Volume 11 Issue 145
An Uncommon FOD on the Flight Deck
MC3 Kenneth R. Hendrix
I t’s not the kind of thing you’d expect to find on a quiet early morning on the flight deck aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). In a maintenance shop, maybe, or buried behind mounds of tools and supply parts. But not at the end of a 300-foot-long catapult that in two and half seconds can accelerate a 78,000 pound aircraft, which would otherwise require a quarter-mile for takeoff, to 160 mph. Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Mark Noriega of Air department, V-2 division was on steam watch making his rounds when he stumbled upon an uncommon piece of foreign object debris (FOD) in the trough under the deck plates with the use of flashlight at 0300 Sunday morning. The shuttle guide is attached to the lower back of a catapult shuttle. It acts as a wear block, guiding the shuttle down the catapult track and ensuring the shuttle does not fishtail back and forth, which could wear down the shuttle frame. “That was something extremely rare to find because normally it just doesn’t happen,” Noriega explained. “It is torqued on with screws tightly secured in and safety wired so that the screws do not come off. The only way it’s going to come off is if the screws break or something really bad happens to it.” Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Maintenance Officer Ensign Joseph Justice said Noriega saved the ship thousands of dollars and the current mission by keeping catapult three fully operational for flight operations. “Damage that could have been possibly done to the shuttle would have cost over $43,000 to replace the shuttle itself,” Justice said. “The guide is there so that the shuttle frame does not wear so easily. We were able to remove the shuttle guide from under the trough early Sunday morning. We had the catapult up and fully operational for flight operations that Sunday afternoon.” Noriega’s finding reiterates the importance of FOD walk downs conducted daily on the flight deck and in the Hangar Bay. “FOD walk downs are very important because anything that is found on the deck that is not supposed to be there could damage aircraft,” Noriega said. “You might hate doing them, but it is part of the job. FOD prevents debris from being sucked into a jet engine causing an engine mishap, or in front of a catapult initiating a crash.” Justice said Noriega’s discovery of the shuttle guide prevented damage that would have required disablement of catapult three. “The shuttle guide was actually in between the cylinders which is what we consider FOD,” Justice said. Noriega, a Sailor not use to the lime light, was very modest in his ways and saw what he did as an everyday thing he is suppose to do. “I think the reason everyone is making such a big deal about it is because no one else saw it,” Noriega said. “For me, I enjoy doing what I do aboard this ship and I’m glad that I found the piece and we were able to repair it before any other equipment problems could happen.” On Tuesday afternoon Noriega was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal for finding the unexpected and preventing further damage to equipment that is mission essential.
The Sound, The Fury And Possibly Danger
MC3 Kenneth R. Hendrix
T The roar of nearly 200 revving engines reverberated across the highly occupied flight deck aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) as aircraft took to the launch pads for daily flight operations. It was loud, painfully loud, but it seemed fine with Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Bibiana Noriega of Air department, V-1 division, who watched from flight deck control a few yards from the catapults. “I think that the exciting part about the aircraft is the noise,” Noriega said. “Its energy gives you an adrenaline rush.” The noise also makes it more hazardous, not only for the air boatswains, but also for pilots and anyone who spends time on the flight deck during flight operations. That is the finding from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), which reports flight deck noise exposures are among the worst in the world. With about 60 aircraft launches in a 24-hour period, according to the NAVAIR study, crewmembers exceed the safe daily noise exposure limit through the use of double hearing protection. Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class (AW) John Mirance of Air department, V-1 division, who has been in the Navy for 12 years, said he has experienced minimum hearing loss over his naval career. “When on the flight deck during flight operations, Sailors are to use and wear double hearing protection,” Mirance said, “When done correctly, it consists of disposable expanding foam, V-51R or triple flange earplugs and a cranial.” Noise levels on the flight deck exceed 104 decibels during flight operations, which could cause irreparable damage to Sailors eardrums. Tiny hairs in the ear canal called cilia bend to sound waves sending signals the nerves, which are then translated by the brain into noise. When the sound waves are extremely loud, like noises heard on the flight deck, they cause the cilia to break. Once the cilia are broken they cannot be repaired because they are not self-healing. “Many Sailors feel they don’t have to adhere to the rules,” Mirance said. “Over the years and till this day I find individuals relaxing their cranials while on the flight deck during flight operations. You have to remind them that they need to be in correct standards wearing double protection correctly.” The exposure could last for eight to twelve hours, the duration of flight operations. Hospital Corpsmen 2nd Class (SW) Anedra Hunter of Medical department said medical documents any trends of hearing loss through annual audiograms. “The average hearing loss occurs at 90 decibels,” Hunter said. “In a worst case scenario for a Sailor who does not wear their hearing protection, would be ruptured ear drums, which could cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.” Hunter also explained the importance of the Navy’s Hearing Conservation Program, which was created to prevent occupational noise-related hearing loss among Navy personnel. “The program provides Sailors education on the proper tools and to protect their ears,” Hunter said. “Tracking the changes and shifts in the annual ear exams allow us to take proper measures needed to reduce the hearing loss.” After 15 years of doing just about everything on the flight deck, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 1st Class (AW/SW) Sean Owens of Air department, V-1 division, is not a victim of drastic hearing loss. “My hearing has stayed the same over the years, but there’s a reason for that,” Owens said. “When I was younger, I did worry a whole lot about it, and since I did care about my health. I’m not paying any kind of repercussions.” A cranial provides 21 decibels of protection without earplugs when correctly fit, worn and maintained. Any kind of leak between the ear cup and head reduce protection by three to fifteen decibels by letting noise in the ear cups. “It’s understandable that Sailors who are new to the flight deck want to be able to hear the procedures to perform the daily tasks at hand,” Owens explained. “But on the same note, they need to understand the use of double hearing protection is to protect their hearing, because you cannot recover lost hearing.”