Bermuda Triangle – ‘It Really Happened to us’

We have all wondered about the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ and how various vessels, whether Aircraft or Ships, disappear. I had always thought that these disappearances seem to have no explanation or were mere ‘Stories’. – until an event happened to the Vulcan Aircraft that I was flying on as ‘Senior’ Crew Chief.

We were on our way to Australia, via Goose Bay (Labrador), McClellan Air Force Base (California), Hickam Air Force Base (Hawaii), Andersen Air Force Base (Guam), then on to Darwin etc across some pretty empty sea.

Any available help in the form of spares or expertise dried up once we left Goose, furthermore the Pacific from Hickam to Darwin is a pretty empty part of the globe. It was therefore reasonably important that all our Radios should work without any problems.

After a late night in Honolulu and with ‘Jet Lag’ extended days our flight down to Guam was to be a ‘Long Flog’. We all piled on board, packed all our personal luggage and after ‘Before Flight’ checks we started up engines, only to be shut down by the AEO as one of the Radios was not working (a ‘No-Go’ for such a journey over the empty Pacific). Seems the cooling fan wasn’t.

As the temperature on the pan at Hickam was around 40°C we blamed it on that ambient temp, but soon realised that the cooling fan wasn’t rotating. However, at the bottom of the Bomb Bay Pannier we had a spare. Unfortunately to get to that spare involved emptying out much of the contents of the pannier within the Bomb Bay. Remember 40°C. Access into the Bomb Bay with forward Drum tank fitted in the Front of the bay was VERY difficult, even for a 10½ Stone Crew Chief, aided by Aircrew and second Crew Chief (‘B’). (Who had all had a rather late night).

I seem to recall that it took about three hours to get at, then replace the offending PTR175.

Once again, we applied power and tested the equipment, but it did not overheat, it just didn’t do anything.

So, on the pan, under the aircraft in temperatures that were now increasing, we as crew Chiefs and therefore supposed to be able to ‘Fix Anything’ – Ahem! were duty bound to come up with a plan.

On the assumption that the ‘Dead’ replacement might actually have a cooling fan that rotated we attacked the two delicate radios in order to swop the fans over. 

Some hours later – still kneeling on rather hot concrete, a now 10 stone Crew Chief declared that it was ready to try.

To my complete surprise the PTR175 worked, didn’t overheat and functioned.

We were 6 hours late.

Rebuilding the Radio Bay, the ‘Dead PTR175 and Repacking all the pannier again, getting Flight plans adjusted and generally recovering the situation took another couple of hours.

I suppose we should, at that point have called it a Day and gone back to that wonderful 5 Star Hotel in Honolulu and a swim off Waikiki Beach, replanning for the next day.

However, we didn’t. Very tired, due to the late night previously, and the extreme heat over several hours, lack of food and too much water, we fired up the engines and set off.

Once at the ‘Top Of Climb’ a Crew Chief has little to do during the flight, and as I, ably assisted by Crew Chief ‘B’ had sweated our way through all of the day, whilst the ‘Real Aircrew’ lolled about doing nothing – That’s a lie they were great help – anyway Basically Crew Chief ‘B’ and I fell asleep.

It must have been two or three hours later when at 40,000 Ft the cold finally got to me and I woke up.

I glanced across to see that ‘B’ was still asleep. Craned my neck and could see the AEO similarly ‘employed’. Nav Radar also in the arms of Morpheus, and I was just starting to think “well at least the other Nav will be ‘Holding the Fort’ – But NO !!!    Oh ! Sh.T !!.

I unbuckled and stood on the steps to the ‘Top Cabin’, to inform the Co-Pilot that he had no rear crew, but Nope, he wasn’t interested, and neither the Captain, who were, as you might suppose, both asleep .

This is where the Bermuda similarity takes over. Prior to my waking we had all been asleep.

I think that might likely have been a ‘Bermuda Triangle’ moment, where we could have flown on in a straight line till we ran out of fuel. !!

Sworn to secrecy (several times) I only now 50 years (ish) later dare record the event.

A happy event, that could have been disaster.

(Names have been omitted to protect the Guilty / Innocent.)

Mal A. December 2023