Need a huge favor from a 308 brother in NJ!

One of the coolest threads Ive read on F-Chat.

"its more than just a car"

 

Clyde, you never cease to amaze me. A great loyal friend + contributor. Wish I knew about this thread when we went to dinner the other night..

Great thread.

 

Bird,

Don't forget -- We need pictures of the Xmas Day Gifting ceremony!!!!! Can't wait to see the grin on his face (he better like it, or else!! LOL).

Steve

 

I believe this thread gives everyone just a taste of the great guys out there and what we have going on up here in New England. Birdman is one of our "Ring Leaders".

 

Hi,
I'd be delighted to do that for you. The only problem is that I can't get there before Chrstmas. I'm in LI and live in MD, and I'm in NJ on a regular basis. If you want, I can get it for you and then you can either give it to him as a belated Christmas present, birthday or fathers day gift, whichever comes first.

RMGaiss

 

All,

living on the west coast, I've been hitting the website all day for an update, just a wonderful story, and if there is ever a Ferrari "Days before Christmas" story, I think the storyboard for that play/poem has just been written,,,,

Have a very Merry Christmas and thanks for the warm, heartfelt story,,,, yeah, it's cold here too, 46 degrees and we're freez'in....

 

Gentlemen -

This is the Birdman's father; the recipient today of quantity one each prop blade, deHavilland DHC-4A/C-7A Caribou (Hamilton Standard 43D50-651). As has been noted in several posts, you guys do rock. You have no idea how much that old blade means to a guy whose life depended on six of them for year in Vietnam. I can't claim to be a Ferrari enthusiast, but I think my son has enough enthusiam on that front for both of us. That blade, along with two others was attached (quite securely) to a hydromatic variable pitch and full-feathering hub. The prop assembly (now about 13 feet in diameter) was then fitted to a tapered splined shaft close to 6" in diameter that came out of a 2:1 planetary reduction gear. The other end of the gearset was the crankshaft of a 2000 cubic inch Pratt & Whitney R2000-7M2 14 cylinder radial engine that produced 1450 HP at 2700 RPM and 50" of manifold boost. With its two engines, the aircraft could easily operate in and out of very forward fields that were often 1,000 feet or less in length. Although air shows give a hint of the short field performance, they simply no longer are able to fly them the way we did in Vietnam. deHavilland designed the DHC-4A/C-7A specifically for rough and short field work. The landing gear and wing structure was designed for touchdown sink rates about 50% greater than most convential aircraft, so our assault landings were more like controlled crashes than anything one might associate with an airplane landing. By getting the props in full reverse before the nose gear even touched down, you could actually stop one in about 300 feet.
Despite the fact that it was arguably one of the ugliest and unganely of all USAF aircraft of the era, there was something about it that touched almost everyone who flew it. It has been more than 30 years, now, but I am the President of the C-7A Caribou Association, which still has almost 800 active members (http://www.c-7acaribou.com/). I have flown faster than the speed of sound, I have flown the Lockheed C-141A Starlifter all over the world, and I spent years flying all variations of the B-727 for Eastern Air Lines, but none of those machines formed a bond with the man like the lowly Caribou did. None of us really understand why that is, but we accept it.
I am happy to report that the blade is now in my basement and ready to be cleaned up. It would be a travesty to polish it, so I will leave it largely as it is, complete with the worn off yellow tip paint and partially worn off Hamilton Standard decal, for that is exactly the way they looked in Vietnam after churning up a lot of that red dirt. I have attached a photo I took at Ban Me Thuot East in 1971 that shows the aircraft in its proper war paint.
For those of you who helped with this project, thanks so much for making an old airplane driver very happy this Christmas!

Peter Bird (The original Birdman!)

Once Upon A Time Long Ago
Capt, USAF
535th TAS / 483rd TAW
Cam Ranh Bay, RVN
And Bou Driver Extraordinaire
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Awesome. This was a great thread, so be sure to post them.

 

Merry Christmas Peter - Great thank you note and I'm sure much appreciated by all those who followed the thread. I was there for the delivery and it was a fun event.

All the best to you and the other Bou Drivers,

Richman

 

What an awesome thread.......

And a great story!

 

Thanks for the update, I was wondering how it all turned out. What a great story!

 

What an adventure! You folks are the greatest. The Caribou prop was a huge hit for the Birdman's dad at their Christmas festivities. He is the President of the C-7A Caribou Association which is a fraternal organization of Vietnam veterans who flew, maintained, or were involved with USAF Caribou operations in Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. He's an aviation nut and couldn't wait to share his excitement about getting that prop. What a display, almost as good as having the bird parked in the driveway.

Thanks to all of you who helped make this happen. I followed the trail of messages (after the fact) and you folks certainly stepped up and hit one out of the park. Check the website (http://www.c-7acaribou.com/news/newsletter.htm) in the Spring when the next newsletter is posted. It will have an article about this outstanding Ferrari-Caribou adventure.

Pat Hanavan
Newsletter editor
C-7A Caribou Association

 

This thread is exactly why F-chat is so great. Awesome job you guys!

 

Geez- In the pictures your dad looks younger than you
1

 

Outstanding!
You & your dad's post made it all worth while.
What a great way to end the year.

308's Rule!

 

outstanding thread. the smile says it all.

 

LOL

 

Jonathan,

I missed the pictures last week. Awesome!!!! Glad your Dad enjoyed the present. That really makes it all worthwhile! Glad I could be a part of it.

As for New England being the best place to work on your F-car, us guys in Joisey might have to rumble wid youz 'bout dat. LOL The Jersey branch of the F-Car DIY Gang could also lay claim to that title. But I must admit, your man cave is definitely more awesome than mine. If only I had your ceiling height and your lift. LOL

Have a happy, healthy, prosperous and joyous New Year!!!!

Steve