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| Ah yes, so many different aspects during my USAF civilian work life in connection with this beautiful warbird B-52 Stratofortres or BUF as affectionately termed by those who knew her - the most graceful aircraft in flight that my eyes ever beheld!!! From the Electronics Shops, to the repair docks, flight line etc at Tinker. to the Flight operations at Andersen AB Guam during the height of the Hanoi Bombing campaign. During that campaign, I was doing biz on Guam about 1 week each month. The BUF was operating with a seven man crew, the BOQ at Andersen was configured for eight in adjoining suite, so, occupying the one open place, I bunked in with "BUF" flight crews at Andersen AB so many times before and after missions - so many of Americans finest, but lacking the normal "skywarrior, derring do, jocularity" I saw for the last time before mission briefing!!! They would go into security lock up day before mission. Their rollout was usually about 4 to 5 am - of course the roar of 15 or so B-52s (thats 120 jet engines or ore running at same time), no one slept at Andersen AB during those houjrs. I would count them off and they lifted - some on the last flight ot threir life - some to some back after years in NV prison. |
| While assigned to Texas Instruments (GPD) Dallas, (1971-73), I worked as Quality Engr on the FLIR system for the AC130 Spectre Gunship (The system shown mounted, with stow red streamer in place.(below&left) |
| 'Nam tvl ('73) was by C7A (right) or C130 normally, US left a fleet. of each Two trips I never forget. 1st on C7, TSN to Binh Thuy (Can Tho), Full load, My team + Viet I did not know. Cockey pilot, t/o, climbed to 10k ', cut throttles, set glide to touch town at Binh Thuy W/O adding power - runway ended in Mekong R. water at hi tide - splashed water when he set that sucker down - as I left the acft, he standing by door grinning - my Viet language was zero at the time, I told him in English - you one crazy son of a bitch!! C-130 trip, Couple mos. later, TSN to Pleiku, went up to flt deck, Acft Cmdrs 12 year old son was in left seat doing the flying - scared shit outta me, but what could I do - go back sit down w/good butt grip on seat and utter not a word to the other 20 team members - landing, it was so foggy the ramp not visible until touch down - I have often wonderd if the kid handled the landing!!! |
| 1st Expeience Airborne Electronics gunlaying sys , (APG-27), B-36, same sys used on early B-47 (Below) in Electronics lab at Tinker AB, OK ('56-63) |
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| C119 Flying Boxcar C124 Globemaster - 442nd TCW 13th MCS Tinker USAFRes R-G AB Mo USAFRes |
| During time as Chief Comm, 13MCS, I was assigned duty to develop procedures to load/unload Davners Comm Vans on the C119, touchy- only 1 1/2 " clearance at top w/wheels off vans, pull van in cargo w/6 ton truck w/cable winch thru side door. Later in 442, worked in Pine Tree War games dropping 82nd AB "Legs". My buddy Roy Western made unauthorized jump to kick butt of trooper who dumped his barf bag on Roy. |
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| Aircraft photos on this page have been here for more than a year, have been deleted from this page, but are stored in web site archive. Basic reason is because Yahoo Geocities complains I use up too much transfer space when site pages are viewed - I thought that was the idea of a Web Site - for people to view!!! |