Airdrop

"WE HAD TO globule THEM on the road AT THE OF the mountain AT MU GIA PASS, at the fjord AT TCHEPONE AND DOWN IN RATFINK VALLEY-really 'nice' places WITH really profitable gunners."

Part-time smoker

In the article "Do I perceive Lucky" in your June '05 issue, the caption upon page 21 says, "The Phantom's sum of two units J-79 engines were smoky, voracious gas-guzzlers, especially when afterburners were used."

That is solitary partially correct. I speak from my experience of more than 1000 hours in F-4s-mostly F-4E The J-79 engines were indeed of the nature of smoke in the military (non-afterburner) range, and during combat in Vietnam, we were acutely aware of these fingers pointing at us. When you went into afterburner, however, the sooty vapor ceased. This had tactical uses.

When I was flying F-4D and F-4E from Da Nang in 1969 to '7O single of our less-loved missions was the delivery of mines onto the roads of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. They were 500-pound bomb with high-drag fins (snake-eye configuration) and a mine fuse-something magnetic, I think. This fuse supposedly sens the approach of metal (trucks) and detonated on the departure of this metal. Thus, it would descry approaching trucks and then bang up when the trucks had passed it and were starting to impel away.

We had to globule them on the road at the base of the mountain at Mu Gia Pass, at the fjord at Tchepone and down in Ratfink Valley-really "nice" places with really profitable enemy gunners. At Mu Gia and Ratfink, the gunner discharge down at us because these mines had to be dropp from 500 feet or less; these were more [i]or[/i] less of the best gunners in Laos.

We normally carried 18 Mk 34 upon the F-4E. They had a volume maximum-delivery speed of 450 knots. on the contrary on the days when the gunner were really useful the pilot just might exce that spe a little and add a little jinking during delivery.

When we ingressed at 15000 to 20000 feet we had to give leave to down to the 500-foot AGL globule altitude. We especially did not want the J-79's sooty vapor trail pointing its finger at us during this coming down to a rather unhealthy altitude. I always (and required my wingmen to do it, too) made this coming down in the "minimum afterburner" range power setting, with the spe brakes without if necessary. This sounds dumb-AB while going downhill-however, that eliminated the telltale sooty vapor trail. If you pulled enough G while spiraling downward, that kept the airspeed beneath control. Eighteen mines that weighed 9000 strikes hanging underneath your wings proffered a lot of drag.

I felt it was worth the little extra firing material consumed at those times in like manner we would not show those actual good gunners where we were flying while coming down to release-altitude for a like reason we could drop those stupid mines.

And that's the way it was, way back when.

RETIRED FIGHTER PILOT

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Mars news

I just finished reading "Mars Attacks" in your June O issue. It helped answer a standing question at the museum where I work. Who would name an airplane after our librarian, Carolyn Marr? Well, shut enough anyway. Someone found this photo while cataloging our collection and reflection Carolyn would get a kick on the outside of it. The photo is single of four or five taken by means of a Seattle Post-Intelligencer photographer in May 1949 We think it was taken at Sand Point NAS upon Lake Washington but don't have any more information than the date in our records. Maybe single of your readers can identify the ship's company in the photo? Thanks for the great article.

MARK GLEASON

SEATTLE, WA

The June 2005 issue was a real treat. I have individual small correction in reference to the Martin Mars boats: the U Navy actually took delivery of six. The Hawaii Mars was not to be found in an accident in the Chesapeake Bay upon August 5, 1945, and it was replaced by the agency of one of Timber West's aircraft. The Marshall Mars sank not upon Diamond Head, Oahu, in 1950 after an in-flight fire and the resulting forced landing and explosion. NOAA and other underwater researchers discovered that aircraft last December. Identification was aided by dint of the painted name "Marshall" still visible upon the nose. Thanks for all the gratification you have brought us end the years.

WARD DUFFIELD

PINE PLAlNS, NY

'Twas an N2S-1

I just received the June 2005 issue and thoroughly take delight ined it; as usual, another outstanding issue. I would like to bring single thing to your attention concerning the caption for the two-page color centerfold photo of the Vought O3U The fulvid Navy biplane trainer parked just to the left of the O3U was incorrectly identified as a Navy N3N The U Navy BuAer No. 3220 upon the vertical stabilizer identifies this airplane as a Boeing/Stearman N2S-1 Boeing serial number 75-997 This N2S-1 would have been among the 250 Stearmans purchased by means of the Navy through sales order no. 3040 with delivery scheduled from September 1940 to February 1941

I have haveed and flown a 1942 Stearman N2S-3 for the past 35 years, and I also serv as the president of the Stearman Restorers Association for more than 20 years. I have also flown the N3N upon several occasions, so I'm familiar with the couple types of airplane.

TOM LOWE