This airplane
was manufactured
at Lockheed in
1961. This
plane was
acquired on June
01, 1962. The
planes
assignment was
VMGRT-253, and a
note was found
in the status
sheet that state
this airplane
will be stricken
from inventory
in 2006.
Justin Betz
Sends This Photo
of 149803:
Another Cold Day
in Hell
Tom Bisbee
Sent Yet Another
Story and Photo
of 149803
This is the
picture of 803
taken in
Kaneohe, HI (not
sure about the
spelling). My
buddy, Sgt. Roy
Lowmaster points
to the nose
number after we
learned about
the crash of
802. I found a
picture of the
cockpit and crew
on 803, but
after 40 years,
it had gotten so
dark it’s barely
viewable. I sure
miss that
cockpit! There
were times when
we flew Round
Robins (don’t
know why they
were called
that) when we
were with the
aircraft for 72
hours straight.
This was one of
those times. We
went from our
base in Futenma,
Okinawa to Chu
Lai to Da Nang,
then up to
Kaneohe and back
to Futenma.
802 was from
VMGR 152 in
Iwakuni and we
met up with them
in Da Nang.
Their navigator
got real sick
and couldn’t
fly, so our
navigator joined
their crew. Both
aircraft loaded
up with troops
going to Hawaii
for R&R.
Normally, we
didn’t take
troops, so this
was unusual for
us. Normally, we
would take body
bags back to
Futenma where
the Air Force
would pick them
up for the trip
back to the
states.
We were called
“Displaced
Persons” and got
our mail once a
week from El
Toro on the Pony
Express. The
Pony Express was
a C-130 from El
Toro that would
replace one of
our birds. We
would take the 4
highest time
engines and hang
them on the
aircraft that
had been shot up
the most, and
send it back to
El Toro.
As an aside, how
we wound up in
Futenma is a
story about
officer’s ego.
We were supposed
to be attached
to 152 in
Iwakuni, but
when we got
there our CO
(senior in rank
to Iwakuni’s CO)
got in a
shouting match
with Iwakuni’s
CO over who was
going to call
the shots. Our
CO decided he
would take his
troops, 4
aircraft and all
the ground
support
equipment to
Futenma. Upon
arrival, the
only hangar
available was
one that was
built for
helicopters. A
C-130 wouldn’t
fit in it. So
all our work had
to be done out
on the ramp in
the sun. It was
like working in
a sauna!
The laundry
ladies washed
our utilities
and starched
them with rice
starch. After
working in the
sun and
sweating, the
starch would
ooze out like
snot! After a
month of that,
the CO finally
allowed us to
cut the sleeves
off because some
guys were
allergic to the
rice starch.
Semper Fi,
Tom
Tom Bisbee
Sends This Photo
and Story of
149803
I was assigned
to 352 and a
week later sent
to Futema
Okinawa with 40
other guys, 4
C-130s and our
ground support
equipment. This
was in June of
66. Being new to
the squadron, I
didn’t really
know many of the
guys. I was in
training as a
First Mech and
occasionally
flew, but my
primary job was
building props.
I liked that job
because I had
the only air
conditioned room
in the hangar. I
was busy because
we had just
started flying
into Chu Lai and
the red dust
down there would
grind the prop
blade seals into
mince meat.
I got unlucky and during our approach to Da Nang, we
were taking some
ground fire when
a piece of
shrapnel found
my armpit. The
corpsmen in Chu
Lai patched me
up, but because
now I couldn’t
build props,
they sent me
back to El Toro.
That was late
August of 66.
I loved the C-130 because it just absorbed everything
thrown at it and
kept on flying.
Even when a
short firefight
in Chu Lai
resulted in a
bullet hole in
one of my blade
tips, I just
shot a hole in
the opposite
blade, fired her
up and away we
went.
Raymond Downs
Sends This
Information on
149803:
Thanks Raymond
My name is
Raymond Downs. I
served with
VMGRT-253 from
2002 to 2006. I
was the NCOIC of
the safety and
survival shop.
I'm not sure if
anyone had given
you the
information on
the painting on
the side of 803.
It was done by
Cpl. Dustin
Frend, who I
believe is still
active, and
GySgt. Clayton
Powell who has
since retired.
Our Commanding
officer at the
time LtCol. Adam
Holmes, wanted
us to have
something to
remember our
unit by after we
had
decommissioned.
He had a bunch
of T shirts made
with the slogan
and design.
The bird is
under the CNATT
or NAMTRA MAR
UNIT's control.
I remember how
bad of a
pressurization
problem this
plane had. It
leaked from
every place
possible. I had
flown on 803 a
number of times
on various small
training runs
Travis
Garrett Sends
This Close-Up of
149803 in 2006
Before Decom.:
Thanks Travis
Bud Wildfang and
Gary Olsen -
Photo From MCATA
Newsletter:
October 2005
Kevin Keller
comes though
again with this
on 149803:
Thanks Kevin
149803 is
currently being
used as a static
trainer for
maintenance
students for
removal and
replacement of
components. It
is non-flyable
but still
sitting on
VMGR-252’s line.
I don’t know who
is responsible
for it; the
squadron or the
Maintenance
Training Unit.
No
other
information is
available for
this plane.
Anyone with
stories about
this plane are
encouraged to
send them to
Nick for
postings. Also
any other
photo's of this
plane or the
crew's that flew
her.
Nick@kc130.com |
