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Tdy's


EClark
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In 1967 we was tdy to Fort Benning to do Jump School Graduation it was three days before Thanks Giving the weather socked us in so the air crews wanted to go back to Sewart for the holidays us crews chiefs didn't want to leave are planes there with no one to look after them so we stayed they had us in efficiency apartments better than at Sewart. We went shopping and made us thanksgivings Dinner with plenty of Holiday Libations.It was a thankgivings to remember

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I always like taking the herk to airports and parking at FBOs. The look on everyone's face when a giant herk comes up to some little FBO is awesome. The people there are always really helpful as if it is some honor to help out a military crew whenever they can. We went to an FBO in Salt Lake City and they parked us with wings overlapping another airplane. After the AC saw this he told me that next time he wanted me to marshal them in because he didn't trust the civilian guys.

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WE took mine to Wassaw Poland in 1968 the Pilot backed the plane up several times to show off the ability of the C-130E we had agreat time the commies didn't have a plane that would back up. The AC did a assault take off there was lot of people watching

Edited by EClark
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We was on the Bangcock shuttel one Saturday, and stopped at Korat,

this was after they got the fighters there.

It was in either 64, 65 or 66 I don't remember now the exact year.

We pulled up close to the chow hall or whatever it was and they had

Grilled Ribeye and baked taters. It was kinda like a patio and we

could see the Flt line and runway from where we were eating.

All we had was a minum fuel load and the Flt.crew and me and my tool box.

This was our last stop before Bangcock.

When we got the plane started and were taxing out the pilot said for us all to strap in, we were gonna do a max T/O.

I usually pulled the sextant case out and sat behind the pilot and

next to the FE looking out what windows I could.

I had a seatbelt rigged to the flight deck escape ladder so I strapped myself to the ladder standing up.

When we got T/O permission the pilots put the throttles to T/O and the props to full pull.

When the plane started to drag the wheels he released the breaks

and pulled the yoke into his belly.

It felt like we rolled about 150' then started to climb out at what seemed

to be about a 60º angle.

We climbed maybe 1000' and seemed to just hang in the air.

Everything was vibrateing like I had never heard before or since.

The pilot nosed the plane over and we went down about 500'

and he did it again but this time we had gained more airspeed.

For a few seconds I thought I was gonna lose my Ribeye.

I know the ribeye had to be waterbuffalo or caribu or something exotic.

To me it was a ride to remember.

We used to do them at Sewart but this was the best one I had been on.

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I used to enjoy the TDY's to Aviano -- except for the ORI's. Back then (the late 1970's), Aviano was just a sleepy little NATO base. I remember when we were about 30 minutes out, the nav would take orders for food. He'd then call the command post and have them call either the golf club or the rod & gun club (I can't remember) & relay our order. I think it was the golf club -- it was on the opposite side of the runway from the main base within walking distance of the parking spots. They had the very best hamburgers in Europe!!

Don R.

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Back in '75 when I was in the 32nd TAS, we had a support mission after the earthquake in Honduras. We left LRF and went to FLA where we picked up 2 fuels specs and 2 fuel bladders that filled the cargo compartment. I can't recall the size or capacity. I seem to recall that they were maybe 2'-3' deep, just not sure. We came back to LRF, spent the night and left for Kelly AFB the next day. At Kelly we filled the aircraft full and the fuel bladders full and headed out. We were HEAVY and could only get 500' min climb. If we had lost an engine I'm not sure we could have made it back anywhere. We landed in Tapachula, Mexico and they parked us so close to the terminal that the wing tip hung over the people at the fence. The looks on the people's face as we pulled in right at the teminal and made a right turn and stopped was funny. Fuels guys offloaded as much fuel as they could into the fuel trucks, etc., and put the rest into aircraft tanks. We spent a couple hours on the ground before we headed back to the Rock. Long day. The fuel was for the helicopter rescue efforts after the earthquake.

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I was stationed at Little Rock in 1974 in the school squadron. We received a mission to Hawaii to do a over water training mission far a navigator. This was unusual because we didn't train navigators. We took a navigator and a loadmaster from one of the other squadrons and took off to HAWAII. We landed in Hawaii that night. They put us up in that big hotel on the beach I think the military owns it we were very satisfied. I had been through Hawaii two times before but I was flying commercial on my way to CCK and Clark and that was only far a refueling. We were to fly back to Little Rock the next morning. The next morning when I was doing my preflight i just happened to check the refueling nozzle and it was full of fuel I thought maybe they forgot to drain it after refueling so I called the crew chief over and he tried to drain it and it wouldn't drain . I talked to the pilot and explained the problem I told the reason that part of the manifold was supposed to be drained in case we had tire failure on landing we could possibly have a fire in the wheel well. So we both decided to put a red cross in the forms. They had to fly the part in from some where so we had the next day to explore the island to walk up and down the beach and see the battleship Arizona monument and see the museum a bout the attack on Pearl Harbor. The part came in and the crew chief replaced it. The next morning on my preflight inspection I checked the fuel nozzle and it was full of fuel again. So, we entered another red cross. The ops officer from Little Rock called me and asked me if I would take the plane as it is. I told him I would but he would have to order me to and except the responsibility if anything happened. He wouldn't do that he said he would order another part. So the next day me and the loadmaster rented a car and drove all over the island went to the pineapple fields and ate pineapple. The next morning preflight went okay so we headed back to Little Rock. I know a few people will probably badmouth me for the kind of preflight I do. I do believe in trusting the crew chief but I also believe in trust but verify.

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Guest cobra935o

I have been to all the stops mentioned, just not at the same time as you. My wife just happens to be from Thailand, a little city most Vietnam vets refer to as Udorn, which I have only called Udon, they must have changed the name of that place too over the years!

Nathan

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I have been to all the stops mentioned, just not at the same time as you. My wife just happens to be from Thailand, a little city most Vietnam vets refer to as Udorn, which I have only called Udon, they must have changed the name of that place too over the years!

Nathan

We stopped in there also. I always got the two mixed up and don't know the correct spelling of it either,

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I was in the school squadron at the Rock twice, 76-77 and 79-82. I can only remember 2 TDYs that were of any note. One was when they sent 4 crews to pick up 4 DC-130Es and bring them back to LRF to use as pilot-pro birds. Still had a lot of the equipment in the back. Nav's and a few others played with the cameras some, I had my "knuckles" cracked some whenever I'd reach for the transfer fuel panel..... :)

The other one was going to Cherry Point, pick up some grunts and take them to Rosy Roads. Didn't get to see much of anything there. Except the Class 6 store.....:D

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A few good deals stick in my mind:

(1) Got to do 4 Cobra Golds in a row (living @ Pattaya Beach) while stationed @ RPMK.

(2) Once waited a week or more @ Mildenhall for a main tank scavage pump for a '62 E model. Saw lots of London.

(3) Spent 10 glorious days @ the Outrigger West (Wakiki Beach) waiting on a new elevator torque tube for a P model.

(4) Stayed 2 wks in a former cat house (converted to a B&B) at Ft Worth while doing the init testing on the USCG EC-130V Delphi bird. Cat house, er uh, B&B was located in the Stock Yards area - walking distance to Billy Bob's.

Edited by Jeffysan
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Did 2 decent TDY's out of EDF. First was to Red Flag for 2 weeks, 3 crews, 2 airplanes. Stayed in a motel just behind the MGM. Pretty nice trip.

Second was a 2 week duck-butt, escorting a C-12 from EDF to Korea. Stopped at ADAK (for fuel), Midway, Wake, Iwo Jima (for fuel), Yokota, Korea, then back to EDF. C-12 didn't have very long legs even with an aux tank installed in cabin.

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The stories of you guy's TDY's are the reason I was planning on staying in the USAF, but after 18 months at Naha, and a consecutive overseas tour to CCK for 15 months, you can imagine why TDY's weren't that exciting! Cam Rahn Bay wasn't exactly my idea of seeing the world!!!! I did spend a little extra time in in Ubon and Bankok, but the rest of my TDY's were caused by break downs in Japan, Korea, etc., and I didn't get to leave the airplane!

I could have gone to Turkey with my C-133 at Dover, but I was scared to ride on it!!!!

Keep the good TDY stories coming,

Ken

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My best trips were to Helenikon AB, Greece, and staying in Glyfada.

Tiny,

Yeah, Athens was a fun place. There's a restaurant there called Jack's Steakhouse. It can still be found on Google Earth as can the Congo Palace Hotel. I had a t-shirt from a little bar on a corner where you could sit outside and drink ouzo. I haven't been back to Glyfada since the early 80's.

Stopped in Athens at the new airport on the DC-10 a few times, but just tech stops.

Don R.

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Don R.,

Did you ever make the Souda Bay run from Rhein Main? I did a couple and thought they were pretty good. A bit of a long day but the evening parade down at the waterfront was pretty good scenery.

I was trying to remember the name of the restaurant up in the hills at Aviano that everyone wanted to go to for lunch. I only got to try it one time but it sure was good.

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Hi Roy,

How ya doin?

I did a few of the Souda Bay trips. I liked it. It seemed the Navy always had hot looking marshallers there and at Rota. We'd taxi in real slow so they had to keep marshalling.

The restaurant at Aviano was Orsini's. I think I was with Sully when we stayed right at the restaurant. They had about 6 or 7 hotel rooms there.

Don R.

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Made many TDY's some good some bad. One that stands out was in 1979 to Majors Field, Greenville,Tx. for an open house (think it was operated by LTV then) We were the Thunderbird support aircraft and we got all the "bennies" the poolside rooms at the motel and 3 cars for the crew, Zeros had one, Load and I had one, and the crew chief had one.

I can't remember the city PR guys name but he had been a C130 Nav so he took care of us.

Mike

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This is an interesting thread (TDY). For an old guy like me it gives me a reason to remember some of the really good times as a raggedy 'ol maintenance weenie. I arrived at Pope in Jan. of 1964 and immediately cross trained into C-130s (from B-47s at Amarillo Tech) then onto the flight line OMS. I volunteered (begged) onto every flight I could and was thrilled when asked if I wanted to TDY at Evreux A.B. France. One of my best high school friends was stationed at the hospital there at Evreux!! Charlie had been there about a year when I arrived, so knew his way around pretty well. He took us to Paris a couple of times but the greatest thing he did for me was invite me to a Christmas party at the orphanage that the hospital supported. It was one of the most memorable days of my life!! I treasure the pictures and the memories of those kids and of the wonderful nuns. It's been 44 years since then and the pictures are priceless; as I get older it is harder to remember those times. Thanks, guys, for letting me travel back! Chris

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Gawd, no way I could remember all the TDY's I did but one of the more memorable ones (simply because its was very unusual) was three days at Geneva:) We were supposed to take Dan Quales support team and limo into Leon France but dang the bad luck we had to weather divert to Geneva.

Let me tell you these planes were a real hit with the local swiss.

Dan

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Originally Posted by cobra935o

I have been to all the stops mentioned, just not at the same time as you. My wife just happens to be from Thailand, a little city most Vietnam vets refer to as Udorn, which I have only called Udon, they must have changed the name of that place too over the years!

Nathan

My wife is from there as well, I actually have a house there now, right at the air port. It is called Udornthani, but everyone including the locals refer to it as Udon, not to be confused with Ubon which is further east.

Scott

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