DC10FE

Gus,

I remember the Federal Hotel very well. That's the place where I was introduced to Singah beer -- kicked my butt!!! I also remember the cute Thai girl who worked in the gift shop. Wish I could've spent more time there, but it was usually only when we broke or the loadmaster dicovered "evidence of rats onboard." Wink, wink.

Don R.

Clark AB, PI

1965/1967

Those first years at Rhein-Main when they reconstituted the 37th were the best times I ever had flying.

kim

Yep, had some great times and great trips; the Saudi mini rote, embassy support trips, Reforger, short field landing training at Grafenwoer, etc, although they treated us like we were a PCS rote squadron. That took it's toll on quite a few marriages -- mine included.

Don R.

I had email contact with Norm for a while, he became a Headmaster at a private school back east, Virginia I think. Norm and I threw back a few bottles of French wine at Ubon.

Bob,

I'm still in sporadic contact with Stormin' Norman. His wife Patty passed away quite a few yaes ago of cancer, but he's since remarried. Here's a short bio of where he is now.

Click here: CMSgt Norman Brander, USAF (Ret) | Randolph-Macon Academy We were in wing stan eval together at Rhein Main. Great guy.

Don R.

Saw Don Rogers pass out once standing up, but that's a different thread . . .

kim

Kim,

I didn't pass out, I was just exhausted after a long day of flying. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!! Was that in Saudi or your house in Abilene?

Don R.

My philosophy on administering evals was pretty simple . . . be safe, know what you need to know (wasn't a big fan of endless questions to prove I know more than you, that's for the stag bar and besides, if I'm an evaluator, I SHOULD know more than you). One thing I wouldn't tolerate was stupidity. I busted an ILM once for preflighting -4A rails using a -4 checklist . . . I have no idea where he found it, but he swore to me it was the right checklist. That was just stupid.

kim

Kim,

That was exactly my philosophy! I'd usually ask a few questions during the preflight and then sit back on the bunk and watch the examinee do his job. The poor guy was already pretty nervous with a FEFE hovering over his shoulder. No "stump the dummy" questions -- that was for after the ride in the stag bar over a few beers. I actually learned s few things sometime while administering check rides.

Don R.

I was at Amarillo in June or July of 1963. I remember McAfee at Langley but, as donwon said -- almost 50 years ago.

Don R.

KC-10s have a similar barrier net to separate cargo and pax/flight crew to effectively "catch" the load to prevent it from crushing pax/flight crew.

Not sure, but I would bet the barrier net is some sort of FAA requirement.

Don R.

Giz,

That spider web looking thing is a 10g barrier net. No side rails because it's a whole different loading system -- not for air drops. Usually used for loading "cookie sheet" pallets although we could also secure the heavier 463L type pallets.

Don R.

Casey,

Since my passion is mainly the commercial Herc, you ought to add Safair's/First Air's 4600. It's history would fill a whole page.

Also, you could add "The Silver Lady," Uganda Air Cargo's 5X-UCF (4610) to the aircraft names section. Another Herc with an interesting history.

Don R.

Nice lookin' Mimi, Jim. Still have it?

Here's a load on PJ-TAC in Angola. We picked up these sides of beef in Lubango for the Angolan Officer's Club in Luena. I snapped this photo at just the right moment -- otherwise you couldn't see the beef because of the flies! Pungent odor, too.

Although, as an FE I'd never have to worry about it, but going from steam gauges to digital like on the J-model must be difficult to adapt to. Our brand new (1991) Frameair Herc had digital fuel gauges that took some getting used to, but in the end, I liked them.

Don R.

Jim,

It looks like today, all the Vietnam airport ICAO designations start with VV. I don't remember what they were back in 1974.

Click here: List of airports in Vietnam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Don R.

Yeah, Jim, that was a career-ender for him. I know that Bill Beal hung around for a while & then went back to Pope, I think. The FE, Billy Legg is retired, of course and the last I heard was a sim instructor at Pope. I dug up his email address a few years ago and asked him about the photos, but he was no help.

Don R.

Dmitriy,

There was a book published in the early 1970's called Airplane Profiles 223 C-130 Hercules that was written especially for the aircraft modeler. It had very detailed photos of the Herc. You might find it on Amazon.

Don R.

One of the hardest check rides I ever administered was to a CMSgt FE (a basic FE in the -130) who had come from 141s. He might have known everything there was to know about a -141, but his knowledge of the -130 was commensurate with someone with a couple of hundred hours in that particular airplane. QUOTE]

How true that statement is!!! In the early 1980's, the AFSC shredout was dropped and all FE's were "equal," no seperate jet, turboprop or recip differences. In the 37th at Rhein Main, we started getting some very bitter C-141 and C-5 FE's who had never had an overseas assignment. Most had spent their entire careers at bases like Dover, McGuire Travis, etc. They had always been on a crew that consisted of 2 FE's. The majority had an extremely hard time adjusting to the C-130 world. I had the difficult task of failing a MSgt with close to 10,000 hours on his second try at the annual open book test. He wound up working in maintenance control for the rest of his assignment. A very uncomfortable situation for both of us.

Don R.

Since new members are always joining this site, here's my annual question again. Back in the late 1970's, when the 37th TAS was cranking up at Rhein Main, a C-130, 64-0550 went off the end of the runway at NAS Naples, Italy. It landed at a very high rate of speed and at one time did a 180° and was going down the runway backwards at more than 100 knots. It was in such an attitude that even the tip of one of the horizontal stabs was damaged! I remember the co-pilot's name was Bill Beal and the FE was Billy Legg.

My question; does anyone have any photos of the airplane at Naples? I know there are pics out there -- I've seen them.

Thanks,

Don R.

Not C-130, but one time, I was in Anchorage on the DC-10 & a fed came up to give me a ramp check. He told me he was gonna ask questions until I couldn't answer one. Well, just behind the nose radome there are 3 drain holes for an avionics compartment (I think). He asked me what they were for and my reply was, "Don't know." Ramp check finished!!!

Also, a good FE (flight examiner) doesn't give a check ride, he administers one.

Don R.

Bill, I should know that. Although I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, I remember useless crap from decades ago. Can't remember her name, though.

Don R.

The APU is wired thru the touchdown relay switch. This only allows operation either on the ground or in flight with main gear down.

Todd,

I've prefaced many a reply with this statement -- "It's been a very long time, but...." Well, it has, but I don't think the gear has to be down for the APU to operate in flight. I'm sure I've started it in cruise without slowing to lower the gear. I remember a note in the 130H-1 saying that the APU may not start or operate above 20,000 feet.

Don R.

Neat pic, Bob.

One time back in 1972, the hose on one our P-models at Korat wouldn't retract and the squib for the guillotine was bad. When they landed, they took out a whole string of runway lights.

Don R.

Changing that center windshield wiper motor had to be the toughest job on a Herc. One had to just about take apart the entire forward cockpit! Had to do it once at Korat RTAFB, Thailand. Never figured out why they would keep a bird down for a few days when the mission there was to refuel Jolly Greens over SEA.

Don.

For the younger guys, you have heard it before on this site..SAVE ALL of your paperwork !

Amen to that Sparks. And, if I may add something; protect that paperwork if a divorce is in your future. During my divorce, I told my ex to just keep everything. Not only did I loose all my Vietnam paperwork, but I also lost lost boxes of irreplaceable photos. Later, when I asked my ex if I could get them back, she told me she trashed everything! Whay a bitch!!!

There's no such thing as a "friendly divorce."

Don R.

Thanks, Bill.

Either you have a great memory or else a copy of the MAC Flyer in front of you. All exact descriptions of C. R. Terror. One of the few military publications I enjoyed reading.

Now, what was the Nav's name?

Don R.

Naa when I go out I want Max Torque showing on all four

Max Torque? Wasn't he the FE with the loadmaster Ty Downs in the MAC Flyer many, many years ago? The AC was a major and the Co-pilot was named Long Suffering Sam, I think.

Don R.

I'm not sure, and I know someone will correct me if I'm not right, but I think the medals Sonny mentioned above can be awarded without ever actually being on the ground in Vietnam. Is that a true statement?

Don R.