'GUN' options on Vietnam Hooks?

Hey guys.

If any of you are interested in seeing my pics of my projects for my Trump Hook,contact me at my email address and I will send them to you.

I've tryed and tryed to post them to the forum but can't get it to work.

Sorry.

Drop me a line!!

Mark

marke wrote:

Hey Frank!! Did you get the pix I sent you a few days ago of my projects for my Trump Hook??   What ya think?? Sence we are on the subject of the armament of the Hookers,I have a question.    Is it realilistic to put a gunner on the ramp holding a M60 ( the one that was carried in the troop platoons not the M60D used on Helos) with no ramp mount installed??    I konw that he is always strapped to the monkey harness becouse he might fall out during violent monuvers. Thanks Frank. Mark

Hi Mark,

   Yes, I did get your email.  I apologize for not sending a comment right away, as I have been a bit busy.    You have the angles right on your gear struts it appears... can't wait to see you start putting them together.    Looking forward to seeing some construction pictures.      Also, it wasn't all that uncommon for a crewmember to man a hand held M-60 on the ramp, but generally they were attached to the mount.     Also, concerning "violent maneuvers".... simply moving through unstable air, such as heat thermals or in gusty conditions, can render the crew member temporaily weightless, and bounce him right off the edge of the ramp.   (he's going to be grabbing for something to hold onto and turn loose of the weapon..... that's why mounting it was preferred)

Hi Troy,

   For lack of a better picture, I am posting this one of a door gun mount in a CH-21, which affectively shows a similar type locking mechinism on the mount tube.       Hope this helps a little.

Take care,

Frank

Thanks again Frank!

I guess what I meant to say was: Did the door and window 'Guns' easily move right to left on the round bars or where they spring or cable assisted?

Hey Mark...what pics....what gives?

Hey Frank!!

Did you get the pix I sent you a few days ago of my projects for my Trump Hook??   What ya think??

Sence we are on the subject of the armament of the Hookers,I have a question.    Is it realilistic to put a gunner on the ramp holding a M60 ( the one that was carried in the troop platoons not the M60D used on Helos) with no ramp mount installed??    I konw that he is always strapped to the monkey harness becouse he might fall out during violent monuvers.

Thanks Frank.

Mark

Papa-Echo-64 wrote:

...."of course they never wher in laos" Were those forward door and window gun mounts easily moved side to side on the support bars by just the gunners will alone or where the 'gun mounts' cable assisted via springs or something?.......and I take it that the M24 aircraft system is the basic M-60D?

Of course...

The crew removed the weapons at the end of the day, along with the ramp M-60D mount (if used).     The #2 position (CE Door) mount swung open via a hinge, and was locked in place by a pip pin, to allow crew access.     I don't remember if I ever saw the mount in the #1 Position opened.   (might have been, but I never saw it)

Here you can kinda see the CE Door mount.

Oh yeah....... in the picture I posted earlier of Go-Go ramp, note, there's no secondary ramp within the ramp body... the ACH-47's didn't use the secondary ramp because of internal bracing. FYI [;-)]

Take care,

Frank

Thanks Frank...I should have gave that some thought....a real no brainer 

  My Cousin had a blast with those duel 50 Cal's on the nose of his MKII Pibber during the Brown water opps...."of course they never wher in laos"

Wher those forward door and window gun mounts easily moved side to side on the support bars by just the gunners will alone or where the 'gun mounts' cable assisted via springs or something?.......and I take it that the M24 aircraft system is the basic M-60D?

Papa-Echo-64 wrote:

Thanks Frank! but.....did any other Hooks in Nam other than the Guns A Go Go have the 'ramp' mount armament?

Troy,

  Unless some unit rigged it's own mounting platform, the Go-Go's were the only ones with permanant fixtures attached to the ramp.    Slick units used the ramp for loading/unloading material & personnel, so having a non movable .50 mount would be impractical.

Take care,

Frank

Thanks Frank!

but.....did any other Hooks in Nam other than the Guns A Go Go have the 'ramp' mount armament?

Troy,

    Here's a couple diograms from the Chinook TM showing the mounted gun positions on a Slick Chinook.     In Vietnam, it was also common to have the aft side window panels removed to allow cabin personnel a gun port for their personal weapons.

Hope this helps...

Take care,

Frank

Melgyver wrote:

If anybody did it would have been the 101st.  They put guns on some of their Medevac's.  Both exceptions to the "rule"!