The White Falcon - 21.05.1982, Blaðsíða 4

WHITE FALCON May 21, 1982

Seatbelts save lives
Isn't your child's life worth the 'bother?'
by MAJ William Scarboro
"Seat belts are a nuisance. They're
uncomfortable to wear and they wrinkle
your clothes. And those child restraints,
it takes at least a minute to buckle the
kids into them, plus the good ones cost
money. I don't need the hassle or the
expense."
Sound familiar? I used to think that
way myself, but never again. A little
boy named Chris changed my mind and maybe
his story will do the same for you.
Chris was a typical 2% year old, bound-
less energy and full of life as only a
two year old can be. He was an only son
and the object of all the love and atten-
tion a proud father could give. He and
his dad were like two peas in a pod,
always together.
On the way to the grocery store six
blocks from home something impossible
happened. As they made a left turn on a
narrow residential street, Chris touched
the passenger door and it flew open. Chris
fell partially out of the car and his
father was able to grab him by one foot.
While trying to pull Chris back into
the car, he lost control of the car. The
car hit a telephone pole and rolled onto
its side killing the little boy.
That night I lost my son in exactly
the same way, holding onto his foot
helplessly while he cried, "Help me,
daddy, help me."
I've lost him a number of nights since
then awakening in a cold sweat, jumping
from my bed and running to his room always
to find him snug and safe in his bed,
Thank God nightmares aren't real. Imagine
what it would be like if this were a
reality and you had to live with it every
day of your life. Scary thought, isn't
it? Enough to change your mind about
seat belts and child restraints? I hope
so.
The memory of a boy named Chris may
help you save a life and keep nightmares
from becoming realities,
This Will Make You
Feel Better
If you sometimes
get discouraged,
consider this fellow:
He dropped out
of grade school.
Ran a country store.
Went broke.
Took 15 years
to pay off
his bills.
Took a wife.
Unhappy marriage.
Ran for House.
Lost twice.
Ran for Senate.
Lost twice.
Delivered speech
that became
a classic.
Audience indifferent.
Attacked daily
by the press
and despised
by half the country.
Despite all this,
imagine
how many people
all over the world
have been
inspired
by this awkward,
rumpled,
brooding man
who signed his name
simply,
A. Lincoln.
Courtesy of United Technologies
Ombudsmen investigate your complaints
by Fay Derise
I'm sure all Navy wives have heard
the term Ombudsman. But, do you really
know what an Ombudsman is and what her
role is in the Navy community? Ombuds-
man is a Swedish term which means a
"government official who investigates
citizen's complaints against the goyern-
ment." The Navy family Ombudsman pro**
gram was started by Admiral Zumwalt in
1970.
Currently serving as Ombudsman for
the Navy commands aboard the NATO Base
are Fay Derise, Naval Station, 4551/4448;
Susan Bickers, Naval Station, 4415/5423;
Joy Bucuvalas, ComFairKef, 7877; Linda
McKeown, NayCommSta, 4480/4755; Corinne
Andrews, NavFac, 4821; and Johanne Dell,
NSGA, 7969.
Since the Air Force does not have an
Ombudsman program yet, the Naval Station
Ombudsman are also looking forward to
hearing from and serving the Air Force
dependents.
One or all of us attend the following
advisory board meetings as your repre-
sentative: NEX/Commissary advisory board,
human relations council, recreation com-
mittee, hospital consumer care council,
and the newly formed Commissary commodity
review board,
The Commissary commodity review board
reviews items and wants your suggestions
about what should be added or deleted.
The board meets the first Wednesday of
each month. The items being reyiewed in
June are baked goods, baking mixes, candy,
cookies, crackers, dried fruit, macaroni
products, pet foods, and dried vegetables.
We need your input. Call any of the
Ombudsmen.
We are not a wives' club; we are
individuals appointed by the commanding
officer of each command and act as a
liaison between the commanding officer
and you, the dependent. We are your
"chain-of-command" and can assist you with
a problem after you have attempted to
deal with the situation yourself with no
results. We are always there to help
you in any way we can. Let us hear from
you.

PHOTOS—(top) X-ray of F-4 engine bay; (middle left) SSgt.
Haas (front) and TSgt. Parson test an oil sample on the oil
analysis machine; (middle right) the NDI technicians prepare
the tail section of a T-33 for X-ray; (above) eddy current
inspection of an F-4 main wheel; (right) SrA. Ansell checks
a part using the magnetic particle inspection process.
NonD
ESTRUCTIVE
Inspection
Three 57th FIS airmen provide
a vital service to Keflavik's air commands
Three airmen from the 57th Fighter In-
terceptor Squadron provide an essential
service to the NATO Base, that, for the
most part, goes unnoticed by the Kefla-
vik public. The nature of their work is
such that the average base resident would
never come in contact with these men. You
may never meet any of them, but their work
affects all of us.
Every time a plane takes-off or lands,
TSgt. Dale Parson, SSgt. Frederick Haas
and SrA. William Ansell have played an
important role ini.the aircraft's success..
The men are nondestructive inspection
(NDI) technicians working in the 57th FIS
NDI lab. Their job, stated very simply,
is to inspect aircraft components for
flaws and defects without destroying the
piece of equipment. This is an important
task when one considers the price tags of
today's military aircraft.
According to TSgt. Parson, NDI NCOIC,
the art of testing without destroying has
developed from a laboratory curiosity to
an indispensible tool of production and
quality assurance in the past 20 to 30
years. Prior to 1966, TSgt. Parson ex-
plained, a few NDI tasks were performed
by other shops in the metal working career
field. But as weapons systems and related
equipment became more complex, a greater
concern for safety and reliability arose.
It became very apparent that a special
career field was needed; thus the Air
Force established AFSC 427X2, nondestruc-
tive inspection technician.
Since that time untold millions of
dollars and count!ess^ives have been
saved by NDI procedurlM If that sounds
exaggerated or boastful, TSgt. Parson has
a few examples of the importance of his
job. "Who knows what would have happened
to the F-4 and crew if that loose bolt had
not been found when it was X-rayed? What
would have happened t^^ie HH-3 heli-
copter and its crew iMrne inspection had
not found the crack in the engine mount
bracket? And how about the C-141 loaded
with passengers; would the damaged
stabilizer the NDI technician found have
caused a catastrophe?" No one knows for
sure, but pilots, crewmembers and passen-
gers can rest easier knowing the NDI
technicians are on the job.
The technicians use a yariety of tried
procedures to test aircraft components.
Included are the use of optic, penetrant,
magnetic, eddy current, ultrasonic, radio-
graphic, infrared and spectrometric oil
analysis methods. According to TSgt.
Parson, penetrant inspections are used
to inspect nonferrous, usually nonmag-
netic materials for defects which are
open to the surface. A fluorescent liquid
is applied to the surface and allowed to
seep into the defect, A developing agent
is then applied which causes any defects
to shine brightly under a' black light,
Another method is magnetic particle,
which is used on ferrous material (pre-
dominately iron material). Electrical
currents are passed through the object
making it a magnet. By using microscopic
iron particles, the technicians can de-
termine if the north and south poles of
the magnetized object are in the proper
position; if they aren't, a defect may
exist.
One of the best methods for inspections,
according to TSgt. Parson, is X-ray. The
X-ray's ability to look inside solid ob-
jects make it ideal for spotting potential
FOD," TSgt. Parson said. The X-ray can be
used on damaged wings, can locate trapped
water in aircraft, and is used on many
other items. "Some things cannot be X-
rayed, so it's not a cureall," TSgt. Par-
son explained. "But by and large, radio-
graphy is invaluable."
Where X-ray leaves off, ultrasonic and
eddy current inspections begin. In ultra-
sonics, high frequency vibrations are
sent through a part. These vibrations are
displayed on a cathode-ray tube, and an
experienced operator can distinguish lo-
cation, size, and the nature of any de-
fect that may be present. Eddy current
is a relatively new procedure, which in-
duces an electro-magnetic field into the
test item with a probe. If a defect ex-
ists at or near the surface, th^Mectro-
magnetic field will be interrupts^ and
will be shown as a needle movement on the
eddy current instrument.
The last major method used by the
NDI technicians is JOAP, or joint oil
analysis program. JOAP is a method of
analyzing oil samples taken fron^pines,
aerospace ground equipment and flMaulic
systems to determine if any microscopic
metal particles exist. The analyst can
also detect engine parts that are wearing
too fast, and can fix the problem before
the engine actually fails. "This method
has been a valuable aid in the prevention
of aircraft accidents caused by engine
failures, TSgt. Parson explained.
If you are interested in learning more
about this important career field, call
the 57th FIS NDI lab and ask TSgt, Par-
son, SSgt. Haas, or SrA, Ansell for a
demonstration, They will be glad to
show you around. They can be reached by
calling 7022,
Ul
May 21, 1982 WHITE FALCON