The trick was to balance on the nose wheel, at just the correct position, to access the backside of the bulkhead that held the canopy selector valve. This task was accomplished in the cold rain, with MIL-H-5606 dripping in your face, while your buddies punched your leg screaming, “Hurry up, we eat in 15 minutes.”
There is a reason why line maintenance is a younger person’s game. I was in my early 20s, somewhat limber, quite a bit thinner, and just cocky enough to think I could remove the faulty valve before the car left for lunch.
