GunnerV

Canuck,
you just described the last 20 years of my life, that is some funny ****...

Ftrooppilot

Now I know I'm older then dirt. I remember when MATS changed to MAC. It happened about the same time they retired the C-133s (Douglas Horizontal flying wheat silo).

Starlifter

F troop,

I had a number of squadron mates from the C-133 and C-124. Just by chance I picked up a book last month describing the full history of the C-133. I've always wondered about that plane, also found out that the last one flew in 2006 out of ANC. I had seen it at ANC for years but thought it was grounded... Perhaps it's still flying.

You must also remember when you could come through the gate after a few beers and the cop just made sure you got home...
One day, I was riding a "unicycle" no kidding, carrying a case of beer from the shoppette in base housing back on to main base to my dorm and cop just waved me thru.
I did however, get nabbed, in the Winter, riding snows skiis on base being pulled by a jeep and a water ski rope. Oh the early days of the C-5.
It must have been a Very Low year for giving out commisions because it's a wonder how i ever got mine. The sillyness only got worse as an officer...

Thanks for the memories,
Lifter

Ftrooppilot

There will always be a lively discussion about "fighters vs heavy "; each is unique. I never flew fighters and only came close in the T-38 in UPT. My hat goes off to anyone who does - all services.

My experience in Vietnam was that "fighter pilot" was a state of mind. Ask any Bien Hoa F-100 pilot who flew cover for Ranch Hand operations . Six lumbering old multi engine aircraft (UC-123) in echelon formation at fifty feet, 130 kts, "crop dusting", doing en-trail formation 90/270 turn at the end of each run - all the time being shot at. (19 airplanes took over 6000 hits in the program, 28 crew member killed). They were cargo pilots with fighter pilot attitudes.

It's the attitude and / or mission that makes anyone a "fighter pilot." We fight in many different ways.

My best wishes go out to those who continue the mission and tradition in todays armed forces.

CAFB 04-12

Some of the downrange days...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If65BCNqYlU

Starlifter

CAFB,

Too funny...

III Corps

Good write-up, Ftroop. I never worked with the Ranch but spent some time with those guys at Bien Hoa and often worked the F-100s out of Bien Hoa. You're right on about attitude combined with ability. I also worked with and flew a number of sorties with the Army hunter/killer teams (Loach and Cobra). IF you want to talk about someone who was about as close to the WWII fighter pilot, it was the Army guns... very young, always looking for a fight and absolutely confident they were the best.

We had a med-evac after a troops in contact and I watched a Loach hover down about 75ft where a 750lb bomb had blown down a bunch of trees. The Loach didn't have 3ft rotor clearance anywhere and when I talked to him later he said, "No big deal... someone had to do it."

I ran into my -135 Ops officer a few months ago in TYS. John and I were talking about Young Tigers and my copilot had never heard the stories. John brought 2 F-105s home locked on the boom. John said he was pumping about as much fuel THROUGH them as TO them. He dropped them off on short final and headed back to U-Tapao. Didn't even get an Air Medal for that..

Attitude and ability...

WAFP

Here is a typical example that I just did today...

0300l - Alert, try to remember what country that you are in and who the hell is calling you so damned early

0310l - let alarm wake you up for the second time, and say to self "eh, I still have 20min until the bus shows up"

0315l - roll out of bed and into shower, only to find out that everyone else has beaten you to the hot water

0325l - finish shower and shave, realize that you only have 5min until the bus shows, who needs to be on time

0330l - try not to kill yourself on the recently frozen ground (note to self, find person who designed desert boots with teflon soles, kick them in head) and load bag onto bus

0331l - find out that everyone has been at the bus for 15min, sit down in dark and listen to German rock music that the driver has cranked to 11

0335l - do the mandatory shopette run, and curse the fact that TACC will never let you take off during daylight hours, begin to wonder what sun looks like

0350l - help people load their 29,000 cases of German beer, note that they don't have any food to eat for the 12hr flight, ponder that for a moment

0400l - arrive at jet only to find out that Mx never closed the ladder to the jet, freezing rain has turned it into an ice rink, good luck loading your bags!

0430l - get into AMCC and get packet of Wx that TACC has so expertly decided that the Wx at destination is just above mins for the approach, although everyone else says that the vis and the winds are out of limits.

0430-0530l - have long discussion with TACC O-6, only to have him tell you (dumbass Nav) that the Wx is good, and that you cannot get a recut to go where your cargo needs to go, but you should take off then divert if you need to. O-6 decides to disregard 11-202V3

0630l - finish de-icing for the 2nd time, only to have the tower close so that they can figure out if the runway is really icy

0700l - 2 loadmasters have almost killed themselves on the icy ramp, but we should be able to taxi a C-5 without any problems

0730l - take off and see the sunrise (the first time)

0815l - settle into cruise, see that you still have more than 4500nm to go, and you have defied the laws of nature, and that by traveling W you have made the sun set

0815-1215l - have great conversation with engineer about how best to destroy the plane with one switch. notice that boredom is rampant. watch sunrise the second time

1230l - wakeup other two pilots so that you can sleep

1530l - wakeup feeling like a loadmaster (just slept for more than 30min), and find out that destination Wx is just as bad as we thought, commence divert, resist temptation to get a phone patch to TACC and scream "I TOLD YOU SO!"

1630l - find out that your divert has crappy Wx and you may have to do a double divert, cant wait for that!

1730l - shot the most horrible approach, listen to engineers and loadmasters mock your flying ability

1830l - walk into base ops and call TACC, ask to speak to floor manager, conveniently he is to busy to take your "I TOLD YOU SO" call

2000l - after jumping through every other hoop possible to explain why you diverted, wait in the longest line in history to check into your room

wait until about 10hrs after that, rinse and repeat!


I love flying Fred, but sometimes....well you get the picture

Deuce130

Pretty good. But I don't believe for one second you guys took off without anything to eat. I've seen alot of you C-5 guys, and while I admit you could probably make it through one flight on your current fat stores, I have no doubt anyone looking for chips, dip, candy, full fat soda, or microwave cheeseburgers after your 0335 shoppette run was sorely disappointed.