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BRlang

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Everything posted by BRlang

  1. I'v done the combat load on the floor but about 100 was the most I hauled...If it was configured for seating then they could have had a bunch back on the ramp and door...The A that made it to hong kong had 4 engines...and probably a better CG since it was full back to front...Lose an engine and be out of CG would stall pretty quick...
  2. Where did they seat all these PAX. When rigged for MAX PAX you only get 76 seats. Could they have stuffed them up the ramp and door. If so this could have caused a CG issue especially at slow speed. If they were tail heavy a stall is very possible.
  3. Nope, but I been there. The first looks like some place down south and the second in the highlands..Not mountains behind the C-130
  4. 463L pallet is 88"X108". The pallet has tie down points all around it but I am still not sure if you can get 5 chained together. Good luck with it. I was flight crew. Some of the Aerial Port Cargo specialist might have better suggestions. 3 together is the most that I have had experience with..
  5. I have transported the barrel of a 175 ( 30,000 lbs) on three married pallets but the aircraft starts to settle as the load comes off the ramp. Even with the milk stool it squats bit. I could see the chance of 5 pallets binding but it looks like this thing only weighs 16,000 lbs...If you can get 5 connected you don't have much play in the CG...Make sure the boat has the cg marked and the mid point can fall some where in G or H...Get some of the new guys involved ..If it fits through the door it can be hauled...Another thing to consider is proper restraint.. Make sure it can get 4 Gs minimum forward..8 is better..
  6. This is John. He was interviewed half way through the second section talking about the RVN fighting. Me and the FE had already left Ops to get some Combat Essential Beer down us..Elwood was my A/C in this picture. We were over the Grand Canyon taking an IRAN bird back to Georgia then 30 days leave. I flew with him for about 3 months
  7. I recognized one of my CO- Pilots...John Grillo..he was one of the Mission Hackers from the George Elwood days.. We were crew of the month one month...blocked out 16 days in a row on time...I remember the mission he was talking about. We evacuated a plane load of RVN and brought them to Saigon... Sadly several didn't last through the trip...
  8. Thanks, Ken. I was involved in an accident at Bien Hoa when a tire was locked up during landing and while unloading Cambodians the tire blew into the cargo area killing a couple of troops and knocked me out the back of the ramp. I have airforce pictures and some I took of the aircraft. It set us on fire and blew parts a hundred yards from the plane. Their denial said I never sought medical treatment for hearing while in the Airforce but as a 20 year old you just man up and keep going. Its hard to complain about your ears ringing when you have dead people and blast injuries around you..I never went to the Dr for it. I am going to base my appeal on this accident. I can not remember a time in my adult life that I didn't have this ringing. Heck the 175 that fired every 2 or three minutes ay Song Be next to the ramp was enough to make you deaf.. BR
  9. I just got my letter approving 20% for diabetes. I started the process in November...Had to prove Vietnam service to get on Agent orange registry. Then I pounded them with travel vouchers and APRs all of which documented close to 100 combat missions. Along with that I found photos of me at a dirt strip in the highlands with the entire area behind me totally defoliated. They did not even ask for the letter from the Airforce stating my "boots on the ground". Based on what I have read about different VA groups denying many of you boots on the ground because of something missing on the 214..I used the Fayetteville, AR VA and I must be lucky as I got no runaround at all....They denied my ringing in my ears and hearing loss but I will appeal that...Good luck to the ones out there still in the process...
  10. I got denied hearing loss and ringing in the ears. They said I had no reported ringing up to my discharge....I will appeal...They said I could not connect my hearing loss to my service duties.
  11. The process is moving. Got hearing test today. and another at 1100 today. So far 5 months from filing to get exam and recommendation to compensation office... I was impressed with the Doctor. Very interested in explanation of engine running off loads and all the noise related to combat operations in a C-130...In 6 months I have two claims filed with VA and exams and Air force letter confirming "boots on the ground" My advice to all reading this is to assume that the VA people know NOTHING about aircraft or combat operations or the Air Force for that matter...
  12. Charlie Brault was the FE on my first shuttle alone after getting checked out in Country. I roomed with him in the Merlin Hotel in Saigon. He was one amazing individual. He got us out of so many jams. He told me the story of being hit in Khe San and being under rocket attack. He said he figured they were gonna die one way or the other so he jumped out of the bunker and started working on the airplane and got it fixed enough to get it out of there...
  13. Making progress...They accepted my documentation as 'boots on the ground" and scheduled me for examination for AO related condition. Also hearing test on the same day...Got a VA ID card and listed in group 6 for VA medical..Couldn't have done it without the suggestions and recommendations from others on this message board.. Thanks to all here...
  14. I was a loadmaster on that plan at CCK in 1970..
  15. Bill, I exchanged some emails with Alan but he didn't tell me he was the A/C....WE capped a brake in Nah Trang...Upon landing in Bien Hoa the tire locked up and scrubbed through all the plies of the tire...The bald spot was on top and blew into the aircraft..We had Cambodians on board and had a few casualties..I had just come out of the wheel well and back up the ramp. We were doing engine running off load..I put my head set on and told the A/C that I didn't see anything and about that time it blew..Knocked me down..I ran out and saw we were on fire. I ran back through the PAX and got to the flight deck and told the crew we were on fire..They T-handled the engines..By the time we got the crew door opened the fire dept was blasting us with foam...Until I got my letter from randolph it never happened because I was' really there..
  16. God news, Sparks...I hate to admit it but I enjoyed the process and just reading my APRs and looking at all the travel vouchers brought back memories that had been lost since I saw the main gate at LRAFB in the rear view mirror of my 1970VW van in December of 72...The travel vouchers was a great part of being a loadmaster...Per Diem is a great thing...I felt rich....combat pay, flight pay and Per Diem...Life was good....They only sent me the golden letter confirming "boots on the ground". I asked for my air medals and any other awards one would get with 118 combat missions....Nothing came..I guess it is just up to who does your review..Does anybody remember the "signatures" written in the left paratroop windows....I recall a couple..."Stoaned Again" and "Don't walk on the grass, smoke it" were in almost every C-130 in CCK... I also filed for a few claims...Ringing in the ears and 60% hearing loss....Hope it gets processed in my lifetime...
  17. http://www.afpc.af.mil/afveteraninformation/airforceboardforcorrectionofmilitaryrecords/index.asp Start here...you will just have to dig around but you will find an address for Randolph..Find and fill out a DD149..That page has the address to send it to..
  18. Send your packet to Randolph AFB and get them to review your evidence. It will take about 12 weeks to get a review and acknowledgement of RVN service. They will send you a letter to use with the VA. Based on what we know now about the VA many of the folks you deal with are civilian, not very good at their job or just don't care. All my TDY travel vouchers were in my records from finance at CCK...This was the best proof of my TDYs. Involve your congressman as well. They hate letters from these folks..
  19. Scroll down and read the thread about finally I am a Vietnam veteran...I just went through the process...Order your military records from St Louis...In it your should find a travel voucher from your TDY...Your APR might reference your TDY to RVN...I put my evidence together and sent it to Randolph AFB. About a week ago I got a response with a letter that confirmed my Vietnam service...All my time was TDY from CCK...They left it off my DD214...Good luck.. BR
  20. are there any FedExers out there....I ran into a couple of my old Vietnam pilots over my years managing FedEx ramps....Weight times arm equals moments still works even on 727s....
  21. I got notification from the Airforce in Randolph that I did serve in Vietnam. I furnished them with APRs from my Aircraft Commander that documented the number of TDY days and number of combat missions flown. I also sent them travel vouchers documenting my travel from CCK to TSN....Now if I can get my disability claim processed I can be a DAV....
  22. No load from Danang to TSN at the end of a crew day...Minimum fuel....Lets see how high we can get it... I had the best A/C on my crew that ever sat in the pilot seat.....He shall remain nameless however we got up to 36,500 feet with an empty plane and minimum fuel....It was a record at the time. Wondering if anybody beat it in an E Model... This was after take off at Da Nang where he got to 50 feet off the ground, cleaned it up and we were going about 250 knots as we crossed the end of the runway. He yanked the yoke in his lap and did a hard bank to the left and pulled off a wing over.....The tower just said...."Spare 223" that was pretty cool and good night.... We then decided to keep climbing....and climbing and climbing...The last 10,000 feet we just kind of stair stepped up a few hundred feet at a time.....At 36,500 we had about a 15 degree nose up attitude and the plane would barely fly....we were just hanging in the air...
  23. Got it filled. The rep looked at my vouchers and APRs and said she could get that approved even with out my corrected 215...We shall see. At least I have some traction. Thanks for the advice
  24. I just got accepted by my local VA in group 6. My first pass was rejected and put me in group 8 as my DD214 did not show Vietnam. They sent a letter asking for documentation that I was on the ground in Vietnam. I sent them several travel vouchers and my performance reports showing how many combat missions I flew and number of days TDY in country and they said that was enough proof and did not make me wait for a corrected 215...I guess it is up to your local VA as to what they will accept....Still waiting for the Airforce to correct my 214 but making a little headway.....I have an AO disability to file. I was told at the local VA that my records in the VA listed me as served in Vietnam.....I am hesitant about filling disability with out a corrected 214...Thoughts??
  25. OK, here goes. Got my records from St Louis. It took right at 6 weeks. I found most of my travel vouchers. Documented stops at TSN, CRB and DAD...with most being 16 day trips to TSN. It had Performance reports as well stating number of combat missions and combat hours as a combat crew member. One APR mentioned the number of TDY days in the period. One apr even talked about the explosion and PAX injuries in the picture I posted last month.... It said I went back into the burning aircraft to continue to evacuate the injured PAX...Funny, I only remember running real fast to the flight deck then off the plane...I made copies of all the records that mentioned Vietnam and will mail it to Randolph AFB tomorrow. I have one question.. I have a disability claim from agent orange to file. Should I wait for a DD215 indicating Vietnam service or file it using the Vouchers and performance reports...
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