| Chuck Aeillo | B-47 / Cold War | |
| Jim Feldkamp | NFO in EA-6B in the Gulf War | |
| Herb Hobi | Navy R4D / R5D/ H-34 helo in Phillipines | |
| Chuck Potter | B-47 / RB-47and C-54 in the Berlin Airlift |
CHUCK AEILLO - PILOT -- B-47s in the Cold War
BRIEF BIO:
Charles "Chuck" Aiello attended the University of Arizona through the ROTC program and upon graduation, on July 13, 1957, received his commission as a 2nd Lt in the USAF. After about a year of flight training he received his wings, at Reese AFB, Texas, and went through B-47 bomber training, at McConnell and Forbes AFB in Kansas. He then served as a B-47 pilot in the 303rd Bomb Wing in Tucson, Arizona, as an Aircraft Commander in the 509th Bomb Wing in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and with 60th Military Airlift Command at Hill AFB, Utah. In 1966-67 Chuck served with the 5th Air Commando Squadron at Nha Trang and Bien Boa, Vietnam. During a mission at Bien Boa, Chuck and his C-47 crew received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a medical evacuation, under extremely marginal conditions, of eleven critically wounded Vietnamese soldiers. These were from two outposts that had been overrun following a heavy mortar and automatic weapons attack. In 1968-69, at Mather AFB, California, Chuck served as a SAC Aircraft Commander in B-52Gs. While there his crew won SAC's first Giant Beaver Bomb Competition for the 320th Bomb Wing. In 1970-71 he served at SAC headquarters as air tanker program officer. Following a tour at the University of Arizona, where he gained a Masters Degree in engineering, Chuck went on to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California. While there (1973-1978) he was instrumental in developing the Utah Test and Training Range, established to support Air Force, Navy, and Army cruise missile test programs and fighter training. He then went on to command the 6501 Test Squadron at Hill AFB, Utah (1979-1981). His final USAF tour (1982-1985) was at the US embassy in Bonn, Germany , as Air Attaché to the government of Germany. Chuck retired from the Air Force in 1985 with the rank of Colonel. In addition to the DFC, Chuck received the Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters, and the AF Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster. He also received Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz medal from the Republic of Germany. After retirement Chuck worked for the United Technologies Corporation, Chemical Systems Division in San Jose, California (1986-1998), where he performed in several engineering and managerial capacities. He now resides with his wife Diane in Roseburg, Oregon. HIS STORY: B-47E The Boeing B-47E was the major production version of the Stratojet. The E-model incorporated many innovations that had been suggested by prior experience. It had six J47-GE-25 engines providing a total thrust of 43,200 pounds, with water injection. The JATO system consisted of 33 1000-lb-thrust units in a rack that could be dropped following takeoff. To get that bear on the ground the E was fitted with an approach chute, to increase drag just before landing, a brake chute to decrease the landing roll, and an anti-skid braking device to help finally stop it. The E-model was fitted with the A-5 fire control system, which could automatically detect and track pursuing aircraft and aim and fire the 20-mm cannon in the tail. On the right side of the nose was an in-flight refueling receptacle for flying-boom midair refueling. The use of in-flight refueling capability enabled the total fuel capacity to be reduced to 14,610 gallons, including two 1700-gallon drop tanks carried underneath the wings, between the engine nacelles. Eventually the crew was provided with ejector seats as standard equipment, with the pilot and co-pilot ejecting upward over the tail and the bombardier/navigator ejecting downward through a hatch in the lower nose. The undersurfaces and lower portion of the fuselage were painted a glossy white to reflect heat radiation from nuclear blasts. The first B-47E flew on January 30, 1953, and the Air Force accepted this plane in February. By mid-year, 127 similar production examples had been delivered. In April 1953 the first planes went to the 303rd Medium Bomb Wing, based at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. In contrast to the B-36 program, which was on the verge of cancellation several times, there was never a significant effort to cancel the B-47 program. In total more than 2,000 B-47s were produced. During the mid and late 50s the B-47E was the dominant component of the USAF strategic deterrent. By December of 1956 SAC had 27 combat-ready B-47 wings, with 1204 combat-ready B- 47 crews and 1306 B-47 aircraft assigned. Spurred by the Suez crisis of 1956, SAC demonstrated its ability to launch a large striking force on short notice when in December more than 1000 B-47s flew nonstop, in simulated combat missions averaging 8000 miles over the American continent and Arctic regions. Early in 1955, the Strategic Air Command requested the B-47 be adapted for low-level bombing, with the aircraft delivering its bomb via the toss-bomb technique. In a toss-bombing attack (affectionately know as an "idiot loop"), the plane would enter the run at very low altitude, pull up sharply into a half loop and half-roll out on top. The bomb would be released at a predetermined point in the climb, continue upward in a high arc, and fall on the target at a considerable distance from its release point. In the meantime, while the bomb was tracing its high arc, the idiot loop would allow the airplane to reverse its direction and speed away to a safe distance from the blast. This technique was adopted because it was thought that high-speed B-47s flying at low level would be less vulnerable to enemy countermeasures. The existence of low-level-capable B-47s would mean that a potential enemy would now be faced with threats from both high- and low-level attacks. Each plane designated for such duty had to be fit with absolute (radar) altimeters, terrain-avoidance equipment, and Doppler radar. In mid-1955, dummy bombs weighing 6-9000 lbs were successfully released from B-47Es during the 2.6g pull-up from level flight. Despite some doubts about the structural integrity of the B-47 under such stresses SAC ordered that 125 B-47s be modified for low-level flight. A special training program known as Hairclipper was started but adverse weather, excessive maintenance requirements, serious deficiencies in the electronic bomb-release system (LABS), and several accidents caused the program to be officially discontinued. However, the end of Hairclipper did not signify the end of low-level flying. A program known as Pop-Up fared better. In the Pop-Up maneuver, the aircraft came in to the target at low level, pulled up to high altitude, released its weapon, and then dove steeply to escape the enemy radars. Despite discovery of some fatigue cracks in the wings of some B-47s, by the end of 1959 Pop-Up training was completed. In January of 1957 a B-47 flew from March AFB, California, to Hanscom Field, Massachusetts, in 3 hours, 47 minutes, at an average speed of 7l0 mph. In August of that year a B-47 made a record nonstop flight from Andersen AFB, Guam to Sidi Slimane Air Base in French Morocco, a distance of 11,450 miles in 22 hours and 50 minutes, requiring four in-flight refuelings. In November of 1959 a B-47 stayed in the air for 3 days 8 hours 36 minutes, covering 39,000 miles. This broke all previous time and distance records. The discovery of fatigue cracks in the wings of the B-47 and a rash of new accidents in that same year triggered an immense inspection and repair program known as Milk Bottle. Although Milk Bottle did not solve all the B-47's problems it did make the B-47 much safer to fly. SAC initially wanted 1000 B-47s modified for low-level flying but because of the Milk Bottle repair program, testing delays, and the phase-out of some B-47 wings due to a lack of funds, SAC was forced to scale down its low-altitude duty requirements to only 500 Stratojets. This program was given a new sense of urgency by the belief that by 1963 all B-47s would be hopelessly obsolete unless they were equipped for such duty. Eventually funding shortages scaled the SAC low-altitude fleet to only 350 aircraft. COLD WAR BOMBER DUTY B-47 crews flew an average of 30 hours a month. Training included celestial navigation, refueling, high and low altitude bomb runs with electronic countermeasures, gunnery practice and communications training (encrypted messages). The crew usually lost 4-5 lbs on each mission. Mission planning usually took up the entire day before the flight. Maps were prepared, celestial navigation data were calculated, low altitude bomb runs were studied and back up bomb-drop procedures were set. The DD Form 175 route of flight form was prepared based on mission requirements, weight and balance and take-off trim were calculated, and the bombardier/navigator studied his targets. Preflight started about four hours before take-off time. It included a comprehensive walk around the plane, inspecting for boost-pump leaks, hydraulic system leaks, accumulator pressures, fuel tank levels, and tire wear. Last but not least was a comprehensive cockpit systems check.. Take-offs were always dramatic. Normally rolling take-offs were made, with water injection, to simulate an alert take-off. After lining up on the runway full power was applied to the engines. Lots of black smoke pored from each engine. During the take-off run timing checks were made to verify adequate acceleration. At take-off speed the plane more or less just became "unstuck", and we were airborne. Gear and flaps up and we were on the way. The 303rd was one of several B-47 Wings in SAC's "One-Third Alert" program, a 1960s combat readiness scheme under which at any one time one-third of the nation's bomber and tanker force was on 15-minute ground alert status. In 1961 this went to one-half alert status. Toward the end of the B-47 era we carried the MK-28 "lay down" nuclear weapon; i.e., straight target flyover, no pop-up, no idiot loops. Duty periods varied from three to seven days. We practiced different alerts, from "report to aircraft and start engines" to "taxi and prepare for take-off". I never participated in an alert launch through take-off. . The alert "shack" was actually a partially underground dormitory with inclined ramps to ground level. The top floor typically contained the mess hall, lounge and class rooms. The idea was to respond to an alert by either running directly to the airplane or getting in the alert truck and driving to it. The first airplane needed to be ready to launch within 15 minutes. Remember we were worried about incoming missiles and had to be airborne before they landed. I graduated from Reese AFB in April 1959 and went to McConnell AFB for bomber training. I was then assigned to the 43rd Bomber Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB and then transferred to the 303rd. I flew as copilot in the 360th Bomb Squadron and in 1963 upgraded to Aircraft Commander. COPILOT DUTIES Memorable Experiences as a Co-pilot B-47 AIRCRAFT COMMANDER The primary responsibility of a B-47 AC was to lead the crew in the execution of the bombing mission. A good crew was successful in consistently bombing assigned targets with as low a circular error probable (CEP) as possible. A good crew was a well led crew with plenty of "team spirit", competing to do the very best at every job. On time take-offs, tanker times, successful tanker offloads, precision celestial navigation, lowest CEP high and low altitude bomb runs, and successful bomber defensive procedures all contributed to ranking as a Select Crew. Memorable Experiences as an Aircraft Commander
JIM FELDKAMP - NFO -- EA-6Bs in the Gulf War
BRIEF BIO:
Jim Feldkamp was born in Roseburg on May 2, 1963, (the same day as the Red Baron, 71 years earlier), one of three sons born to Barton and Phyllis Feldkamp, owners and operators of the honored Umpqua Dairy in Roseburg. As a youth he qualified as an Eagle Scout. After graduating Roseburg High School he attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, where he was a member of the national championship football team. He later earned a B.S. in Business from Oregon State University. In 1986 he reported to Aviation Officer Candidate School at NAS Pensacola, Florida. There he trained in the Beechcraft T-34, the Rockwell T-2C Buckeye jet trainer, and the Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk. On February 5, 1988 He was awarded his Naval Flight Officer wings.
Jim's first duty assignment was as a Navigator/ Electronics Counter Measures Officer in the EA-6B Prowler, a four-seat version of the Grumman A-6 Intruder, and he was assigned for training with VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. On completion of that training, he was assigned to VAQ-136, Carrier Air Wing Five, home-based at Atsugi, Japan, when not at sea aboard the USS Midway.
When the Iraqis invaded Kuwait the Midway joined the attack force in the Persian Gulf. Air Wing Five claims the honor of being first "over the beach" as that air campaign began. Jim's personal contribution was in more than 30 combat missions, during which his aircraft accompanied strikes to suppress Iraqi radar.
After the Iraqi ceasefire the Midway returned to Yokosuka, Japan, and VAQ-136 to Atsugi. Jim spent a total of three years based in Japan before being reassigned to NAS Whidbey Island and later to the Naval Space Command, in Dalhgren, Virginia. In 1998, he requested and received an honorable discharge, and transferred to the Naval Reserve in Washington, D.C., with the rank of Commander. During his active duty he earned two Air Medals and a Navy Commendation Medal.
After his separation from active duty he went back to school to earn an M.A. degree in International Affairs, from Catholic University, and joined the FBI as a counter-intelligence / counter-terrorism agent. He is currently a candidate for Congress from the 4th District in Oregon. Jim is divorced and has a daughter Catherine.
HIS STORY:
In August of 1986 I reported to Aviation Officer Candidate School at NAS Pensacola, Florida. My drill instructor was a Staff Sergeant Johns of the USMC. It was three days before I got to see anything other than his shiny boots as I spent most of my time doing push-ups! Following basic training, I was assigned to VT-10, which was the basic navigator's school at Sherman Field. Here we flew in Beechcraft T-34 piston-engined trainers. Follow-on training was with VT-86 for initial high speed navigation training in the Rockwell T-2C Buckeye jet trainer, known as the "Thunder Guppy". This was followed by transition into the Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk, a two-seat version of the Navy's venerable primary light attack aircraft. I was awarded my Naval Flight Officer's wings on February 5, 1988.
My first posting was as a Navigator/ Electronics Counter Measures Officer (usually referred to as an ECMO) in the EA-6B Prowler. Due to its unique shape and appearance, it was known as the "Flying Drumstick" or "The Double Ugly". It is a four-seat version of the Grumman A-6 Intruder. The latter, in a two-seat version, was a very successful all-weather attack bomber used extensively in Vietnam by both the Navy and the Marines. Initially both services operated the EA-6A as an Electronics Counter Measures version of the two-seat Intruder, but the need for a larger crew complement, to handle all the more sophisticated jamming and eavesdropping equipment that was coming into being, was quickly recognized. This led to the four-place Prowler.
After completing more specialist training at Pensacola and a short tour of sea training duty required of all Naval Aviators, I was assigned to VAQ-129, the EA-6B training squadron, at NAS Whidbey Island, just north of Seattle. Whidbey was, and still is, also the home base for most of the Navy's operational EA-6B squadrons.
On completion of training, I was assigned to VAQ-136 (known as the Gauntlets), part of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5). We were based at Atsugi, Japan, when not at sea aboard the USS Midway. In VAQ-136 my collateral (ground) duty was in charge of maintenance of all the aircraft's avionics systems for the squadron.
The USS Midway was an older and smaller carrier than the more modern ones so could not operate the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. CVW-5 consisted of three squadrons of F/A-18A Hornets, two squadrons of A-6E Intruders (with a few KA-6 tanker versions for in flight refueling), one squadron of EA-6Bs and a detachment of E-2C Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes were equipped with large rotodomes housing a search radar. Their mission was to keep track of all aircraft in the area around the fleet and the target area.
Meanwhile, on August 2, 1990, the Iraqis invaded Kuwait, which led to a rapid deployment of U.S. and other international troops, ships and aircraft to defend Saudi Arabia from intrusion by the Iraqi army. When United Nations negotiations with Saddam Hussein, to withdraw his troops from Kuwait, failed, Operation Desert Shield rapidly got underway.
As part of the build up of the Coalition forces, The Midway left its home port of Yokosuka on October 2, 1990, with its accompanying task force, and arrived on station in the Persian Gulf on November 2. On January 17, 1991, prior to Desert Storm's onset, we took part in a major invasion landing rehearsal. Our Air Wing Five claimed the honor of being first "over the beach" as the air campaign began. In all, CVW-5 mounted over 3,300 combat sorties and dropped over 4 million pounds of ordnance before the conflict ended, on February 27, 1991. VAQ-136 flew a total of 466 hours and launched 28 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) missiles at Iraqi radar sites.
The primary mission of the EA-6B was Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). This was done using two methods, first by jamming the radar transmissions so that just "snow" would appear on enemy radar screens. The Tactical Jamming Systems, known as ALQ-99Fs, were usually carried in three pods, two mounted on pylons under the wings and one under the aircraft's belly. Additional jamming devices were carried both in a distinctive fairing at the top of the fin and internally.
The second method of radar suppression was to fire a HARM which homed in on the transmitter source. That led to a cat and mouse game with the radar operators who would try to shut down quickly when they detected an inbound missile. The missile, known as the AGM-88, weighs about 800 pounds. The Prowler normally carried two HARMs mounted on the other two weapons stations under the wings.
The EA-6B has a crew of four, Pilot and Navigator who sat in the front two seats plus two Electronic Counter Measures Officers (ECMOs)who sat immediately behind them under the large canopy. Initially, the clear canopy was lined with a thin layer of gold to protect the crew from radiation emanating from the jamming pods. Later, it was found that this did little to protect the crew and so it was eliminated.
All crew were seated on ejection seats which would be fired in a special sequence in the event rapid evacuation was required. Normally, we would have ejected through the canopy, but the capacity to pre-eject the canopy was available.
Crew accommodations were very tight since the aircraft was a modified version of an old design but with the electronics were "state of the art". The three ECMOs would take turns flying as Navigator, in the right-front seat, and were trained to perform both tasks. None of us wore the water survival "Poopy Suit", just the normal inflatable life preserver, as we were operating over a warm water environment.
My personal contribution was in excess of 30 combat missions accompanying the strike packages to suppress Iraqi radar. I think we launched 34 times, but were recalled a few times when the mission was canceled. Usually, we would accompany the strike aircraft over the target; other times, we would orbit at higher altitudes a few miles from the target and just jamb the enemy radars, particularly those associated with the Surface to Air (SAM) missile launchers such as SA6s or SA2s.
On a typical operation, we would launch with the rest of the aircraft and, on nearing the target area, would break away from the strike package and commence our jamming program. This was done by using a check list to determine which types of radar (early warning, missile, gun-laying etc.) we would try to suppress first. If necessary, we would launch a HARM for self defense. For the four months that we were on station prior to the onset of Desert Storm, this was a normal routine for us. Initially, a typical mission would last about two hours, but this was later reduced to one and a half hours as the ship was positioned closer to the coast. This was because the combat-loaded F/A-18A strike fighters had limited range.
Air to air refueling was routinely practiced while in the Indian Ocean en route to the Arabian Sea. We would fly seven hour missions practicing strikes into Saudi Arabia which required at least one refueling from the KA-6D tankers.
When the first night strike on Basra airport was being planned, I was tasked with preparing the plan for the jamming program. This was long before the EA-6B was equipped with GPS, it was still fitted with an Inertial Navigation System. I wanted to be sure that there were a couple of identifiable radar points, such as a pier or oil platform whose positions were known exactly, so we could accurately identify the location of the various radar sites etc. We would then set up a race track orbit between these two locations.
One of my radar points was to be the Shattal Waterway which empties the Tigris and Euphrates rivers into the Arabian Sea via a delta very clearly identifiable on the radar screen. The second point was an oil platform in the Arabian Sea about 15 miles south of the Iran/Iraq border. I checked with the "spy", an Ensign in the ship's Intelligence Center, to see if there were any known air defenses on the platform. He looked at me and said "I don't think so".
The strike package launched into pitch black at four a.m. and as the rest of the aircraft went "feet dry" we got set up and started to see all the Iraqi radars coming to life. We peeled off to commence our first our orbit and flew right over the oil platform. The whole sky lit up around us! Unlike in the old war movies, we couldn't hear the explosions, being in a sealed jet. My first reaction was to comment how gorgeous it looked with all these lights flashing around us. Then reality set in when I realized that the intent was to kill us. The first thing I did, being a brave Naval Aviator, was to lower my seat in the belief that if I couldn't see them, they couldn't see me! Then we rapidly came to our senses, changed altitude and headed to a safer part of the sky. Happily, the mission went well and all our aircraft recovered safely aboard the Midway.
On another night strike, we had crossed the coast and were being shot at, with lots of missiles coming at us. This forced us into taking evasive action thus burning our fuel quantity so rapidly that we used up the total refuel calculated for the entire mission. Dawn was coming up as we headed back out to sea and made for our designated tanker, a KC-135. Unfortunately, as several F/A-18s headed for the same tanker, we were forced to join in a queue. As we finally approached the tanker to hook up, we were informed that it had no more fuel to off-load. We wanted to make our assigned landing slot aboard the Midway so we asked to be directed to another tanker.
This new tanker was further out in the Gulf, the wrong direction from the carrier. As we approached we were getting lower on fuel but hadn't quite reached the "Bingo" situation, which would have meant heading for a base in either Kuwait or Saudi Arabia. We plugged into the tanker's refueling basket only to find the tanker's refueling system had a problem and was unable to "pass gas". Now things were getting more critical but crew ego led us to ask the controller if any other tanker was available rather than head to shore.
We were informed that a Canadian tanker was available, an additional one hundred miles away from the Midway, so we headed towards it. However, when we arrived we again found that there was AGAIN a problem with the refueling basket, and we could not get any gas. Now, we were in trouble as our fuel supply had shrunk to less than two thousand pounds remaining. This was enough to get us over land, but not to reach the safety of an airfield. So we declared an emergency. The controller in the E-2C told us to "stand-by". Since our aircraft was burning about four thousand pounds of fuel per hour we didn't have the luxury of standing by, so we told him to find us another tanker -- and quickly.
Out of the blue, on our guard (emergency) frequency, an Air Force HC-130P called us up to offer fuel. Fortunately, he was only about sixty miles away from us. Within a few minutes, we rendezvoused with this big old lumbering bird and eased up to it at the required overtake closing speed of five miles per hour. We plugged into the basket, but nothing happened. At this point, the Navigator exclaimed that we were not going to make it, and I noticed that my back seat companion was preparing himself for ejection.
We were in a turn at 20,000 feet and I remember being aware of a magnificent sunrise coming up over Iran. When I looked at the Arabian Gulf below I suddenly realized that was where my parachute and I would headed when we ejected. I remember thinking to myself, "This is just going to suck!"
Meanwhile, the pilot was talking to the tanker telling them we had cockpit indications that we were properly connected and yelling at them to check their system. The tanker crew told us to back off and make another run at the basket with a higher closing speed. We do so and rammed our re-fuelling probe hard into the basket. Much to our relief the fuel began to flow. We were fortunate because if the closing speed exceeds 15 miles per hour the basket is designed to break off, we must have hit it at just the right speed! Later, we calculated that we had about two minutes of fuel left when the tanks started filling up. Ironically, we had to dump excess fuel to get down to our landing weight before trapping aboard the Midway.
After the cease fire, we remained on station until March 10, 1991 when we set sail for Yokosuka. I spent a total of three years based in Japan before being reassigned to NAS Whidbey Island. In 1998, I completed my tour of duty with the Navy in the Naval Space Command receiving an honorable discharge. I then transferred to the Naval Reserve in Washington, D.C., where I currently hold the rank of Commander. In my Navy career I was awarded two Air Medals, a Navy Commendation Medal, one for "Hey, here comes a missile" plus a couple of "I was there" type of medals.
Back in civilian life I went to Catholic University to earn a Master's Degree, in International Relations, and later joined the FBI as a counter-intelligence / counter-terrorism specialist. I am currently a candidate for Congress from the 4th District in Oregon.
HERBERT H. HOBI - PILOT - Navy R4D / R5D/ H-34
BRIEF BIO:
Herb Hobi was born on March 14, 1943 in Norman, Oklahoma. In December 1967, in Roseburg, Oregon, he enlisted in the Navy. He took Flight Training entirely in the Pensacola, Florida, area. Basic was at Saufley Field, in Beech T-34's, Advanced at Whiting Field, in T-28's, and instrument and formation flying was at Sherman Field. In 1968 he completed twelve landings aboard the "straight-deck" carrier the Lexington, out in the Gulf of Mexico. After completing special flight training the TH-57 Bell Jetranger helicopter, at Ellyson Field, he received his Wings of Gold
His major theater of operations in the fleet, in the period 1968-70, was in the western Pacific, out of Sangley Point in the Phillipines, where he flew various multi-engined transports as well as the H-34 helicopter, the latter often on Search and Rescue missions. That duty included frequent logistics flights into Vietnam. In 1970-72 Herb pulled duty at Lakehurst, New Jersey, where he flew the HH2D helicopter in an Anti-Submarine patrol squadron. He was released from active duty in December 1972, with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He served briefly in the Naval Reserves, at Whidbey Island, Washington, where he flew the C-118 (DC-6).
On December 28, 1968, in Roseburg, Herb married Sue. Together that had two children, Brad and Blake.
HIS STORY:
In 1967 I enlisted for flight training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida. In Basic I flew Beech T-34's out of Saufley Field, in Advanced it was T-28B's out of Whiting Field and I took instrument and formation flight training at Sherman Field, with VT-6. Qualifying shipboard landings were aboard the wooden-, straight-decked carrier USS Lexington, still in the T-28.
After completion of training in 1968, I was transferred to Ellis Field for training as a helicopter pilot. Our equipment was the military version of the Bell Jetranger, designated TH-57, which had just replaced the old Hiller HT-2 as the Navy's training helicopter. On completion of that course, I received my Wings of Gold. By that time I was a Lieutenant Junior Grade.
My next duty was at NAS Sangley Point in the Philippines, where I was assigned to the base flight. We were equipped with four Douglas R4D-5's (C-47 Dakota), two R5D's (C-54 Skymaster) and a couple of R4D-8's (C-117 Super DC-3) transports. We operated the R-5D's to various bases in Vietnam, such as DaNang, Cam Rhan Bay and Saigon. These flight usually went via NAS Cubi Point, which was also in the Philippines.
I flew the R5D's regularly to Vietnam for two years, on logistics flights. We carried passengers, mail and cargo. Each trip would take 5-6 hours each way, as the R5D cruised at about 180 mph. The unit would make ten to twelve trips per week utilizing just the two R5D's. Only once while on the ground in Vietnam did we come under fire. There was a rocket attack on the base and the vertical tail of our aircraft was damaged by shrapnel.
We also made infrequent trips to Hong Kong, Guam, Tokyo and Taipei. I probably averaged two trips per week in the R5D's, as co-pilot. I amassed 2,000 hours flying these missions but probably half of that was spent on a bunk at the back getting sack time! This was possible as we usually had four pilots aboard to share the duty.
The twin engined R4Ds were used only for flights within the Philippines. These usually consisted of a daily milk run from Sangley Point to Cubi Point via Clark AFB. We would fly up in the morning and return in the late afternoon, dropping off passengers and high priority cargo. Each leg was only about 25 minutes, so it was a good duty to build up multi-engine experience. We also did MedEvac flights carrying patients to the military hospital at Clark. From time to time, a couple of us would be allocated flight time just to build up experience. We would go off and do low level flying over the sea and generally wring the aircraft out; i.e., "flat hating". During my sojourn at Sangley I was promoted to Lieutenant.
Though the scenery in the Philippines is spectacular from the air, weather conditions could change rapidly and lead to some unpleasant experiences. It wasn't so bad in the choppers and R4D's as the flights were short. But in the R5D's, on the longer flights, you just had to press on. We didn't have weather radar and carried a Navy Chief Petty Officer as navigator. He relied on LORAN to plot our position. For that we trailed a long wire antenna which had to be reeled in before landing. Normally, we flew at 8,000 - 10,000 feet, the clouds often reached up to 30,000 feet or more. Since we were unpressurized, and had no oxygen supplies aboard, there was no question of trying to get above the weather.
When it was time to land, we would make
Ground Controlled Approaches (GCA), in which a radar operator on the ground
"talked" us down. My first GCA landing was in a R4D-3 which we were
ferrying to NAS Atsugi, Japan, just after I had arrived in the Philippines. We
let down through a turbulent rainstorm and the cockpit leaked like sieve.
Fortunately, the other pilot was very experienced so, in spite of being bounced
around, we made a good landing.
Because these aircraft were so old we had many engine failures, so much so that
the crews would bet on which engine would pack up first! We became quite adept
at flying the R5D's on three engines, but it was quite safe. In contrast, we
never had an engine failure on the twin-engine R4D's.
My squadron also operated two Sikorsky H-34 helicopters, for Search and Rescue (SAR) flights as well as ferrying senior officers. Five pilots on the flight were qualified in helicopters. I flew these regularly but never had to fly a real SAR operation. This was because Uncle Sam had given the Philippine Navy a number of modern Bell HU-1E "Huie" helicopters for this role, so our old H-34's were never called upon. Most of our helicopter flights lasted only about 20 minutes. These included such duties as ferrying the admiral to the U.S. Embassy in Manila or carrying a Marine colonel on inspection tours in the local area.
At the completion of my overseas tour, in 1970, I was reassigned to NAS Lakehurst in New Jersey where I learned to fly the Kaman SH-2D Sea Sprite anti- submarine helicopter, along with the HSL-30 . The SH-2D was an unarmed version of the SH-2F and used strictly for training purposes. The squadron deployed detachments of the SH-2Fs aboard Navy cruisers. These were equipped with advanced sonar systems and carried two homing torpedoes and 15 sonobuoys. They also towed a device known as the "MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) bird", which could detect submerged submarines by recognizing changes in the magnetic field below the "bird". Once the presence of a submarine had been established , the crew would drop a pattern of the sonobuoys to confirm its exact location and track. Then one of the homing torpedoes would be dropped to attack the intruder.
As it happened, I never operated off any ships except to qualify for sea duty. Trying to land a helicopter on the restricted deck of a cruiser is probably as tricky as trying to land a jet aboard an aircraft carrier. Both are moving targets, both forward and vertically, so it is difficult to judge exactly when to touch down.
Most of my flying at Lakehurst was as an instructor, training crews. I also did SAR training flights. As a part of their training, new aircrews were dumped in the water, to experience helicopter recovery from that end. We would lower our swimmer and haul them aboard.
I retired from active duty in December 1972, as a Lieutenant Commander (LCdr), and was transferred to the Naval Reserves. Returning to Roseburg, my nearest duty station was at NAS Whidbey Island, located just north of Seattle. There I joined VR-51 which flew R6D-1(C-118 Liftmaster) transports. These were a lot nicer to fly, being pressurized and fitted with weather radar. However, they were still quite slow, an average flight from the West Coast to Hawaii would take eleven hours. So it was great when they were replaced by McDonnell Douglas C-9B's, the military version of the DC-9 jet airliner, which could make that trip in half the time.
Most of our flying was to ferry various Reserve squadron personnel and equipment to places like Guam for their annual two weeks of active duty for training. We did lots of shuttling between NAS Fallon, which has its own training ranges for live firing exercises, and places like Dallas, carrying personnel coming for operational training. I remained with VR-51 for seven years then retired in 1979.
After an eleven year hiatus, to finish my 20 years service, I joined the Army Reserves at Roseburg, as an E-5 sergeant -- from Navy pilot to infantryman. It was quite amusing at times when, in my old LCdr Navy rank I out-ranked the local commanding officer, who was an Army captain. There were times when I wished I was still in the Navy, but I enjoyed my spell in the Army as well. I retired in May 1999.
I still fly, owning three vintage light aircraft , a Cessna 195, a Piper Cub and Fairchild, which I keep at Felts Field. A little family history is worth mentioning. My mother, the late Clara Hobi, was one of the early flight attendants with United Airlines serving aboard both Fokker and Ford Trimotors. When she retired, in the early 1930s, she was working DC-3's. I still have a plaque awarded to her at the time of her retirement recognizing her as the woman with the most flying time in the world. My father was one of the first people to build a hanger at the Eugene Airport and ran that facility between 1927 and 1935. That was how he met my mother, when United operated services into Eugene.
CHUCK POTTER B-47 / RB-47
BRIEF BIO:
Chuck's Bio is in the "Crews of the Big Bombers" volume.
HIS STORY: FLYING THE B-47 / RB-47
The B-47 was built by Boeing Aircraft in three versions. All versions had a flight crew of three consisting of an Aircraft Commander, Pilot, and Navigator / Bombardier (N/B). The bomber version was capable of carrrying multi-purpose bombs, iron or atomic.
The RB-47 had cameras in the bomb-bay, operated by the N/B. The N/B was in the nose section and did not have much of a window. He wore an electric suit in addition to the aircraft heater as it was very cold at times. The two Pilots sat on top, under a plastic hatch.
The RB-47E was an electronics surveillance aircraft, able to map radar locations and their frequencies. This model had three men additional crew members, in the converted bomb-bay with their electronic equipment. Normally this plane was flown about fifty miles off the borders of China and Russia.,
In 1959 the Russians shot down a RB-47E over the Bering Sea.. Four of the crew were killed, the Aircraft Commander and the three men in the bomb-bay. The Pilot and the Navigator parachuted out and were picked up by the Russians. The Navigator was once a member of my crew.
As you may imagine, the Pilots sitting under the top canopy got very hot, especially in the summertime.We used the air conditioner to keep cool while the Navigator was using his electric suit to keep warm.
On all versions the Pilot was also the Gunnery Officer. He turned his seat around to operate the controls of the radar-controlled tail gun turret, consisting of two 50-caliber machine guns. This was the only defense in the aircraft. I guess it was thought that a head-on or side-attack would involve too high a closing rate to be effective.
In planning for a flight we made use of the whole day before the flight, to make sure we filled as many squares as possible. That was the way SAC graded us to up-grade crew and to select for temporary spot promotions. Much emphasis was placed on being over the designated location at the exact time and altitude. The adjacent picture is a squadron model of me, in full flight gear, striding confidently over the world.
On the day of the flight it took about three hours to preflight the plane, the fuel systems, and the Navigator's position. We would pressurize the fuel system and then get out on the ground to check each fuel pump for leaks. The pumps were allowed to leak about three drops per minute. More than that and the pump had to be replaced. In that case, Ground Maintenance woud be charged with the delay.
On take-off the plane weighed 220,000 pounds. Half of this weight was fuel. From the time the brakes were released to wheels up took a ton of fuel. We climbed out at 300 feet per minute until we hit 300 mph, held this until we reached altitude, then increased to mach 0.74 for cruise. Max cruise was mach 0.81. We maintained mach 0.74 as the fuel burned off, resulting in a continual climb. This was considered optimum cruise.
One of the characteristics of the early models was a flight condition that was called the "Coffin Corner". This was a situation where the flight conditions were simultaneously those for both a low speed and a high speed stall. To correct this pieces of metal, called vortex generators, were placed on top of the wing. These were about three inches high, one and a half inches wide and about a quarter of an inch thick.. They were placed to better control the air flow over the top of the wing.
On a hot day assistance was required for take-off. One technique was to use a water/alcohol mixture in the engines, to increase their power of the engines.For about two minutes this was almost equivalent to adding another engine. On an extremely hot day, or with a short runway, a JATO unit was attached to the belly of the aircraft. It was routine to then fly over the bombing range and drop the burned out JATO unit.
On a mission of eight hours or more we required mid-air refueling. At the time I was flying we used a KC-97 tanker, which was a prop plane. We would descend to around 18,000 feet and had to slow to about 15 knots above stall to hook up with the tanker. During the refueling the KC-97 went into a gradual descent, to allow us to increase speed and stay above stall. As we took on 50,000 pounds of fuel we descended about 1500 feet. Our engines were at 100 % (rpm) all that time. After refueling we dove about five hundred feet to gain climbing speed and then throttled back to about 95 % for the climb back to altitude.
The highest that I ever flew was 48,000 feet, over Kansas City, to stay above some thunder storms. The B-47 was not known to take a lot of turbulence
On some practice atom bomb drops, when the bomb cleared the bomb bay you were supposed to put the aircraft into a steep turn, to try to get as far away from the "blast" as possible. We always tried to keep the G-forces as low as possible because that maneuver was known to have caused wings to break off (a "no-no").
For landing the aircraft we had two parachutes hooked to the tail, a small one for slowing the aircraft in flight and a large one to help us stop on the ground. In preparing for landing we came over the high cone at 20,000 feet, headed downwind, with flaps and landing gear extended and the small parachute out. We then turned 45 degrees left and started a descent at 5,000 feet-per-minute (fpm). After a minute we turned right to the runway heading and came over the low cone at 1,000 feet, to a landing. As soon as we were rolling on the runway the large parachute was deployed.
We found in B-47 Transition School, at Wichita,Kansas, that the plane would fly with three engines missing on one side. A plane had a number 4 engine freeze. That tore off the number 5 engine, that is in the same hanger on the wing, and those two then took out the number 6 engine. The plane flew about thirty minutes, back to the field to land. I'm glad that I was just an observer that time.
There were always one or two crews on alert status. The ready planes had been pre-flighted up to the engine start This was 24 hours of boredom. We got pretty good at ping pong and some played cards. But no matter what you were doing, when the bell rang you were off in a hurry.
After Gen. Curtis LeMay got the B-52 the B-47 was grounded. Stripped B-47s are still on display at various Air Bases and Museums across the country.
HIS STORY: FLYING THE C-54 IN THE BERLIN AIRLIFT
The Berlin Airlift was also known as Operation Vittles. It was the start of the Cold War, but that war was not always so cold. In the original division of Europe after the defeat of Germany, Berlin was left completely surrounded by area under Russian control, and Berlin itself was partitioned into sections under the control of England, France, the United States and Russia. But isolated Berlin was a thorn in the side of the Russians, and they wanted it. So, one day they simply closed all the canals, roads and rail-lines from the West to the Western Sections of Berlin. The idea was to starve the West out of Berlin.
However, there were still legitimate air corridors from Western Germany into Berlin. The main corridor, out of Frankfort and Weisbadon to Berlin, started at the Fulda Gap and was about 20 miles wide and 211 miles long. The westbound corridor out of Berlin was 115 miles long, on a 270 degrees heading from Berlin to Braunschweig and then on to Frankfort and Weisbadon. Occasionally Russian fighters would patrol along those corridors.
At the start of the airlift C-47 and C-82 aircraft, all that were available in the area, began to carry all that they could. It was soon seen that a much larger armada of planes would be necessary to supply the people of that city for the coming winter.The Army looked around for larger planes. They looked at the C-74 but there were only 12 such planes in service. They later used the C-74 as supply planes from the U.S. to Germany. The airplane most available in the West Germany inventory was the 237 C-54s.
A recall of pilots and maintenance men was initiated. I had been out of the service for about a year and was one of those that were recalled. I was transferred to Great Falls, Montana, where I trained in the C-54, then was transferred to Rhine Maine Field at Frankfort, Germany.
Our flight schedule was three days on and two days off. We usually flew with the same pilot and flew two missions a day, involving a total of about 14-15 hours. Most of the pilots were fully qualified to fly the plane so one flew up and the other flew back. And if I had flown up the first trip, he would fly up the second. When the runways were wet, which was most of the time, we would set a flashlight up on end and if we knocked it over on landing we would buy the other one a steak dinner. I had to buy one dinner and the other pilot bought me two.
It was determined that it would take 1434 tons of food per day plus coal to feed and supply Berlin. The nonessential instruments and radios were stripped from the airplane so that we could carry up to eleven tons of cargo per trip. Coal was loaded into canvas barracks bags.
Rhine Maine was called "Rhine Mud" because they were increasing the size of the airport and construction was everywhere. Only taxi and runways could be used. Any misturns into the mud and the wreking crew was called out, and the Pilot instantly reverted to Co-Pilot status.
On take-off from Rhine Mud we flew straight-ahead to 900 feet then turned to Darmstadt Beacon, climbing 300 fpm at 155 mph. Then we continued climbing to cruising alitude, and then to Fulda Gap. On this leg you listened for the plane ahead of you to report because you were supposed to be over that exact reporting point exactly three minutes later. Over Fulda we either slowed down or speeded up to get the three minute interval, and then proceeded on down the corridor to Berlin.
The assigned altitudes were 5,000-5,500-6,000-6,500 feet. We were separated from the nearest planes by three minutes of flight time and 500 feet of altitude. If we were assigned the 5,500 feet cruising altitude the nearest planes were the one three minutes ahead at 5,000 feet and the one three minutes behind at 6,000 feet. Other planes at our exact altitude, 5,500 feet, were ahead and behind by ahead 12 minutes. We might get ahead of ourselves by 1-1/2 minutes and the guy ahead fall back by 1-1/2 minutes, but we would still be separated by 500 feet of altitude. At a 155 mph cruising speed, three and twelve minutes amount to almost eight and 31 miles, respectively.
Some 40 minutes out of Berlin we contacted approach control. They had us turn 45 degrees right or left and for one minute to make certain they had the right airplane on their radar. Approach control then told us when to descend and at some point we were turned over to Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) for landing.
Templehoff is built in a circle and during the landing we flew over an apartment building that was built around a cemetery. Just before touchdown we could look out and see that we were lower than the surrounding apartments. This was where the Russians lived that counted how many flights came in daily. We later learned that they cut the number in half in their reports because they knew Moscow would not believe the real number.
When we landed we were met by a "follow me" jeep that led us to the unloading area. As soon as we cut the engines a truck load of about eight men backed up to the plane and unloaded the eleven tons of coal or flour that was in the canvas barracks bags, all in about ten minutes time. A service truck met us with hot dogs and coffee, along with a weather briefing. The main thing we got from that briefing was our out-bound altitude. The weather was irrelevant because we knew were going to go no matter what.
Flying out of Templehof we were at an altitude of 5,500 or 6,500 ft. On the 6,500 foot leg there was a spot, about ten minutes long, where, for some reason, we could hear the tower at Tampa, Florida! We called them but they never heard us.
On one flight we went out to the plane and about half way up the ladder we heard "Halt!". I looked up and there was an MP with a gun, pointed in our general direction! He asked for the password and, since we had not been properly briefed, we didn't know it. We quickly went back to operations and asked what was going on. They told us that we had a "special load", that the call sign was "door knobs", and they told us the password. As we got into the airplane it looked like there were small incendiary bombs located at different locations on the cargo. I asked the MP, "What gives?", and he told us that if we go down we are to burn the plane and everything in it.
When we landed at Templehof we were met by jeep loads of MPs and a armored car, and were led to a remote area. We were told to stay in the cockpit until the cargo was unloaded. After the cargo was cleared the MP told us that we had just delivered a new type of money, worth about four million dollars. The next day the German Currency was exchanged.
The maintenance program involved all the major depots in the U.S. At Rhine Maine we had an ex-German fighter pilot who was an expert propeller mechanic. If he could not repair a propeller it was on the next flight back to the States.
For the standard 200-hour inspection we flew the planes into Burtonwood, England. The first thing they did was vacuum out the coal dust. Out of that they made coal briquettes, and that was the main heat we had in the barracks. As soon as they finished with the maintenance, regardless of the time of day or night, we were off back to Rhine Maine.
I flew from January to July before we saw the ground all the way to Berlin. As we flew over Berlin we could look down into the buildings. With little exception the roofs and floors were gone, the sides were all that was left standing. In Frankfort they only cleaned up the rubble when it was frozen because there were bodies still buried there.
American Airlines was also at Frankfort, to carry personnel to Berlin as needed. We met one of the pilots in the Officer's Club one night. He was about "two sheets to the wind" and he told us he was making $3,000 per month plus extra for night and instrument time. We First Lts were making about $750 a month. We flew no matter what the weather but he had to maintain airline weather minimums.
I flew about 100 missions on the Airlift. After I had been there for three months I volunteered to extend for a three-year tour in Europe. My wife and two sons came over and we lived in Bad Nauhiem until the Airlift was over. Then Lyndon Johnson, who was then Secretary of Defense, decided to downsize the services, and a number of personnel were sent home. Some of the families were arriving by ship expecting a three-year tour and their husbands had already been sent home to the States. This was a time when it was not good to be a Chaplain, it was up to him to meet the wives and tell them their husbands had already returned home.
We went home on a ship. As we came off of the gangplank, some of us were directed right and some left. Those of us that were directed right stayed on active duty and those who went left were released from active duty. I saw many of these same fellows when they were recalled once again for the Korean conflict. The latter were very unhappy warriors, as this was the second time that they had their civilian lives interrupted.
Due to my experience in flying the Berlin Airlift I was assigned to HQ, 14th AF, Warner Robins, Georgia. My primary duty was Supply Officer to the Communication Squadron. The good part was that I was also assigned as the duty pilot for the Air Adjutant General. In that role I flew to a lot of interesting places. One such place was to the New Jersey Boardwalk, to see one evening of the Miss America pageant.