The Weyerhaeuser helicopter operations in DeQueen did all sorts of aerial applications and fire fighting with the helicopters. This involved various pieces of equipment that we either attached to or suspended under the helicopters. We had some very large buckets that we would use under the Bell 212 to apply fertilizer. Each of these buckets used a Volkswagen engine (same as in the old VW beetles) to drive the spinner on the bucket that would disperse the fertilizer. These buckets were so tall you would have to jump up on the lower frame around the engine and grasp the top outer ring with both hands. These buckets were shaped like a giant snow cone so they tapered out at the top. This made it even more difficult to climb into. Then you would swing your body until you got a leg over the top ring and then climb inside to work on the gate for the fertilizer. While doing this on day one of our new pilots was restless so he went wondering out into the hangar. He couldnt see me down in the bucket but he thought he would have some fun. The upper two thirds of these buckets are tubular aluminum frame work made of two inch tubing welded together. Then we used a thick tarp material to go inside this tubing. This tarp would get small creases and folds in it and they would trap the grains of fertilizer. This Pilot (Ken) walked by the bucket and slapped the outside of the tarp material and fertilized rained down on me. It went all in my hair and down my shirt back and right on down my but crack. I hollered out to watch it. Ken just laughed and he said it must be raining fertilizer in there. This fertilizer is like course grain sand and really starts to irritate you after awhile so I climbed out of the bucket after a short while and opened up my cloths and shook out all of the fertilizer I could. I then got back into the bucket and started working on it again. About five minutes later Ken came by and slapped the canvas again, and the fertilizer repeated the performance like before. So I climbed out again and shook the fertilizer out of my cloths. I told Ken I know you think this is a big ha, ha. And I see why you would. But you must know that when you mess with the Great Sully, you will pay in very creative ways. He just laughed and said I doubt that. You will never get me into one of those buckets. Ken did this one more time and this time I just stayed in the bucket until I was done. It was getting late in the day and I wanted to get this job finished. My mechanics told me later they all knew he had no idea what he was in for. Late that afternoon I slipped out into the parking lot by the hanger. We use a compound that we call peanut butter in aviation work to help seal gaskets and fittings in fuel systems. This stuff looks like peanut butter, but is very clingy, gooey, and sticky. It is damn near impossible to wipe off of your hands. You have to use solvent to get if off with out a huge hassle. I smeared this Peanut butter on some very creative locations on Kens truck and slipped back into the hangar. He was doing some paperwork when the rest of us went home. No one knew about the trap set for Ken but me. Later that afternoon at home while sipping on my Rum and coke I received a phone call from Ken. He said I will never, ever, ever, mess with you like that again. He said I went out there to get in my truck and as I wrapped my hand around the door handle to open the door, I got my hand covered with this horrible sticky stuff that looked like peanut butter, but it wouldnt wipe off! He said I thought right then that justice had been served. He said he knew it had to have been me that did it. He said he then went back and unlocked the hangar and got some solvent and cleaned his hand and went out and cleaned it off of the door handle. He then locked up the hangar and got in his truck to leave. As he pulled on the inside door handle to close the door he got this goop all over his left hand. He said he shook his head and said never again will I mess with the Great Sully. He then went back into the hangar and cleaned up his hand and went out and cleaned off the inside door handle. He then locked up the hangar and got back in his truck. Started it up and pulled back on the shift knob to put in in reverse. He now got another coating of the peanut butter stuff. He said he sat there for a second and decided to just drive on home with the left hand. He had already been back in the hanger two times and wasnt going again. He said he then grabbed his steering wheel with his left hand and Surprise! More goop. He said he drove home using his elbows on the front of the steering wheel since it was all over the back of it, and both palms were coated. And so yet another chapter of As The Rotor Turns was concluded.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 14:42:56 +0000
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