Dad, Captain Raymond “Gene” Haines, served much of his career in the US Air Force with eight at twenty years of service. He worked his way up from airman with a tour in Vietnam and being stationed in many locations across America and elsewhere. While serving in Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, he was the Chief Maintenance Officer and had a great team with which he enjoyed working. The word was, not everyone enjoyed working with him as he was quite demanding. I remember reading one of his officer reviews something to the effect of “Captain Haines tends to forget that not everyone loves the rigor and maximal effort that he brings.” I think that’s about the kindest knock he could have gotten. Considering most officers started as a lieutenant and worked their way up, while my dad moved up the ranks over two decades, he knew his way around the base and its cultures. And, to be honest, some of his issues with his commanding officer were my fault. Whether it was the time I made a bow and arrow and rode my bike over to the “Spittin Kittens” mascot cage where two linx were kept in a cage. I got caught by the military police shooting at them from the cover of a nearby bush, and hauled down to the station. That wasn’t the worst of it, but that’s another was one reference point.
Dad was stationed at Minor to head maintenance for the F-106 Delta Dart fleet for the Fifth Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. Well, he was first told he would be heading up a new maintenance program for the ICBMs at Minot, but that changed upon arrival. Imagine being sold on going to Hell frozen over (Minot was not a dream location) and taking it because the job was pretty cool, only to be switched to management of a dying fleet of 1950’s era jets. But he took it well, and was rewarded for that. Not long after we arrived in Minot he was tasked with establishing the new maintenance program to replace the F-106’s with the F-15 Eagle. Now, that was cool. The F-15 quickly became my favorite jet, and remains so today.
One particular maintenance issue I remember being a problem for dad was when a pilot reported a critical issue that caused one of the engines to fail mid-flight. I don’t remember the details, but I know it was a real concern for dad. He took great pride in keeping those birds in pristine fighting condition. This pilot had reported the issue, and the maintenance crew were unable to effectively duplicate the issue on the ground. They reported it to dad and he closed the report as “Could Not Duplicate.” I remember dad telling someone the story while I was nearby, and he was pretty disappointed that they couldn’t figure it out. The pilot didn’t love that answer. Driving a 25,000 pound semi-aerodynamic rocket with a faulty rocket must be a real concern.
The pilot experienced the same issue a few days later, and reported it by radio once he regained full control. Dad was there listening it didn’t get to ask any questions. Upon landing, laid into dad and the maintenance crew. He also updated his formal Aircraft Maintenance Logbook again. The maintenance crew – with dad on hand and hands on – did all they could to diagnose the issue. They worked day and night but couldn’t find the cause of the defect.
That did not sit well with the pilot. Dad said the guy was pretty fired up and, instead of just trying to explain it to them again, he got permission to take dad up in the co-pilot/weapons system officer’s seat. Nit that dad didn’t love the idea of flying in the coolest fighter jet ever, but that this pilot was determined to show dad what it felt like to fall out of the sky. They went up and, sure enough, the left engine failed. The pilot walked him through what they were doing and let him diagnose it there as they struggled to stay aloft. I say that lightly, but we know the F-15 will fly with many, many issues, including an entire wing missing (not dad’s issue). The pilot restored full operation then co tinted to repeat the process so dad could experience the failure again. This Aircraft Maintenance Logbook would not have a third “Could Not Duplicate” entry in a row. But it did have an entry that the pilot was able to duplicate the issue three times for the flight maintenance officer in flight that day.
Dad said he was sweating and cramped, being 6’3” and over 225 pounds in the back seat of a fighter jet that keeps threatening to nose dive. Dad said his crews would never again accept a “Could Not Duplicate” even if it meant someone had to take a ride to duplicate it.
Standing there as an invisible kid next to my dad and listening to his work conversations was an intriguing element of being his middle child. I admired him more than any super hero, and hated to disappoint him. I think even now, ten years after he’s gone on to live with the Lord in heaven, his standards and expectations and stories affect me on a daily basis. If only I could master not duplicating my errors again and again.