RC-135 RIVET JOINT story:
One of the airframes in the inventory had an aft hatch that wouldn't seal properly, and the airflow around the edge gave it a WICKED howling shreik in flight. It didn't compromise the airframe in the least, so a 'field mod' of stuffing wet paper towels into the edge on climb-out alleviated the worst of the noise, when they would freeze into and fill the edge. This was the job of Position #16, the seat nearest the hatch. It worked, and after you got used to this particular idiosyncracy of this airplane, it was no big deal. But of course, you'll never find that li'l procedure in any manual for RC-135 operations.
So, one day this bird is climbing out of Okinawa on an East China Sea run (Vietnam and the PRC), and #16 calls the Airborne Mission Supervisor (the #1 Position, and the boss of the 'back end', Electronic Security Command's crew) on the intercom, requesting to get out of his seat to seal the hatch up.
Out of nowhere, one of the Ravens (Electronic Warfare Officers, part of the Strategic Air Command's 'front end' crew, the owners of the airplane) pipes up that HE'S 'got it', and #16 should relax.
Well, until the airplane gets into the collection area, the Raven's got nothin' to do, but #16 is PLENTY busy, so that's just fine with HIM, and he gets back to work on his console.
Meanwhile, the Raven, an eager-beaver young Second Lieutenant, unbuckles, and for some reason, puts on his helmet and oxygen mask, grabs a walk-around oxygen bottle, and heads for the hatch, all ready to be helpful and a real team player.
Most of the crew is unaware of the conversation that has taken place, but they wonder just what the hell THIS is all about as the Raven makes his way from the front ALL the way down the aisle towards the back hatch...with his helmet and oxygen mask on...carrying a oxygen bottle...
...and they watch in horror as the 120-pound youngster - having never before flown on THIS RC-135, and completely unaware that there is a method of sealing the hatch that has NOTHING to do with messing around with its handle - starts yanking on the handle of the hatch to 'dog it down' tight.
Position #17, although frozen in terror into his seat like the rest of the ESC crew, has the presence of mind to holler into the intercom ( which is set to 'All', so that each crewmember can hear) this message:
AMS, THIS IS 17! THE LIEUTENANT HAS FREAKED OUT! HE'S TRYING TO BAIL OUT!
The effect on the rest of the crew is like an electric shock, and everybody has disconnected from the intercom, launched from their seats like rockets, and are busy dog-piling the hapless Raven before the AMS can tell 'em, NO, he's just going to seal the hatch! STOP! EVERYBODY BACK IN THEIR SEATS UNTIL I CLEAR YOU TO UNBUCKLE!
But he's talking to himself and the flight crew; everybody else is busily trussing up the lieutenant - in tears from pain and confusion - with duct tape and headphone cable.
His callsign from that moment on was 'Skydiver'.
(You can see the hatch outlined in yellow, just forward of the national insignia.)