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Post by Buckeye Dale on Apr 9, 2020 7:58:16 GMT -5
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Never grow a wishbone where a backbone ought to be.
We can disagree without being disagreeable.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2020 11:32:46 GMT -5
Article doesn't answer the question, or I must've missed it.
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THE BIGGEST DOUCHE OF THE FULL SEASON TOURNAMENT - 2021
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Post by daleko on Apr 9, 2020 14:29:37 GMT -5
Article doesn't answer the question, or I must've missed it. |
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THE BIGGEST DOUCHE OF THE FULL SEASON TOURNAMENT - 2021
Bowl Season Champion - 2023
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2020 20:52:14 GMT -5
Article doesn't answer the question, or I must've missed it. You beat me to it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2020 9:43:39 GMT -5
Article doesn't answer the question, or I must've missed it. I got all that from the article except for the Rhodesia info. Don't know why they titled the article the way they did. Puff was replaced would be accurate, not banned. |
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Post by AlaCowboy on Apr 10, 2020 9:47:55 GMT -5
Can't open those links safely.
I saw one in action. A big hill with artillery and a battalion of VC dug in was a problem so a Spooky (another name for the AC-130 version) came in and when it left there was not a shrub or sapling left on the hill. We counted over 400 enemy dead.
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56-43-2* OVER FLORIDA. ALWAYS IN THE LEAD.
THE CRYBABY LIZARDS WOULD ACCEPT THIS IF THEY WERE HONEST
*2020 Is Negated By Covid-19
15 SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR GEORGIA
FLORIDA HAS ONLY 8 SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
BACK-TO-BACK NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 2021! 2022!
FOUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!
AMERICAN BY BIRTH. SOUTHERN BY THE GRACE OF GOD!!!
2017 GRAND DOUCHE AWARD WINNER - NOW RETIRED
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Now THIS here...is a member
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Post by canefan on Apr 10, 2020 13:25:23 GMT -5
Can't open those links safely.
I saw one in action. A big hill with artillery and a battalion of VC dug in was a problem so a Spooky (another name for the AC-130 version) came in and when it left there was not a shrub or sapling left on the hill. We counted over 400 enemy dead. Stories like this make me happy I flunked out in my induction physical. |
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Post by Buckeye Dale on Apr 10, 2020 15:14:57 GMT -5
Can't open those links safely.
I saw one in action. A big hill with artillery and a battalion of VC dug in was a problem so a Spooky (another name for the AC-130 version) came in and when it left there was not a shrub or sapling left on the hill. We counted over 400 enemy dead. Stories like this make me happy I flunked out in my induction physical. You are a couple years younger than I...as such, depending on what branch of service, and branch (Med, Inf, Engr, MP...) it is entirely possible you could have come in, done your 20 years, and retired from the military without any of that. Don't get me wrong, there was still a bunch of other F**ked up BS that you'd have gone thru, but... |
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Never grow a wishbone where a backbone ought to be.
We can disagree without being disagreeable.
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Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Godlike Member
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Post by Buckeye Dale on Apr 10, 2020 17:52:06 GMT -5
Can't open those links safely.
I saw one in action. A big hill with artillery and a battalion of VC dug in was a problem so a Spooky (another name for the AC-130 version) came in and when it left there was not a shrub or sapling left on the hill. We counted over 400 enemy dead. The site wants you to join. I tried going straight there, to ask the same question, but it seemed pretty invasive, so I questioned the source, the backing, and usage of our info...I'm still waiting for a response. |
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Never grow a wishbone where a backbone ought to be.
We can disagree without being disagreeable.
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Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Now THIS here...is a member
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Post by canefan on Apr 10, 2020 19:13:18 GMT -5
Stories like this make me happy I flunked out in my induction physical. You are a couple years younger than I...as such, depending on what branch of service, and branch (Med, Inf, Engr, MP...) it is entirely possible you could have come in, done your 20 years, and retired from the military without any of that. Don't get me wrong, there was still a bunch of other F**ked up BS that you'd have gone thru, but... I enlisted in the spring of 71 or 72, can't remember for sure. My lottery number was 39 and at the time it was pretty much a given so I figured I'd enlist and at least get to pick what I wanted to do. Since I was in pre-med I enlisted in the Navy and choose Hosptial Corpsman. Then, as the recruiters assistant was feeding me papers to sign he began telling me how, if I was lucky, when I finished corpsman school they would send me to the Marines for further combat training to be a combat medic for them. I quickly gathered up all the papers I had signed and shredded them, went across the hall and joined the Air Force. My dad had warned my brother about joining the Marines and he did it anyway. Of course they all bitched about it but you never wanted to say a word against the Corps in front of either one of them. <g> Didn't matter anyway as I had one check mark on that whole pages and pages of history you fill out at 3:00 am at the Induction Center. By the time I got to the Navy doc around noon we had done every exam under the sun except consult with and go over that questionnaire. He asked me to stand up and do a deep knee squat, which I did but my knee wobbles when I come up. He then did a varus/valgus and Lachman's test on the knee, marked some stuff down and passed me on. I didn't find out he flunked me until I was called in to get my final papers before loading the bus. |
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Post by AlaCowboy on Apr 10, 2020 22:59:09 GMT -5
Can't open those links safely.
I saw one in action. A big hill with artillery and a battalion of VC dug in was a problem so a Spooky (another name for the AC-130 version) came in and when it left there was not a shrub or sapling left on the hill. We counted over 400 enemy dead. Stories like this make me happy I flunked out in my induction physical. |
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56-43-2* OVER FLORIDA. ALWAYS IN THE LEAD.
THE CRYBABY LIZARDS WOULD ACCEPT THIS IF THEY WERE HONEST
*2020 Is Negated By Covid-19
15 SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR GEORGIA
FLORIDA HAS ONLY 8 SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
BACK-TO-BACK NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 2021! 2022!
FOUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!
AMERICAN BY BIRTH. SOUTHERN BY THE GRACE OF GOD!!!
2017 GRAND DOUCHE AWARD WINNER - NOW RETIRED
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THE BIGGEST DOUCHE OF THE FULL SEASON TOURNAMENT - 2021
Godlike Member
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Post by daleko on Apr 10, 2020 23:22:31 GMT -5
Stories like this make me happy I flunked out in my induction physical. I still chuckle about a story you told awhile back about an imbedded news guy who wanted to get closer to a firefight- your classic answer was something along the line of be my guest-. |
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THE BIGGEST DOUCHE OF THE FULL SEASON TOURNAMENT - 2021
Bowl Season Champion - 2023
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Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Now THIS here...is a member
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Post by canefan on Apr 10, 2020 23:31:42 GMT -5
Stories like this make me happy I flunked out in my induction physical. Sound like my buddy Ed. Hes a retired Marine. His job was directing fire from a command center, or as he calls it ,,"dealing death and destruction from afar." |
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Post by Buckeye Dale on Apr 11, 2020 0:29:32 GMT -5
Can't open those links safely.
I saw one in action. A big hill with artillery and a battalion of VC dug in was a problem so a Spooky (another name for the AC-130 version) came in and when it left there was not a shrub or sapling left on the hill. We counted over 400 enemy dead. Different email set up from my friend...here's the C&P from the email: (The pic wouldn't paste, 22 people, with 4th SOS Spooky Gunship; Danang AB, RVN; December, 1968 and Don Luke, AC-47D, Crewchief over the pic) Donald Luke, former Vietnam Veteran, AC-47D Spooky Crew Chief at U.S. Air Force (1967-1978) Answered Wed Why did they ban “Puff the Magic Dragon” gatling gun airfortress during the Vietnam war? As I read through the answers I see quite a bit of misinformation related to the aircraft nicknamed “Puff the Magic Dragon” I served in the United States Air Force from 1967 through 1978. My first five years was spent working on reciprocating engine, internal combustion, propeller driven aircraft. During that time I worked on 6 different types of aircraft, mostly cargo or modified cargo aircraft. During 1968 I arrived in South Vietnam and was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron (SOS), previously named the 4th Air Commando Squadron (ACS). There was also a 3rd ACS / SOS. The “Puff, The Magic Dragon” name was used in the early days of the AC-47 fixed wing gunships. Initially the aircraft was labeled the FC-47 but a change in the naming structure of Air Force aircraft got the C-47 gunship the AC-47 designation. The short name would have been Puff and was probably the early call sign the ground controllers would have used when communicating with the aircraft crew. Within a week or so, I would be assigned to “A” flight at Danang Airbase, RVN until my departure from Vietnam during November 1969. After about a month at Danang, I was assigned as the crew chief on AC-47D 43–49211, tail code EN 211 (Tail code EN was for the 4th, EL for the 3rd). When the AC-47D Puff gunships were flying in the early years, they flew during all hours. However, it was realized after numerous aircraft / aircrew losses that the AC-47D was too vulnerable during daylight hours so missions were no longer flown from sunrise to sunset, all missions being flown at night. It was probably about that time the the call sign “Spooky” was assigned and the ghosts painted on the nose of the aircraft. The early AC-47D aircraft had three SUU-11/A gun pods, two mounted in former windows in the left side of the fuselage. The third gun pod was mounted in the small cargo door opening. Generally that version of minigun had to be manually loaded from cans of belted 7.62 ammunition. Each can contained 1,500 rounds of ammunition with each fifth round being a tracer. Each can weighed 125 pounds. Problem with the gun pods was they protruded into the cargo bay and restricted movement from back to front. This made for a slow trip from the back when carrying ammo cans behind the gun pods to a storage rack in the front of the cargo bay. The AC-47D were converted to MXU-470/A drum mounted miniguns. The gun modules were mounted on a drum that was for ammunition storage for the minigun. This version used an electric motor to load ammunition into the storage drum under the minigun. When ammo was being loaded into the pod or drum, an empty ammo can was put under a chute where the connecting links for the belted ammo were stripped off and came out the chute into the empty ammo can. At the same time, empty ammo cans were placed under a spiral wound hose. When the gun fired, the empty brass would be ejected into the hose and down into the empty ammo cans. The cans of links and empty brass would be covered and saved to be returned to the munitions folks. Although I read stories of shovels being used to shovel ammo out the open door, that was not what usually happened in the AC-47D. The miniguns had a selectable fire rate of 3,000 rounds per minute or 6,000 rounds per minute. there was a selector panel in the cargo bay that let the back end aircrew select each gun and fire rate. Normally only one minigun was fired at a time and generally in a 3–5 second burst. It was rare to fire more than one minigun at a time because the aircrews liked to conserve their ammo as best as they could so they could loiter over the target and provide support for longer periods of time. If more ground support fire was needed, the aircrew would contact the controllers and request a replacement AC-47D to take over when the original aircraft ran out of ammo and / or flares. Our standard load during my time was 21,000 rounds of 7.62 ammo and 32 flares (each weighed 26 lbs). During my time, the most flights we had in one night was 12 using 5 aircraft on a rotation. During mid 1969 the 3rd SOS was terminated and their aircraft transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). During December 1969, all except 3 of the U. S. Air Force AC-47D aircraft were transferred to the Southeast Asian Air Forces in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. Three AC-47D aircraft were flown by U. S. crews out of Udorn Royal Thai Air Base in Thailand and then they too were handed over to the Royal Thai Air Force. Thus ended U. S. operation of the AC-47D. 53 U.S. C-47 aircraft, build dates of 1943,1944 and 1945 were converted to AC-47D gunships. 19 were lost in Vietnam, 14 of them shot down with loss of the aircraft and crews of 7–8 people. During 1968, a C-119 Reserve organization was activated with conversion of their aircraft to AC-119 started and aircrews receiving training. The first batch of gunships were AC-119G “Shadow” gunships. They were powered by two propeller driven engines and had four 7.62 miniguns. They also has a spotlight, flare launcher and spotting devices for ground targets. The started arriving at Nha Trang Airbase in Vietnam during late 1968. They would start providing ground support soon after arriving. Eventually more C-119 aircraft would be converted to AC-119K. A jet pod would be added to each wing for additional thrust and two 20 mm gatling guns would add to the firepower of the 4 7.62 miniguns. They were named “Stinger” They would continue providing ground support until approximately 1972 and then they too would be transferred to the Southeast Asian Air Forces. During 1967, the AC-130A was in the process of being developed, it would have 7.62 miniguns and 20 mm gatling guns initially. Although there were plans to replace the AC-47 with AC-130 aircraft, there was shortage of C-130 aircraft that could be used for conversion. The C-130 was heavily used in Southeast Asia causing the lack of aircraft that could be diverted for conversion. Development on the AC-130 would continue while the AC-119 took over the mission of the AC-47 Eventually the AC-130 would go into production with the addition of 40mm Bofors and 105 mm cannons. The AC-130 during the Vietnam War years was named “Spectre”. Many years later, vastly improved versions of the AC-130 would use the name “Spooky”, “Shadow” and more recently “Stinger” AC-119 website - Preserving History of All who Flew and Supported the AC-119 www.ac119gunships.com/AC-47 website Vietnam Conflict AC-47D Spooky Gunship Home Page ac47-gunships.com/home.htm |
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Never grow a wishbone where a backbone ought to be.
We can disagree without being disagreeable.
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2020 8:34:42 GMT -5
Can't open those links safely.
I saw one in action. A big hill with artillery and a battalion of VC dug in was a problem so a Spooky (another name for the AC-130 version) came in and when it left there was not a shrub or sapling left on the hill. We counted over 400 enemy dead. Different email set up from my friend...here's the C&P from the email: (The pic wouldn't paste, 22 people, with 4th SOS Spooky Gunship; Danang AB, RVN; December, 1968 and Don Luke, AC-47D, Crewchief over the pic) Donald Luke, former Vietnam Veteran, AC-47D Spooky Crew Chief at U.S. Air Force (1967-1978) Answered Wed Why did they ban “Puff the Magic Dragon” gatling gun airfortress during the Vietnam war? As I read through the answers I see quite a bit of misinformation related to the aircraft nicknamed “Puff the Magic Dragon” I served in the United States Air Force from 1967 through 1978. My first five years was spent working on reciprocating engine, internal combustion, propeller driven aircraft. During that time I worked on 6 different types of aircraft, mostly cargo or modified cargo aircraft. During 1968 I arrived in South Vietnam and was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron (SOS), previously named the 4th Air Commando Squadron (ACS). There was also a 3rd ACS / SOS. The “Puff, The Magic Dragon” name was used in the early days of the AC-47 fixed wing gunships. Initially the aircraft was labeled the FC-47 but a change in the naming structure of Air Force aircraft got the C-47 gunship the AC-47 designation. The short name would have been Puff and was probably the early call sign the ground controllers would have used when communicating with the aircraft crew. Within a week or so, I would be assigned to “A” flight at Danang Airbase, RVN until my departure from Vietnam during November 1969. After about a month at Danang, I was assigned as the crew chief on AC-47D 43–49211, tail code EN 211 (Tail code EN was for the 4th, EL for the 3rd). When the AC-47D Puff gunships were flying in the early years, they flew during all hours. However, it was realized after numerous aircraft / aircrew losses that the AC-47D was too vulnerable during daylight hours so missions were no longer flown from sunrise to sunset, all missions being flown at night. It was probably about that time the the call sign “Spooky” was assigned and the ghosts painted on the nose of the aircraft. The early AC-47D aircraft had three SUU-11/A gun pods, two mounted in former windows in the left side of the fuselage. The third gun pod was mounted in the small cargo door opening. Generally that version of minigun had to be manually loaded from cans of belted 7.62 ammunition. Each can contained 1,500 rounds of ammunition with each fifth round being a tracer. Each can weighed 125 pounds. Problem with the gun pods was they protruded into the cargo bay and restricted movement from back to front. This made for a slow trip from the back when carrying ammo cans behind the gun pods to a storage rack in the front of the cargo bay. The AC-47D were converted to MXU-470/A drum mounted miniguns. The gun modules were mounted on a drum that was for ammunition storage for the minigun. This version used an electric motor to load ammunition into the storage drum under the minigun. When ammo was being loaded into the pod or drum, an empty ammo can was put under a chute where the connecting links for the belted ammo were stripped off and came out the chute into the empty ammo can. At the same time, empty ammo cans were placed under a spiral wound hose. When the gun fired, the empty brass would be ejected into the hose and down into the empty ammo cans. The cans of links and empty brass would be covered and saved to be returned to the munitions folks. Although I read stories of shovels being used to shovel ammo out the open door, that was not what usually happened in the AC-47D. The miniguns had a selectable fire rate of 3,000 rounds per minute or 6,000 rounds per minute. there was a selector panel in the cargo bay that let the back end aircrew select each gun and fire rate. Normally only one minigun was fired at a time and generally in a 3–5 second burst. It was rare to fire more than one minigun at a time because the aircrews liked to conserve their ammo as best as they could so they could loiter over the target and provide support for longer periods of time. If more ground support fire was needed, the aircrew would contact the controllers and request a replacement AC-47D to take over when the original aircraft ran out of ammo and / or flares. Our standard load during my time was 21,000 rounds of 7.62 ammo and 32 flares (each weighed 26 lbs). During my time, the most flights we had in one night was 12 using 5 aircraft on a rotation. During mid 1969 the 3rd SOS was terminated and their aircraft transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). During December 1969, all except 3 of the U. S. Air Force AC-47D aircraft were transferred to the Southeast Asian Air Forces in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. Three AC-47D aircraft were flown by U. S. crews out of Udorn Royal Thai Air Base in Thailand and then they too were handed over to the Royal Thai Air Force. Thus ended U. S. operation of the AC-47D. 53 U.S. C-47 aircraft, build dates of 1943,1944 and 1945 were converted to AC-47D gunships. 19 were lost in Vietnam, 14 of them shot down with loss of the aircraft and crews of 7–8 people. During 1968, a C-119 Reserve organization was activated with conversion of their aircraft to AC-119 started and aircrews receiving training. The first batch of gunships were AC-119G “Shadow” gunships. They were powered by two propeller driven engines and had four 7.62 miniguns. They also has a spotlight, flare launcher and spotting devices for ground targets. The started arriving at Nha Trang Airbase in Vietnam during late 1968. They would start providing ground support soon after arriving. Eventually more C-119 aircraft would be converted to AC-119K. A jet pod would be added to each wing for additional thrust and two 20 mm gatling guns would add to the firepower of the 4 7.62 miniguns. They were named “Stinger” They would continue providing ground support until approximately 1972 and then they too would be transferred to the Southeast Asian Air Forces. During 1967, the AC-130A was in the process of being developed, it would have 7.62 miniguns and 20 mm gatling guns initially. Although there were plans to replace the AC-47 with AC-130 aircraft, there was shortage of C-130 aircraft that could be used for conversion. The C-130 was heavily used in Southeast Asia causing the lack of aircraft that could be diverted for conversion. Development on the AC-130 would continue while the AC-119 took over the mission of the AC-47 Eventually the AC-130 would go into production with the addition of 40mm Bofors and 105 mm cannons. The AC-130 during the Vietnam War years was named “Spectre”. Many years later, vastly improved versions of the AC-130 would use the name “Spooky”, “Shadow” and more recently “Stinger” AC-119 website - Preserving History of All who Flew and Supported the AC-119 www.ac119gunships.com/AC-47 website Vietnam Conflict AC-47D Spooky Gunship Home Page ac47-gunships.com/home.htm
The rare bird was the AC-123, of which only 2 were produced.
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