Vietnam War

The story of the Bronco pilot that died after ditching his OV-10 to save his observer who couldn’t eject because his parachute was shredded by the explosion of a North Vietnamese SA-7

The story of the Bronco pilot that died after ditching his OV-10 to save his observer who couldn’t eject because his parachute was shredded by the explosion of a North Vietnamese SA-7

Captain Bennett elected to ditch in the Gulf of Tonkin, although he knew that his cockpit area would very likely… Read More

5 months ago

The story of the SR-71 Double-Engine Flameout over North Vietnam that led to the Blackbird’s nickname the “Lead Sled”

The SR-71 was nicknamed the “Lead Sled” by a few people after Jerry O’Malley (pilot) and Ed Payne (RSO) dropped… Read More

5 months ago

USAF Phantom II pilot tells the story of when he belly landed his stricken F-4D without his backseater

‘In retrospect, my ordering WSO to eject was a mistake which I have always regretted. I felt at the time… Read More

5 months ago

Video shows last flying C-123 Provider almost crashing while landing in heavy Crosswinds at Geneseo Airshow

Filmed on Jun. 3, 2023 the video in this post features the last flying C-123 Provider (Serial #54-664, named “Thunderpig”)… Read More

5 months ago

North Vietnamese MiG-21 pilot recalls when his two wingmen were shot down by USAF F-4Cs acting as RF-4Cs in a new tactic devised by Robin Olds four days after Operation Bolo

Col. Robin Olds briefed F-4Cs of the 555th TFS/8th TFW to fly in tight formation along a flightpath regularly used… Read More

5 months ago

The story of the two HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopters that made the first non-stop helicopter flight across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to the 27th Paris Air Show.

The first air-refuelable helicopter to be produced, the HH-3E Jolly Green Giant's retractable fuel probe and external fuel tanks gave… Read More

5 months ago

The Night of the Intruder: the story of the A-6 crew that evaded multiple SAMs and destroyed a heavily defended Rail Ferry near Downtown Hanoi

The mission was publicized for years after as the textbook example of how to use a single A-6 Intruder in… Read More

6 months ago

SR-71 pilot Brian Shul, famous for his ground speed check story, passed away while giving a speech about the Blackbird

SR-71 Blackbird pilot Brian Shul suddenly died in the night of May 20, 2023 in Reno, Nevada, at age 75,… Read More

6 months ago

The Fearsome Crusader scored its last MiG Kill against a North Vietnamese MiG-17 pilot that chose to eject when he found his opponent was an F-8 instead of an F-4

Lt Jerry Tucker kill was disallowed on the grounds that it had been achieved without the use of any weapons,… Read More

7 months ago

During a dogfight over Vietnam an F-8 pilot fired an AIM-9 to a MiG-17 but instead the Sidewinder tracked a Crusader. The missile ended up destroying another AIM-9.

The story of a confused dogfight during the Vietnam War. After having shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17 on May… Read More

7 months ago

Former US Navy F-8 Pilot explains why a carrier landing in the legendary Crusader was a real challenge

“Because of approach speed and scan, you had to work your ass off. But I liked the F-8 because it… Read More

8 months ago

The tragic crash of C-5A Galaxy Number 68-0218 during Operation Babylift

Tragically, the most widely publicized C-5 flight occurred on Apr. 4, 1975, when C-5A Galaxy 68-0218 (S/N 0021) crashed during… Read More

8 months ago

Hanoi Taxi: the story of the C-141 StarLifter that became the first Aircraft to Return Vietnam Prisoners of War to the US

Although C-141 StarLifter aircraft had flown many military and humanitarian missions, none was more significant than the mission flown by… Read More

8 months ago

The Story of how the Skyraider became known as “Sandy” and the A-1’s first CSAR Missions

At first, this kind of mission was performed by US Navy A-1s, but by mid August 1965 the 1st ACS… Read More

10 months ago

This C-130A Hercules flew the last mission out of Vietnam before the fall of Saigon. It landed with 452 people on board, 32 of them in the cockpit, overloaded by at least 10,000 pounds.

On Apr. 29, 1975, C-130A Hercules tail number 56-0518 flew the last mission out of Vietnam before the fall of… Read More

10 months ago

US Naval Aviator recalls when an F-4 pilot had diarrhea aboard his Phantom II over North Vietnam. He continued the mission and when he returned to the carrier, he had to clean his cockpit seat.

‘When he later returned to the ship after his mission, he spent a long time cleaning his cockpit seat, after… Read More

11 months ago

That time an Air America UH-1D Huey shot down a North Vietnamese An-2 Colt Biplane

This engagement marked the first CIA air-to-air victory and the only kill achieved by a helicopter against a biplane. The… Read More

11 months ago
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