Aviation BS and Photo Thread

That P-3 is one of last of it's kind. Every Navy operational squadron has already transitioned to the P-8.

 

My dad used to fly fire lead back in the 80's in a beech baron. CIrca 1994 an Faa ad came out and pretty much grounded all the barons. The younger brother of the Truley Nolan Bug Biz had a ex fire service baron 1 S/N outside the AD. We sprayed ACF50 in it one day and every rivit on that damn bird dripped.........

 

I've some great photos of when an OV-10 came into our AAm hangar in Vientiane (Laos) for battle damage repair. Circa 1969.
I'll have to dig them up and share. AAm did a fantastic job getting her airworthy again.

To demonstrate the skill our mechanics: AAm was sued for going into the crash sites (enemy fire or accident) and grabbing the registration plate - then completely building a new Helio Courier around that plate.

 

75 years ago today:
https://twitter.com/airandspace/status/1673334807902781445?s=46
https://twitter.com/usairforce/status/1673414216122789900?s=46

 

My grandfather was a "Flying Master Sergeant" in WWII, flying C-47s. When the war started he was already in the army, and got his GED in order to get into flight school. After the war he went to work for the FAA certifying the new airports that were starting to sprout up...right up until this happened and the newly formed USAF needed their C-47 and C-54 pilots back. When they recalled them, the new rule was only officers could be pilots, so he became a 2LT with over 3000 hours. (making him a left seater).

He'd tell stories about getting to be the mission commander without having to do any of the supervisor paperwork. All he did for 20 years was fly. He was less than 500 hours away from 20,000 when he retired...and went back to the FAA for 10 more years.

 

Looks like the guy that got sucked into the intake of that Delta jet a few days ago did it..."voluntarily"

 

Damn. What a way to go.

 

Probably don’t have to worry about second thoughts or botching the job and ending up a vegetable.

 

...^^^... Did you know Jimmy Hyder with Air America? He was there about the same time and later retired from American Airlines.

FWIW ... I just got back to the US from SEAsia (am married to an Asian lady) and I live there part-time.

Was in crazy traffic Ho Chi Minh City (old Saigon) for most of the time on this trip.

.....





...^^^... Above are 2 Vietnamese Baseball caps that are really NVA Hats (I call them that) that encourage reunification of the south and north. There is still some tension between the north and the south today. The north is very jealous of the south.

My wife was NOT happy when I bought these ... but I promised NOT to wear them. She said any Vietnamese in the US would hate me if I wore them.

The hats are decent quality and only about $6.25 USD each or 146,200 VDN.

I wanted to buy a small NVA flag (really the new Communist Vietnam) ... but wife said NOOOOOOO WAY ...
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Vietnamese Communist flag outside our condo in HCMC and scooters everywhere with very few traffic lights. I could NEVER drive there.

 

I do not remember Hyder. Do you know what fleet he flew? I assume fixed wing since he went to AA afterwards. I knew very few rotorwing guys. Knopp comes to mind. I know of a couple of other guys went to Japan Airlines following the commie takeover.
I'm away from my home this week, but when I get back I'll look in the directory I kept. Though, I think it's from '72. (I was there from '65 to '75.)
I never did like the traffic in either of the big cities there (BKK & SGN). Loved VTE and the simplicity of it. There were only about 5 paved roads when I first got there. Didn't even own a car for the first 3 years (motorcycle only). Then bought a Daihatsu 4-dr p-up and a Citroen GS sedan. Anyway, driving was drastically different by the time I left!

I know what your wife means about not showing anything NVA. Akin to swastikas in Germany (for many). I still wear the Royal flag of Laos on my ID badge holder every day. (The 3 headed elephant one that the commies got rid of.) I have one ready for my Softopper rear window - once I can figure out how to keep it from peeling. The AAm decal lasted only a year.

I have an NVA officer's belt (still see the blood stain) but most everything else are Pathet Lao uniform items. Gave the NVA officers' blade & sheath to my nephew and he promptly broke the wooden grip scales (just as young boys do). I still have an original SVN flag, a Cambodian one, and of course a couple of Lao ones. None from Thailand though, and I can't explain that.

I received this article only yesterday from a friend who was a Raven. It's related to the time & place, but not AAm exactly. Still aviation related and interesting. Hope they remain readable:



This was in the email from Raven 21:
"Put the NMUSAF on your bucket list! Attachments are Dayton Daily News article sent to me by a friend in Dayton.

As a kid I used to read the Steve Canyon comic strip regularly. It was drawn by Milt Caniff. After I moved to Dayton to join my AF Reserve unit learned that Caniff was a Dayton native. Many of the places featured in the comic strip were based on real places in Dayton but with different names. Caniff also drew Terry and the Pirates. The latter reminded me more of my experience in Laos, but I can see why the USAF wouldn't want to use that as a name for the Ravens.

Both comic strips are classics, but today most folks don't know about them. "

 

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….^^^ …. Thank you very much for writing such an interesting message on … what is really a part of the US military history that very few people will learn (except here ).

Kudos to you
.

 

CF104 revealed, still lots of work to fully restore to operational, but work progresses.
https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelow...ls-newest-jet-1962-CF-104D-Starfighter#434500

 

I walked out of the grocery store and heard the distinctive sound of rotary engines in the sky. Looked up to see a Ford Tri-motor flying over, tracked it down to the local museum and now I’m about to go for a ride. Pretty nice surprise to unexpectedly find.

 

One of the guys working there said it was about as loud inside as a riding lawn mower. Either his lawn mower is a beast or he is way more deaf than me. Definitely a cool bit of history to experience, especially on the spur of the moment.