Good post!
As a Navy Aviation Ordnanceman ( AO ) ( your never really never former are you) got to watch and listen the safety films and talks on this once or twice a year.
A good example of do it right or you and others can die!
All three of the big Carrier fires were caused by small not paying attention to detail.
On the Forrestal ( or the Forest Fire as it’s some times referred to) was caused by a 5” Zuni Rocket firing out of its LAU-10 pod as the AOs were plugging in the electrical connector. Theses rockets are fired electrically. So any current will fire them
There are three sources. that it can come from
1. A short in the wiring
2. Salt water in the connector. ( when you plug it in it can produce a momentary salt water battery)
3. Static electricity ( one of the first thing your taught. Is Never touch the firing contacts!)
Well there is a forth. S.H.
For the first two you have your AN/AWM-54 Firing Circuit Tester. And the last thing you do. Is use it to perform a stray voltage check before you plug the pod in.
This just shows the exacity and the attention to detail. the Men and Woman must perform there duties. to keep them there shipmates and us safe.
And why when Lt. Belenko (the MiG 25 Pilot who landed his craft in Japan) was taken aboard a Carrier. He believed what he saw and told for the first time was true. Because nobody could train men to do this. Just to put a show on for him!
http://www.margaritaville.com/roadtrip/oshkosh/entry7.html http://www.hallstar.net/victor.html http://www.geocities.com/siafdu/viktor.html I was in an Army Ordnance Compnay in Germany. We treated all "that stuff that goes boom" with a lot of respect. No horseplaying around with that stuff.
Thanks for the link to the Victor Belenko interview.