Caribou Crews, Vietnam Mid 1960's
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Gnome de PPRuNe
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Cheers Nutty 
- though my copy has an English accented narrator ! 
Second vid reminds me of seeing several Canadian registered Buffaloes passing through Gatwick in the '70s on delivery to Mauritania, Sudan or somewhere. Forty odd years later I'd swear one of them levitated off the runway in a flat attitude with plenty of flap, stuffed its nose down a bit and climbed away in a rather helicopter-like attitude...
- though my copy has an English accented narrator ! Second vid reminds me of seeing several Canadian registered Buffaloes passing through Gatwick in the '70s on delivery to Mauritania, Sudan or somewhere. Forty odd years later I'd swear one of them levitated off the runway in a flat attitude with plenty of flap, stuffed its nose down a bit and climbed away in a rather helicopter-like attitude...
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I remember many years ago, seeing a photograph of a US Army Caribou operating in Vietnam with an RAAF outer wing fitted, left side I think, the Australian wing markings were clearly visible. I believe the photo caption said it was a sign of the, "Excellent cooperation between the two allies in keeping aircraft serviceable" or something like that...
I remember many years ago, seeing a photograph of a US Army Caribou operating in Vietnam with an RAAF outer wing fitted, left side I think
https://qam.com.au/portfolio/de-havi...a4-173-cn-173/
megan :-
No wonder A4-173 is a memorial to all the RAAF personnel who served in Vietnam. What a survivor! More like Trigger's broom than an original aircraft, but all the more credit to those who had toiled in theatre and back home to make sure that this 'write-off' wasn't. Her star and bars are witness to the bonds forged in a very nasty war indeed. Many thanks for the link megan :-
https://qam.com.au/portfolio/de-havi...a4-173-cn-173/
There certainly was excellent cooperation between the two countries. Perhaps your story may be a payback on the fortunes of RAAF A4-173, had the right wing damaged in an accident 07 May 65 which was replaced with a US Army unit, another accident on 16 August 66 damaged the left wing which was replaced with a US Army unit. Details on the link.
https://qam.com.au/portfolio/de-havi...a4-173-cn-173/
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Blimey, nothing worse than an aircraft reduced to produce, with its future secured as parts, the paper trail of what’s been removed often does not exist, I have rebuilt a couple of crashed aircraft in the past and it’s an absolute pain figuring out what’s missing and what went where.
RAAF Caribou at Vung Tau
On the 31st of March 1966 I made my first flight to Vung Tau where due to a fire fight taking place not far from the aerodrome perimeter we, the crew of RAAF C130A Hercules A97-206, were instructed to hold off until there was less risk of attracting ground fire. This picture that I took depicts five RAAF Caribou and, if you look carefully, a goodly number of Iroquois helicopters positioned along the sides of the main runway, ready to receive reinforcements and lift them into battle.
After the action had died down a little we landed on the PSP runway and were then taken by a couple of the Australian Caribou crews first to their palatial but sparsely equipped villa and thence to the beach. Here we counted close to 30 helicopters in the sky just inland and, in stark contrast to the fighting, Vietnamese traders selling lobster thermidor from their shacks by the shore!
I was reminded of my visit after reading the excellent posts and videos regarding Caribou operations in Viet Nam provided above by Cloudee and lancs, for which many thanks. Our visits in 'A' Model Australian Hercules to Bien Hoa, Tan San Nhut and Vung Tau were necessarily brief, and although back at RAAF Base Richmond I had heard some stories about operating Caribou in Viet Nam from those who had returned, there had never been as much detail as these posts provided. We never remained overnight in the country but after flying within Viet Nam repositioned to Ubon in Thailand where No 79 Squadron had some Sabres ready to defend the Base or flew back to RAF/RAAF Butterworth in Malaya. Butterworth was the initial destination for the Service we provided from Richmond via an overnight stop at Pearce WA and the refuelling post on Cocos Island. 'Confrontation' with Indonesia at that stage prevented us from staging via Darwin (as we were able to do later on).
Whilst flying Hercules with No 36 Squadron RAAF I boarded a Caribou only once, simply with the aim of making a parachute jump from the ramp into warm blue waters 2,000ft below just to the north of Williamtown NSW. I was a little surprised to learn that we wouldn't have a reserve 'chute, for on all the parachute dropping sorties I had flown in suitably-equipped transport aeroplanes our 'passengers' had always enjoyed having the presence of a reserve ... just in case! Once a year the RAAF offered the opportunity for serving personnel to volunteer to make a parachute jump, and there were sufficient numbers that day to require the Caribou to undertake three sorties.
This all goes to prove that flying/operating transport aircraft can at times be challenging and exhausting, but more often than not immensely satisfying at the end of the day when despite all the difficulties that crop up from time to time you know that the task has been completed successfully.
Aerial View of Vung Tau taken on 31 March 1996 depicting RAAF Caribou and Iroquois
After the action had died down a little we landed on the PSP runway and were then taken by a couple of the Australian Caribou crews first to their palatial but sparsely equipped villa and thence to the beach. Here we counted close to 30 helicopters in the sky just inland and, in stark contrast to the fighting, Vietnamese traders selling lobster thermidor from their shacks by the shore!
I was reminded of my visit after reading the excellent posts and videos regarding Caribou operations in Viet Nam provided above by Cloudee and lancs, for which many thanks. Our visits in 'A' Model Australian Hercules to Bien Hoa, Tan San Nhut and Vung Tau were necessarily brief, and although back at RAAF Base Richmond I had heard some stories about operating Caribou in Viet Nam from those who had returned, there had never been as much detail as these posts provided. We never remained overnight in the country but after flying within Viet Nam repositioned to Ubon in Thailand where No 79 Squadron had some Sabres ready to defend the Base or flew back to RAF/RAAF Butterworth in Malaya. Butterworth was the initial destination for the Service we provided from Richmond via an overnight stop at Pearce WA and the refuelling post on Cocos Island. 'Confrontation' with Indonesia at that stage prevented us from staging via Darwin (as we were able to do later on).
Whilst flying Hercules with No 36 Squadron RAAF I boarded a Caribou only once, simply with the aim of making a parachute jump from the ramp into warm blue waters 2,000ft below just to the north of Williamtown NSW. I was a little surprised to learn that we wouldn't have a reserve 'chute, for on all the parachute dropping sorties I had flown in suitably-equipped transport aeroplanes our 'passengers' had always enjoyed having the presence of a reserve ... just in case! Once a year the RAAF offered the opportunity for serving personnel to volunteer to make a parachute jump, and there were sufficient numbers that day to require the Caribou to undertake three sorties.
This all goes to prove that flying/operating transport aircraft can at times be challenging and exhausting, but more often than not immensely satisfying at the end of the day when despite all the difficulties that crop up from time to time you know that the task has been completed successfully.
Aerial View of Vung Tau taken on 31 March 1996 depicting RAAF Caribou and Iroquois
Are there are any still flying in the States/ Canada?
There are at least a couple still flying with HARS museum in NSW Australia.
Well worth a visit if you have the misfortune of landing in Australia!
N90:-
Great pic Tim, but shouldn't the date be 1966?
Hope you are keeping well.
Chug
Aerial View of Vung Tau taken on 31 March 1996 depicting RAAF Caribou and Iroquois
Hope you are keeping well.
Chug
Vung Tau in 1966
Chug has observed quite correctly that the description below the image of Caribou and Iroquois at Vung Tau in post No 31 showed an unlikely date of 1996 instead of 1966 as I had written in the accompanying text. I am grateful for my friend of many years and shared types for pointing this out, and so now submit a second photograph that was taken as our C130A departed from Vung Tau that same day, 31st of March 1966, en route to Butterworth.
View from the flight deck of a C130A departing from Vung Tau on the 31st of March 1966
View from the flight deck of a C130A departing from Vung Tau on the 31st of March 1966
N90, another amazing pic! The mass of hicopleters parked alongside the runway testifies to the intense war being conducted then. If you had performed a R/W excursion similar to my Hastings one, it doesn't bear thinking about what the consequences could have been. Unlike you (serving with the RAAF), I only landed once in Vietnam during the war (which Harold Wilson very resolutely included us out of). We took a load of Red Cross supplies into Saigon (we were told they would be on the streets for sale within hours!). On final approach, gear down and landing flap, a B-57 flew left to right immediately in front of us firing ordnance (the VietCong were attacking the suburbs). We rather irritably reported this to the tower who replied by simply clearing us to land. Once on the ground you had to vacate the R/W ASAP. Someone else was either immediately behind you for Ldg or T/O. To encourage you in this need there were two manned bulldozers, one each side of the R/W. If for any reason you could not vacate, you shut down and evacuated the a/c before it was then forced to vacate as baled metal.
Often flew past Vietnam though, going to/from HK. The Violet Picture indicator (localiser type needle) was either welded to the LHS or RHS of the gauge, depending on which way we were going. It was monitoring 243Mhz!
Often flew past Vietnam though, going to/from HK. The Violet Picture indicator (localiser type needle) was either welded to the LHS or RHS of the gauge, depending on which way we were going. It was monitoring 243Mhz!
I watched a episode of 'Plane Resurrection' last night, on the PBS America channel, about the last flying Caribou in the USA. It is operated by the Cavenaugh Museum. Here is a clip
The mass of hicopleters parked alongside the runway testifies to the intense war being conducted then. If you had performed a R/W excursion similar to my Hastings one, it doesn't bear thinking about what the consequences could have been
A day at work.
Under wing jet buried in Huey cockpit.
Last edited by megan; 28th Aug 2020 at 05:57. Reason: Add photo