it. They took the tank to the electronics shop and explained the problem. "Sure!" said the man who ran the shop. "We can apply power from this big power supply and open that right up!" They stepped outside while the task was being accomplished; it was a nice winter day.
Suddenly there was a "Boom!" They went back inside to find gooey fluid dripping from everywhere. The tank had been fully loaded and pressurized with a fire fighting chemical. The man in the shop yelled, "You get than damn bomb out of here!" They fled before he got their names.
China Lake had numerous airplanes being used as targets, including both B-29's and B-47's. A couple of engineers needed some hardware for a project and, as usual, went to see what might be available in the target airplanes. In the wheel well of a B-47 they found just what they needed, a pressure tank of some kind. They removed the tank and noted that there was a gauge that showed some pressure inside, a fact they discounted; frozen gauges were common on that old hardware.
The tank had an electrically operated valve, which refused to budge when they applied 28 Volts DC to it. They took the tank to the electronics shop and explained the problem. "Sure!" said the man who ran the shop. "We can apply power from this big power supply and open that right up!" They stepped outside while the task was being accomplished; it was a nice winter day.
Suddenly there was a "Boom!" They went back inside to find gooey fluid dripping from everywhere. The tank had been fully loaded and pressurized with a fire fighting chemical. The man in the shop yelled, "You get than damn bomb out of here!" They fled before he got their names.
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