C-130 problems

[Mark_Pilkington]

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Australia has had a well documented claim by ill servicemen associated with entering and overhauling F-111 fuel cells, and now apparantly one relating to C-130 fuel cells, I think you will find it relates to the chemicals used in the cleaning process rather than the aircraft type, design or construction.

regards

Mark Pilkington

Last edited by Mark_Pilkington on Sun Apr 26, 2009 5:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

[JDK]

First - 'flyingheritage' spreading unsubstantiated, inaccurate and misleading rumours again, unfortunately of direct relevance and importance to several posters. Despite being asked, he has not substantiated or confirmed the origin of his remarks, and I've other things to do than chase sources for the thoughtless.

As Mark's stated, it appears to relate to historic poor practice in major overhaul, nothing to do with the aircraft types specifically. Further facts welcome.

To clarify: I don't see anyone likely to operate a civilian Hercules on the display circuit in military colours or configuration, in the foreseeable future - but who knows? It is, as a type, one of the greatest performers in aviation history; something I often point out (about once a week) when leading tours, often of schoolkids through the RAAF Museum's static display A model. Oh, we had a very exited group of 'kids' through it recently. They were all much younger than our '60s era 'A' but enjoyed a look over as they drive something called C130J for a day job. FWIW, the Herc's one of my favourites.

Sorry for the confusion.

[flyingheritage]

Seems your so wound up in your own world arent you.
Your rude and unkind repsonse totally glosses over this fact that people are suffering.

Care to explain anything in the original post that was inaccurate?
The deaths? suffering ongoing cases of ex RAAF personnel, the C-130 and F-111 issues? the media story itself?

The issue is linked as these planes are possible warbirds and as others have stated anything to do with fuel tank cleaning is TOXIC and a big hazmat area. Modern practises maybe safer but there is a human involved and they can suffer.

The media story last week on TV i am told raised these issues and FACTS are people have died and continue to from bith the F-111 and C130 cleaning.

I raise this issue as ive had many mates work on Hercules and F-111 and they could have suffered.
I guess you havent and have no concern.

I got told about the tv show ... I dont know where it came from.

Unlike you not everyone is so fussy over having to know sources of info so to just believe a event actually happened......

Care to explain when i was breifed about highly covert USAF CIA operations in SEA 6years ago - did i demand the pilot to list every source of his stories?????

Frankly sometime you arent going to get what you want. Thats called life pal. Sometime you get told and other times you get a closed door.

[Mark_Pilkington]

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News in Australia just released is that C-130 Hercules maintainers from the past, at Richmond Air base have suffered massive and serious cancer problems in cleaning the wings and fuel tanks it seems.

This is very akin to the RAAF long drawn out saga with the F-111 fuel tank problems wing etc where many men died and suffered from the toxins.

The same has now come to news tonight regarding the C130 toxic cleaning.. many men have died and others are potentially nearing death.

It raises issues are all other C-130 world wide maintainers been exposed to the nasty chemicals if so how many have died or etc?

This is a down side to warbirds.. maybe one reason why C-130s and F-111 may never be seen in private hands?

flyingheritage, you have posted some scant information raising safety concerns for anyone working on C-130 aircraft, and it is reasonable for people to ask you to explain its source or elaborate on the issue, we now find its second hand comments relating to a TV show you didnt see yourself? perhaps that could have been explained at the beginning, with less sensationalism in your post?

It is clear this is not an issue arising from the type of aircraft (C-130 or F-111) , but instead from the cleaning and sealing fluids used in the work, the heading of "C-130 problems" is itself misleading.

People constantly ask you to take a little more time and effort in your posts, either to introduce your links with a sentence or two as to what they are about, or to group your links into one post with a sentence for each link.

In this case people were simply asking you to provide more information about a serious health issue you were raising.

You might have researched your information a bit more via google before you first posted, and provided more detailed information than you obtained second hand from an un-named TV show.

I believe this is the story behind this thread, which was in the newspapers at least 6 months ago, which is arising from RAAF Maintenance workers at Richmond who are locked out of a specific "deseal/reseal" F-111 fuel tank compensation deal claiming they are also suffering higher than usual incidences of cancer etc, and undertook the same work on F-111's and C-130's.

I'm not sure of its relevence to the warbird movement as it relates to RAAF service use of the Hercules and F-111, and apparantly toxic fuel tank cleaning solvents etc used for a period of time, and apparantly in one particular F-111 overhaul program.

However it didnt take much "googling" to find the supporting information that had been requested by a number of people, including Tom above who indicated his son was just joining the Marines in aircraft maintenance.

I hope this allays any concerns or provides further information for anyone who has worked on the C-130 and are concerned about the source of the concerns raised in this thread.



http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24639377-31477,00.html

Michael McKenna | November 12, 2008
Article from: The Australian
RUGBY league great Tommy Raudonikis, regarded as one of the hardmen of football, is facing his toughest ever opponent as he takes on the Defence Department to prove his RAAF service gave him cancer.

The former NSW and Australia halfback is preparing legal action, claiming a cancerous testicle he had removed in the mid-1980s was linked to his years of work inside the fuel tanks of the air force's main transport plane, the C-130 Hercules.

Raudonikis is among a growing number of former RAAF maintenance crew fighting the Defence and Veterans Affairs departments over exposure to toxic chemicals amid deplorable working conditions as they tried to fix fuel tank leaks on aircraft, including Hercules and F-111s.

Many of Raudonikis's former colleagues have died from rare cancers or are engaged in expensive legal battles for compensation and recognition that their illnesses are linked to their daily exposure to a cocktail of chemicals, earning them the "goop troop" tag at the time.

"We worked in these tanks for hours at a time, inhaling the fuel and chemical fumes, with just gloves and overalls," Raudonikis told The Australian.

"There were no warnings about the health hazards, and you have got all these blokes, me included, getting these rare cancers and illnesses.

"There needs to be an investigation and the Government has to look after people like me who have served their country and done the right thing. They would compensate us if we were sent to war, but they don't seem to want to help blokes who trusted the RAAF but are now suffering. "Itisa battle worth fighting."

In 2004, a health study found there was a 40 to 50 per cent higher incidence of cancer among maintenance units involved in the F-111 "deseal/reseal" program, set up in 1977.

The Howard government announced a $20million scheme giving automatic ex-gratia payments of between $10,000 and $40,000 to those involved in the program. The scheme included medical care and allowed for more substantive compensation claims to be pursued through the courts. But the compensation program excluded maintenance workers, who did the same work on the F-111s, between 1973 and 1976, as well as airmen carrying out ad hoc fuel tank repairs on the aircraft until 2000.

Hundreds of these workers are suffering illness or depression, but are having their compensation claims rejected.Queensland solicitor John Cockburn, who is representing several former servicemen, including Raudonikis, said the treatment of the former airmen was a national disgrace.

"There are hundreds who have worked on these aircraft in terrible conditions and who are now suffering, but the Government has turned their back on them," he said.

More info about the RAAF F-111 deseal-reseal project and the health inquiry etc is available from the RAAF website for those interested, and reports linked from this site will probably identify the cleaning fluids etc for those working in that field, or concerned to know more?

http://www.airforce.gov.au/projects/f111/index.aspx


Regards

Mark Pilkington

Last edited by Mark_Pilkington on Sun Apr 26, 2009 7:46 am, edited 2 times in total.

[JDK]

Thanks Mark.