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C-130A HERCULES TAIL NUMBERS OF THE VNAF


airfix1338
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  • 1 month later...

I got an interesting e mail today from Paul Zethof today. He just spent a month in Viet Nam.

Some pics of 56-0532 in the Museum at Khe Sanh. I attached a couple.

He said he did not see any A's at Tan Son Nhut. Last report I had said 4 were there a few months ago and the most recent Google Earth pic, Nov 2013, shows 4 but they could all be beer cans by now.

He also made a copy from a Museum of a Herk pic. It appears to show 001 which was 55-0001 still flying in 1979.

Good stuff

Thanks a lot Paul.

Bob

Bob, I heard after we left in 1975 that there were warehouses full of T-56 engines in sealed containers not to mention Props and other parts. A friend of mine a while back told me that in the late 1990's some folks went over there to buy some of those engines. Apparently the VN stopped flying them they still had a huge collection of parts. I do not know if they were successful in their purchasing. I know Boeing sent a team to TSN to look at the CH-47 that was stored with the Herks and was going to make a bid on it but it was to corroded I was told. Anyways in the picture above the aircraft looks in good shape. I wonder if it was the last one they had flying before they stopped? Do you know when they officially stopped flying the C-130?

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Hello all,i have just found a picture of C-130A 54-01640 in an old edition of AIR EXTRA issue 26 page 6 and the camouflage matches a picture on this website showing the aircraft in VNAF service coded HCO-there is even the faint outline of the VNAF star and bar on the rear fuselage! does anyone have any thoughts or comments on this?

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  • 4 months later...

Great unit history but I had two problems with it.

First, 56-0523 " A/C received from Vietnamese Air Force at the end of the war (April 1971). Were told at one time 523 was painted all black. We noted this in the tail. To 133rd TAW April 1973."

The Vietnamese AF did not receive any C-130A's until 1972 under project Enhance Plus. May have been ex-USAF from Naha?

Second, 56-0543 "The Enterprise", 543 (c/n 182-3151) to South Vietnam AF. I have it in two places that it went from the Van Nuys CA ANG to SVAF then to DE?

Anyone help?

Bob

Edited by bobdaley
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There's a little further history below that chart. I don't know if you saw that or not.

It also credits info to (BG) Tom Lauppe. Although I think (BG) Kennard Wiggins most likely compiled this information. If you can dig up e-mail addresses on either of those two guys, I'm sure they could help you out. I wouldn't be surprised if they were members here.

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Hello all,I have stumbled across a remarkable Viet Nam language film on YOUTUBE-Hon Ngoc Vien Dong-Thanh Pho Luc Ran Dong.The film is during 1975 at the end of the war and lasts 47 minutes and 26 seconds-but -for all us Hercules fans the important bit begins at 6m 09s-the full colour pictures of TAN SON NHUT AIRBASE after the base was captured...including VNAF C-130A transports captured intact and damaged and destroyed-including 6 Hercules in revetments -2 of which you can clearly see tailcodes GZB and HCI respectively 55-0001 and 56-0476.Also there are long range shots of other C-130A aircraft destroyed on the southern ramp area-GZJ (56-0489) a destroyed C-130A,and further on GZL.The pictures are remarkable and at the same time sad to me-a proud Air Force fighting for freedom of its people destroyed by a cruel and brutal communist tyranny supported by others.I would welcome any comments on the film.

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Hello all,I have stumbled across a remarkable Viet Nam language film on YOUTUBE-Hon Ngoc Vien Dong-Thanh Pho Luc Ran Dong.The film is during 1975 at the end of the war and lasts 47 minutes and 26 seconds-but -for all us Hercules fans the important bit begins at 6m 09s-the full colour pictures of TAN SON NHUT AIRBASE after the base was captured...including VNAF C-130A transports captured intact and damaged and destroyed-including 6 Hercules in revetments -2 of which you can clearly see tailcodes GZB and HCI respectively 55-0001 and 56-0476.Also there are long range shots of other C-130A aircraft destroyed on the southern ramp area-GZJ (56-0489) a destroyed C-130A,and further on GZL (56-0542).The pictures are remarkable and at the same time sad to me-a proud Air Force fighting for freedom of its people destroyed by a cruel and brutal communist tyranny supported by others.i would welcome any comments on the

If you can post a link, I'll see if I can get some screen shots from the video and post them in this thread.

 

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I eventually found the utube site. While I was looking for it I found another site with this picture on it.

My old unit 706TAS at New Orleans sent 2 A's to the SVAF under Project Enhance Plus in 1972, 55-0001 and 002.

Neither of them came back. 55-0002 may have crashed and burned at Bien Hoa in 1975.

I had always heard that 55-0027 was SVAF GZA, This picture makes it look like 55-0002 was GZA.

Anyone know for sure?

Thanks

Bob

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