TBT…

Posted on by November 18, 2020

Some days on deployment were better than others…

Kef 83…

That was an ‘interesting’ deployment… 🙂

Comments

TBT… — 21 Comments

  1. My brain decided to chime in with a reworked sixties tune.

    “My ladder’s packed and I’m ready to go, I’m standing here outside your hatch….”

    Yep, it’s the lyrics from, “I’m Leaving On A Prop Plane.”

    And it’s a rare time when a Navy ladder is actually a ladder.

    Meanwhile in the engineering spaces, the weather report says it’s still hot.

  2. Brrrr !! Appears to be a bit brisk – bracing that cold North Wind eh ?

    Life long southerner, y’all Yankees are crazy putting up with that for months out of the year.

  3. Guessing the tower and ramp were manned by polar bears. I want a parka, just from looking at that pic.

  4. As I’ve mentioned, sure wasn’t like that at NAS Key West or Roosy Roads.

  6. Brrrr. And I live in Idaho. Thanks to all who have served and are serving to keep my fat ass safe and warm.

  7. Two deployments with VP-56 and two tours at ASWOC Kef. I Liked it up there. Oh sure, you had to look out for free range dumpsters being blown down the road or the occasional airplane being spun around on the ramp. But that just added a little spice to an otherwise dreary day. And speaking of ladders, just remember, some poor enlisted guy had to climb that ladder to check the engine oil and put in the covers after each flight. Things got a little dicy standing 13 feet in the air with a 40 knot crosswind.

  8. Dad told me that one storm was so bad there late in ’42 that they nailed the doors shut on the Quonset hut because of the wind. A couple of guys raided the mess and came back with several large cans of peaches they ate that day. He was stationed there for sixteen months.

  9. Eugh. *shiver*

    I go hunt the wild coffee now. The hot, black, lovely coffee. And then I thank G-d that I live in Texas in the winter now.

  10. Brought to mind my late friend Dirty Al Imhoff talking about holding up the wing tips of U-2s while riding in the back of a pickup somewhere in the frozen North.

  11. All- Thanks and yes, always ‘interesting’ in Kef and Thule. Ray, you were nuts back then, and still are! John, LOL

    Posted from my iPhone.

  12. I had two winters at Minot, but it never looked like the picture above. I remember being on the south side of Minot and had to unzip my parka because it was 20 degrees.

  13. So let me guess. The heaters in the planes dinna work so well, also?

    I have only seen actual falling snow three times, and only played in snow once. All instances occurred in Florida or Mississippi. All instances cemented firmly in my mind that anywhere even near the ‘Nanook’ line (that invisible line where the weight of cloths to stay warm approaches actual body weight – yes, an exaggeration… but…) is a complete NO-GO for this fat boy. Bleh. I don’t mind it down to the ‘teens, but colder and windier and snowier? Double Bleh.

    A man can get cold just looking at that. Mental frostbite. Bleh. And Brrrrrr.

  14. Are you sure that isn’t Adak in ’89? 🙂 It sure looks the same. My detailer offered me a 3 year tour in Keflavik when I was trying to decide whether or not to reenlist. Your picture, and my memory of a recent six month deployment to Adak made me say thanks but no thanks.

  15. Went on a log run to NAS Brunswick in January once in one of VX-1’s P3A’s. Stbd brake starts leaking on the ramp, too cold to work on it outside so towed it to the hangar. They had a special jack to lift the nose gear so the tail would clear the door. Fixed and towed back to line, port brake starts leaking. Rinse and repeat fixing brake line. Finally get airborne and no heat. Water seperator bags had frozen up, we didn’t get heat until we were back in the NY area. I was VERY happy to get back to Key West.

  17. Back in the ’60s we landed at Misawa in an old Air America C-46.
    117″ snow on the ground. Like landing in a tunnel.
    The old, white haired, pilot chucked us and the mail out and took off before the ‘real’ storm hit.

  18. Sam- Minot is a LOT further south than Kef! 😉

    Beans- Not ‘that’ well…

    N91- Yep, saw the same in Adak myself… And I’m a southern boy!!! sigh

    Flugel- Figures… LOL

    Tom- VERY cold beer, Icelanders were…interesting…

    Skip- Winter deployment to Misawa in 76, 72 inches of snow in 30 days, BEFORE we got hit with any ‘real’ storms. Walked to work kicking the TOPS of the snow poles.

  19. Saw a similar ‘incident’ in Kodiak when there for a training exercise during their worst weather ever. The ‘official’ temp was -26F downtown, a bit cooler at the air station at -31F. Good time had by all. Oh and that was without wind chill 😉

  21. Gomez- Yep, Kodiak could and did get interesting on occasion! Flew out of there a few times over the years.