Veterans Day

[brucejohnson]

Yeah, the B52's where not in Thailand in the fall of 1966, yet I saw and heard every morning something that sure looked like them. Out heavy in the morning back light in the afternoon! I wonder where they went?

Navigational training missions...

 

[DavidC]

A little fireworks

 

[brucejohnson]

How about some old pictures of our service days?

No real pictures of me. SAC was kind of a no camera thing.

To help ruin the viet congs day and help make a good day for U.S. ground troops, they hold an absurd amount of bombs.

Most of my "pictures" are stored securely in my head for a specific reason DavidC mentioned...
I can remember going out to the bomb dump/storage mounds for storing and retrieving some "office equipment". Someone made a comment to the effect of "why aren't the bombs being protected from the weather and stored in the bunkers". (hot, humid and salty - IN GOD WE TRUST; ON GUAM WE RUST) Boss sez: " 'Cause they don't stick around long enough! Off the "boat"; truck 'em to the ramp; upload 'em; deliver to Ho-Chi-Minh. Two to three days max."

 

[SnoKing]

Most of my "pictures" are stored securely in my head for a specific reason DavidC mentioned...
I can remember going out to the bomb dump/storage mounds for storing and retrieving some "office equipment". Someone made a comment to the effect of "why aren't the bombs being protected from the weather and stored in the bunkers". (hot, humid and salty - IN GOD WE TRUST; ON GUAM WE RUST) Boss sez: " 'Cause they don't stick around long enough! Off the "boat"; truck 'em to the ramp; upload 'em; deliver to Ho-Chi-Minh. Two to three days max."

U-Tapao was built in Thailand because of the one way 2288 nm trip from Guam and 1250 straight line from Kadena (much more to not over fly China and Taiwan) vs 571 nm from center of U-Tapao runway to Hanoi. When President Johnson came to U-Tapao at Christmas 1966 with Bob Hope, all the B52s disappeared back to Guam the week before and returned the week after they left. Official operational date for U-Tapao is April 24th, 1967. Unofficial was 6-8 months earlier.

 

[dieselshadow]

Utapao isn’t very big. They don’t have much there. Especially when I was there. They had two Harriers, some miscellaneous aircraft, and 6 new Seahawks still shrink wrapped. It was a fun place to be and visit. I’ll never forget it.

 

[SnoKing]

Utapao isn’t very big. They don’t have much there. Especially when I was there. They had two Harriers, some miscellaneous aircraft, and 6 new Seahawks still shrink wrapped. It was a fun place to be and visit. I’ll never forget it.

Date?

I watched it grow from 200 Redhorse construction crew, First of July 1966 to 7,000 air men in 11 months and 2 days. 11,000 runway.

This account does not match up to what actually occurred.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-Tapao_Royal_Thai_Navy_Airfield

 

[SnoKing]

double post

 

[DavidC]

That's quite the documentary Sno.

 

[SnoKing]

That's quite the documentary Sno.

Well fact is the turn over to the Thai Navy was more ceremonial than the actual operation of the air base. The chief ET and I setup two way radios between the Thai Navy base down at the Sattahip Bay and a small office at U-Tapao AB that had a few people working at. There was a lot of make the Thai's feel good about us being in their country. Like I said earlier the official operational date is not when air operations actually started.

On the first on July 1966 their were 200 AF, 50 Army, 4 Marines and 12 CG. Eleven months later 7000 AF, 5000 Army, 4 Marines and 28 CG. Quite a build up. We kept prices down pretty good for "things" for a few months until the AF started bringing in large numbers each month. We stayed in a hut at the AF base for the first month in country until our quarters were completed.

 

[HPSimpson]

Utapao isn’t very big. They don’t have much there. Especially when I was there. They had two Harriers, some miscellaneous aircraft, and 6 new Seahawks still shrink wrapped. It was a fun place to be and visit. I’ll never forget it.

I made a landing at night at Ubon, Thailand there was 2 B-52s in front about 4 miles ahead and they are told miss approach so I could land I had right engine on fire,
I had contacted Kadena, Okinawa about the fire said can get the gear down, the gear is inboard of the engine I had the gear already down landed made second turn off main runway and fire trucks spray foam for twenty minutes. The aircraft was tow to secure location then covered up, few days later troops arrive to disassemble aircraft ship back to US.

 

[SnoKing]

I made a landing at night at Ubon, Thailand there was 2 B-52s in front about 4 miles ahead and they are told miss approach so I could land I had right engine on fire,
I had contacted Kadena, Okinawa about the fire said can get the gear down, the gear is inboard of the engine I had the gear already down landed made second turn off main runway and fire trucks spray foam for twenty minutes. The aircraft was tow to secure location then covered up, few days later troops arrive to disassemble aircraft ship back to US.

What were you flying? EB-66?

 

[brucejohnson]

What were you flying?

My guess - High flyin' twin engine hot rod with lots of shock diamonds in the giddy-up-n-go mode?

 

[HPSimpson]

My guess - High flyin' twin engine hot rod with lots of shock diamonds in the giddy-up-n-go mode?

hmm very interesting since I was alone in aircraft and no rear view mirror, plus 3 + normal speed, above 95K seems we are close to your idea.

 

[SnoKing]

hmm very interesting since I was alone in aircraft and no rear view mirror, plus 3 + normal speed, above 95K seems we are close to your idea.

U-2?

 

[brucejohnson]

hmm very interesting since I was alone in aircraft and no rear view mirror, plus 3 + normal speed, above 95K seems we are close to your idea.

The early bird flies alone...Beginning of the alphabet, "eh", then a repeat or sequential? Oh my imagination flies high!

 

[HPSimpson]

The early bird...Beginning of the alphabet, "eh", then a repeat or sequential?

Was very interesting time specially the refueling, the older KC 135 could barley get to 29K so planning was real tight drop from 96k to 29k was not the easy deal, then stay connected put engine two in first stage of afterburner, did that usually become unconnected, was same drill took about 10 to 15 minutes for refill.

 

[brucejohnson]

U-2?

Only one engine; half the landing gear gets installed upon landing, tip wheels added usually by an El Camino crew (earlier days); and slow but sooo sweet.

 

[brucejohnson]

Was very interesting time specially the refueling, the older KC 135 could barley get to 29K so planning was real tight drop from 96k to 29k was not the easy deal, then stay connected put engine two in first stage of afterburner, did that usually become unconnected, was same drill took about 10 to 15 minutes for refill.

Kinda like with this more modern aircraft at ~ the 5 minute mark?

 

[HPSimpson]

Kinda like with this more modern aircraft at ~ the 5 minute mark?

yes just like that! Big deal was made about closing the refuel door, some body in Air Force forgot to close the dam door, at speed will cause fuel to be dump out! So warning light was installed.

 

[SnoKing]

https://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/lockheed-m-21-blackbird or A-12