First Annual USAF Vietnam Group Build

Tal Afar Dave

Cool!! Will definitely be standing by for the pictures!!!  Have a great time, Ken!

Thank you Dave!

Spent today taking lots of pictures at the USAF National Museum.  Took the "Behind the Scenes" tour and took lots of pictures there too.  It is amazing the amount of hard work these volunteers put into restoring their aircraft!  Everything has to be built from scratch.  And they are just as addicted to being authentic as we are!

One of the planes they are currently working on is the Memphis Belle.  We got to see the ball turret which has been completely restored.  And the sad thing is, all that work will never be seen by the public once it is installed back into the plane.  (You can't see inside it from outside the plane.)

And I can't believe my timing!  They are shooting off fireworks tonight, which I was told is a spectacular show.  Everyone that lives around the Dayton Ohio area come to see it.  And I will have a front row seat, since I am staying at the hotel directly across the street.

Tomorrow is the Dayton Air Show, then I will trek back home.

Ken

Cool!! Will definitely be standing by for the pictures!!!  Have a great time, Ken!

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be visiting the USAF National Museum tomorrow.  A large chunk of the day will be spent on the "Behind the Scenes" tour.  The tour takes you to the restoration hangers where you can see aircraft that are being restored that are not yet available to see on the main floor.

I will spend the remaining available time in the Vietnam section taking as many photographs as possible.  I will post some of those when I get back.

While I am at Dayton Ohio, I will attend the Dayton Air Show on Saturday.  There will be a few Vietnam era aircraft on display there as well.  More pictures!

Ken

Matt-Joachim

Sorry for putting so much clutter on here. I now realized after examining my decals unfortunately they are all NAVY or MARINES.

Hi Matt,

I found some decals that you can use for the A-1E:

http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/carcd48046.htm 

Ken

Sorry for putting so much clutter on here. I now realized after examining my decals unfortunately they are all NAVY or MARINES.

Matt-Joachim

Is my Skyraider AD-5 (A-1E) eligible for entry?

Hi Matt,

As Rex stated, yes, the A-1E is eligible for this build.  Just as long as you are using the USAF markings for it.  The Navy also used this plane in Vietnam, that is why I am making the distinction.  If the kit is of a Navy bird, then you can find some aftermarket decals for it.  Another thing that would be different would be the ejection seats, but I am not that big of a stickler to insist that you change that!   

Just let me know the scale and the kit manufacturer and I will add you to the roster!

Ken

TarnShip

I'm not Ken, but, I procrastinate on his group build.

Yes a USAF AD-5/A-1E is a proper aircraft for this group build.

Rex (the guy that is going to have to roll over into the next version of this Group Build, it seems)

Thank you Rex for answering Matt's question for me.  I hear you on the "roll over into the next version".  I keep hoping that I can get caught up on the "extra curricular" that we call "life" so that I can get back to the bench.  Keeping two homes up really makes that a challenge.  I am hoping to get my basement finished up this week, which will be a huge step in the right direction!

Ken

I'm not Ken, but, I procrastinate on his group build.

Yes a USAF AD-5/A-1E is a proper aircraft for this group build.

Rex (the guy that is going to have to roll over into the next version of this Group Build, it seems)

Is my Skyraider AD-5 (A-1E) eligible for entry?

GOSH DAR IT! I''I'll  probably go get the monogram f-4 from hobby lobby for 10$ US with the coupon. I cant believe my incompetence on that part!!

Matt-Joachim

Sorry, I miss-read the deadline. YES i would love to enter my Revell 1:48 corsair II

Hi Matt,

I am really happy that you would like to join this build.  The only problem is that the A-7A was not an USAF bird in Vietnam (unless I am wrong, which is possible).  The only version that I am aware of that flew for the USAF in Vietnam was the A-7D.  If you have something else that does qualify, we would love to have you!

Ken

Sorry, I miss-read the deadline. YES i would love to enter my Revell 1:48 corsair II

oops i thought this wa

s the third event! oppppps

I would like to enter my revell A-7A Corsair II

Hi Everyone,

On "This Day in History", June 19, 1973, the U.S. Congress approved legislation that prohibited further U.S. military activity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia unless prior Congressional approval was given.  Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

The Case–Church Amendment was legislation approved by the U.S. Congress in June 1973 that prohibited further U.S. military activity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia unless the president secured Congressional approval in advance. This ended direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War, although the U.S. continued to provide military equipment and economic support to the South Vietnamese government. It is named for its principal co-sponsors, Senators Clifford P. Case (R-NJ) and Frank Church (D-ID). The Amendment was defeated 48-42 in the U.S. Senate in August 1972, but revived after the 1972 election. It was reintroduced on January 26, 1973 and approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 13.^[1] When it became apparent that the Amendment would pass, President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,^[2] lobbied frantically to have the deadline extended.^[3] It passed the United States Congress with bipartisan support in June by a margin of 325-86 in the House, and 73-16 in the Senate.^[4][5] Both of these margins were greater than the two-thirds majority required to override a presidential veto.^[4] Although U.S. ground forces had been withdrawn earlier under a policy called Vietnamization, bombing continued until August 15, 1973, the deadline set by the Amendment.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

On "This Day in History", June 12, 1970, the Battle of Kompong Speu began.  Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia:

The Battle of Kompong Speu began on June 12, 1970 when the combined forces of the South Vietnamese and Cambodian Armies fought to recapture the provincial capital of Kompong Speu. The town was captured by Communist forces on June 13 but was retaken by allied forces on June 16.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

On "This Day in History", a Vietnamese monk set himself on fire in protest against the South Vietnamese government.  Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

Thích Quảng Đức^[1] (1897 – 11 June 1963, born Lâm Văn Túc), was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11 June 1963.  Quang Duc was protesting the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government led by Ngô Đình Diệm. Photographs of his self-immolation were circulated widely across the world and brought attention to the policies of the Diệm government. John F. Kennedy said in reference to a photograph of Duc on fire, "No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one."^[3] Malcolm Browne won a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph of the monk's death.

The full story can be read here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c 

Ken

Hi Everyone,

It has been a few days since I have posted anything.  I am still trying to recover from my basement flood.

Time for some more "This Day in History".  This actually started yesterday, June 9, 1965, but lasted until June 13.  Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia:

The Battle of Dong Xoai (Vietnamese: Trận Đồng Xoài) was a major^{[not verified in body]} battle fought during the National Liberation Front Summer Offensive of 1965 as part of the Vietnam War. The battle took place in Phuoc Long Province, South Vietnam, between June 9 and 13, 1965. In 1964, General Nguyen Khanh gained control of the South Vietnamese government after General Duong Van Minh was overthrown in a military coup. Even though General Khanh was able to gain control of the military junta, he failed to garner support from the civilian population when he implemented various laws which limited the freedoms of the South Vietnamese people. He then had a falling-out with the Catholic faction within his own government, when he became increasingly reliant on the Buddhist movement to hold on to power. Consequently on February 20, 1965, General Khanh was ousted from power and was forced to leave South Vietnam forever.

The full story can be read here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_%C4%90%E1%BB%93ng_Xo%C3%A0i 

Ken

Beckyhead

Okay...phinally phinished the phantom...

Used Mr. Color acrylics for the finish...great paints...50/50 mix and low air pressure. However, with the Flat Clear, 1/3 thinner 2/3 paint...went through half the bottle until I figured out that problem. Weathered using oils, thinned Tamiya Smoke, and Vallejo washes. This kit was a bear to put together...there are some engineering issues with the kit, especially in the landing gear, along with too fragile parts, lack of detail in the cockpit sidewalls, poor intakes (I am still hoping a company will EVER solve this problem without after-market), and the instructions could user better clarity. Not a Tamiya kit!  However, I think it turned out okay.

Very nice job, Beckyhead! I really like the way the colors blend!

Beckyhead

Okay...phinally phinished the phantom...

Used Mr. Color acrylics for the finish...great paints...50/50 mix and low air pressure. However, with the Flat Clear, 1/3 thinner 2/3 paint...went through half the bottle until I figured out that problem. Weathered using oils, thinned Tamiya Smoke, and Vallejo washes. This kit was a bear to put together...there are some engineering issues with the kit, especially in the landing gear, along with too fragile parts, lack of detail in the cockpit sidewalls, poor intakes (I am still hoping a company will EVER solve this problem without after-market), and the instructions could user better clarity. Not a Tamiya kit!  However, I think it turned out okay.

Great job there Beckyhead.  I especially like how the wash brings out the detail.

Ken

Hey Beckyhead,

Great looking Phantom there; very well executed.  Thanks for sharing your pictures!

Dave

Okay...phinally phinished the phantom...

Used Mr. Color acrylics for the finish...great paints...50/50 mix and low air pressure. However, with the Flat Clear, 1/3 thinner 2/3 paint...went through half the bottle until I figured out that problem. Weathered using oils, thinned Tamiya Smoke, and Vallejo washes. This kit was a bear to put together...there are some engineering issues with the kit, especially in the landing gear, along with too fragile parts, lack of detail in the cockpit sidewalls, poor intakes (I am still hoping a company will EVER solve this problem without after-market), and the instructions could user better clarity. Not a Tamiya kit!  However, I think it turned out okay.

Hi Everyone,

Time for another "This Day in History".  On this day, May 28, 1965, 49 years ago, the Battle of Ba Gia began.  Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia: 

The Battle of Ba Gia was a major battle that marked the beginning of the National Liberation Front's Summer Offensive of 1965, during the early phases of the Vietnam War, which is known in Vietnam as the American War. The battle took place in Quảng Ngãi Province, South Vietnam, between May 28–31, 1965.

The full story can be read here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ba_Gia 

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Time for some more "This Day in History".  On May 26, 1967, 47 years ago today, Operation Union II began.  Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia:

Operation Union II was a military operation that took place in the Vietnam War. It was a search and destroy mission in the Que Son Valley carried out by the 5th Marine Regiment. Launched on May 26, 1967 the operation ended June 5. U.S. reported the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) lost 594 killed and 23 captured, while U.S. casualties were 110 killed and 241 wounded.

The full story can be read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Union_II 

And because this day is Memorial Day, I would like to give a small story about my Dad, who served over half is USAF career in Vietnam.

My Dad had a few different jobs while serving in the USAF.  One that he performed the longest was as a flight engineer on the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter.  The duties of the flight engineer include monitoring all of the aircraft's systems while in flight.

This story is about one mission while he was the flight engineer in charge as a C-141 was preparing to land.  The co-pilot was flying the aircraft with the pilot overseeing the co-pilot.  As my Dad was going through the check list, he discovered that one of the main landing gear had not fully extended and locked.  He reported this immediately to the co-pilot.  My Dad proceeded with troubleshooting the problem and kept reporting the results to the co-pilot.

The co-pilot continued with the landing, making his final approach to the runway.  My Dad continued with his troubleshooting, still reporting the results to the co-pilot.  Unbelievably, the co-pilot continued with the landing and just as the wheels were about to touch, the pilot took over control of the aircraft.  The plane skidded all over the runway as you can imagine.  The pilot did a fantastic job of keeping the aircraft on the runway until it came to a stop.

After the plane stopped, the pilot turned to the co-pilot and asked him, "Were you not listening to the flight engineer?"  The co-pilot's response was "He was making so much noise on the microphone that I turned him off."

Unbelievable but true!

Ken

That truly is amazing, Ken! That poor copilot must have been so nervous he didn't really hear what your father was telling him. Hard to believe but it happens.

Cheers,

Russ

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

My new carpet for the basement arrived at the store Friday.  That means the installer will be calling me Tuesday or Wednesday to setup a date and time to install it.  I am hoping it will be done by this Friday.  That will give me next weekend to finish putting my basement back together.  Right now my house is a complete mess with all of the stuff from the basement shoved into every nook and cranny, including my workbench area.  It will be nice to be able to get back to building once the basement is done.

Ken

 

Great news, Ken! Glad that part of the hassle will be over soon. I can sympathise with you having stuff crammed into every free space - our work room flooded twice due to hurricanes and we had to distribute everything all over the house.

Hang in there!

Russ

Hi Everyone,

Time for some more "This Day in History".  On May 26, 1967, 47 years ago today, Operation Union II began.  Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia:

Operation Union II was a military operation that took place in the Vietnam War. It was a search and destroy mission in the Que Son Valley carried out by the 5th Marine Regiment. Launched on May 26, 1967 the operation ended June 5. U.S. reported the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) lost 594 killed and 23 captured, while U.S. casualties were 110 killed and 241 wounded.

The full story can be read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Union_II 

And because this day is Memorial Day, I would like to give a small story about my Dad, who served over half is USAF career in Vietnam.

My Dad had a few different jobs while serving in the USAF.  One that he performed the longest was as a flight engineer on the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter.  The duties of the flight engineer include monitoring all of the aircraft's systems while in flight.

This story is about one mission while he was the flight engineer in charge as a C-141 was preparing to land.  The co-pilot was flying the aircraft with the pilot overseeing the co-pilot.  As my Dad was going through the check list, he discovered that one of the main landing gear had not fully extended and locked.  He reported this immediately to the co-pilot.  My Dad proceeded with troubleshooting the problem and kept reporting the results to the co-pilot.

The co-pilot continued with the landing, making his final approach to the runway.  My Dad continued with his troubleshooting, still reporting the results to the co-pilot.  Unbelievably, the co-pilot continued with the landing and just as the wheels were about to touch, the pilot took over control of the aircraft.  The plane skidded all over the runway as you can imagine.  The pilot did a fantastic job of keeping the aircraft on the runway until it came to a stop.

After the plane stopped, the pilot turned to the co-pilot and asked him, "Were you not listening to the flight engineer?"  The co-pilot's response was "He was making so much noise on the microphone that I turned him off."

Unbelievable but true!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

My new carpet for the basement arrived at the store Friday.  That means the installer will be calling me Tuesday or Wednesday to setup a date and time to install it.  I am hoping it will be done by this Friday.  That will give me next weekend to finish putting my basement back together.  Right now my house is a complete mess with all of the stuff from the basement shoved into every nook and cranny, including my workbench area.  It will be nice to be able to get back to building once the basement is done.

Ken

Hi Everyone,

"On This Day in History", Group 559 unit of the People's Army of Vietnam was established on May 19, 1959.  Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia:

Group 559 was a transportation and logistical unit of the People's Army of Vietnam that was subordinate to the Rear Services General Directorate. Group 559 was established on 19 May 1959 in order to move troops, weapons, and material (by sea and land) from the North Vietnam to South Vietnam and to build and maintain support facilities en route. The troop consisted with two transportation battalions.

The full story can be read here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_559 

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Today in "This Day in History", May 16, 1974, the Battle of the Iron Triangle began.  Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia:

The Battle of the Iron Triangle took place on May 16, 1974, when the 9th Division of the Vietnam People's Army backed by a small contingent of tanks launched an attack on Rach Bap, took possession of An Dien and pushed south towards Phu Cuong.

The full story can be read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Iron_Triangle 

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Today in "This Day in History" May 13, 1968, the first U.S. and North Vietnamese delegations meet at the Paris peace talks to discuss American withdrawal.

Ken