Spectre623

Hello Billy Lang. The only C-130's stationed PCS in VN were the Rescue C-130's. I worked at Hill AFB in the 70's with a CC type who was stationed in Tuy Hoa 39th ARRS and received the Bronze or Silver Star for cranking and taxiing a 130 from between 2 other 130's that were burning from a sappers attack. He didn't have time to pull the intake plugs and so 4 eng. changes but saved the airframe. They had 11 HC-130's at Tuy Hoa. This outfit moved to CRB in 1970.These are the only 130 guys I have ever heard were PCS in VN. The birds that were lost in that attack were 62-1861, 66-0214 and 66-0218 in July 1968. Hope this helps. Also the reason we 130 trash haulers weren't PCS in VN is that Pres. Johnson didn't want us to be included in the troop count in VN as he was catching heat from congress for so many troops in VN. As a Crew Chief at Clark our routine was 16 day rote to CRB, burn up allocated flying time plus 10% over, return to Clark for 21 days for Phase Insp. of my bird then back to CRB then repeat, repeat, repeat. We also had specialist and APG maint. troops who went to CRB on 55 day rotes. Bill

He wants to get all his free stuff from uncle sugar before he breaks ties with US. Typical banana republic. Bill

Good eye Bob, it is easy to tell it is an L-100 because it has no lower kick windows. The fact that it isn't even a -20 stretch model makes it more rare. Normally they would not have had paratroop doors. This one must have been a mod. Looks like it has air deflector doors and JATO brackets also. Bill

Wasn't that called the Aero Port Hotel. Spent many a night there as FE on C-141A's. Bill

Sad, sad, sad....now it really is called NO HOPE POPE! Glad to have pulled my tour of duty at the pea patch. Not one of my favorite posts but glad I filled that square there. 1968-69, 777Th. PB on the tail. Bill

Thanks Lars...and Godspeed. Bill

It sure is Bob. Just google earth and you can still see the outlines of our barracks foundations. That's good news as we will be able to build them back where they were, ha ha. Can't wait. Here are a couple of pics one of the CC's on this board sent me of Herky Hill Bks. Bill

Yes and they hung A model engines on the wings and the cowling don't match up correctly. Still, all in all a pretty good museum piece...and well worth saving. Bill

I remember going on board this fantastic flying machine when I worked at Lockheed in 1984. It was still on the flight line then and mostly complete except for the rockets. The engineers overhead panel was an eye full as it had so many extra switches and stuff. It had dual flap indicators also as it had double articulated flaps. It had the hyd. valves on the inside left aft side of the wheel like the tankers but used the system to run the extra flap actuators. I worked with the old timer who did the flap rigging on these birds. He said they swore him to secrecy and he worked several months just on the flap system. There was a set of beams inside the cargo compartment that ran from front to back and a tail hook on the aft belly as I remember. It didn't have a bunk up front but an extra seat near the nav. seat with a computer keyboard and screen. Here are a couple of pix of the model Lockheed built that are in the Marietta Museum. Bill

Good link you posted Sam and a mighty fine story you wrote in this months AF Association mag (April 2016) about the Commando Vault mission. Bill

When do we get the swept wings? Bill

So Dr Mason, have you gotten your C-130's from DM yet ? It's been a year since your last post. I DO hope you are successful in getting these birds out of the bone yard before they are turned into beer cans. Bill

After looking closer at the paint job on the above Herk it looks like a faded out" European One " paint job. How the spokesman thought it was a Vietnam ( i.e. SEA camo.) paint job is beyond me. Even a new European One paint job would look better than yawwwwn gray. Bill

That paint job don't look like any Vietnam era paint job I ever saw over there, but IF, it had the correct VN camo paint job it would look a heck of a lot better than the "whale butt gray" they are now! Just my 2 cents worth. Bill

You might want to check out all parts of the generator disconnect set up. Stub shaft and such. Bill

In the USAF the 3 blade props were swapped for 4 blade props in the mid 70's after Vietnam. Bill

Thanks Bob. Bill

Not sure Railrunner but Del. Guard had 206 and I think they got 204 and 205 to replace the acft they lost in the storm some time ago. Bob Daley has a list as to where they went. Bill

At Dobbins before we got the H3's, we had 6, 81 models (81-0626 thru 81-0631) which were H-2's with honey buckets and long line HF ant. and 2, 84 models (84-0204 & 0205) with flush toilets, no long line HF ant and 2 large fwd escape hatches with dual batteries and towel rack ant on the roof.. These we also called plain old H2's. The 2, 84 models were to have digital fuel gauges but we requested analog gauges to match our other 6 which they complied with at the factory. My question is since all the changes of our 84 models(cn 5038&39) started back on CN 4992 , what would they be called from cn 4992 on,... H2 point what? _ Bill

A big MERRY CHRISTMAS to all the folks on the site. Bill

Good for you Billy. They should have given you a DDform215 which would have shown your service in Nam. Main thing is you got what you needed. Good on you for hanging in there! Bill

Here is a walk around of AC-130A 54-1623 Ghost Rider at the Marietta museum of Aviation. Much thanks to the guys who brought a rusting hulk back to display status. Bill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZRZrVfAefA

Roger that on the trashed AD H3's. Talked to the pro super at Dobbins the other day and he said it took about a year to get the AD H3's up to the high AFRC standards our air crews are used to. Hated to see our one owner since new H2's go away... but that's progress. Our H2's didn't have a delivery flight, we went across the runway with a tug and picked them out and towed them home. Warranty work was a snap. Bill

Where were all the ROE lawyers when the crew was cleared to fire? This does not bode well for future gunship crews as they may be reluctant to pull the trigger to help out the friendlies. Just my thoughts. A sad day for them. Bill

Well some lackey general has laid the deaths of the civilians killed at the doctors w/o borders hospital directly on the crew of the AC-130 gunship. They have been suspended from their duties. Where were all the ROE lawyers when the crew was cleared to fire? This does not bode well for future gunship crews as they may be reluctant to pull the trigger to help out the friendlies. Just my thoughts. A sad day for them. Bill