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Post by jesse on Sept 19, 2011 9:04:41 GMT -5
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Post by qxtoolman on Sept 19, 2011 10:36:47 GMT -5
Thanks Jesse...... I really enjoyed it. ;D
Stef
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Post by herkpilot on Sept 20, 2011 21:09:24 GMT -5
Thanks for that link. I've been looking for it for some time. There are some other clips out there but most are just that - clips. As a "butter bar" co-pilot, I actually flew with some of these guys, completely ignorant of how great they were. A recent loss claimed the last of them.
After a few years, the Four Horsemen were pretty much swept under the carpet by the "fighter mafia" then running TAC. Of course the growing unpleasantness in SEA might have had something to do with it also. Later on the "bomber boys" from SAC took over the Air Force and tried to erase everything fun and enjoyable.
Thanks again, you've uncovered a treasure!
Hy
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Post by jesse on Sept 20, 2011 21:24:39 GMT -5
Glad I could be of some help, Hy. It just occured to me that you are in Sacramento. My late brother and sister-in-law lived just up the road from you in Folsom. Used to drive out there several times a year until they both passed away. Yes, SAC took the fun out of a lot of Air Force Units. I always had a dreadfull feeling that one day I would be tranferred into SAC and wind up in one of the KC birds. Lucked out though.
Jesse
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Post by qxtoolman on Sept 21, 2011 12:37:42 GMT -5
SAC.... That's why I tell people I was in Space Command.  |
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Post by herkpilot on Sept 21, 2011 13:41:47 GMT -5
As a 130 driver, we yoyo'd back and forth between TAC and MAC. TAC didn't understand us at all and pretty much let us do our own thing, but gave us little if any support. Mother MAC, on the other hand, smothered us with support like decent billets and ground support but with way too many picky rules. TAC was pretty much like the Navy model of management when it came to airlift. A few rules telling us what we could not do, otherwise it was common sense. Most of the restrictions in TAC supplements to the major regs (60-16 and the like) always ended with "waived for airlift. MAC rules followed the Army model, if its not spelled out and approved, Don't do it.
In any case, the gloved hand of Mother MAC was vastly preferable to the Iron fist of SAC and I'm sure the tanker folks are now pretty happy in AMC.
HY
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Post by jesse on Sept 21, 2011 16:43:02 GMT -5
I think in the old days shortly after ATC (not Air Training Command) but rather Air Transport Command, we had it best in MATS. The primary reason being that we were certified by all the different air transport agencies the same as the Commercial Airlines. We followed their pattern to a great extent and we were also the only military air unit that allowed the passengers and crew to purchase flght insurance just like the civil airlines.
Jesse
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Post by jesse on Sept 22, 2011 19:45:24 GMT -5
One thing that always puzzled me was our support C-130s when I was on the DewLine on the Greenland Ice Cap. Our logistic support base was at Sondrestrom, 10,000 feet below us on the Watson River. Being ice bound on the cap, all of our C-130s were ski equipped and with JATO to help get off the ice. The home base for all five of our C-130s was.....Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas. From desert to ice in just a few hours. Very Strange. I think they would have been more at home stationed at Bangor.
Jesse
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Post by herkpilot on Sept 22, 2011 20:52:04 GMT -5
Hi Jesse,
I served my last years at Dyess. A place I avoided for years ( the Buckle of the Bible Belt). Turned out to be a great assignment (they went wet before I arrived). The town fathers loved us there, they couldn't do enough for their Base. Every squadron had an "Honorary Commander" in town, and they tried their best to out do each other. More color TVs for the barracks, how many? Pool Tables for the day room , what color? The airmans club needed a pool? they took care of it. When we returned from Desert Storm they spent big bucks for a Texas sized party. The city owned the base and leased it to the AF for $1/year. They made darned sure to keep it there.
The "D" models (ski birds) were especially equiped A models. The other units were converting to Bs, so that, and a generous congressman making sure his base always had a big mission but the "Ds" at Dyess. It also rhymed nicely! Actually Dyess also supported Antartica before the Navy got into the act with their own Acft. When Dyess got Es, the Ds finally went to Alaska (just as far from Greenland as Texas). Later on they went to the ANG in Schenectedy. The Navy's Ski birds were stationed in Quonset Pt. to support Antartica. Figure that one out.
Hope that makes sense.
Hy
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