DOVER MINI-REUNION!!

WE NOW HAVE 56 AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES!

GAME ON!!!!!

Sorry, No Pay at the Door Option!

 

When: Monday, 11 June 2012

Where: At the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum on the south side of Dover AFB, click on: http://amcmuseum.org/

Schedule: 1400 Begin the Gathering; 1800 Cocktail Hour; 1900 Sit-down Dinner Served Buffet Style, beer & wine included!*

BARGAIN-BASEMENT PRICE:
$18 per person!

The Museum is closed on Mondays, so we have the place to ourselves! Come early (and help set-up for dinner); Stay late (and help clean-up)!

Send check for number in party to:
Sandy Sandstrom
34772 Frontier Road,
Lewes, DE 19958-2649 ASAP!
but no later than 11 May!

*Catered by WHERE PIGS FLY

REUNION REMINDER!!

WE ONLY HAVE 12 AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSES! WE NEED AT LEAST 50 FOR THE NUMBERS TO WORK!

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING US AND SENDING YOUR CHECKS TO SANDY ASAP!

(see below)

When: Monday, 11 June 2012

Where: At the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum on the south side of Dover AFB, click on: http://amcmuseum.org/

Schedule: 1400 Begin the Gathering; 1800 Cocktail Hour; 1900 Sit-down Dinner Served Buffet Style, beer & wine included!*

BARGAIN-BASEMENT PRICE:
$18 per person!

The Museum is closed on Mondays, so we have the place to ourselves! Come early (and help set-up for dinner); Stay late (and help clean-up)!

Send check for number in party to:
Sandy Sandstrom
34772 Frontier Road,
Lewes, DE 19958-2649 ASAP!
but no later than 11 May!

*Catered by WHERE PIGS FLY

Navigator reunion 2012

I just received an info sheet/registration for a Harlingen/Connally reunion, 20-21 Sep, at Randolph. Go to http://www.james-connally.org and click the Reunion tab. Jim Faulkner maintains class lists for Harlingen and Connally.

GAME ON!

THANKS TO SANDY SANDSTROM & HIS COLLEAGUES IN DOVER, WE HAVE A PLAN FOR THE LONG-AWAITED MINI-REUNION (1 day event):

When: Monday, 11 June 2012

Where: At the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum on the south side of Dover AFB, click on: http://amcmuseum.org/

Schedule: 1400 Begin the Gathering; 1800 Cocktail Hour; 1900 Sit-down Dinner Served Buffet Style, beer & wine included!*

BARGAIN-BASEMENT PRICE:
$18 per person!

The Museum is closed on Mondays, so we have the place to ourselves! Come early (and help set-up for dinner); Stay late (and help clean-up)!

Send check for number in party to:
Sandy Sandstrom
34772 Frontier Road,
Lewes, DE 19958-2649 ASAP!
but no later than 11 May!

*Catered by WHERE PIGS FLY

Winter 2012, Book II

Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Eighties

By: Paul Johnson

Published by Harper & Row, 1983

MATS C-133 squadrons came into existence during the height of the “cold war” so crew-members were quite cognizant of this worldwide clash of cultures and much of its vicious nature. But, to many of us, much of the country seemed asleep or unaware of the crimes being committed or had been committed against humankind by this gang of thugs. Our citizens knew the crimes of Nazism, but it was said that by highlighting the crimes of communism, there would be a danger of putting the crimes of Nazism into the background. That seemed absurd, as the crimes of the Nazis are well known whereas the crimes of the communists are routinely whitewashed in the highest circles of academia and government. Through the years I have often wondered if the true nature of the 20^th century would ever be encompassed in a readable format, one that C-133 crew-members could attest as true to their experience. I believe this is it!

The Search Begins

A few years back while wintering in Key West, we were invited by a friend of old to join a group that meets every Friday, and has so for the past thirty-five years. Supposedly, the group’s original charge was to discuss esoteric subjects such as the current economic and political conditions that beleaguer the world. Since we meet in a local Irish Bar and the conflicting visions of governance are such that civilized discussion can be difficult, we have saved our friendships by turning to such mundane subjects as the evening’s selection among the hundred or so beers and ales available. For me, that provokes an equal amount of thought and attention! We call the group the Salon at the Saloon.

Various professionals are represented and one of my favorites is an ex-Harvard American History professor who served as an MP in Heidelberg, Germany, during the same years I was with the University of Maryland at USAREUR Hdqs, also located in Heidelberg. Even though we did not know each another then, we have a lot in common given my interest in American History and our simultaneous times serving with the DOD in Germany during the height of the Cold War.

The Search Defined

After several weeks of trading tall tales (all true) we both mentioned that someone must have written a history that embraced those years of the 20^th century that would be forceful and convincing to the intellect and reason of why the U.S. was involved in such unpredicted worldwide confusion and disorder. Our involvement, given America’s long political history of national isolationism, would be especially interesting. Also, the age range and the missions of our USAF service years would coincide with much of this 20^th Century history.

I knew it would take a special author with a well-researched text to fully describe the 20^th century political mixes along with the tremendous scientific advances that led to incredible violence and repression by regimes as they attempted to resolve their national problems largely through the introduction of a new type of “social engineering”, totalitarianism. It is from the history of the 20^th century that we learn anew that totalitarian leaders in any situation will claim benevolence on behalf of doing whatever it thinks it needs to do in pursuit of its goals.

The great Irish writer C.S. Lewis once said that ‘of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive’. The carnage wrought through the acquisitive principles of such regimes produced the deadliest of all centuries with atrocitologists estimating total military and civilian casualties ranging up to 275,000,000. MATS C-133 crewmembers shared many of their years with much of it as we had veterans of every conflict beginning with WWII, and the Cargomaster was involved in several beginning shortly after its 1956 service debut.

The Author of Choice

There are many authors who have written about major historical events that took place during the 20^th century, but my search was for a more comprehensive narrative than the single significant occurrence. After several weeks it finally ended when I unexpectedly found Modern Times, by Paul Johnson, during attendance at the local library book sale. Johnson was educated in the Jesuit tradition at Stonyhurst College and then Oxford, at first a Liberal, but turned into a Conservative during the 70’s, and became a trusted advisor to Margaret Thatcher.

Johnson is a stubborn critic of modernity because of what he sees as its moral relativism, and is a staunch anti-communist. It turns out that Modern Times is “… a major full-scale analysis of how the modern age came into being and where it is heading”. It is a marvelously written history that tells the story of the evolving six decades after WWI. Johnson covers all of the major events, ideas, and personalities during those years; and, those were the formative years of the majority of readers of our site, mainly C-133 crew-members. We lived not only the years he depicts, but the events as well!

The Engine of Envy

A faint-hearted author, who Johnson is not, would be hardly suitable to take on the task of writing the history of our century, as it was a brutal picture of unspeakable violence. The great revelation of the 20^th century was the remarkable capacity for humankind to disregard a basic moral tenet of the bible: Do not stand idly by while your neighbor’s blood is shed. The chaotic results stemming from such idle disregard by the world for his fellow man were frightening and remain frightening.

Presently, many are again publicly embracing the egregious populist and sophistic arguments of class warfare as they attempt a national political resurrection to gain both personal and party power. Johnson defines this as envy: “The urge to distribute wealth equally, and still more the belief that it can be brought about by political action, is the most dangerous of all popular emotions. It is the legitimation of envy, of all the deadly sins the one which a stable society based on consensus should fear the most. The monster state is a source of many evils; but it is, above all, an engine of envy.” Is there a person among us who can argue against this thesis?

These charlatans of envy and their intent to deceive are the ‘intellectuals’ who think ideas are more important than people. It is a dangerous song they sing, very dangerous, a song that is disheartening for our Republic when it emanates from our political class. Man’s ability to be inhumane to his follow man is told in the above numbers and they are astounding! One such author, Matthew White, drew three big lessons from his study of history’s carnage: “Chaos is more deadly than tyranny, the world is much more disorganized than we realize, and more civilians than soldiers are killed in wars-in fact, the army is usually the safest place to be during wartime.”

The Lesson for Today

The 20^th century lesson for today’s democracies is to be far more cautious of these present-day charlatans calling themselves “transformers” bearing their false promises of Utopia that often become the foundation for the assuring, deceiving lies leading to totalitarianism. One of Hitler’s last recorded remarks was: “Afterwards, you rue the fact that you’ve been so kind.” It seems difficult to find the kindness in him or his murdering totalitarian world brethren. Their motives were greed not only for land and power, but for blood as well. In the end these were systems of government made possible by an evil ideology that had expelled not only absolute moral values but also reason itself. Many of the citizens became “dream dancers” who would pay dearly for the blind trust they put into their leadership. Thus, became the legacy of the 20^th century socialists/communists/fascists thuggery: that of a widespread practice of genocide rather than that of a Utopia. The Century turned out to be a world of war for democratic survival against predatory totalitarian rulers. Will it ever end?

The Beginning

Johnson sets the beginning of our modern 20^th century as 29 May 1919, in the first sentence in his first Chapter, “A Relativistic World”, when photographs of a solar eclipse were developed that proved Einstein’s 1905 paper, “The Special Theory of Relativity”, had been right. To some this was like a Greek drama, “…a great adventure in thought had at last come home to shore”. Einstein became a global hero, the impact of his theory was immediate, and for the first time there was a belief that there were no longer any absolutes, above all of value. Relativity became confused with relativism and, ”…the highly developed sense of personal responsibility and of duty towards a settled and objectively true moral code…” was undermined. Thus, the century began its unimaginable, unprecedented moral degeneration as all the horrors of all the ages were seemingly brought together. Only a few had predicted such a suicide for Western Civilization and its rapid spread throughout the World.

The remaining Chapters build upon the events and the personalities leading to the breakdown of morality that unleashed the worldwide evils of totalitarianism upon the unsuspecting. Each Chapter guides the reader forward through the Century with detail and anecdotes of the politics and culture of those countries as they fell prey to an incredible repression of human rights and personal violence. Johnson leaves no world leader untouched as he directs the reader through the six decades since the First World War each having major implications for the following decade’s economic order and open warfare.

Suicide of the 60’s

One of my favorite Chapters titled “America’s Suicide Attempt” speaks directly to the 1960’s as that was the time most C-133 Crew-members were either serving in the USAF or nearing the age that they would be. It was a decade of change beginning largely with the election of Kennedy. Johnson notes that Kennedy had ‘class’ and that meant he was the first president since Roosevelt who never had to earn his living. Like FDR, he turned D.C. into a city of hope, which in turn meant a place where middle-class intellectuals flocked for employment. It was ‘the new Camelot’.

But, Johnson becomes more scathing as he turns to the handling of Cuba, Vietnam, and the space program as a failure to distinguish between image and reality. Even more serious, in his view, was the media’s notion that increasingly conveyed to the public a Vietcong victory was inevitable. Vietnam grew into a media war where President Johnson became the tool of the military and Goldwater a suicidal aggressor whose stated strategy would put America in danger of a nuclear war.

There is compelling evidential blame about those who acted without regard for the truth in order to enhance their own political and personal agenda. Such prevarication by the major news journalists, Ambassador Lodge, and Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, are abundant. That turned out to be one of the saddest commentaries for the Country and for those who served during that period.

The Problem Eliminator

The author then takes the reader into the new fiscal and social policies of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Kennedy introduced a new concept of ‘big government’ as the problem eliminator: That every area of human misery could be classified as a ‘problem’, and that the Federal government could be armed to ‘eliminate’ it. Thus, ‘The Great Society’ and dozens of other government programs were initiated and began to grow along with budget deficits existing to this day.

President Johnson, fearing inflation and his inability to control it given the expenditures that were needed to fulfill his promises, told Wilbur Mills, “…the country’s economy was about to go down the drain.” A welfare state had been created that pushed people out of the productive economy permanently and made them dependents of the state. The author then points to that as the hidden reason President Johnson left public life in 1968.

President Johnson’s caused demise remains the fiscal story to this day: All a government program needs to be successful is more money. The lack of measurable successful outcomes and their inability to become self-sustaining suggests these programs were misconceived, ill directed, and never ending. An unassailable but sad truism from Bastiat’s era to our present day continues to be, “…how the few have managed to plunder the many through the sophistry that persuades the victims they are being robbed for their own benefit.”

The Failure of Education

Then the author begins his most scathing criticisms of the 60’s by assailing “the old Liberal belief that universal education alone could make democracy tolerable”. This, he felt assured, created the central mirage of the decade. His critique of the nation’s “myth” of education being a miracle cure for society’s ills is the most devastating discussion of our failed attempt to make “middle-class democracy…with all of its freedoms” the “wave of the future” that I have read. Johnson describes the failure of the knowledge industry during the 1960’s as a “…tragic and painful…loss of illusions over education”. Student demonstrations during the ‘60’s were the most violent in American history creating untold public and physical damage to the environment of higher education that persists to this day.

Johnson was quick to note the unintended consequences of our failed experiment with social engineering by the education profession remained for students, parents, states, and the federal government all saddled with high costs, students with declining test scores and declining confidence, and noted business leaders complaining. During the intervening years, student loans along with federal funding has morphed into a back door financial subsidizing of the education industry; and, during 2011 student loan debt alone was estimated to be over $1 Trillion thereby exceeding credit card debt. These disastrous results for families and students have created a loss of national confidence as they ponder the economic advantages for more public education.

The 60’s decade is closed out with the observation that the combination of the failures of Vietnam, the collapse of The Great Society, and the Imperial Presidency constituted a suicide attempt that returned international society to the fear and disarray of the 1930’s. Equally, it undermined the capacity of American leadership to respond to the new instability that was created.

But Why

Johnson’s examination of the 20^th Century is so consuming that reading Modern Times was actually rather refreshing. The country’s historical crises of past years were constantly flashing through my mind as they were complex, dangerous, and never before experienced by our nation. Most of us (Crewmembers) have constant memory from the decade before WWII and most of the events we know of, but not why. Johnson has filled that gap of knowledge of why?

After becoming unusually engrossed in my reading of his text I began to purposely slow down, not wanting to finish, as each chapter was a path leading to a better understanding of the events that effected our lives. The day of completion was rather melancholy as Johnson was leaving my life, along with the fervent hope that the story he has written is never to return. The 20^th Century was like no other, except we were there. Enjoy!

Reviewed by:

Richard Spencer, 39^th ATS, ‘62-’65, DAFB

PS: Here is a chapter by chapter outline of Modern Times. I suggest a review of each chapter outline before reading. It will add immensely to your enjoyment.

CLICK ON:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~odyssey/Politics/Quotes/Modern_Times.html#MT16

PPS: And here is a terrific interview conducted by the WSJ with Johnson titled "Why America Will Stay on Top". Enjoy!

CLICK ON:
WHY AMERICA WILL STAY ON TOP

RICK S.

Drone Controllers

From a friend….

We had a drone pilot as a guest speaker at one of our American Legion Post meetings. It was interesting to hear him talk. He said they get flight pay and hour credits as if they were actually airborne. Drones are also controlled from Arizona. He said they see some "interesting" things on roof tops on warm summer nights with the infrared night vision. Wonder what he meant?

The female drone controller is actually flying the aircraft. Her flight instruments screen is located in the upper left of the lower central large monitor screen. The other screens are views from the drone itself.

The control booths or rooms are made in Garland, Texas by Raytheon .

For non-pilots, these particular controllers are in Nevada and each is flying a drone on the other side of the world, thousands of miles away, in the combat zone in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their left hand is on the throttle controlling the drone's engine. The right hand is flying the plane. All the buttons used to fly the drone are located on the joystick. The controller never removes his or her hand from the throttle.

Kill a Taliban leader then go home for lunch or dinner! Welcome to the new world. Imagine how big the communication pipe has to be to pump all the data necessary to perform these complicated tasks through it on the other side of the world in REAL TIME. It is not a modem you or I will ever get our hands on at Radio Shack !!! This is modern warfare.

Today's headline: Missiles Fired From Nevada Controlled Drone Aircraft Kill Taliban Leader in Afghanistan.

Now watch how it;s done ....

ICBM transport

In the course of writing the book, there has been some discussion about whether transporting ICBMs was a primary design criterion for the C-133. In going through some Douglas material, I found the following:

A Douglas historical background, DAC-67975, states that the tentative initial configuration of what became the C-133 had the basic design mission to carry 50,000 pounds of cargo 1,500 NM with a takeoff distance of 5,000'. This was as of 8 Oct 1952. The final configuration was Douglas Model 1333, weighing 275,000 pounds, a mission radius of 1,500 NM at 260 knots with a 60,300 pound payload. A range mission would transport 42,000 poounds 3,500 NM at 360 knots.

The first mention of ICBMs was in connection with Letter Contract AF33(600)-32817, dated 31 Oct 56 (seven months after the C-133's first flight), in which the major change was the redesign of the aft fuselage for Atlas loading capability. The redesign gave increased loading clearances. The Douglas material makes no mention of ICBM transport as a mission requirement associated with any of the various contracts prior to 31 Oct 56.

An article in Aircraft and Missiles Magazine, written by Philip Geddes in August 1959, discusses the aft fuselage modifications. He notes that the three-door design of the C-133A was changed to "the four-door clamshell design of the C-133B. This modification gives nearly 13 ft headroom at the loading ramp wth 12 ft width; sufficient to ingest an Atlas ICBM."

Another document is "Background History of the C-133 Aircraft," prepared by the Directorate of Aerospace Safety, Norton AFB, CA, dated 20 Jan 65. It comments that "AMC studied the C-133's capability of transporting missiles, such as : the SM-65 and the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) of the Atlas program." AF approval of the final shape of the Atlas occurred on 14 Jan 55. A major development and test contract was awarded to Convair on 14 January 1955 for a 10 foot diameter missile. Empty weight was 8,750 pounds. This configuration represented a smaller, lighter missile than first designed by Convair in 1953.

Given that the Formal Specification DS-1333 was submitted to AMC for approval on 1 Jun 53, while Convair was still working on the final Atlas configuration, in addition to the Douglas material cited above, I am convinced and comfortable with the conclusion that the C-133 WAS NOT originally designed to transport ICBMs, of which Atlas was the first. Such employment came later, after the capabilities of the C-133 became clear.

It is more likely that over-the-road requirements and the C-133's cargo envelope resulted in final ICBM dimensions rather than the reverse!

New C-133 Web Site

John Sachetti was a loadmaster at Dover. He has started a new web site about the C-133 in the Vietnam War.

http://c-133flightstovietnam.com/

Electric Powered Taxi

Thanks to Jack Slocombe for the following link to this interesting video of new German "electric taxi" technology:

Click on: Electric Powered Taxi

Naming the C-133

It took a while to settle on a name for the C-133. As early as 9 Apr 56, Wilson Silsby sent a memo stating the preference of a name that incorporated the word "Globe", rather than "Spacemaster", which would continue the "Master" word used for earlier Douglas transports.

On 1 Apr 58, Wilson Silsby said that he had been trying for a year to get a name. His preference was "Globeranger" and suggested that the larger C-132 be called the "Spacemaster."

On 8 Apr 58, R.J. Davis memoed several other Douglas staff, saying that USAF and the Army were asking about a name. Davis commented that the name might continue the "Globe" format, both because of the C-124's name and the globe in the DAC company insignia. Possibilities were Globespanner, Globegirdler, Globebuilder, Globetraveler, Globeking, Globecarrier, Globeruler, Globefreighter and Globelifter. The name Globemaster III was considered, carrying on the C-74 and C-124 tradition.

The same day, Don Black replied that the naming issue had taken the time of three meetings. Twenty names were suggested and the list was narrowed to eleven. A vote on each of the names left "Cargomaster" the favorite. Black personally concurred with Silsby on "Globeranger," but "the consensus was otherwise. "

The name "Cargomaster" was sent first to "Jr." (Donald Douglas, Jr.) for his consideration. He approved and the name went then to the military relations group, who concurred. A teletype message dated 30 Apr 58 stated the USAF concurred in the name and said Douglas was free to issue a press release at any time. Later that week was deemed to be the moment to make the
announcement.

The above comes from copies of several Douglas intracompany memos from 1956 and 1958.

Cal Taylor

We Remember

Country music recording artist Dwayne O'Brien performed his song "We Remember" live at the ICAS Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. And he produced this video to be projected on the screens behind him while he sang.

Click on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU1oB8sGyYM

Thanks to Bob Maguire for the link to this awesome video!

Colleague Request!!

We have a new contact who is looking for information you may have! Here's an e-mail just received:

I still have my personal log of all flights as a C-133 navigator. The personal log includes the aircraft tail numbers, among other information. Unfortunately, I did not write down the tail number of my last C-133 flight. So here's a question that has nagged me for 41 years -- What was that number??

The flight took place on 25 June 1971. We took off from Dover at 1409Z and landed at Wright-Paterson AFB at 1623Z. We left the C-133 at Wright-Pat. We boarded a T-29 (tail number 91941), took off at 1659Z, and landed at Dover at 1900Z.

The flight crew consisted of Maj. Edward W. Venable (AC), Maj. Boyd G. Burd (CP), SSgt. Duane L. Acker (FE), and 1LT Paul R. Ogushwitz (NAV). Maj. Jeryl R. Krause signed the flight order as flight Ops Officer. Unusually, the flight order provides a call sign "MEL8" in item 6, where it would normally say "C133A". The flight order also gave a mission "S-8" in item 7, where it would normally say "Airlift". (If necessary, I can provide a copy of the flight order -- with SSANs blacked out.)

Somehow I had always thought that we flew 62008 that day, perhaps because 62008 is on display at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Pat. However, Air Force Museum personnel have offered me copious proof that 62008 was delivered by our squadron commander, Larry Doyle, and crew on 17 March 1971.

As I understand it, June 1971 was rather late in the game for the 133's. There must have been very few left at Dover. Apparently, most of them were flown to Davis-Monthan AFB and mothballed in March and April 1971. So, for all I know, this may have been the very last C-133 to be retired out of Dover. The 1st MAS was deactivated on 30 June 1971, just five days later.

I am asking for everyone's help in identifying the aircraft we flew that day. Do Air Force records still exist? Is there a way to contact the other crew members? What did the notation "S-8" signify on the flight order? Perhaps you can think of other ways to get that tail number.

Cal Taylor's wonderful book ("Remembering An Unsung Giant", chapter 22) contains a list of the aircraft by date they were retired. From that, I identified the possible tail numbers that were still flying in June 1971. Cal mentioned "aircraft data cards" to me -- does anyone have access to them?

Thank you very kindly for helping me learn that tail number. Best regards to all.

Paul "Gus" Ogushwitz, Navigator, C-133, 1MAS, Dover AFB, DE
e-mail: pro@goes.com

Winter 2012, Book I

I. FIGHTER PILOT: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds

By Christina Olds and Ed Rasimus, St. Martin’s Press, May 2010

There are few among us who live their childhood dreams to the fullest, from their beginning to their end, and with Duty, Honor, Country as their true North no matter the personal danger or professional consequences. Robin Olds was one such USAF warrior and he never wavered at the sight of the enemy whether at 50,000’, at tree top level, behind a Pentagon desk, or confronting a ragged group of Vietnam protestors. He was fearless in his resistance to gratuitous attacks upon the men he commanded or the country he defended.

Risk of life was a way of life for Olds as he flew fighters during WWII and Vietnam never shirking as he personally led his men into the thick of an air battle. In spite of constant volunteering he missed Korea because his movie star wife, Ella Raines, secretly persuaded Laurance Rockefeller to use his political influence to take her husband from the list. Even with such a personal setback, Olds became a legendary Fighter Ace during our generation and this is his story compiled by his daughter and dozens of colleagues as they completed his unfinished memoirs. This is not a biography; it is the chronicle of a life in the words of Olds himself; a great man who lived a remarkable life.

Olds’ earliest memories were listening to his father and his pursuit pilot buddies who were “… gods to me, men in planes of wood and cloth…I had to be a fighter pilot….” Born in 1922 by the age of five Olds could name planes by the sound of their engines, by eight his father took him on his first flight in an open-cockpit plane, then he began to meet his father’s “brotherhood of pilots” from the great war, Arnold, Spaatz, Eaker, La Guardia, George, Andrews, and Rickenbacker to name just a very few. Through these initial experiences, Olds began to integrate the dreams of these early pioneers into his growing consciousness.

This small band of WWI Army Air Corp veterans were determined to change the battle of future wars by making air power prevail, to carry the war to the enemy in order to end the horror of trenches, and to eliminate the endless stalemate and thousands of casualties without gain. The visions of these early flyboys were met with scorn and derision as they could not occupy territory nor rule the sea. Billy Mitchell was court-martialed for his determination and Olds’ father was one of the men at his side during the trial. Such bureaucratic “scandals” were commonplace in Olds’ early life and he carried a dislike for “desk jobs” throughout his career. He only wanted to fly and lead men defending our country’s freedoms without constant meddling from those not in the battle. He was an aerial warrior! He was a fighter pilot! He wanted to win!

Olds received an appointment in 1940 to the U.S, Military Academy entering into the class of 1944 and onto the freshman football team where he ultimately became an inductee into the National Football Hall of Fame for his All-American play. He was considered one of the toughest college players of his time playing the full sixty minutes of each game. Because of the outbreak of WWII, the class graduated in June 1943, a full year early, and to the dismay of the old-time infantry who had been running the Point for years over half of the graduates chose the AAC. Olds was off to fly and nothing else mattered. He was on his way!

With his pilot Wings pinned on by General Hap Arnold he was sent for training in the P-38 Lighting with seven other West Point classmates where they all became members of the 479^th Fighter Group and went to WWII together. One was killed, two became POW’s, one almost finished a tour but quietly disappeared, two finished and went home, and the remaining member, Olds, went on to fly two tours, become a twenty-two- year-old major, and commander of the 434^th Fighter Squadron. He participated in “a small event called D-day”; and, his description of the panoply of war from the coast of Britain to Normandy during the early days of the Invasion are as vivid as any I have encountered. Olds became the 479^th first Ace and the last P-38 Ace of the War. The Squadron converted to P-51 Mustangs, and he completed the War with 12 aerial victories.

During the interval between WWII and Vietnam Olds served in various fighter squadrons beginning with the original P-80 “Shooting Star” at March Field, as an RAF exchange pilot in the “Meteor IV”, back to March with F-86’s, to Landstuhl for air defense of Western Europe, to Wheelus which was perfect for aerial combat training, and then to the Pentagon where he began secretly planning an assignment to SEA. His method to obtain the assignment was to aggravate his CO to the point where an SEA tour would be his punishment. And finally he heard the magic words, “And you, Olds, you’re exactly the kind of officer who should be in Southeast Asia!” Music to his ears!

His ruse worked and at last Olds was on his way to Vietnam where he would round out his legend as “…probably the greatest aerial warrior America ever produced”. After much conniving on his part, Olds, 44 years old and 22 years out of WWII, finally arrived at Ubon Royal Thai AFB 30sep66 as CO of the 8thTFW with F-4’s awaiting him. Olds quickly realized he had stepped into a troublesome situation as the commanders flew little, knew little about the missions, never had full Wing pilots’ meeting; and, on the whole, consisted of a low-morale, dejected group of USAF officers. Olds began the process of righting the situation by quickly announcing at a full Wing meeting that they were going to train him to be Green Lead and that he would be on the same flight schedule as they. “My name is Olds, I fly fighters, and I am your new boss.” They immediately sensed that their new CO had come to win!

Being the new ‘boy’ on the block and seeing the air battle beginning to favor the North, he finally was able to convince the ‘brass’ that this threat needed to be confronted and he devised what became the most successful air plan of the War: Bolo. Olds took personal responsibility to lead the first flight into the air battle where they were to simulate a Thud feint all the way in. In an ensuring ten-minute ‘dog fight’ seven MiG’s were destroyed and the ability of the F-4 to effectively engage the enemy aircraft was proven. In Olds’ opinion, the F-4 lacked only guns and they were recommended for future models.

Olds quickly realized that flying into the target area of the North with the missiles and MiG’s to be confronted was so intense that, “Nothing I experienced in WWII matched it.” But, that was the Vietnam War, brutal and soul-searching, without commitment to winning it, and being fought by the U.S. with good manners rather than the will to finish the enemy. During his tour Olds had four air victories and was being threatened by the Pentagon that as an Ace or the completion of 100 missions he would be instructed to return stateside. He would be too valuable a target to fly missions and would have to leave his command. Olds then decided to fly as a wingman and not chalk up his missions until his normal tour was concluded. He finished with 152 missions and passed up several personal opportunities for ‘kills’ leaving them to others. It was during this time that the famed Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association was formed at Korat, a base familiar to many C-133 crewmembers, and Olds instigated the first Officer Club River Rat MiG Sweep, which lasts to this day.

With Olds’ frequent requests to stay at Ubon for another combat tour rebuffed, he was assigned as Commandant, USAF Academy, at the personal request of the Superintendent of the Academy, General Moorman. On his way to the Academy he met with President Johnson suggesting that we should ‘win the war’ by mining Haiphong Harbor and totally destroy the seat of government in Hanoi. The Pentagon considered these public sentiments as insubordinate behavior that could have serious disciplinary consequences and that he should tone down his public utterances. Olds’ tour at the Academy was not without public appearances where he continued to vent his frustration about the War as he saw the people in Washington (especially Kennedy, Johnson, and McNamara) having never grasped the basic objective; and, that human lives were a high price to engage without reason. He accused these men as playing at war without an understanding of its conduct. He would end his public speeches, ”…the way to end the war is to win it.”

During his three-year tour at the Academy, Olds was promoted to BG but then offered to give up his star in return for reassignment to combat in SEA. This request was quickly met with a blunt rejection; and, his next and last USAF assignment was Director of Aerospace Safety at Norton AFB that he found challenging and interesting. During one of his inspection visits to Ubon, the 555^th commander was determined to give Olds another chance at getting number five. To the disappointment of Olds and to the great relief of the CO, the North did not send up any MiGs. Their careers were saved!

On June 1, 1973, Olds retired from the USAF exactly thirty years after graduating from West Point. During his career, he received the Distinguished Service Medal, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Silver Stars, 20 Air Medals, the Legion of Merit, and the Air Force Medal.

Olds retired to Steamboat Springs, CO, to a home he would never leave. But, clearly, he never retired from being a fighter pilot, and on Thursday evening, June 14th, 2007, Olds made his final flight. Retired Brigadier General Robin Olds, United States Air Force, passed away peacefully from congestive heart failure, one month short of his 85th birthday. Olds, with a life that can never be duplicated was now a legend, and a well deserved one at that. He now lives forever within the annals of USAF history.

My review is meant to provide only a skeletal examination of General Olds’ life as a combat fighter pilot. In fact, to not read his memoirs is a personal disservice if you like first-hand, colorful, and riveting descriptions of modern air battles with supersonic weapons at a time and in a place familiar to C-133 crewmembers. Olds considered himself “one lucky old seat-of-the-pants guy” and never understood how the “kids today can fly with computers.” If you start to read, you will have trouble putting it down.

Lastly, I would like to thank Terry Wall for recommending and assisting me through this review. Enjoy!

Richard Spencer

39^th ATS, Dover AFB, 1962-1965

PS: If you want more info before reading this bio of Robin Olds, just Bing or Google him and you will find 480,000 hits. He had one amazing USAF life that will probably peak your interest. Olds was during our time and you will recognize many of the bases that we flew into where he was stationed. Maybe, some of you knew him!

Cheers, Rick

Rick Spencer Back in Action....Again!!

Hello C-133 crew-members! I must apologize for falling behind my personal commitment to post a book review once a month that somehow ties into our USAF service no matter how tenuous the tie may be. But, I, as you, was very busy with the summer as that is when the kids and grandkids visit, perfecting my golf swing is a high priority, and the daylight hours take away from my time for reading and writing. Also, during this summer we began to market our house in order to move to Reston, VA, to be close to our youngest son and his family. We continue that effort, to no avail, as the Delaware housing market has flat lined.

We are now spending our 5^th winter in Key West where I mostly golf, fish, and read while Sue continues with her painting. Key West is an easygoing town loaded with cultural activities that are easily accessible and also has a large military presence. The Navy’s East coast Top-Gun fighter training base, Boca Chica NAS is next door, and the F-16’s and F-18’s are in the air as I write. My first official USAF mission with the 39^th ATS was to Key West during the Cuban Missile Crisis where KW was turned into an invasion port. Oddly, it was Florida’s largest city at the end of the 19^th century and has loads of history. Visit, if you can.

Now that I am settled in here for the winter, I have begun to commit several of my year’s readings to short reviews that hopefully provide you with enough ‘meat’ so that you may enjoy them as well. So, I thought that I would try something different and share my winter list with you in the event you find them of interest for your winter hibernation as well.

As you can tell from my past reviews, I like to write about the wisdom of history as it traces our nation’s rich intellectual legacy largely garnered through the invaluable lessons of Western thought that, in turn, lead us to insights about the three hundred years of Capitalism that has shaped our country and provided us with a very rich personal and national life. I would say, a life beyond our wildest dreams; one desired by all others; one to be protected for our progeny from future financial or villainous calamity.

But, mostly, I like to read about the every day American who stepped forth upon the world stage to represent us in times of great national or international peril with their unsuspected innate abilities to seize the moment and rescue the day regardless of its great personal danger. That singular aspect, some call it the essence of American Exceptionalism, has been the history of America and fosters ordinary citizen desire to protect our freedom and our Republic. Those moments of national danger also teach us much about the risks and rewards of being a superpower. C-133 crew-members were an important part of such history during the latter part of the 20^th century and we celebrated many of the events that involved our uniformed service during our last reunion.

So, I follow now with my winter 2012 reading list that feasts upon America’s past as it has been molded into greatness through the profundity of its leaders imbued with western thought. Enjoy!

1. Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace, Robin Olds

2. Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Eighties

3. The Complete Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes

4. Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

5. The Art of War by Sun-Tzu, The New Translation

6. Gabriel Allon Series by Daniel Silva

1/72 Anigrand C-133

For those considering purchasing this kit, Phil Brandt's (of 39th ATS fame) extensive review is at this link.

http://www.hyperscale.com/2011/reviews/kits/anigrandaa2104reviewpb_1.htm

Cal Taylor

Goose Crash Memorial

Chris Charland was a Boy Scout on a hike when he saw the C-133 crash at Goose Bay. Now, he is a PAO at RCAF base North Bay, Ontario. For several years, he worked to get a simple bronze plaque set up at Goose with the names of the crew that was killed. He contacted the 1st Sq at Andrews, successor to the Dover 1st Sq, and other potential supporters. That never came to fruition so he tried to get a memorial in place at RCAF Trenton, the Canadian transport base. Again, no luck.

Now, he is working to get a memorial at North Bay. The father of the current mayor of North Bay was a CO at Gooose.

Just to let folks know that Chris remembers and is still working the project.

Checklist Origin

Thanks to Rick Spencer for the following link:

Anyone who has flown (and probably most who have not) is aware of the pilot’s checklist. It is a step-by-step procedure executed by the pilot (and often involving the co-pilot and other members of the crew) by which each critical system and function that should be checked before takeoff is checked and verified to be correct.

Countless lives have been saved by this simple yet very effective approach.

So, who invented the checklist?

And why did they think that it was necessary?

For the answer, click on the link below:

Click here: Checklist Origin

C-133 DVD set

Just about done with the two-DVD set. One has about 1,700 still photos and illustrations. The entire 84th MAS scrapbook (146 pages) is included, at 200% scans. Every picture and ilustration from my book is there. Then, lots and lots of C-133 pictures that have been collected since 1998.

The video DVD has a 90-minute video of the last flight of 61999, from Anchorage to Travis. Lots of good sound of takeoff (twice) and landing (once). It will help you recall just how damned noisy the C-133 was, for maintenance and aircrew alike. I'm pretty satisfied with my first bit of video editing.

There will also be a short video (25 minutes) of an Alaska mission, flown about ten years ago. It carried big stuff to the North Slope.

For more info, check out the C-133 web site.

Things will be ready to ship by mid-December.

Cal Taylor

Most of our C-133 Crew Colleagues know Rick Spencer, 39th ATS Navigator in the early 60s, Book Reviewer on this blog, and emcee of our last reunion in Dover. He offers the following thought provoking letter:

Hello C-133 Crewmembers:

Several of you have received drafts of the attached analysis of our $200
Trillion unfunded debt and made some fine comments to help me along. It was
suggested that I pen such by a former colleague in order that we may all
better understand the present nature of our nation’s fiscal situation and
its future generational consequences.

The combined local, state, and federal governments are now our largest
businesses, maybe the world’s largest as they control over 50% of our GDP.
The recent down grading of U.S. bonds suggest the precariousness of our
financial situation when measured against the balance sheet of a commercial
corporation. We are/would be in junk bond territory, especially, if one
takes into account the ‘hidden debt’ of the unfunded liabilities.

It now seems clear; and, no one seems to care that we have put our progeny
at risk with the ’New Deal’ and ‘Great Society’ policies that have pursued
reckless and abstract ideas of ‘social justice’ through the false promise
of a “permanence of plenty”. Social justice of the type that has been
pursued is an “empty formula”: It is the risk of a lesser life for one with
goals seeking personal and economic freedom; for one to be all that he can
be; for one to pursue his own happiness; and, for one to be forced to live
with unconstrained federal power touching all parts of his personal life. It
truly is ‘The Road To Serfdom’.

It may seem odd to the unconstrained utopian thinkers that a constrained
view of government was the Founder’s original intent; a view that accepted
its citizen’s own private stock of reasoning as appropriate guidance for
life’s concerns. That was a major tenet of our revolution, for our
Constitution, and for our nation’s guidance until the Progressive era began
at the turn of the 20th century.

The irony, that seems absurd, if not laughable, is that Europe has long been
infected with ‘the disease of progressivism’ in the form of socialism, but
they are now running from it just as we seem to be embracing it. Large
scale central planning by those who govern has never been the American
approach to achieve an economic independence and it remains to be seen if
our citizenry accept it as a way of life.

I have attached my thoughts, “ Unfunded Liabilities: The Folly of the
Ancient Hope of Mankind, to Live Without Working”. Please note that the
analysis only indirectly speaks to the indiscriminate spending of our moral
capital largely caused by the reckless abandon that we have been spending
our financial capital. The work ends with a challenge to the reader; and, I
now await your response to my challenge. Thanks, RLS

P.S. For those unfamiliar with ‘net present value’, ‘bonds in perpetuity’,
or the ‘PIIGS’ of Europe they are explained in the below links that you can
review before beginning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_present_value

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetuity

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8510603.stm

Il Silenzio (Taps Original Version)

UNBELIEVABLY BRILLIANT

The conductor of the orchestra is Andre Rieu from Holland .

The young lady, her trumpet and her rendition of TAPS makes your hair stand on end.

Many of you may never have heard taps played in its entirety, for all of the men and women that have died for you to have the freedom you have in America and Canada . This is an opportunity you won't want to miss and I guarantee you'll never forget.

Amazingly beautiful ..

Melissa Venema, age 13, is the trumpet soloist. She is also from Holland. Here is Taps played in its entirety. The original version of Taps was called Last Post, and was written by Daniel Butterfield in 1801. It was rather lengthy and formal, as you will hear in this clip, so in
1862 it was shortened to 24 notes and re-named Taps.

Melissa Venema is playing it on a trumpet whereby the original was played on a bugle.

Watch at this site:

http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet-solo-melissa-venema.htm

New C-133 kit--BIG!

For all who won't live long enough to finish a vacuform kit, Anigrand has the answer. (BTW< I don't get a cent for this!) It's a cast resin 1:72 C-133 with markings for 62008, at the NMUSAF. I've seen pics of the moldings. They look pretty good. And there is potential for lots of other markings.

Rare-Plane Detective in Las Vegas (favorite alternate for Travis C-133 drivers) is taking pre-orders. Check their web site:

http://www.nostalgicplastic.com/comesoon.cfm?DTTM=20111003193
430&RequestedTimeout=500&KI=4323

Cal Taylor

Anigrand C-133 Kit

First of all, I don't get a cent from this. Just info for the crowd. Now a 1:72 resin cast C-133 model by Anigrand, for those who won't live long enough to finish a vacuform kit! That is a 30" wingspan. The markings are for 62008 at the NMUSAF, but a little work will give you lots of other choices. I've seen some shots of the moldings and they look pretty good. Rare-Plane Detective, in Las Vegas (favorite alternate for Travis C-133 drivers!) is getting the kit soon. Here is a link.

Just for other info, I sent Anigrand a package about the C-132. They seem to be looking at doing one in 1:144 scale, about 17" span.

http://www.nostalgicplastic.com/comesoon.cfm?DTTM=20111003193430&RequestedTimeout=500&KI=4323

Cal Taylor

Veterans' Day, 11-11-11

We honor and respect all Veterans' and their families:

When "Challenger" Flies

Thanks to Albert Rice for the following video. If this doesn't give you chills, you're older than I am! :)

Click on the text at the top of the video screen to go to the YouTube site, then on the lower-right icon for full-screen viewing.

More appropriate posts coming as we approach Veterans' Day on 11-11-11.

Supersonic Flights: Sonic Booms

Thanks to Bill Neely for the following link to a great video:

Click on: Sonic Booms

Jumbo Landing in Crosswind

Although quite interesting, a number of people within the aviation community feel that this sequence may be faked. Some of the reasons given are that there are no visible navigation nor landing lights, the crosswind component appears to change significantly between the two final segments shown in this video, and braking appears to be too sudden. You decide . . . .

Angel Flight: In Memory America's Fallen

Outstanding video, thanks to Jack Slocombe.

Click on: Angel Flight

Huge C-133 Model

Geaorge Maiorana is nearly there with his big model. He says that all electrics, motors and servos are installed. The landing gear works. Now, he is closing in on painting. I sent a disc with 50s color schems that had the DaGlo markings. This picture is a while back. He now has the props mounted and partial markings. Wingspan is about 13'.

Cal Taylor

Aviators

Thanks to Sandy Sandstrom for this; I think we can all relate:

Aviators: Once the wings go on, they never come off whether they can be seen or not. It fuses to the soul through adversity, fear and adrenaline and no one who has ever worn them with pride, integrity and guts can ever sleep through the call of the wild` that wafts through bedroom windows in the deep of the night.

When a good pilot leaves the `job' and retires, many are jealous, some are pleased and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder.

We wonder if he knows what he is leaving behind, because we already know.

We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times.

We know in the world of flying, there is a fellowship which lasts long after the flight suits are hung up in the back of the closet.
We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life.

We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.

Because we fly, we envy no man on earth.

-Author Unknown

C-133 production line

In case you ever wondered what the C-133 looked like, earlier in its life. here's a shot of the production line. Look at those huge bits and pieces lying nearby. I still haven't figured out just how the ever-growing airplane was staged from one place to another. Just part of over 1,200 C-133 images I have collected. More to scan!

Cal Taylor