I've seen people barrel roll mu-meters!
First one at Waddo in the old days of the "safety straps" (anyone remember them) that were designed to stop it jack knifing on ice. The poor bloke (it should have been me as I was duty driver, but I was doing a brew for the controllers) was given the minimum amount of time to do a run "between the cables" with a NATO E-3A on radar. The split pin was bent and didn't go through the eye claw properly when he hitched it up, FFWD to him doing a U-turn on the rwy at the end of run 1, the towing eye parts company with the hook. D I S A S T E R ....... the eye digs into the rwy and the safety straps ensure that the whole device is still being pulled forward and 0 V E R onto its top, there were cogs and wheels and bits of glass every where. OC GEF tried to hang draw and quarter the driver but the Boss and I stood up for him in the kangaroo court (and demostraited that the towing hook was faulty) and so the lad got away with an admonished phew..... He's still in and a SNCO and I bet he uses this forum, Hi ya mate if you're there.
The driver told local straight away about the FOD, guess what they told him to do, vacate the wreckage onto the grass and then they landed the E-3A through the lot, damn clever them controllers sometimes. They bloody caused it by not giving him enough time to do the run. Tip to all....NEVER rush a Mu-Meter run as it can be very dangerous. Tip to controllers...learn how to do a run and then do one on ice at 40MPH and maybe you will be a bit wiser and more patient when awaiting results in future.
The second roll was a very silly boy (you Know who you are) trying to tow a Mu-Meter at 40 MPH round a bend on a taxiwaysurface that was dangerous to stand on, let alone drive on. Without the safety straps he jack knifed, looped the RFM and ended up on the grass, very fortunate to be upright. Results......one written off RFM.......an MT enquiry, luckily the dip sticks swallowed the story he told them and he got away with it, a real pension threatening manouvre that one.
Take it from FOMPY folks, the morals of the story are:
1) It is a dangerous task, be very careful.
2) You can always say NO. If a controller asks you to do a run and it seems far too risky, say so, you are the expert and if he/she wants the run done badly enough they can do it.
3) Think safety first all the time and don't rush.
Even better, get the SATCO to show you his Colin Mcrae impersonation!
