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The Guys with the Wrenches
Flight Journal|November - December 2022
The pilots got the glory but the unknown heroes were the mechanics  
- BUDD DAVISSON
The Guys with the Wrenches

It's hard to accurately put the importance of the WW II crew chief, his mechanics and the armorers in perspective. It's just as difficult to visualize both the complexity of their jobs and the environments in which they had to perform them.

First the hardware: If you strip away the intricate electronic systems of today's fighters, it's not stretching the facts to say that it's easier to maintain a jet than it is an R-2800 P & W or a Merlin V-12. A jet engine may be incredibly precise but the parts count is MUCH lower than something like a high-performance two-row, 18-cylinder radial engine. Keeping a jet running is relatively easy compared to keeping almost any WW II combat engine hale and hearty. Especially considering two important

facts: the crews were fuzzy-cheeked kids and every flight saw the airplane stretched to its absolute limits.

This story is from the November - December 2022 edition of Flight Journal.

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The Guys with the Wrenches
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This story is from the November - December 2022 edition of Flight Journal.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

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