Jump to content

alanwbaker

Members
  • Posts

    71
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

Everything posted by alanwbaker

  1. Some interesting thoughts on the costs and interoperability of the A-400M vs. C-130... http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/19/a400m_euro_onanism/
  2. Hi Ken, I originally just wanted an overview map of South Vietnam for http://vietnamairlift.com. Then I realized that with Google maps I could zoom in on the actual airfields and index them for other folks' use. It took a few hours to find all those fields, but the Tactical Airdrome Directory gave me the coordinates I needed for the more obscure ones like Dong Ha. Glad you were able to "visit" those old places again. Alan
  3. I identified about 30 Vietnam airfields and bases that I flew into in 1970 and 1971. Some have been completely obliterated, some are disappearing, and others are relatively unchanged. See http://vietnamairlift.com/googlemaps.html Enjoy, Alan
  4. When 14 hours are not enough... http://vietnamairlift.com/longcrewday.html Recollections of Tan Son Nhut... http://vietnamairlift.com/saigon.html Enjoy, Alan
  5. "Visits" to Djamap, An Khe, Hue, Danang, Pleiku http://vietnamairlift.com/checkout.html Enjoy, Alan
  6. Our two "gold flow" patients were being sent to Cam Ranh Bay for observation. I liked that choice of destination--if you can't play by the rules in Thailand, you get a turn in Vietnam. http://vietnamairlift.com/airevac.html Enjoy, Alan
  7. When the #4 engine tachometer started unwinding that got my attention. http://vietnamairlift.com/typhoon.html Enjoy, Alan
  8. We couldn't give a buddy start with just 2 working engines. http://vietnamairlift.com/mechanical.html Quang Tri was just 3500' long, which called for a max effort landing with touchdown a few knots above stall speed. But at our weight that touchdown speed was below the airplane's crosswind limits. http://vietnamairlift.com/quangtri2.html A Phu Cat radar controller got a sudden curtailment and wanted to catch his freedom bird at Cam Ranh Bay. http://vietnamairlift.com/banmethuot.html Mac said, "Hey look at that guy with the long hair--he must be a queer." http://vietnamairlift.com/mac.html Enjoy, Alan
  9. "Quang Tri was just 3500' long, which called for a max effort landing with a touchdown a few knots above stall speed. But at our weight that touchdown speed was below the airplane's crosswind limits." http://vietnamairlift.com/quangtri2.html Enjoy, Alan
  10. Commander's call at CCK http://vietnamairlift.com/airmedal.html "Normal short field landing criteria are different from combat essential landing criteria. If your mission was high priority (combat essential), thinner safety margins were acceptable." http://vietnamairlift.com/katum.html
  11. "Caribous, C-123's and the VNAF generally flew in day VFR conditions. We flew day and night in any weather." http://alanbaker.net/vietnam/kontum.html Enjoy, Alan
  12. Talk about enduring designs. Those T-38's have been flying for almost 50 years; C-130's for even more. By those standards the B-25 and T-33 were short-lived! I also flew C-141's and when those were retired they had 40,000 to 50,000 hours on the airframes--they'd earned their rest at Davis-Monthan. Alan
  13. "I guess he does things like this to keep the morale from getting too high." and "It's a different sort of challenge to instruct so your student won't think he's being instructed." http://vietnamairlift.com/squadroncommanders.html Enjoy! Alan
  14. A "hymn" to the CCK wing commander http://vietnamairlift.com/cckhymn.html Enjoy, Alan
  15. Desperate to complete a check ride so I could go on leave. http://vietnamairlift.com/cckbeforeleave.html http://vietnamairlift.com/cckafterleave.html Alan
  16. http://vietnamairlift.com/khesanh.html Also a fun photo of FE Bruno Fronzaglio rolling a C-130 tire at Khe Sanh. Enjoy. Alan
  17. Postcard from lovely Katum by the Cambodian border. Can you spot the incorrectly identified aircraft? http://vietnamairlift.com/katum.html Enjoy, Alan
  18. 5 stitches but no Purple Heart http://vietnamairlift.com/icelocker.html Enjoy, Alan
  19. Enjoy. :confused: http://vietnamairlift.com/lamson719.html#rocketvictim Alan
  20. C-130's in Vietnam supporting the Lam Son 719 operation that invaded Laos in February, 1971 http://vietnamairlift.com/lamson719.html
  21. Does anyone have any information about the airfield called T-63 or Watthana Nakhon? Alan
  22. Hello All, A few weeks ago I began writing down my experiences flying C-130's in Vietnam in 1970 and 1971. FYI, they are now at a new web URL: http://vietnamairlift.com The old URL's still work, but to minimize confusion I've edited my posts here to reflect the new name. More stories will follow. Enjoy. Alan P.S. Thanks for your feedback. It's great to hear your experiences too! :)
  23. That's an idea the Northwest pilots should have used when they overflew Minneapolis last year. Of course those pilots didn't have a navigator to keep them in line. :D
×
×
  • Create New...