Michael A.

Disappointing! I purchased but have not used sheet No: 72-019, UH-1 Hueys. Only one Razorback decal is provided for the 120th AHC Gunship, this is for the left pilot’s door. No Razorback is provided for the pilot’s right door and since the Razorback is facing forward purchasing a second sheet is not a solution.

A/C in the Left Seat Some units and A/Cs practiced this in that the left seat had better visibility for an autorotation and the A/C was much more experienced with autorotation’s. An aircraft inadvertently going IFR (Instrument Flying Rules) with the A/C in the left seat presents another set of challenges. Keep in mind that most of the primary navigation instruments are on the right side of the instrument which is now in front of the co-pilot. Have gone through this once from the back seat I can tell you that the situation gets a little ‘sporty’ in a hurry. We inadvertently flew into a rain storm at about 0300 in the morning at an altitude much lower than a big mountain that we were very close to. Our very experienced A/C entered a climbing standard rate turn until we bored our way out the top of the storm. We were well in excess of 10,000 feet AGL when we broke out on top. Meanwhile the co-pilot had developed a pretty good case of special disorientation and can no longer communicate coherently with the rest of the crew or would even let go of the map he was holding. The three of us in the back finally realize the gravity of the situation when the A/C tells us to gather three sets of seat belts and have them ready. “If the co-pilot touches the controls, pop the dead man handles on his seat and strap him to the floor.” An Alpha Sierra moment to say the least! About 45 minutes later we are home safe and sound and called it ‘a night!’ Fortunately the co-pilot did not interfere with the flight controls and we did not have to restrain him.

Vietnam Era Helicopter Names & Nose Art John Brennan has published 4 paperback books on the subject: ‘US Army Helicopter Names in Vietnam’ was the first. The two listed below contain the most photographs and I would highly recommend the entire series to the serious Vietnam historian and modeler. Vietnam War Helicopter Art: U.S. Army Rotor Aircraft (Stackpole Military Photo Series) Paperback – February 1, 2014 Vietnam War Helicopter Art: U.S. Army Rotor Aircraft (Stackpole Military Photo Series) Paperback – September 1, 2012

My guess; It is hot outside! All of the C-123s that I rode on as a PAX in SEA had open windows at about that location to allow for ventilation of the cargo area. The photo above also shows some sort of a wall behind the open window. Another guess is that this wall allows for fresh air to get into the aircraft but blocks all interior lighting from being visible from outside the aircraft at night. Just my thoughts on the subject, your experience may vary. Michael A.

Robert, It is my belief that a 2" wide reflective tap was used to make a stripe along the outer edge / side of the external fuel tanks on B-52s during this period. The last 3 digits of the aircraft's serial number was also crafted using the reflective tape and appeared in the center of the stripe on at least some aircraft as well. The reflective tape helps prevent flight line accidents such as driving into an aircraft at night and the abbreviated serial number helps locate a particular aircraft, again at night. Good luck on your project and keep us posted with your progress. Michael A.

MAG-13 and the Marines were long gone by the time I got to Chu Lai. Army aviation had moved to the airfield and into the 7 large modern hangers all of which were destroyed by Typhoon Hester in Oct of 71 along with 35 aircraft. We worked a number of incidents west of Duc Pho and as far west of Chu Lai as Mary Ann. I worked Mary Ann both before and after they got hit in March of 71 but was in Pleiku with an On-Site team at the time of the attack. Thien Phouc: We refuel their several times in the fall of 71. Most memorable was the day that the pilot kept complaining about a vibration in the rudder pedals and the fact that the vibration kept changing in intensity from time to time. We had shut down a couple of times trying to ID the problem with no luck. He finally shut down and said we were not going anywhere until we figured out what was going on. The crew started another ‘Daily’ inspection and after a short time found the problem. About two feet of hippie beads were wrapped around the tail rotor drive shaft at one of the hanger barring. Problem solved? No, it gets better. As a result of calling for and completing a second ‘Daily’ inspection it was discovered that a nut had come off of a bolt on the swash plate portion of the rotor system. A critical fault! DaNang: My first assignment. The EOD unit in DaNang was one of two metropolitan units in Vietnam, the other being in Saigon. We occupied a two story villa on Quang Trong Street. I was the numerical replacement for a SSG that had been killed in the fall of 70. We had both served in the same organization in the states. I also became the replacement for an EOD school classmate that was injured the night after I arrived in country and was still sitting at 90th Replacement. Did some work in Arizona Country and the hills west and south of DaNang after the last of the Marines departed country. First Helicopter Ride: Vandergrift to Kae Sahn for Lam Son 719. A rude awakening to the ‘big-league’ and the learning curve was going to be steep! I would not swap my tour in Vietnam for anything that I have done since.

Nothing Special! I was an EOD team member and occasionally team leader in various parts of I Corps. If you flew out to a line unit in the field for an EOD incident you might be gone for a couple of hours or a couple of days. If you did not take ‘it’ with you, you did without. My last unit stood down along with the Americal at Chu Lai in late 1971. We were located on the airfield next to the parking ramp. No matter what came or went, it went by our front door. Michael A.

When I first saw this thread I thought it would provide some new info an aircraft loadouts, and in that regard it did not disappoint. Then ‘ground guys’ started listing the gear that they had packed around during their time in service. That started me thinking about all of the ‘stuff & toys’ that I had carried around at one time or another in my career and I started making a list. For clarity I separated the two lists and added dates and that is when I had an ’Oh Sierra’ moment when I realized the actual number of years involved. Although technology has improved immensely over the years the list stayed pretty much the same with the exception of mission equipment. Loadout: Circa 1971 .45 Cal Pistol with Holster and 4 magazines CAR-15 Rifle with 7 x 30 rd. magazines of 5.56 2 x V40 Grenades (HE Frag) 2 x XM 50 Grenades CS Pocket 1 x M18 Smoke Violet Jungle Rucksack on Frame Poncho and Poncho liner (Hooch & Sleeping) 1 pr. Ho Chi Mine Sandals 1 pr. socks XM-28 Lightweight Protective Mask (Riot Control Agents Only) 2 x 1 qt. canteens 1 x 2 qt. canteen 1 x Towel 2 x LRRP Rations 2 x Carabiners (Snap Links) Leather Gloves 10 x M112 Demolition Blocks (C4) 1 Roll Time Fuze 25 x M60 Fuze Lighters 10 x Non Electric Blasting Caps Pistol Belt Battle Dressing Demo Knife (K-Bar) DuPont No. 2 Cap Crimpers 1 pr. Side Cutter Plyers Pin Flares Signal Mirror Section of VS17 Panel Silva Compass Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation) SDU-5/E Light Marker Distress (Strobe Light) with IR Sleeve Toilet Paper in PRC-25 Battery Bag Loadout: Circa 2011 M4; Bushmaster Carbine (Service Weapon) with 9 x 30 rd. magazines Glock 19 (Personal Protection Weapon) with 5 magazines 1 Grenade Smoke HC (White) Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation) Paraclete Tactical Helmet Peltor Tactical Head Set Paraclete Body Armor Vest with Plates 1st Aid Pouch 1 x Motorola Hand Held Radio 2 x Extra Motorola Batteries Gyrojet Pen Flare Kit (Aviation) Strobe Light Nomex Gloves Tan Baseball Cap with Company Logo MS2000 Military Strobe Light Emergency Distress Signal IR Beacon Section of VS17 Panel Baby wipes Range Bag in vehicle with 15 x 30 rd. magazines 4 x 9 mm magazines 2 x Motorola Batteries Thanks for the good times! Michael A.

I was following my pilot back to debriefing following a Green Flag F-16 mission back in the day(91 - 92). It is August in Nevada and hot, actually damn hot! The pilot has his helmet bag thrown over his shoulder and in spite of having sweated out his flight suite he has a fresh wet stain running down his back. I pointed out that his water bottle must be leaking. However, his response is, he does not have a water bottle in his helmet bag only a piddle pack. This is followed by shriek and much to my amazement I learned that a helmet in a helmet bag can be used as a soccer ball.

My hypothesis continues. Possibly an AN-M14 Incendiary Grenade (Thermite) used to mark targets for people sniffing missions at night. Again this is just a hypothesis.

This OH-6 appears to be one of the 'Calico Cats' belonging to Troop D, 10th Cav. Aircraft looks to rigged for a 'Sniffer Mission' but I am not positive about that.

Excellent research guys, keep up the good work! Michel A.

From my personal experience dating back 15 – 25 years. Pacific region: Tokyo / Akihabara Europe I: Aviation Megastore; I spent many a rainy Saturday stocking up for future builds with little gems from the former East Bloc that are hard to imagine. Europe II: Hannants Colindale Station

Interesting Cobra shot! The structures in the background are consistent with the old MAG 13 area on Chu Lai main. Army aviation took over the area in the fall of 1970 and stayed until the Americal Div. stood down in the fall of 71. In October of 71 Typhoon Hester hit Chu Lai and destroyed most of the modern hangers on the airfield as well as about 35 aircraft. Additional Cobra shots are always welcome!

VA-55 – Action in the Gulf of Sidra Combat Aircraft, Vol. 16, No. 8. ‘Ship Strike’ article on page 70 answers additional questions about the Gulf of Sidra incident. I picked up a copy only this morning. Apparently VA-55 is credited with the second combat use of the Harpoon attack and Rockeyes are only mentioned as being part of the onboard weapons available. No mention of use during this attack. Recommended reading for all.