X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Sender: To: lml@lancaironline.net Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 06:20:17 -0400 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from mail-pz0-f48.google.com ([209.85.210.48] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.4.1) with ESMTPS id 5122270 for lml@lancaironline.net; Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:38:16 -0400 Received-SPF: pass receiver=logan.com; client-ip=209.85.210.48; envelope-from=billhogarty@gmail.com Received: by pzk34 with SMTP id 34so114431pzk.7 for ; Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:37:38 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.68.32.98 with SMTP id h2mr3769449pbi.203.1315877858496; Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:37:38 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.68.49.138 with HTTP; Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:37:38 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: References: X-Original-Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:37:38 -0700 X-Original-Message-ID: Subject: Re: [LML] Re: Fwd: Back Seaters From: "William A. Hogarty" X-Original-To: Lancair Mailing List Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=bcaec520e69b52d1ea04acc8b0c4 --bcaec520e69b52d1ea04acc8b0c4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lynn: I thought that the amount of exaggeration in all fighter pilot stories was in direct proportion to the number of drinks consumed by the story teller prior to telling the story???? BTW, are you a member of the SSS ? Regards,Bill Hogarty On Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 9:04 AM, Karen Farnsworth w= rote: > ** ** ** ** ** > > Considering that the runways at Phan Rang were north/south it would have > been very difficult to =93land to the east=94. This little inaccuracy lea= ds me > to believe that there just may be some exaggeration involved in the telli= ng > of this tale.**** > > **** > > ** ** > > Lynn Farnsworth**** > > F-100 Pilot at Rhan Rang**** > > ** ** > ------------------------------ > > *From:* Lancair Mailing List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] *On Behalf Of > *vtailjeff@aol.com > *Sent:* Monday, September 12, 2011 7:48 AM > *To:* lml@lancaironline.net > *Subject:* [LML] Fwd: Back Seaters**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > -----Original Message----- > From: Rick Hadden > To: Mr. Daniel R. Bott ; Jeff Edwards < > vtailjeff@aol.com>; Bill Hinson ; Russell Schulz < > RKS64MRS@aol.com>; Alan Shaw ; Mr. Richard Tems = < > richrov@aol.com>; Mr. Warren A. Wilbur, III ; > Paul Ziemer > Sent: Sun, Sep 11, 2011 12:54 pm > Subject: Fwd: Back Seaters**** > > A tale worth the read! I nominate this guy to the F-8 Crusader Assn! > > Rick**** > > True Story! For you non-aircrew guys, just call this "Four Beers!" ~~ (= I was **** > > there at the same time...Bill)~~("Aeroplane" is the correct British/Canad= ian **** > > word).**** > > **** > > One of the best flying tales I've read in a long time. It's from the Ospr= ey book **** > > B-57 ~ **Canberra** Units of the ****Vietnam**** War. The B-57 was in hi= gh demand due to **** > > its loiter time, weapons loads and usually its accuracy. It was one of t= he few **** > > a/c that carried the M35/M36 Funny Bomb that was a good weapon against tr= uck **** > > targets. **** > > ** ** > > THE RELUCTANT BACK-SEATER **** > > ** ** > > Ed Rider was a ****Canberra**** pilot who had come up through the enliste= d ranks, having **** > > done a stint as an Airborne Electronics Technician on the B-57 in the lat= e **** > > 1950s. Ten years later he was a captain flying the ****Canberra**** out = of Phan Rang. **** > > Rider was known for his aggressive flying and his own particular tactics = that **** > > were more suited to a nimble fighter-bomber than the big B-57. And by Ri= der's **** > > own admission, 'there were only about two navigators left who would fly w= ith **** > > me'. Before the war was allover he had completed more than 400 combat mi= ssions. **** > > The following is Rider's account of one such mission in 1968: **** > > ** ** > > 'The "Yellowbirds" were back at Phan Rang flying night interdiction missi= ons in **** > > the southern part of ****North Vietnam**** and along the supply routes do= wn through **** > > ****Laos****. I had a patch on my party flight suit that said "****Lao= tian Highway**** **** > > Patrol". 'Other than the two navigators in the squadron who would willin= gly fly **** > > with me, the others did not like my highly unorthodox tactics. I tried to= point **** > > out to them that other pilots were getting shot up =97 or shot down =97 w= hile I **** > > never took hits and killed more trucks than most. Those idiots were comin= g back **** > > with their aeroplanes full of holes and getting medals for it. Anyway, my= **** > > navigator came down with a bad case of "Ho's Revenge" and the other navig= ator **** > > was already flying, so someone had to be volunteered. The hand of fate l= aid its **** > > clammy finger on Bill. After an earlier adventure that ended in a belly l= anding **** > > due to hydraulic failure, he had sworn never to fly with me again. We had= to **** > > drag him scratching and spitting, so to speak, to the aeroplane. **** > > ** ** > > 'We were taking off at midnight to hit a truck park way up in ****Laos***= *. I asked the **** > > crew chief if his aeroplane was ready, and when he said yes I gave him fo= ur **** > > beers to put into the rear compartment and told him to button it up (clos= e all **** > > inspection doors). I didn't insult him by inspecting the jet. The crew c= hiefs **** > > liked for me to fly their aeroplanes and I never had one let me down. I w= ent **** > > around with the armourer and checked the fuzes on the bombs for proper se= ttings **** > > and the arming wires for proper routing. Then I spread my maps on the ra= mp and **** > > showed the crew chief and armourer where we were going and what we were s= upposed **** > > to hit. **** > > ** ** > > 'We were in the northeast monsoon season and had 40 knots of wind blowing= down **** > > the runway. The standard night departure called for a right turn to the = south **** > > after take-off until reaching the coast, then a turn to the east and then= follow **** > > the coast to Cam Ranh Bay and turn on course. This was supposed to keep y= ou out **** > > of the outgoing artillery, but it wasted about 3000 lbs of fuel, so nat= urally **** > > I didn't follow it. After I raised the gear I turned off all external lig= hts so **** > > that the air traffic controllers in the tower could not see me. When I wa= s high **** > > enough to drop a wing, I turned right 270 degrees so as to cross the west= end of **** > > the runway headed northwest. I roared across the 101st Airborne encampme= nt and **** > > shook all the grunts out of bed and then headed up the valley that led = to **** > > Dalat in the mountains. The hills on either side were invisible as there = were no **** > > lights on the ground, but if I maintained the proper heading I would not = run **** > > into any rocks before I got high enough to clear them. Bill was somewhat = unhappy **** > > with this exercise. In due course we climbed out of the valley and turned= north **** > > to Pleiku, and points north.' **** > > ** ** > > 'We checked in with "Blind Bat", our C-130 "flare ship", and from more th= an 50 **** > > miles out we could see his flares and the anti-aircraft fire he was attra= cting. **** > > The gunners must have just gotten a fresh supply of ammo because they wer= e even **** > > shooting at his flares. We let down and coordinated altitudes so that we = would **** > > not run into each other. We made eight vertical dive-bomb passes droppin= g our **** > > "funny bombs" =97 this was the name that FACs gave to the M35 fire bomb. = **** > > ** ** > > 'This was the same bomb used to start the firestorms in ****Tokyo**** in = World War 2. **** > > It was a large cluster bomb that opened up a few thousand feet above the = ground. **** > > The falling bomblets made a fiery waterfall until they hit the ground. T= hen **** > > they spewed out burning white and yellow phosphorus like roman candles. = Really **** > > something to see at night. **** > > ** ** > > 'We stirred up a hornets' nest and the flak was thick - when it got close= you **** > > could hear it popping like popcorn. We left the "flare ship" to count th= e **** > > burning trucks and then headed for home. Just another routine mission. B= ut we **** > > still had our 20 mm ammo left and I hated to take it home. I called the a= irborne **** > > command post and asked if they had any gun targets. They told me to cont= act a **** > > FAC at Tchepone. He had spotted trucks on a ferry crossing the river ther= e. **** > > ** ** > > 'We contacted the FAC to coordinate altitudes before we got into his area= . We **** > > used a secret "base" altitude which changed every 12 hours so that the = enemy **** > > could not listen in and find out our heights and then set the fuzes on hi= s **** > > shells for that altitude. That night base altitude was 8000 ft. He said h= e was **** > > at base plus four, or 12,000 ft. I said. "You must mean minus four?" He= said **** > > no. I asked what the hell he was doing way up there and he replied that h= is **** > > Cessna O-2 wouldn't climb any higher! His flares were floating so high = that **** > > they did not illuminate the ground, and I had to circle until I got their= **** > > reflection on the river before I could see it. Bill kept saying somethin= g about **** > > "bingo" fuel (the minimum required to get back home with 2000 lbs of fuel= **** > > remaining). 'A few guns were shooting at our sound, but not coming clos= e. I **** > > knew there were no radar-controlled guns because otherwise we would have = been **** > > tracked and fired on accurately while we were circling. I finally got it = worked **** > > out and caught the ferry in the flare reflection on the river and rolled = in. I **** > > fired about a three-second burst in a 30-degree dive from about 1500 ft. = The **** > > muzzle flashes lit us up like a Christmas tree and said, "Here I am! Shoo= t me!" **** > > and did they ever! Now I knew why that FAC was so high. I pulled about = 5Gs to **** > > get pointed straight up. 'A small part of my mind registered a red light= **** > > flashing somewhere in the cockpit but I was too busy to look at it. When= I ran **** > > out of airspeed at the top and had figured out up from down and was uprig= ht **** > > again the light was out. **** > > ** ** > > 'The FAC was encouraging, saying he had seen lots of hits on the ferry wi= th his **** > > night vision scope, so I got set up to go in again. Bill didn't think it = was a **** > > good idea. Indeed, there were lots of guns protecting the ferry. Most of = them **** > > were twin barrel 37 mm weapons. I could tell because the "red hot beer = cans" **** > > streaking past the aeroplane came up in strings of eight. The 37 mm gun = fired **** > > clips of four rounds, so eight meant twin barrels. I was worried about **= ** > > radar-controlled 57 mm twin barrel units mounted on tracked vehicles that= often **** > > accompanied large truck convoys, but there was no evidence of them. The m= ost **** > > spectacular show was provided by the many 23 mm ZSU units. These were fou= r **** > > barrels mounted on a tracked vehicle, and they put out a string of tracer= s that **** > > waved around the sky like a kid playing with a high-pressure water hose. = **** > > ** ** > > 'My normal tactic at night over a well-defended target was to get directl= y over **** > > it at about 8000 ft, roll inverted, and pull the nose down to the target,= drop **** > > my bomb at about 5000 ft and then pull up into a vertical climb (essentia= lly a **** > > loop beginning at the top). Just before I ran out of airspeed, I would p= ull the **** > > nose down to level and roll upright. This faked out the gunners because= they **** > > expected me to be off to the side of the target. I was only vulnerable = in the **** > > first part of my pull-up. Under very heavy fire I sometimes varied this b= y not **** > > pulling up immediately but by turning 90 degrees and continuing down to= low **** > > altitude with low power and coasting a few miles away from the target (an= d the **** > > guns). When using my guns, I would dive slightly off to the side, go l= ower **** > > and pull up to a 30-degree dive before firing. 'Bill kept bothering me w= ith **** > > this "bingo" fuel business but I didn't have time to discuss it with him.= On my **** > > second pass, I had to use the same heading as the first run in order to s= ee the **** > > target - not a very smart thing to do. When our muzzle flashes lit us up = again, **** > > I had the feeling that if I pulled up as usual every gun would be aimed= at our **** > > recovery path, so I didn't pull up. I used my alternate tactic. The sky= behind **** > > and above us was filled with a spectacular display of fireworks. The FAC = was **** > > figuratively jumping up and down because we had torched off some of the t= rucks **** > > on the ferry and on the south shore of the river, where the vessel was no= w **** > > resting. Now we did not have to circle around to catch the reflection of = the **** > > flares to locate the target. **** > > ** ** > > 'We still had 600 rounds left =97 six seconds worth of firing. We could a= pproach **** > > from any direction since we could see the burning target. Bill was gettin= g a **** > > little shrill now and yelling something about "bingo minus two". I told h= im I **** > > would wind it up with two more passes and then go home. After each pass, = when I **** > > was pulling 5-6Gs to fake out the gunners, there was that pesky red light= in the **** > > cockpit. I was so busy trying not to join up with those strings of "red= hot **** > > beer cans" that I didn't notice what it was. We left the FAC to add up t= he **** > > damage and headed home. 'Relieved of all ordnance and most of its fuel, = the **** > > B-57 climbed like a homesick angel. In short order we were passing 35,000= ft and **** > > I had Bill tighten his oxygen mask and check his system for pressure brea= thing. **** > > As we passed 45,000 ft, we had to forcefully breathe out and just relax= and **** > > let the pressure blow up our lungs to breathe in. At 53,000 ft we were a= bove **** > > over 95 percent of the atmosphere. At that altitude the engines used very= little **** > > fuel. When we arrived over Pleiku we were 150 nautical miles from home an= d had **** > > just 800 lbs of fuel! Normally, when you land with 2000 lbs that is cons= idered **** > > an emergency, but I had been through this many times before, and was only= **** > > concerned with having enough fuel to taxi to the ramp. **** > > ** ** > > 'At that altitude, when you reduce power to idle, it only reduces slightl= y **** > > because the engines cannot reduce fuel consumption very much without flam= ing **** > > out. So, in order to reduce power and expedite our decent, I had to shut = off one **** > > engine. I shut down the right engine because we would be flying a left ha= nd **** > > traffic pattern. Bill was somewhat unhappy. I maintained a 0.84 Mach des= cent, **** > > which meant that the descent got progressively steeper as you got into th= e **** > > denser air at low altitude. This let us down inside the hole of the artil= lery **** > > doughnut at 12,000 ft, keeping us out of the arc of outgoing artillery fi= re. We **** > > were approaching from the north and had to land to the east. Once inside = the **** > > hole, I extended speed brakes and pushed the nose over to maintain speed.= **** > > Extending speed brakes at 500 knots is like running into a brick wall, an= d we **** > > were thrown forward hard enough to lock our automatic shoulder harnesses.= That **** > > is when that pesky red light in the cockpit came on again. This time I *= *** > > determined what it was. It was the low fuel pressure light. This was con= firmed **** > > by the unwinding of the left engine. **** > > ** ** > > 'I was at a critical point in my traffic pattern and had no time to deal = with a **** > > double engine flameout, so I shut off the left throttle, banked 90 degree= s right **** > > and pulled the nose around to a heading 180 degrees from the landing he= ading. **** > > Then I rolled inverted, and with about 5Gs pulled the nose down the lin= e of **** > > approach lights to the end of the runway and then up the centre-of the = runway **** > > lights, varying the Gs to complete my split-ess at about 1500 ft and at a= bout **** > > 400-450 knots. 'While I was busy doing this I asked Bill to inform the t= ower **** > > that we had a double engine flameout and might need a tug to tow us in.= Bill **** > > had lost his voice and never did make the call. When I leveled off from m= y **** > > split-ess I hit both air-start ignition switches and advanced both thrott= les to **** > > idle. After a 4G break to downwind, I lowered gear and flaps and both eng= ines **** > > were making the low moaning sound they made when running at idle. After *= *** > > touchdown I raised the flaps and added power so I could hold the nose u= p. With **** > > 40 knots of headwind it was a long taxi to the far end of the runway. I t= ried to **** > > get Bill interested in betting on whether I could make it all the way int= o the **** > > de-arming area without lowering the nose wheel to the ground. For some re= ason he **** > > was not interested. Anyway, I did make it with the nose wheel in the air,= and **** > > scared the bejesus out of the de-arming troops. **** > > ** ** > > 'While they were de-arming my guns I figured it out. It had to be an inop= erative **** > > forward boost pump in the main fuel tank. When I went to full power and p= ulled **** > > lots of Gs at Tchepone, one fuel pump could not handle the load and the p= ressure **** > > dropped =97 not enough, thank God, to flame out the engines. When I exte= nded the **** > > speed brakes in my descent to Phan Rang, what little fuel we had left spl= ashed **** > > against the forward wall of the tank, uncovering the rear fuel pump and *= *** > > resulting in a flameout. There is an old saying, "There are old pilots a= nd **** > > there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots". Not so, but we= bold **** > > pilots need more luck than most. **** > > ** ** > > 'We had enough fuel to make it back to the ramp. After we had parked and = **** > > deplaned, I made an inspection tour with the crew chief, armed with power= ful **** > > electric torches. Not a scratch on her! Again, skill and cunning triumph= s over **** > > ignorance and stupidity. The crew chief brought out the four beers from = the **** > > tail compartment, ice cold from their sojourn at 50,000 ft, and I spread = my **** > > maps on the ramp, giving a blow-by-blow description of the mission for my= crew **** > > chief and armourer. I had an additional audience of most of the crew chi= efs and **** > > armourers on the ramp who were not otherwise busy. Bill did not want his = beer so **** > > I drank it too. Needless to say, Bill never got into an aeroplane with m= e **** > > again.' **** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > --bcaec520e69b52d1ea04acc8b0c4 Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lynn:

I thought that the amount of exaggeration in all fighter pilot= stories was in direct proportion to the number of drinks consumed by the s= tory teller prior to telling the story????

BTW, are you a member of = the SSS ?

Regards,Bill Hogarty

On Mon, Sep 12, = 2011 at 9:04 AM, Karen Farnsworth <farnsworth@charter.net> wrote:

Considering that t= he runways at Phan Rang were north/south it would have been very difficult to =93land to the east= =94. This little inaccuracy leads me to believe that there just may be some exag= geration involved in the telling of this tale.

=A0<= /span>

=A0<= /span>

Lynn Farnsworth=

F-100 Pilot at Rha= n Rang

=A0<= /span>

From: Lancair Mailing List [mailto:lml= @lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of vtailj= eff@aol.com
Sent: Monday, September 12, = 2011 7:48 AM
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Subject: [LML] Fwd: Back Sea= ters

=A0

=A0

=A0

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Hadden <rickhadden@verizon.net>
To: Mr. Daniel R. Bott <dbottaz@earthlink.net>; Jeff Edwards <vtailjeff@aol.co= m>; Bill Hinson <Willhinson@aol.com>; Russell Schulz <RKS64MRS@a= ol.com>; Alan Shaw <alan.shaw@vaxinnate.com>; Mr. Richard Tems <richr= ov@aol.com>; Mr. Warren A. Wilbur, III <warrenwil= bur@comcast.net>; Paul Ziemer <PLZJ@aol.com>
Sent: Sun, Sep 11, 2011 12:54 pm
Subject: Fwd: Back Seaters

A tale worth the= read!=A0 I nominate this guy to the F-8 Crusader Assn!

Rick

True Story=
!=A0=A0 For you non-aircrew guys, just call this "Four Beers!" ~~=
 (I was 
there at the sa=
me time...Bill)~~("Aeroplane" is the correct British/Canadian =

word).
 
One of the best=
 flying tales I've read in a long time. It's from the Osprey book <=
u>
B-57 ~ C=
anberra Units of the Vietnam War.=A0 The=
 B-57 was in high demand due to 
its loiter time=
, weapons loads and usually its accuracy.=A0 It was one of the few <=
u>
a/c that carrie=
d the M35/M36 Funny Bomb that was a good weapon against truck 
targets. 
=A0
THE RELUCTANT B=
ACK-SEATER 
=A0

Ed Rider was a =
Canberra pilot who had come up through the enli=
sted ranks, having 


done a stint as=
 an Airborne Electronics Technician on the B-57 in the late <=
/span>


1950s.=A0 Ten y=
ears later he was a captain flying the Canberra=
 out of Phan Rang.=A0 


Rider was known=
 for his aggressive flying and his own particular tactics that 


were more suite=
d to a nimble fighter-bomber than the big B-57.=A0 And by Rider's 


own admission, =
'there were only about two navigators left who would fly with 


me'.=A0 Bef=
ore the war was allover he had completed more than 400 combat missions. =



The following i=
s Rider's account of one such mission in 1968: 


=A0
'The "Yellowbirds" were back at Phan Rang flying=
 night interdiction missions in 


the southern pa=
rt of North Vietnam and along the supply routes=
 down through 


L=
aos.=A0 I had a patch on my party=A0=A0 fl=
ight suit that said "Laotian Highway 


Patrol".=
=A0 'Other than the two navigators in the squadron who would willingly =
fly 


with me, the ot=
hers did not like my highly unorthodox tactics. I tried to point =



out to them tha=
t other pilots were getting shot up =97 or shot down =97 while I =



never took hits=
 and killed more trucks than most. Those idiots were coming back =



with their aero=
planes full of holes and getting medals for it. Anyway, my 


navigator came =
down with a bad case of "Ho's Revenge" and the other navigato=
r 


was already fly=
ing, so someone had to be volunteered.=A0 The hand of fate laid its =



clammy finger o=
n Bill. After an earlier adventure that ended in a belly landing =



due to hydrauli=
c failure, he had sworn never to fly with me again. We had to 


drag him scratc=
hing and spitting, so to speak, to the aeroplane. 


=A0
'We were taking off at midnight to hit a truck park way up=
 in Laos.=A0 I asked the <=
/font>


crew chief if h=
is aeroplane was ready, and when he said yes I gave him four =



beers to put in=
to the rear compartment and told him to button it up (close all <=
/u>


inspection door=
s).=A0 I didn't insult him by inspecting the jet. The crew chiefs 


liked for me to=
 fly their aeroplanes and I never had one let me down. I went 


around with the=
 armourer and checked the fuzes on the bombs for proper settings =



and the arming =
wires for proper routing.=A0 Then I spread my maps on the ramp and <=
u>


showed the crew=
 chief and armourer where we were going and what we were supposed 


to hit. =

=A0


'We were in=
 the northeast monsoon season and had 40 knots of wind blowing down =



the runway.=A0 =
The standard night departure called for a right turn to the south 


after take-off =
until reaching the coast, then a turn to the east and then follow 


the coast to Ca=
m Ranh Bay and turn on course. This was supposed to keep you out =



of the outgoing=
 artillery, but it wasted about 3000 lbs of=A0=A0 fuel, so naturally 


I didn't fo=
llow it. After I raised the gear I turned off all external lights so 


that the air tr=
affic controllers in the tower could not see me. When I was high =



enough to drop =
a wing, I turned right 270 degrees so as to cross the west end of 


the runway head=
ed northwest.=A0 I roared across the 101st Airborne encampment and <=
u>


shook all the g=
runts out of bed and then=A0=A0 headed up the valley that led to =



Dalat in the mo=
untains. The hills on either side were invisible as there were no 


lights on the g=
round, but if I maintained the proper heading I would not run 


into any rocks =
before I got high enough to clear them. Bill was somewhat unhappy 


with this exerc=
ise. In due course we climbed out of the valley and turned north =



to Pleiku, and =
points north.' 
=A0
'We checked in w=
ith "Blind Bat", our C-130 "flare ship", and from more =
than 50 


miles out we co=
uld see his flares and the anti-aircraft fire he was attracting. =



The gunners mus=
t have just gotten a fresh supply of ammo because they were even =



shooting at his=
 flares. We let down and coordinated altitudes so that we would <=
/u>


not run into ea=
ch other.=A0 We made eight vertical dive-bomb passes dropping our 


"funny bom=
bs" =97 this was the name that FACs gave to the M35 fire bomb. =



=A0
'This was the same bomb used to start the firestorms in Tokyo in World War 2.=A0 


It was a large =
cluster bomb that opened up a few thousand feet above the ground.=A0 


The falling bom=
blets made a fiery waterfall until they hit the ground.=A0 Then <=
/u>


they spewed out=
 burning white and yellow phosphorus like roman candles.=A0 Really <=
u>


something to se=
e at night. 
=A0
'We stirred up a=
 hornets' nest and the flak was thick - when it got close you 


could hear it p=
opping like popcorn. =A0We left the "flare ship" to count the =



burning trucks =
and then headed for home. Just another routine mission.=A0 But we 


still had our 2=
0 mm ammo left and I hated to take it home. I called the airborne 


command post an=
d asked if they had any gun targets.=A0 They told me to contact a 


FAC at Tchepone=
. He had spotted trucks on a ferry crossing the river there. =



=A0
'We contacted the FAC to coordinate altitudes before we go=
t into his area. We 


used a secret &=
quot;base" altitude which changed every 12 hours so that=A0=A0 the ene=
my 


could not liste=
n in and find out our heights and then set the fuzes on his <=
/span>


shells for that=
 altitude. That night base altitude was 8000 ft. He said he was <=
/u>


at base plus fo=
ur, or 12,000 ft. I said. "You must mean=A0=A0 minus four?" He sa=
id 


no. I asked wha=
t the hell he was doing way up there and he replied that his =



Cessna O-2 woul=
dn't climb any higher! His flares were=A0=A0 floating so high that <=
/u>


they did not il=
luminate the ground, and I had to circle until I got their 


reflection on t=
he river before I could see it.=A0 Bill kept saying something about =



"bingo&quo=
t; fuel (the minimum required to get back home with 2000 lbs of fuel 


remaining).=A0=
=A0 'A few guns were shooting at our sound, but not coming close. I =



knew there were=
 no radar-controlled guns because otherwise we would have been 


tracked and fir=
ed on accurately while we were circling. I finally got it worked =



out and caught =
the ferry in the flare reflection on the river and rolled in. I <=
/u>


fired about a t=
hree-second burst in a 30-degree dive from about 1500 ft. The 


muzzle flashes =
lit us up like a Christmas tree and said, "Here I am! Shoot me!" =



and did they ev=
er!=A0 Now I knew why that FAC was so high.=A0 I pulled about 5Gs to 


get pointed str=
aight up.=A0 'A small part of my mind registered a red light =



flashing somewh=
ere in the cockpit but I was too busy to look at it.=A0 When I ran <=
u>


out of airspeed=
 at the top and had figured out up from down and was upright =



again the light=
 was out. 
=A0

'The FAC wa=
s encouraging, saying he had seen lots of hits on the ferry with his 


night vision sc=
ope, so I got set up to go in again. Bill didn't think it was a =



good idea. Inde=
ed, there were lots of guns protecting the ferry. Most of them 


were twin barre=
l 37 mm weapons. I could tell because the "red=A0=A0 hot beer cans&quo=
t; 


streaking past =
the aeroplane came up in strings of eight.=A0 The 37 mm gun fired 


clips of four r=
ounds, so eight meant twin barrels. I was worried about 


radar-controlle=
d 57 mm twin barrel units mounted on tracked vehicles that often =



accompanied lar=
ge truck convoys, but there was no evidence of them. The most 


spectacular sho=
w was provided by the many 23 mm ZSU units. These were four <=
/span>


barrels mounted=
 on a tracked vehicle, and they put out a string of tracers that =



waved around th=
e sky like a kid playing with a high-pressure water hose. 


=A0
'My normal tactic at night over a well-defended target was=
 to get directly over 


it at about 800=
0 ft, roll inverted, and pull the nose down to the target, drop <=
/u>


my bomb at abou=
t 5000 ft and then pull up into a vertical climb (essentially a <=
/u>


loop beginning =
at the top).=A0 Just before I ran out of airspeed, I would pull the =



nose down to le=
vel and roll upright. This faked out the=A0=A0 gunners because they =



expected me to =
be off to the side of the target. I was =A0=A0only vulnerable in the 


first part of m=
y pull-up. Under very heavy fire I sometimes varied this by not <=
/u>


pulling up imme=
diately but by turning 90 degrees=A0=A0 and continuing down to low <=
u>


altitude with l=
ow power and coasting a few miles away from the target (and the <=
/u>


guns).=A0 When =
using my guns, I would dive=A0=A0 slightly off to the side, go lower 


and pull up to =
a 30-degree dive before firing.=A0 'Bill kept bothering me with =



this "bing=
o" fuel business but I didn't have time to discuss it with him. On=
 my 


second pass, I =
had to use the same heading as the first run in order to see the =



target - not a =
very smart thing to do. When our muzzle flashes lit us up again, =



I had the feeli=
ng that=A0=A0 if I pulled up as usual every gun would be aimed at our 


recovery path, =
so I=A0 =A0didn't pull up. I used my alternate tactic. The sky behind <=
u>


and above us wa=
s filled with a spectacular display of fireworks. The FAC was 


figuratively ju=
mping up and down because we had torched off some of the trucks <=
/u>


on the ferry an=
d on the south shore of the river, where the vessel was now <=
/span>


resting. Now we=
 did not have to circle around to catch the reflection of the 


flares to locat=
e the target. 
=A0
'We still had 60=
0 rounds left =97 six seconds worth of firing. We could approach =



from any direct=
ion since we could see the burning target. Bill was getting a 


little shrill n=
ow and yelling something about "bingo minus two". I told him I 


would wind it u=
p with two more passes and then go home. After each pass, when I =



was pulling 5-6=
Gs to fake out the gunners, there was that pesky red light in the 


cockpit. I was =
so busy trying not to=A0=A0 join up with those strings of "red hot =



beer cans"=
 that I didn't notice what it was.=A0 We left the FAC to add up the =



damage and head=
ed home.=A0 'Relieved of all ordnance and most of its fuel, the =



B-57 climbed li=
ke a homesick angel. In short order we were passing 35,000 ft and 


I had Bill tigh=
ten his oxygen mask and check his system for pressure breathing. =



As we=A0=A0 pas=
sed 45,000 ft, we had to forcefully breathe out and just relax and <=
u>


let the pressur=
e blow up our lungs to breathe in.=A0 At 53,000 ft we were above =



over 95 percent=
 of the atmosphere. At that altitude the engines used very little=A0=A0 =



fuel. When we a=
rrived over Pleiku we were 150 nautical miles from home and had <=
/u>


just 800 lbs of=
 fuel!=A0 Normally, when you land with 2000 lbs that is considered <=
u>


an emergency, b=
ut I had been through this many times before, and was only 


concerned with =
having enough fuel to taxi to the ramp. 
=A0
'At that altitud=
e, when you reduce power to idle, it only reduces slightly 


because the eng=
ines cannot reduce fuel consumption very much without flaming 


out. So, in ord=
er to reduce power and expedite our decent, I had to shut off one 


engine. I shut =
down the right engine because we would be flying a left hand=A0=A0 <=
u>


traffic pattern=
. Bill was somewhat unhappy.=A0 I maintained a 0.84 Mach descent,=A0=A0 =



which meant tha=
t the descent got progressively steeper as you got into the <=
/span>


denser air at l=
ow altitude. This let us down inside the hole of the artillery 


doughnut at 12,=
000 ft, keeping us out of the arc of outgoing artillery fire.=A0 We =



were approachin=
g from the north and had to land to the east. Once inside the 


hole, I extende=
d speed brakes and pushed the nose over to maintain speed.=A0 


Extending speed=
 brakes at 500 knots is like running into a brick wall, and we 


were thrown for=
ward hard enough to lock our automatic shoulder harnesses.=A0 That <=
u>


is when that pe=
sky red light in the cockpit came on again.=A0 This time I 


determined what=
 it was.=A0 It was the low fuel pressure light. This was confirmed <=
u>


by the unwindin=
g of the left engine. 
=A0
'I was at a crit=
ical point in my traffic pattern and had no time to deal with a <=
/u>


double engine f=
lameout, so I shut off the left throttle, banked 90 degrees right 


and pulled the =
nose around to a heading 180 degrees from the landing=A0=A0 heading. 


Then I rolled i=
nverted, and with about 5Gs pulled the nose down the=A0=A0 line of <=
u>


approach lights=
 to the end of the runway and then up the centre-of=A0=A0 the runway 


lights, varying=
 the Gs to complete my split-ess at about 1500 ft and at about 


400-450 knots.=
=A0 'While I was busy doing this I asked Bill to inform the tower 


that we had a=
=A0=A0 double engine flameout and might need a tug to tow us in. Bill 


had lost his vo=
ice and never did make the call. When I leveled off from my <=
/span>


split-ess I hit=
 both air-start ignition switches and advanced both throttles to =



idle. After a 4=
G break to downwind, I lowered gear and flaps and both engines 


were making the=
 low moaning sound they made when running at idle. After 


touchdown I=A0=
=A0 raised the flaps and added power so I could hold the nose up. With <=
/u>


40 knots of hea=
dwind it was a long taxi to the far end of the runway. I tried to 


get Bill intere=
sted in betting on whether I could make it all the way into the <=
/u>


de-arming area =
without lowering the nose wheel to the ground. For some reason he 


was not interes=
ted. Anyway, I did make it with the nose wheel in the air, and 


scared the beje=
sus out of the de-arming troops. 

=A0
'While they were=
 de-arming my guns I figured it out. It had to be an inoperative =



forward boost p=
ump in the main fuel tank. When I went to full power and pulled <=
/u>


lots of Gs at T=
chepone, one fuel pump could not handle the load and the pressure 


dropped =97 not=
 enough, thank God, to flame out the engines.=A0 When I extended the 


speed brakes in=
 my descent to Phan Rang, what little fuel we had left splashed <=
/u>


against the for=
ward wall of the tank, uncovering the rear fuel pump and 


resulting in a =
flameout.=A0 There is an old saying, "There are old pilots and =



there are bold =
pilots, but there are no old bold pilots".=A0 Not so, but we bold <=
/u>


pilots need mor=
e luck than most. 
=A0
'We had enough f=
uel to make it back to the ramp. After we had parked and 


deplaned, I mad=
e an inspection tour with the crew chief, armed with powerful 


electric torche=
s.=A0 Not a scratch on her! Again, skill and cunning triumphs over <=
u>


ignorance and s=
tupidity.=A0 The crew chief brought out the four beers from the <=
/u>


tail compartmen=
t, ice cold from their sojourn at 50,000 ft, and I spread=A0=A0 my <=
u>


maps on the ram=
p, giving a blow-by-blow description of the mission for my crew <=
/u>


chief and armou=
rer.=A0 I had an additional audience of most of the crew chiefs and =



armourers on th=
e ramp who were not otherwise busy. Bill did not want his beer so 


I drank it too.=
=A0 Needless to say, Bill never got into an aeroplane with me 


again.' =

=A0


=A0
=A0

=A0


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