October 2, 20223 yr The Ravens were FACs who flew for the Huong in Laos under the auspices of the CIA. This is a long read, but well worth the time. I might add that people who push the envelope, open the envelope, and get things done are my kind of people. This is the true story of two such people. A Huong General and an American pilot who didn't know what rank he was and cared less doing their things in Laos. Lots of bada** flying here. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/ho-chi-bear-and-the-ravens-truly-adventurous Noel The tires are worn. The shocks are shot. The steering is wobbly. But the engine still runs fine.
October 2, 20223 yr Moderator Noel, thanks for the link! That was a most satisfying tale to read. I had no idea... Fr. Bill AOPA Member: 07141481 AARP Member: 3209010556 Avsim Board of Directors | Avsim Forums Moderator
October 2, 20223 yr Author 2 minutes ago, n4gix said: I had no idea... Unfortunately not many Americans do. Noel The tires are worn. The shocks are shot. The steering is wobbly. But the engine still runs fine.
October 2, 20223 yr One of the men I served with early in my USAF career was Maj Jeff "Heavy" Thompson, aka Raven 28. He ran the wing safety office at Columbus AFB, MS when I was a T-38 instructor pilot there. Some days, at the end of flying when the debriefs were all said and done, he'd start telling war stories, and a crowd would quickly gather round in the flight room. His war stories, including recounting some hairy Raven FAC experiences, were both epic and fascinating, as were some of his safety briefings. One that was particularly notable was a briefing cautioning us not to wear petroleum-based chap balms (e.g. Chapstick), as it has a nasty tendency to self-ignite when exposed to pure O2 under pressure inside a mask. I remember him irreverently and quite comically describing how difficult it might be to fly a final turn on the green donut while simultaneously trying to put your lips out. The entire place was rolling on the floor. Seeing this story motivated me to try and find out what he was doing now (we have a good friend in common), and, sadly, what I found was an obituary. He passed away just a few months ago. Blue skies Heavy, you really were one of a kind. Bob Scott | President and CEO, AVSIM Inc ATP Gulfstream II-III-IV-V Sys1 (MSFS20+24/XPlane12+11): AMD 9800X3D, water 2x240mm, MSI MPG X670E Carbon, 64GB GSkill 6000/30, nVidia RTX4090FE Alienware AW3821DW 38" 21:9 GSync, 2x4TB Crucial T705 PCIe5 + 2x2TB Samsung 990 SSD, EVGA 1000P2 PSU, 12.9" iPad Pro Thrustmaster TCA Boeing Yoke, TCA Airbus Sidestick, Twin TCA Airbus Throttle quads, PFC Cirrus Pedals, Coolermaster HAF932 case Sys2 (P3Dv5/v4): i9-13900KS, water 2x360mm, ASUS Z790 Hero, 32GB GSkill 7800MHz CAS36, ASUS RTX4090 Samsung 55" JS8500 4K TV@60Hz, 3x 2TB WD SN850X 1x 4TB Crucial P3 M.2 NVME SSD, EVGA 1600T2 PSU Fiber link to Yamaha RX-V467 Home Theater Receiver, Polk/Klipsch 6" bookshelf speakers, Polk 12" subwoofer, 12.9" iPad Pro PFC yoke/throttle quad/pedals with custom Hall sensor retrofit, Thermaltake View 71 case, Stream Deck XL button box Sys3 (DCS/P3Dv4/ATS/ETS): AMD 7800X3D, MSI MPG X870E Carbon, Noctua NH-D15S, 64GB GSkill 6000/30, EVGA RTX3090 Alienware AW3420DW 34" 21:9 GSync, Corsair HX1000i PSU, 4TB Crucial T705 PCIe5 + 2TB Samsung 970Evo Plus, TM TCA Officer Pack, Saitek combat pedals, TM Warthog, TM RS300 FF wheel/pedals, Coolermaster HAF XB case
October 3, 20223 yr Author Not all of the people who rightly earned medals got them. Guys like Heavy and Platt are owed a lot but remain anonymous. They have my respect. As do some others who go the extra mile. We had a shot up Thud land at Vientiane. They asked for volunteers to download the remaining ordnance on the aircraft and some mechanics to repair the damage and make the aircraft flyable so it could be returned to Takhli. The volunteers turned in all their ID and were given Republic Aviation IDs and coveralls and flew Air America to Vientiane. Air America flew them back. A pilot was flown in to fly the Thud back. Two wars were going on in Vietnam and Laos; the official one and the covert one. The covert one remains largely covert to this day except for stories like the one I posted. There are others if you can find them. Noel The tires are worn. The shocks are shot. The steering is wobbly. But the engine still runs fine.
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