[DeTomaso] oil leak, any one ever have this happen to them.

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/27/10 21 48 34, JDeRyke at aol.com writes:


> Gimmee a break, pal! It was sometime in the early '70s. Johnson Island is
> restricted-access, but our pilot told the tower 'We've got engine trouble 
> and
> we're coming in. You can pick us up on the runway or offshore- your call!"
> Needless to say, the welcoming committee had AR-15s rather than cold 
> beers  
> for us, but they quickly saw there was a real problem.
> 

Johnston Atoll is fascinating because the island is hundreds of miles from 
anywhere, and is almost entirely manmade; somebody discovered that the 
Pacific ocean was just a few feet deep in that spot, with a few specks sticking 
up out of the water, so they dredged and built an airfield there.   

The island grew larger and larger over the years as its mission continually 
changed; it was used for above-ground nuclear tests during the cold war, 
and later had only one function--it was the site of a big chemical weapons 
destruction facility.   Chem weapons would be flown in, and burned in a giant 
incinerator which was located on the downwind side of the island.   The place 
is only six feet above sea level, so big waves are a BIG problem.   I had 
to fly an emergency evacuation mission there once, as there was a typhoon 
headed there and it was figured that the place might get wiped out.   So we 
rocketed in there, and stuffed WAY more people into a C-141 than I'd ever seen 
before and flew them back to Hawaii.   Fortunately damage was lighter than 
expected and we later flew them back in.

I used to go there all the time on a veggie run; all food and supplies had 
to be flown in as there is no natural life there at all.   The place was 
shut down in 2003 and I haven't been back there since.   Good thing too--it's a 
bloody horrible place, utterly lacking in anything remotely resembling 
charm.   Nothing there but a very few palm trees, concrete cinderblock 
buildings, and big hunks of coral instead of a beach.   Bleah.

Given that it was used for storage of both nuclear and chemical weapons, 
you can understand how the people there would have a very dim view of airplane 
just dropping in unannounced, and why your welcoming party had M-16s in 
hand, instead of a beer keg!

Mike