Military aircraft quiz
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And there is the classic story around about a C47 being started ‘Briggs ‘n Stratton’ style, with a rope around the prop hub
once saw a C130 with only three functional engines having its fourth one being unsuccessfully “bump started” by very fast taxying up and down the runway
I went inside an airworthy C-123 at Oshkosh in 2017, but didn't see it fly. It's a big aircraft.
Slight thread drift but one of the best Vietnam era books I've read is "Flying Through Midnight", concerning C-123 operations during the secret war in Laos:
The key section of the book is a gripping description of a night-time emergency diversion, with no lights, navaids or comms, descending through jagged limestone mountains to land at the secret CIA airstrip at Long Tieng (Lima Site 20A):
Slight thread drift but one of the best Vietnam era books I've read is "Flying Through Midnight", concerning C-123 operations during the secret war in Laos:
The key section of the book is a gripping description of a night-time emergency diversion, with no lights, navaids or comms, descending through jagged limestone mountains to land at the secret CIA airstrip at Long Tieng (Lima Site 20A):
Last edited by India Four Two; 27th Mar 2023 at 07:46. Reason: Spelling.
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Once saw a 130 do a three engine take off from a SF Camp next to the Cambodian Border....ground fire took out the number one engine during the landing.....and without a doubt had it remained on the ground for any length of time it would have been destroyed.
It departed at a fairly flat manner with some noticeable yaw seen but went on to a major airfield for repair.
It used every inch of the runway and was some admirable airmanship to watch.
Perhaps the ultimate C-123 story is one that occurred during the evacuation of the Khan Doc SF Camp as it was surrounded and ultimately overrun by NVA Forces.
To close the circle.....Mort the USAF Combat Controller mentioned in the article was the last Man out of Khan Duc having been one of three Combat Controllers mistakenly inserted there at the very end of the evacuation.
Mort was a scuba diving and beer drinking buddy of mine when I was working in the Philippines.
He never mentioned his experience there until one. of his Team Mates from Clark AFB told me about it and I asked him to tell me his story.
It was an amazing thing that happened that day.
My Chinook Unit lost an aircraft there and that story is an interesting one as well.
The C-123 Pilot received the Medal of Honor for his rescue of the three Combat Controllers.
There are some detailed accounts of the Khan Doc incident that bear reading.
https://www.littlerock.af.mil/News/C...8046/kham-duc/
It departed at a fairly flat manner with some noticeable yaw seen but went on to a major airfield for repair.
It used every inch of the runway and was some admirable airmanship to watch.
Perhaps the ultimate C-123 story is one that occurred during the evacuation of the Khan Doc SF Camp as it was surrounded and ultimately overrun by NVA Forces.
To close the circle.....Mort the USAF Combat Controller mentioned in the article was the last Man out of Khan Duc having been one of three Combat Controllers mistakenly inserted there at the very end of the evacuation.
Mort was a scuba diving and beer drinking buddy of mine when I was working in the Philippines.
He never mentioned his experience there until one. of his Team Mates from Clark AFB told me about it and I asked him to tell me his story.
It was an amazing thing that happened that day.
My Chinook Unit lost an aircraft there and that story is an interesting one as well.
The C-123 Pilot received the Medal of Honor for his rescue of the three Combat Controllers.
There are some detailed accounts of the Khan Doc incident that bear reading.
https://www.littlerock.af.mil/News/C...8046/kham-duc/
Last edited by SASless; 27th Mar 2023 at 13:59.
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I went inside an airworthy C-123 at Oshkosh in 2017, but didn't see it fly. It's a big aircraft.
Slight thread drift but one of the best Vietnam era books I've read is "Flying Through Midnight", concerning C-123 operations during the secret war in Laos:
The key section of the book is a gripping description of a night-time emergency diversion, with no lights, navaids or comms, descending through jagged limestone mountains to land at the secret CIA airstrip at Long Tieng (Lima Site 20A):
Slight thread drift but one of the best Vietnam era books I've read is "Flying Through Midnight", concerning C-123 operations during the secret war in Laos:
The key section of the book is a gripping description of a night-time emergency diversion, with no lights, navaids or comms, descending through jagged limestone mountains to land at the secret CIA airstrip at Long Tieng (Lima Site 20A):
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Back in the day, at Habilayn (up-country from Aden) the Beverley would charge down the runway on three, unfeather and start the dead one, come to a shuddering halt in a great cloud of dust, then smugly taxy back, load the troops and depart. I never flew Beverleys, buy it was fun to watch.
Read this thread and logged in immediately to the South American river bookstore to buy Flying through Midnight. Only available in hardcover at forty two quid. Anyone know about availability in paperback?
PS Lots of cheap used copies on http://abebooks.com
PPS I see albatross beat me to it!
Twin Pioneers had a long pole,with a hoop on the end,for turning the prop,minimising `hydraulicing` before starting,sometimes used for starting,but `Brakedwell` would be the man to tell of `derring-do`...
Ben Tre Thai C-123 early morning damp PSP one prop failed to go into reverse scratch one of the five of our aircraft parked along side the strip crew sun bathing on the Huey roof made a hasty exit stage right when they saw it coming
