Jump to content

Acft Tail Codes


DustyRhodes
 Share

Recommended Posts

bobdaley said:
29 TAS Forbes 64-66?

47 TAS Forbes 64-73 FB

48 TAS Forbes 63-67?, 71-72 FH, 72-73 FB

38 TAS Forbes 69-71 FH

39 TAS Lockbourne 63-71 OA

40 TAS Lockbourne 63-71 OB

41 TAS Lockbourne 63-66?

All I have

Bob

The 29th tail code was QB. The squadron went to Clark in early '66 before tail codes appeared. Tail codes didn't start appearing on C-130s until mid-1967. We did not have them at all while I was at Naha until just about the time I left. I've got a picture somewhere of a Naha A-model that Gary Peters took on the COMMANDO LAVA with a tail code. The airplane had just come back from IRAN and had just been painted, includign a tail code. COMMANDO LAVA was in July 1967. I left Naha in late July or early August and don't recall even seeing an airplane with a code.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't recall when the tail codes were started either, but it must have been late '67 or early '68. I've seen a photo of an A model from the 21st, with tail code YD, making a drop at Khe Sanh in 1968. Our aircaft at Nha Trang didn't have anything ('67-'70). By the time I left Nha Trang and went to CCK in 1970 the acft there already had them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I have a question about tail codes. 58-0725 is pictured in the galleries (specifically 3520h) in the green/green/tan-brown camo with AFRES NO on the tail, and a distinctive shape of Louisiana in tan near the top of the tail. My question is this: was this a reserve unit stationed in Louisiana and/or New Orleans? I've noticed this same combination of "AFRES, "NO", and Louisiana" on more than one airframe. I've never seen mention of an AFRES C-130 unit stationed in New Orleans before.

Can anyone shed a little light on this for me? Thanks in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Bob. In doing some more digging, I found an accident report on 58-0721 in Jan 1975 at NAS New Orleans, and that gave me a piece of the puzzle to work on. I was also able to back track through 706th Fighter Squadron history to learn that the unit had previously been your 706 TAS. I'd only ever known and associated the unit with A-10s in the 80s/90s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't recall when the tail codes were started either, but it must have been late '67 or early '68. I've seen a photo of an A model from the 21st, with tail code YD, making a drop at Khe Sanh in 1968. Our aircaft at Nha Trang didn't have anything ('67-'70). By the time I left Nha Trang and went to CCK in 1970 the acft there already had them.

When I got to Naha in May 1967 all of the 21st birds (except "E" Flight) had the YD tail code on them. Sonny

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I was with the 47 TAS at Forbes in 1969-1970 and the C-130 that I Crewed as an assistant was C-130E 64-0533 and it had FB on the tail. The 38th C-130E'S had FH on the tail. We were all under the 313TH TAW at that time at Forbes AFB Topeka,Kansas.

This was one of the C-130 TAC Bases that were training C-130 combat crews for future deployments deployments to South East Asia(Vietnam/Taiwan/Okinawa "etc")

Sincerely

EFLTatCCK

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Trying to find out the Squadrons associated with the the tail code FB and FL at Forbes AFB, Ks

And, where the aircraft were for tail codes DB and DZ

Dusty,

I left the 47th at Forbes AFB in June 1967. There were no tail letters at that time. Also none on the 48th TCS. I arrived at CCK Taiwan June 1967 in the 345th. The letters were DH. The 50th and the 776th were also in the 314th Wing. There letters were DL and DE. I don't recall any on the Black 130's from Natrang Det 1 314th as having any letters. Did you know a maintence type named Joe Zepeda? He was my best friend in Forbes and CCK before going to Natrang.

Earl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have the best memory, but when I got to Naha in Sept 67 I was assigned to the 35th TAS which was part of the 374th TAW. That is what is on all of my paperwork and that is the way I remember it. The tail code on my acft. was YJ (56-0475)

When I arrived at CCK in Mar. 1969, I was assigned to the 50th TAS and was in the 314th OMS which was then part of the 314th TAW . The tail code on my acft. was DH (62-1804)

Somewhere along the line, my buddies still at Naha were re-designated as the 374th OMS!

Hope this helps--at least for those dates!!

Ken

The numbers in parenthesis are the numbers of the airplanes I was assigned to!!

Edited by Mt.crewchief
clarifying stuff
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...