PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-637
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 637
DECEMBER 2005
PS 637
DEC 05
39
TOO HOT
TO COVER
If you have a cracked mirror pane or a broken countermeasure set, make sure you
fill out DA Form 2308-33-1 completely and turn it in with the set. An incomplete
form or no form turned in at all means that AVIM cannot track the set’s repairs. So
they’ll end up repairing everything on the unit’s dime.
Bottom line: Be careful when working around the set. Before each takeoff and
after each landing, clean the mirrors like it says in Chap 4 of TM 11-5865-200-12.
And keep it covered when the bird is parked.
DEC 05
38
ALQ-144A/C…
COUNTERMEASURE SET
However, be careful how you do it. The set gets
really hot and even more so in the desert. After a
mission, it’s a good idea to allow it to cool down
before putting on the cover, NSN 5865-01-109-
1800.
That’s because covering the countermeasure set
immediately after you shut down your bird can
burn a hole through the cover. Then the ALQ-
144A/C is left without protection.
In the desert, clean the mirrors regularly. Desert
heat and the extreme heat generated by the coun-
termeasure set itself will bake on grit, sand and dirt
that’s hard to remove.
If you break a mirror pane trying to clean baked-
on crud, remember it’s $36 to replace each one.
Also, when you’re working topside on your
bird, be careful not to kick the countermeasure set
or drop tools on it. That spells curtains for the set
and it has to go to AVIM or depot for repair.
You can never do
enough preventive
maintenance on the ALQ-
144A/C countermeasure
set,
especially
in the
hot desert.
After mission,
when counter-
measure set is
turned off…
…cover
it after
it cools
{sheesh!}
it’s
been
awhile
since I cleaned
the counter-
measure set!
looks like
this sand has
baked
on! I’m
gonna need a
lotta elbow
grease.
uh-oh!
oh, man!
elbow grease
is
bad
for my
counter-
measure set!
637.38-39(C!).qxd
11/7/05
1:20 PM
Page 1
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