- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 60
My third posting was to 414 (EW) Sqn North Bay on 22 Jul 88. This was my first posting in a Fighter Group Sqn, and I didn’t feel welcomed on arrival. Coming straight out of a Tac Hel, I couldn’t be trusted around jet airplanes, or so it seemed like. I worked as ASO Tech Admin for the first year. Then, I moved on Crew 1 Servicing. During my OJT, my abilities seemed to surprise the trainers as if they expected me to be incompetent and I rapidly gained my type quals. I moved on to ARO later. The Falcons were retired within my first year, the Challengers were fairly new in the Sqn, still painted in white, and the T-Birds, of course were a mix of bare metal, green cam and the new gray subdued paint schemes. 410 did its last landing coming to rest backwards off the runway after the pilot hit a snow bank with the tip-tank. I was warned that I would be going on deployments all the time, but I ended up going on only 3 exercises, 1 day trip to service the a/c while away, and 1 MRP. Not bad since I no longer had the desire to go on TD. Although, I volunteered to go to on deployment to Bahrain just prior to the 1st Gulf War, I wasn’t selected. In the spring of 89, we were given the news that the Sqn was moving out of North Bay. It happened in 92. The Sqn moved to Comox, but the majority of the members went to 434 Sqn in Shearwater. 2 VooDoos needed dismantling and loading on a flatbed to go to museums. That was my last job while I stayed in the rear party until my move to Shearwater. I ended up on Sea Kings instead of 434 Sqn. It felt like I wasn’t welcome at the beginning, and dumped at the end. But apparently my promotion on posting made me loose my position in 434 Sqn. Oh well, it happened to be a blessing because 434 Sqn moved out of Shearwater about 2 years later. I may not show in here, but I did enjoy 414 Sqn.
