Last flight quarters of the night. Yaaay I won't have to sleep on the couch in the berthing I can actually spend some quality time with my rack. I talk to the Det about the droop stops popping out during shut down. As the main rotor decreases is speed the droop stop go in. This prevents the blade from striking the tail as the rotor comes to a stop and centrifical force no longer holds them erect. He told me that the springs are starting to go bad. I asked him if it weren't a bad thing for the above mentioned reason. He answered that that was the reason the they hoped that if the blade hit anything it was the people in front of the helo. I commented that that may be a bad thing also. I referenced a chief that went into the rotor arc before getting permission from the LSE, just walked right in. The computer that keeps the cyclic stick in the up position went off line momentarily causing the stick to move forward. This caused the rotor also the move forward, causing the blades to droop to 4 ft off the deck. One of the blades struck the Chief, I would say that it bashed his head in but there wasn't much to called a head by the time the chief hit the ground. The blade it self had a big chunk taken out of it and this is what I referenced. The Det'r commented that the blade had struck him 3 time before he fell, darn chief just didn't know when to die. It occured to me that when one voluntarily subjects themselves to dangerous enviroment they tend deal with it by adjusting they're humor to the grotesque. We make fun things that should scare us. Getting ones head shortened by a rotor blade, falling out or a boat as it is being lower over the side or raised up to the rail.

another long night. The good news is that it only happens once every other night. The bird took off at 2200, then two more times till 0500. I'm sure she'll contiue to go aloft but after that it's someone elses duty day. Today wasn't a hot sweaty day, more like hot and clammy. Not enough heat to have to keep wiping my face like yesterday. Today was hot enough to put a layer of sweat on my skin that would evaporate because of the humidity in the gulf. Giving one the feeling of being sticky all day long. It's never as bad as when one transits from the air conditioned interior to the weather decks.
We did an unrep at the wee hours of the morning. That was thought up to beat the heat, it was a good idea. Now that it's getting near summer time it's getting hotter during the noon periods. Unfortunately nobody is use to being awake at 0500, I mean this is the Navy for crying out. The only people up at the time are watchstanders.
It took us forever to get the rigs set up. No one had thought of having more stations running than normal would require more jackets. I would have to suck that up a bit since I'm a senior enlisted in the division. I did think of setting the jackets out for line handlers. If it weren't for the carrier to shadow our ineptitude we would be under the microscope, one of the reasons that chief was pissed.
All week long my PaPa manual was missing I asked all my maintenance men if they had seen it. Everyone one of them told me they haven't seen it. Even the prime suspect, of course. He had a spot check so needed the book to verify his maintenance card. So he had taken it from the office to the location of the spotcheck. He kept telling me that he brought the book back after the spot check. Well right when I was contemplating having to create a new manual my prime suspect comes in with the manual. God I'm relieved, I can't even imagine what a pain in the ass it would be to print all the MI pages up, find a LOEP, line out all the nonapplicable checks and get Satan, I'm sorry I mean, The Cock, damn there I go again the dept. head to sign all of my line outs.

I should be going to bed but I'm not known for my intelligence. The week is okay, the Duck pissed off the yesterday but that isn't a new thing. When they came in to pick up mail their fricken air crewman got out of the helo before chains were installed. I don't give a shit if that happens as long A: there's a reason, and B: they don't get in the way. Well this guy broke rule 'B', while my rigger my installing chains he stepped between the wheel and the rigger. When they launched the moron stood between me and my rigger, so if any thing happened I wouldn't be able to signal him out of the landing circle. I told the fuck to get his ass into the bird and close the door but he claimed he needed to witness us pulling the chain. Well duh moron, when we pull them we hold them up for all to see, we even count them for you so won't have to use any of that compicated new math. After the flight quarters I talked to the HCO. I told him that if that moron doesn't get into the helo next time then I'll just stand there like a moron with my hand in the hold position. I understand what the fucks are watching for, people stamping marks onto the helo. It's an air tradition that isn't very funny, and something they initiated but don't find funny anymore. They jumped out of the helo after chocks and chains were removed and stamped giant duck prints from the center of the flight deck to edge. Of course we got them back, should have used stripping or boot black instead spray paint, we even should them how screwed they were by switching the sample from JP-5 to apple juice. I guess now though they're still suffering from the backlash as they revisit ships and they stamp paint onto the side of their aircraft. Before you know it they realized what they should have thought of before they started this game, that they are in a world of shit. But like I said I talked to the HCO and he talked to their pilots. So when they showed up later on in the day the aircrew sat on the passenger ladder safely out of the was. It was his show of defiance but I don't give a shit as long as it doesn't hold up my production.