O-2s at MSLP, 2002

[Ken]

My logbook shows that these were taken on 8/30/02 at MSLP.

[The Inspector]

Wonder why the gears on all appear to have been pumped down, any record of tail numbers?

[Invader26]

Normal on the O-2 to open the doors on the ground to be able to inspect things better on the post and pre-flight.

[Fouga23]

No Fougas around?

[skymstr02]

Wonder why the gears on all appear to have been pumped down, any record of tail numbers?

There's a nose gear safety down lock device that can only be inserted with the nose gear doors open.

[Ken]

any record of tail numbers?

WYSIWYG. Had just landed and was walking to a briefing past this open hangar, whipped out a pocket digital, and kept going. The next hangar had A-37s and an M151A2, which I got 2 more pix of. I believe there was also a US H-60 being held for an inquiry into a fast rope injury. Guys on my crew remember that trip because pizza had been delivered to the briefing; the local brand was "Pizza BOOM" ... we all hoped that there would be no boom, before, during, or after the pizza consumption. After that we loaded up and left; IIRC, that was my only trip to MSLP.

As you can imagine, this many years later, there is still the occasional Pizza BOOM joke. Which reminds me of the laundry soap "BARF" we came across overseas once. I'll have to see if I can get a link to that video ...

Ken

[gregv]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barf_%28soap%29

for that fresh clean feeling.

[The Inspector]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barf_%28soap%29

for that fresh clean feeling.

'I'm my own best friend'
John Candy from 'Spaceballs'

[Marco Lavagnino]

Wow, Pizza Boom, I had almost forgotten about it. Although civil war had long finished by the time you took the pictures (peace was signed in 1992, so no more "booms" when you took the pictures, thanks God), O-2 FAS 613 had still the paint scheme it used during the war, very weathered but even still including the condor mounted on a rocket. The name "PALACIOS", was written below, for the squadron leader during the war. I don´t know how many flight hours this O-2 might currently have, it is as far as I know it is still flying, after 30 years (next June 15 it will be 30 years since delivery to FAS) of service in El Salvador (and who knows how many more in the US, incredible.

Marco

[The Inspector]

Wow, Pizza Boom, I had almost forgotten about it. Although civil war had long finished by the time you took the pictures (peace was signed in 1992, so no more "booms" when you took the pictures, thanks God), O-2 FAS 613 had still the paint scheme it used during the war, very weathered but even still including the condor mounted on a rocket. The name "PALACIOS", was written below, for the squadron leader during the war. I don´t know how many flight hours this O-2 might currently have, it is as far as I know it is still flying, after 30 years (next June 15 it will be 30 years since delivery to FAS) of service in El Salvador (and who knows how many more in the US, incredible.

Marco

I'll bet their remaining time is very limited since there is an A.D. either just out, or coming very soon to require replacement of the wing to fuselage attach lugs on all 337's, the cost of which will exceed the cost of the airplanes involved.

[skymstr02]

I'll bet their remaining time is very limited since there is an A.D. either just out, or coming very soon to require replacement of the wing to fuselage attach lugs on all 337's, the cost of which will exceed the cost of the airplanes involved.

And your source is?

There has never been a structural failure at that point on the wing on a 337 t/m/s airplane. There have been failures outboard primarily due to shoddy workmanship on STC mods.
The M337B wing attach fittings are larger than the non M series, in fact, a civil wing will not mate up to an M fuselage fitting, even the attach bolts are two sizes largers than its civvie counterpart.

[oscardeuce]

I have not heard of that either.

[oscardeuce]

I have not heard of that either.

[Ken]

The recent thread on A-37 refurb reminded me of this - bump.