[MRCA] CH-54

Tue Sep 3 22:21:32 EDT 2019

Gents:

     "IGMR" brings back memories for me about my first encounter with a Prick 25.  Back in 1972-ish, I was the Commo Officer for CAP Squadron 305 at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, where I was an EE student.  Our squadron was asked to provide flightline service for Army ROTC Rangers one Saturday during the fall of that year.  PANG were sending Hueys to our football fields over the hill from the main campus to pick up the Rangers at zero dark thirty and take them to IGMR for a day of Ranger "play", then return them more or less safe and sound that evening.

     We arranged with the local FD to have a foam fire truck, ambulance and other apparatus on site for the arrival of the Hueys.  The Rangers were on the field as well, somewhat awake after breakfast.  Also on site were about a half dozen of us CAPers.  A couple of guys were at the far end of the field where the first helo would touch down; others were near the emergency vehicles; and I was on the sidelines between both crews.  We all had PRC-25s, to talk amongst ourselves on the flightline.  I also had a second -25 set on the air-to-ground 35 MHz (I think) PANG channel used by the helos.

     At some point after sunrise we heard a low rumble off in the distance.  After a few minutes the ruble turned into the familiar whop-whop-whop of a stick of 10 Hueys approaching us from the west (from IGMR.)  As they made their final, they turned back to the west and split into two sticks for landing.  They hovered about a half-mile away from the field at maybe 500 feet.

     I got a call over my -25 something like, "Joplin Blend Six this is Tango Six.  Pop smoke for our landing.  Over."  I answered, "This is Joplin Blend Six.  Wilco.  Out."  I hit the PTT on the other -25 and asked the touch down crew to set off one of the ROTC-provided smoke canisters.  They did.  It was green - on a football field!

     My ATG radio blared, "Joplin Blend Six, do you have any other color? Over."  

     "This is Joplin Blend Six.  Negative.  That's all Army ROTC gave us.  Over."

     "This is Tango Six.  Figures.  Out."

     The two sticks landed quite professionally on the fields.  They were loud.  Twenty minutes later, after the ROTC Rangers were loaded on board, my radio opened up once again, "Joplin Blend Six, this is Tango Six.  [Something about requesting permission to get on our way.]  Over."  I hit the PTT, "This is Joplin Blend Six.  Clear for takeoff.  Will maintain emergency equipment at this location for twenty minutes after your departure.  Over."  "This is Tango Six.  Roger. Out."  

     And in 60 seconds only the rumbling from their rotors was left to remind us of their brief visit.

     Later, near dusk, we were back on the same field, fire apparatus at the ready, when my -25's squelch opened up with, "Joplin Blend Six, this is Tango Six.  We will be doing an assault landing.  Over."  I didn't want to show my ignorance so I hit the PTT and said, "This is Joplin Blend Six.  Roger.  Out."

     The next three minutes scared the bejesus out of me.  (Remember:  I was not yet 21 years old and had never served in uniform.)  What we all witnessed was two Hueys begin rapidly circling directly overhead at fifty feet, rolled onto their sides so their guns (Ma Deuces?) were pointed down at the LZ.  One orbited clockwise, the other the other way.  The noise was deafening.  These two gunships continued this maneuver as the ten original helos skimmed slowly across the ground at a foot above it in two sticks while the Rangers jumped out of both doors onto the playing field.  Within a couple of minutes the entire airborne group was on its way back to IGMR.  

     I got on the -25 one final time and said, "Tango Six, this is Joplin Blend Six.  Will maintain emergency equipment this location for twenty minutes after your departure.  Over."  The PANG lead helo radio'ed, "This is Tango Six.  Roger.  Thanks.  Out."  And that was the last time I used a Prick 25 until I bought one of my own in 2004 or so.

     Next time you see me, ask me about my CAP use of PRT-4's and PRR-9's.  


73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F


-----Original Message-----
From: mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of MICHAEL ALUZZO via MRCA
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2019 7:17 PM
To: B. Smith <smithab11 at comcast.net>
Cc: Military Radio Collectors Association <mrca at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [MRCA] CH-54

Indian town Gap still had a dozen or so of them on the flight line about 15-20 years ago 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 3, 2019, at 1:52 PM, B. Smith <smithab11 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> The Skyhook was a scary machine in Vietnam and there are only a few still  flying today.  The wake turbulence created by the down wash was terrible and resulted in a lot of accidents. It scared me just looking at one.
> Z
> 
>> On 9/3/2019 1:19 PM, MICHAEL ST ANGELO wrote:
>> 
>> Ray,
>> 
>> 
>> Thanks for the excellent video!
>> 
>> 
>> Mike N2MS
>> 
>> 
>>> On September 2, 2019 at 3:43 PM Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I take care of a couple television transmitter sites and one of the companies I do work for is Maryland Public Television and although this is not my site its our flagship station WMPT in Annapolis and on top the tower is a fourteen thousand pound  dual antenna that provided our analog service at one time and our HD service. With the big repack we migrated down to channel twenty one so the entire structure had to be removed and replaced with a spacer and a new channel twenty one antenna. Apparently it was about a third the price to do this by helicopter and it only required less than three hours to swap everything out although another two days was spent doing final connections and lighting.
>>> 
>>> The entire process was video taped and can be interesting to watch. Go to:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=L-sIuR0rCqU
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Just don’t watch if you have an issue with heights!
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Ray F/KA3EKH
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
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>> 
>> 
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