The the aircraft's starboard generator isn't working shortly after leaving Gabon. The airport at Gabon is too small for us to use with a generator problem. We need both DC generators to start the jet engines on takeoff and we only have the one on the port engine. We need to land somewhere else. South of Gabon is the Congo, then the French Equatorial Congo, with a French military airport and we head for that. They deny us permission to land ever though we have an aircraft emergency. It's kind of complicated. The French are our allies but we aren't in France. We are an American warplane on a mission we can't discuss trying to land in an African country on a French military base. Three countries are involved and our emergency doesn't put us in immediate danger. After several discussions between the pilot and the French authorities, we do land and they have us park in a remote part of the airfield near a small hanger. Lt Frederick tells Gatch and I that after we install the landing gear pins and chock the main wheels we are to return to the after station. We jump out of the rear hatch and there are soldiers with assault rifles watching us install the pins and chocks. We are happy to get back in the aircraft!
The three pilots get out of the aircraft and are met by some French officers. After some discussion, Lt Frederick tells us that we are to stay by the aircraft until he or one of the other pilots return. I'm to look at the DC generator and see if its a problem I can repair without parts. After checking all the simple things it's time to remove the generator covers and look inside. The main power output lead is broken. No way to repair that, we need a replacement generator. Not likely one is hanging around in Africa. Once determined that the generator is not repairable we are escorted to the nearby hanger by the assault rifle toting soldiers. There we are to stay. We aren't allowed to leave the hanger. Guards are posted at every door. Open the door and stick your head out and the guard waves his rifle at you to indicate that your should stay inside. After a few hours, a bus pulls up by one of the hanger doors and our pilots tell us the bus is there to take us to the French chow hall where they feed their soldiers. The officers go with us along with one of the guards. That's a relief because we don't know what this is all about yet, we have no food, and no money, and no paydays for 3 months now. When they bring us back from the chow hall, there are cots set up in the hanger and piles of bedding for the cots. Guess we are sleeping here. This goes on for weeks. Diplomats are involved now, no new generator is forth coming. Every few days we start the aircraft and the pilots radio Port Lyautey and Rota, Spain to have someone bring us a generator. It doesn't happen.
On day 27 Lt Frederick comes to me and asks, "Is there anything that you can do?"
"I've been out there looking at it while the generator issue keeps dragging on, thinking that I might have to come up with some kind of temporary fix." "There's nothing I can LEGALLY do, but if you want to look at it with me, there's something that's not a legal repair but might work."
"Show me."
"The broken generator lead is about the same diameter as my little finger." "If I jam the lead together, tap it down with a hammer, wrap some electrical tape around it, it might work.' "The problem is the cover won't fit over it snugly." "Air will flow through and under the cover creating a fire hazard."
"Do you think it will start the jets?"
"Only one way to find out,"
"Do it." "If the jets start, we'll take off, after we get airborne we'll feather the starboard prop to eliminate the fire danger and leave the starboard jet in idle for power balance and in case we need it in an emergency."
Four hours later we are airborne and headed for Port Lyautey for fuel and then home to Rota.
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