Ferrari Mailing List: Re: OH-6

Re: OH-6	<– Date –> <– Thread –>
From: Les Thompson (les21ix.netcom.com)
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2021 00:02:54 -0800 (PST)

Rick,

Was USAF ground radio from 68 to 72, Bypassed tech school, went direct from basic to Langley. Found out that most of the guys were weak in the non-rf stuff, so I made myself the tower equipment guru. Air conditioned, with a great view of all the aircraft. Neat thing about Langley was the NASA side, you never knew what they might bring out to play.

My buddy, Randy had a pretty good tour, He ferried Martha Raye during one of her tours. Only had one crash and he wasn't flying. On lift off, they hung a skid in the PSP, the guy flying had corrective pressure on the cyclic and was dropping power when the skid broke loose and they flipped on the opposite side. His complaint was that his buddy stepped on top of him to egress.

I ran him over Ortega Hwy in my MGA Twin Cam, he always threatened that he was going to take me for a canyon run in a helicopter. We never made it happen.

Because of the way he always talked about helicopter, seven years ago when I was 67, I took a couple of lessons in an R-22. I could see why he liked them so much. Lot different than a fixed wing. Nice thing about the new stuff is the governor, set the rpm and it handles the throttle as you work the collective. Can't imagine how much more workload the early guys had having to work the throttle as they worked the collective.

-----Original Message-----

From: Rick Moseley

Sent: Mar 6, 2021 11:22 PM

To: Les Thompson

Cc: The FerrariList

Subject: Re: [Ferrari] OH-6

Les,

I flew Navy.... I think the only reason Clyde really talks to me is because my older brother was an Army Huey Gunship pilot in Vietnam. After us dependents were evacuated back to the US from Wheelus AFB after the 6 day Arab/Israeli war, I stayed with Mom (I was 7) but my brother lit out for friends (who had been with us at Wheelus) who were living in Texas then he ended up in Vegas. He was making good money but he and a buddy were going to open up a Helicopter tour business around Vegas... he got his rotary wing license then his draft lottery number got close. He didn't want to volunteer and spend 4 years in the Army but he wanted to get his time over with on his own terms so he took his freshly issued rotary wing license down to the local recruiter and found out he could volunteer for the draft and write his own ticket into flying in Vietnam and only do 2 years. He had two aircraft shot up, but made it back both times. One took a rocket through the foot-well but didn't hit anything but plexiglass and sheet metal and never exploded. He left Vietnam and never flew a helicopter again. He didn't talk much to me about it and after his death I found out for most everyone else he didn't talk about it at all. His buddy did start and run a very successful company flying tourists to the Grand Canyon.

On Saturday, March 6, 2021, 7:51:27 PM PST, Les Thompson <les21 [at] ix.netcom.com> wrote:

Rick,

Amen to that.

A good friend that I grew up with started as an Army Huey pilot around 1968. He had moved up to Blackhawks by the time he quit flying.

USA Today did an article on Vietnam era pilots still flying and some of the challenge's that gave flight surgeons. The article had a picture of my friend and a fellow pilot suited up in front of their Blackhawk.

Needless to say neither was the lean, mean flying machines they were in the '60's. I wrote him and asked when they started making relaxed fit nomex flight suits.

Les T.

-----Original Message-----

From: Rick Moseley

Sent: Mar 6, 2021 8:00 PM

To: Les Thompson

Cc: The FerrariList

Subject: Re: [Ferrari] OH-6

Clyde was a skinny MoFo back then.... (weren't we all)

That's how he got shot down 9 times and only hit 3 times.

Shots at 3 & 9 couldn't find him.

On Saturday, March 6, 2021, 11:06:47 AM PST, Robert Garven <rgarven [at] gmail.com> wrote:

Clyde,

You were quite handsome back then! Some crazy shit!!!!

Rob

On Mar 6, 2021, at 7:31 AM, Clarence Romero Jr. <clyderomerof4 [at] gmail.com> wrote:

I sat in the left seat

<IMG_2883.jpg>

Clyde Romero

If you have no enemies

You have no character !

Scars are tattoos with better stories!

When you're out of F-4's you're out of fighters!

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