AIRCRAFT

hope6970
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(5/8/01 4:14:11 pm)
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Will you men please explain what types of aircraft we had in Vietnam and what was it's primary use?

Hope

TShooters
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Posts: 120
(5/8/01 7:14:42 pm)
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Hubby was the crewchief/mechanic on five 0-1F FAC (Forward Air Control) planes at Ban Me Thout East. (Cessnas..low and slow) Ban Me Thuot had a main base, then East Field was a few miles away. (The main base was overrun during Tet '68.) BMTE was a Special Forces B Camp (DET B23). The pilots, radio ops, and hubby were Air Force. The FAC mission there was in support of the Special Forces goin' into where we weren't, and providing air strike support to any other units in the area who needed it.

He loved to get to fly with his pilots when he could, and when he was caught up with his work (even though he wasn't on flying status). A couple of the pilots would let him take the back seat stick and fly the plane (even though he was an EM).

He loved his job. He wasn't in as much danger (thats really an oxymoron for anyone anywhere in VN) as a lot of you, but did participate in a few hairy actions.
If you ask him today if he'd go back and do it again, it's always a resounding "YES!!!"

Sharon


dap22
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Posts: 471
(5/9/01 12:06:54 pm)
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I can answer the question regarding helicopters for the most part.
The main workforce was the Bell UH-1....early models were a single engine D model (1100 Shaft Horsepower) and later the H model (1400 Shaft Horspower) gas turbine engine powered by jet fuel.
Observation helicopters were originally the Bell OH-13 and Hiller OH-23 (2 place) later replaced by the Hughes OH-6 (4 place) The OH-6's were pretty effective as scout aircraft equipped with a mini gun and along with gunships as hunter-killer teams.
Gun ships were originally the Bell UH-1B and then UH-1C Charlie and the UH-1M Mike model carrying a combination of 7.62 machine guns, 2.75" rockets, miniguns, and a thumper which was a 40mm grenade launcher located in the nose. Along about December of '67 the Bell AH-1 Cobra was introduced.....it pretty much supplemented the Charlie/Mike model hueys atleast during the {67-68} time frame I was there and after.
For heavy lift, the CH-47 Chinook did most of the work and for real heavy lifting the CH-54 Sikorski Crane was used. There were no doubt other types of helicopters before and after I was there.....not sure of specifics.
The above mentioned were U.S. Army helicopters. The Navy, Air Force, Marines, and VNAF had other models.

Edited by: dap22 at: 5/9/01 1:48:35 pm

106RR196LIB
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Posts: 100
(5/9/01 1:41:23 pm)
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FAC Aircraft from the Infantry Point of View

In 67 the FACs I saw were little old fashioned Piper Cub single engine planes. They were very good once they got to the combat area because they could go so slow at such low altitude. However they were very slow in top speed. When you are pinned down in a fire fight every minute seems like an eternity. Later on, they had Cessna twin engines -- we called them pushpulls. They had an engine in the front and one in the back. The pushpulls were much faster to arrive but could not go as "low & slow" as the old model. The reason to go low & slow is to ID the target. Jets cannot identify people on the ground very easily. The FAC is supposed to mark the target with smoke that the jet can see.
FAC is a dangerous and guilt producing job because if you make an error the jets will bomb the wrong target. Most FAC calls from the Infantry are in close proximity to our troops. It is also dangerous because "low & slow" means easy to hit in Vietnamese! Mike H

dap22
Senior Chief Moderator II
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(5/9/01 2:19:42 pm)
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Mike.........we used to refer to the twin engine fac's as suck and blows.

homer4
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Posts: 529
(5/9/01 11:22:35 pm)
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Don't know the specs but 3 of the fixed wings were the Spad...it was a single prop and they say it could linger over a rescue or firefights with it's slower speed which allowed for quicker turns to reengage.Had a tremendous assortment of firepower from 50cal to 2.75" rockets and conventional HE,Phosphorous and Napalm bombs.

The F4 Phantoms and F100 Thunderchiefs carried various rockets,bombs,50cal,rapid fire 20mm and 40 mm shells.We used to have a call sign for them...A Black Hawk! Raven was for the Huey gun ships,and an Arc Lite was for the B 52's...we never had access to them however,only the Big Boys running the show directed them.
...and two hard boiled eggs.

TShooters
Member
Posts: 125
(5/9/01 11:49:02 pm)
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Mike H.,

The push-pulls were 0-2's, and they were just beginning to get and use them in country for FAC'ing, as hubby's tour was ending. One of hubby's favorite VN-related movies is Bat-21, with Danny Glover and Gene Hackman ... about the search & rescue for Col. (??) Iceal Hambilton. 0-2's are featured in that movie.

There's an 0-2 parked at our local municipal airport (a very small airport), and it's painted in what looks to be Desert Storm-type camo. Don't know if it's privately owned, or what..it just sits there.

Some 0-1's were painted all black, for night Fac'ing over the Trail. The FAC's have a lot of interesting stories, as I'm a frequent visitor of their BB group. I'm trying to find some of Larry's pilots and the two radio ops he shared a hootch with during his tour. So far, no luck, but always find the site very interesting reading, with posts from the pilots, radio ops, mechanics, and other support personnel.

Here's a funny story about some Hueys and a FAC:

http://www.squawk-flash.org/stories/..._with_facs.htm

Sharon

Edited by: TShooters at: 5/10/01 12:54:59 am

longshot1
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Posts: 18
(5/10/01 6:27:34 am)
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The Spad aka Sandy was a Douglas A1H Skyraider.
I think they were made during the later years of WW2, used extensively in Korea and Vietnam.
Just a great aircraft with tremendous time over target.

As re: Fac pilots. Everyone of them should have been given the MOH. Went looking for and retrieved more of their bodies than I care to remember. Picked up a downed F4 pilot once, but that's another
story.

NickG

Indybear57
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Posts: 273
(5/10/01 9:09:16 am)
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Sharon-LMAO@the story! Sounds like they screwed with the wrong guy. Thanks!

Mike L

dap22
Senior Chief Moderator II
Posts: 480
(5/10/01 9:18:21 am)
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Great story Sharon............lesson learned.

TShooters
Member
Posts: 127
(5/10/01 10:11:04 am)
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Glad ya liked that story. Hubby and I got a kick out of it.

Sharon

homer4
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Posts: 541
(5/10/01 5:04:12 pm)
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Yes Nick along with those that flew in the Loach on hunter/killer OPs.
...and two hard boiled eggs.

longshot1
Member
Posts: 19
(5/10/01 7:00:28 pm)
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Homer:

Probably more so.
I forgot them as it wasn't being done during my magical mystery tour.
Low and slow took the biggest of brass.

NickG

Edited by: longshot1 at: 5/10/01 9:59:28 pm

hansenjim
Member
Posts: 7
(5/11/01 3:26:10 am)
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Funny story. And the guy was there. All his descriptions and call signs are correct. The beer might be a bit of a stretch -- maybe not.

Thanks for the link.

Jim

Misterstan
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Posts: 120
(5/11/01 9:16:17 am)
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Anyone in the Delta remember the "Black Ponies"?

I saw them completely take out a wooded area ahead of us with napalm. Something like the scene in the movie Apocalypse Now.

I have a picture somewhere. When I find it I will post it into this message later today.

Stan Lambert
St. Clair Shores, Michigan

Here's the picture: (Prodigy now gives you 15 Megs free space)