a
ROLE
The weather caused numerous delays in the firing of ROMEO.
Tho
shot was originally scheduled for 11 March, then later changed to 13
Narch,
There were to be many more changes of R-Day before the weapon
was actually fired,
This delay was quite disconcerting and-caused
much consternation among all the Air Task Grou» personnel,
To fit
this particular situation, a familiar squib was borrowed fron
Shakespeare: "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou?" Eventually this
shot was to be fired on 27 March,
During the delay we had to fly the aircraft many times in order to
keep them from getting "grounditis."
These additional flights cost us
many aircraft hours that had not been planned for,
These flights proved
worthwhile and timely for they brought forth discrepancies that had ace.
cumulated due to the aircraft sctting on the ground so long.
<
A good
exa:ple of this was corrosion in the sequence valve of the landing gear
side strut on two B-36 aircraft.
One of the B-36 shakodown flights, the landing gear system would not
cycle properly and there was some concern as to their safc landing.
landings were accomplished and discrepancics corrected,
Safe
Howse, on R-Day
another abort of a B36 sample aircraft wasErect) duc to landing goor
trouble.
repairs,
A quick turn around of two hours was accumpliished after minor
-~
arWiyHO
GL
93