Air America and The Secret War
For July 20, 2019
Mike MacKuen

Today we shall fly in and out of a number of the Lima Sites located in the rugged mountains of Laos. During "The Secret War" for the control of Laos (1954-1975), the private airline Air America (covertly owned by the CIA) flew thousands of missions to connect together isolated Laotian and Hmong villages and guerilla camps in a countryside often controlled by the North Vietnamese Army. These pilots demonstrated superb airmanship in their operating into and out of small rough airstrips carved onto mountain ridges and their flying through very rugged terrain while encountering frequently awful weather of thick clouds, rain, dust, smoke and strong winds. This was a dangerous business ... and an adventure of a lifetime.


The history here is complicated. And it is possible to have very different views about how to organize a just society, about the geopolitical strategies of the mid-twentieth century, and about the human costs of war. Nevertheless, we can all celebrate the heroic airmanship displayed by these pilots a half-century ago.

Flight Description
We start at Phou Pha Thi, the mystical mountain in northeastern Laos. From the mountaintop, the CIA/USAF operated a TACAN and then a blind-bombing radar unit which was supplied from Lima Site LS-85 partway down the mountain below. There is not much space at the landing site LS-85 so we may split up our departure. You may choose to start either from the landing site [VL85] or from the mountaintop itself [L85D]. (You might test to see which suits your needs.) We proceed south for a full stop at Na Khang (Na Kouang) LS-36 [VL36]. From this relatively large airstrip, Air America supplied local Royalist Lao and Hmong forces and the Ravens conducted numerous FAC and SAR operations. In addition, the USAF used it as a forward base for their Air Rescue operations: each morning helicopters based at Udorn, Thailand, would fly out to LS-36 and wait for calls to rescue American airmen shot down over North Vietnam and Laos.

Next, the four most interesting landings of the day. We depart southwest for a "stop-and-go" landing at LS-06 Phou Vieng [VL36]. Because there is limited space at the top, please land, turn around, and depart without waiting. Then a landing at LS-07 Nam Lan [VLS7], an optional landing at LS-181 Ban Nam Long [L181], and a full stop at LS-02 San Tiau [VLS2]. These are challenging short airstrips worth a look before making an approach. (For hints, see the Pilots' Guide.) In particular, LS-181 is too difficult to require a landing from every aircraft type. Thus you may choose to land at the modestly-sized strip or simply do a low pass. Those who fly a suitable aircraft and fancy a challenge will stop here.

From 1354 to 1707, the Lao Kingdom was called "Lan Xang" or "The Land of Million Elephants." Please note the elephants at both LS-07 and LS-02.

We fly west toward the Plain of Jars which was the central prize over which the Communist and Royalist forces fought for a decade. (The ancient "jars" that are scattered around the land constitute an interesting archeological mystery.) We execute a quick touch-and-go on the hard runway at Xien Khouang [VLXK].

Turning southwest toward the Phou Bia massif, we land at LS-20 Sam Tong (Ban San Tong) [VL20]. In the early years, legendary civilian volunteer Edgar "Pop" Buell built a hospital and food distribution center here to serve the tens of thousands of isolated mountain villagers and refugees whose lives were disrupted by the war and who depended on outside assistance to stay alive.

Turning east takes us to LS-05 Pa Doung [VLS5] on a mountainside. This was an early military headquarters for the Hmong. While a fairly easy hillside strip, you might note the aluminum warning sign about "not landing short." And then around Phou Bia (Laos' highest peak) to the low-lying LS-22 Ban Na Nio [VL22]. And westward, skirting the foothills of Phou Bia, we go to LS-14 Pha Khao [VL14]. Each of these strips is slightly difficult and worth a quick look before use.

Finally, we head a few miles north into the valley of LS-20A Long Tieng [L20A]. This was Hmong General Vang Pao's military headquarters for most of the war and housed a refugee Hmong community of perhaps 30,000 making it Laos' second largest city at the time. LS-20A, or "Alternate", was also the CIA headquarters and the chief airfield for US airlift and FAC & SAR operations. The long macadam runway could accommodate large transports as well as jet aircraft. Land from south to north (you will see why). While rolling out you might note the hardworking local elephant on your left. The CIA and Air America operations buildings are at the north end of the runway. This was the "The World's Most Secret Place" at the heart of "The Secret War".

Aircraft
The route is 192nm and will focus on the experience of landing STOL aircraft on the dirt strips that characterized Air America's Laos missions. Aircraft recommendations include period-and-theater-specific planes such as the Pilatus PC-6 Porter, Cessna O-1A Bird Dog, Cessna 185 (U-17) Skywagon, DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-6 Twin Otter, Dornier Do-28, and Antonov An-2. Out-of-theater options include the Dornier Do‑27 and PZL-104 Wilga. For a wonderfully capable and thoroughly modern aircraft, you might choose the Quest Kodiak. As ever, fly what you like.

Scenery
To simulate these flights, we use the excellent freeware airstrips modeled by the Vietnam War Project (VNW) team. So first, a tip of our cap to Xavier Carré and Jacques Godfrin and the team! In addition, we shall have to add one large *.bgl file (from Raimondo Taburet and Jonathan De Ferranti) that will supply the mesh on which the Vietnam War Project team built their strips.

This scenery addon and the specific mesh addition are absolutely necessary. The Lima Sites are not in default FSX-P3D. And neither the default mesh nor any other mesh, say FreeMeshX, will do the job because we need to use the exact surfaces on which the VNW team based their on-the-terrain airstrips.)

Required Scenery
a. Air America in Laos. Vietnam War Project. FlightSim Library: vnw_aa1.zip here.
b. Vietnam War Project Base Pack. FlightSim Library: vnw_v09.zip here.
c. Vietnam War Project Airfields Pack 1. FlightSim Library: vnw_ap1.zip here.
d. World Wide SRTM West Asia. Taburet and De Ferranti. FlightSim Library: srt2was2.zip here. (You need only n30e90_s13e120_1.bgl, 256mb.)

*Do NOT install the project's AI aircraft if you are flying P3D. Many (most) are FS9 models that are not compatible with P3Dv4.

*If you have an Addon Mesh, such as FreeMeshX, then you want to disable that addon mesh for Asia. For the FreeMeshX example, open up your P3D Scenery Library and scroll down to "FMX - Asia" and Disable the scenery by unchecking the "Enable" box. (After finishing up with the Air America scenery, you should go back and Enable the FreeMeshX scenery by checking that box.)

Look for an email that will direct you to a custom installation.

Other recommendations:
1. If you have FTX Vector, use it. You should activate "tertiary roads" that you might have previously disabled – most of the roads in the Central Highlands are "tertiary".
2. If using Vector, you want to disable AEC from modifying Xien Khouang (VLXK).
3. You might try using "Very Dense" or "Extremely Dense" for your autogen vegetation if your computer will allow. The effect will be one of densely forested mountainsides. Yes.
4. In JoinFS, disable "Elevation Correction" in Settings. We shall land at sloped runways.

Flightplan
The digital flightplan (in *.pln and *.gfp formats) is available here.
(GTN users might look at the Little Nav Map rendition of the *.pln to identify the many landing sites on the map which will be represented as unnamed waypoints in the GTN. The Lima Sites are absent from the GTN database. Also note a quirk in the flightplan. The GTN flightplan necessarily starts and finishes with the formal airports in Hanoi (VVNB) and Vientiane (VLVT) that are in the Garmin database. You can ignore these: we do not use these airports at all.)
Also included here is a Pilot's Guide to Air America and the Secret War.

Old or Bold Pilots?
In the 1960s, Air America pilots would get to know these airstrips' individual quirks and they surely did careful reconnoitering before landing. One "real life" recommendation would be for our pilots to do something similar by examining the NOTAMS in the Pilots' Guide, familiarizing themselves with the lay of the actual airfields, and maybe rehearsing a few approaches before landing in earnest. (Of course, pilots' tastes will vary. One of our colleagues, unnamed but with initials jtw, points out that many of our group pride themselves on not flying our routes beforehand in order to keep the experience fresh for each Saturday event. That might work ... or not. He goes on to suggest that true hot pilots might want to demonstrate their airmanship by executing these landings sight-unseen while also activating their simulator's crash detection.)

Simulator Date and Weather
For departure, please set your simulator time for 9:00am Local (0200 UTC). We shall fly real weather if possible. July is the rainy season in Laos: we can expect clouds and some showers. [If we cannot use current weather, we might try 0900 Local Time, July 13, 2019 (0200 UTC) which has clouds but is fine for operations.]

Where & When
Date and time: Saturday July 20, 2019. 1800 UTC.
Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel
Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com
Cross-Platform Multiplayer: JoinFS. (FSX, FSX-SE, and P3D).

Multiplayer Experience
If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!
 

😁

Looks like a flight I'm going to HAVE to make (hopefully).

So, how is the Milviz PC-6? I've been really tempted to buy it, and a PIREP would be helpful.

3 hours ago, somiller said:

Looks like a flight I'm going to HAVE to make (hopefully).

So, how is the Milviz PC-6? I've been really tempted to buy it, and a PIREP would be helpful.

If these guys could have had the option of a Quest Kodiak, they would have flown it...

(First delivery in 2008..)

Edited July 16, 20196 yr by Bert Pieke

Great scenery! That will be a very interesting flight. And thanks Mike for the PDF-documents. Lots of interesting reading!

6 hours ago, Bert Pieke said:

If these guys could have had the option of a Quest Kodiak, they would have flown it...

(First delivery in 2008..)

Hi Bert,

I thought the Kodiak (haven't looked in great depth) was very Caravan like - do you think the Kodiak would make a better bush plane than the Porter ? It just seems most hardcore bush planes are tail draggers as the nose gear - traditionally - would be pretty susceptible to damage on unimproved runways...

Regards,
Scott

Hi Steve,

The MilViz PC-6 is one of their best efforts.

As you might expect, the visual model is superb inside and out.

The designer has worked to add a touch of reality to the model. The PT-6 turbine model is a positive feature. You need to start the turbine in a realistic manner – and there is a learning curve here. (We can help.) Both in flight and on the ground, the engine response has some of the feel that one might expect. The flight model seems right. [Of course, I have no experience here, so this is a "simmer's" judgment. You want to hear from real pilots.]

The modeled aircraft has real capabilities and limitations. Great (but not magical) on STOL operations. The specially-designed wing produces lots of lift ... and lots of drag. Thus pretty slow. (Maybe maxes out at 125ktas – as with real world aircraft.) The MilViz designer incorporates a damage model for the PT-6 and that means that the pilot has to watch how he abuses the engine to achieve some of the Porter's extra abilities. A useful exercise ... I'm still learning.

There may be a few imperfections that remain after Service Pack 1, but almost all things now work as expected. The model integrates various GPS systems including the Flight 1 GTN750 but not the RXP GTN750. (There is talk in the forums of increasing the options.) I have not tried IFR operations, though, and can't say much there.

MilViz can often be a bit sloppy in some unessential details but in this case things are pretty good. The heading knob works differently than expected but you adjust. The cockpit night lighting is not a strong point: it is not up to the best standards. But everything works and the overall impression is plenty adequate. Of course, this aircraft spends most of its time in daylight where the visual experience is stunningly good.

Easy to recommend this model as its attractive qualities greatly outweigh the negatives. A truly interesting aircraft done well.

Please listen to others' views on this. Reactions are likely to vary.

Mike

Hi Steve,

I fully agree with Mike's PIREP about the Miliz PC-6. I'm not a fan of Miliz, but this aircraft is well done and interesting enough to buy and fly it (not only for this flight)!

On 7/14/2019 at 9:47 PM, MM said:

During "The Secret War" for the control of Laos (1954-1975), the private airline Air America (

Mike,

I had two close friends that flew for Air America. One flew a C-46 and one flew the BE-18 (Volpar).  I would occasionally see the Air America UH-1 (white) flying up and down the Vietnamese coast.  

I flew into Laos during Lam Son 719 and later doing cross border stuff with the long range patrols.  

From my perspective "nothing good ever happened in Laos". 🙂

 

3 hours ago, scottb613 said:

Hi Bert,

I thought the Kodiak (haven't looked in great depth) was very Caravan like - do you think the Kodiak would make a better bush plane than the Porter ? It just seems most hardcore bush planes are tail draggers as the nose gear - traditionally - would be pretty susceptible to damage on unimproved runways...

Regards,
Scott

I am not sure the Kodiak would make a better bush plane... it can haul more stuff and is faster than the PC-6, and take off on a shorter runway than the Caravan..

It is a modern, purpose built rugged bush plane..

Mike, this flight and extensive narrative is such a special treat!

I appreciate the comments on the PC-6. I was a "pretty sure" on buying this one, as it's a type of aircraft that's always been of interest to me. With any luck I'll be flying this flight with all of you in a new Milviz PC-6.

Here is a PROXY for the newish MilViz Pilatus PC-6 Porter.

The PROXY's included paints include the five stock liveries: livery1-livery5 (including Air America), plus two Australian Army aircraft by Jan Kees Blom, a French Army aircraft by Martial Feron, and my own cleanup of MilViz livery1 "Mr. Sharky" listed as "S5-CMA". The PROXY is based on Tim Conrad's very good freeware PC-6C and I use repaints by several authors to give an impression of the MilViz paint. (The Patrouille Swiss, Air America, and two Australian and one French Army paints are close to identical. The other four merely capture some of the character of the original.)

In the PROXY, the aircraft are flyable in FSX and P3Dv4. To use them, as flyable or represent other aircraft in multiplayer, simply place the zipped folder in your  */SimObjects/Airplanes folder.

The PROXY is temporarily available at my DropBox here.

(https://www.dropbox.com/s/az39d3c3g9efqq8/PROXY_Pilatus%20PC-6_for%20MilViz.zip?dl=0)

Great!

Now I won't be surrounded by a bunch of C185s..

Insane looking airplane..

https://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/en/fly/pc-6

vs

https://questaircraft.com/kodiak/

 

Edited July 18, 20196 yr by Bert Pieke

Off topic but had to share... 
A friends 14 year restoration of a 1934 Stinson SR-9C "Gullwing" has come to its reincarnated maiden flight..
Just in time for EAA, hopefully it will get a special write-off in order to get there. Can almost guarantee it as a grand champion.
BTW it is already sold.. Think 1/2 the price of a lower end P-51 !!
More photos on Facebook (if they work)

   

That plane looks great!