46th SFCA U-6 Beavers
 

Anyone remember the two Beavers we had in the 46th in 1969 and 1970?? Anyone jump out of those at Pawaii or Koketeim??

There were some Beavers flying out of Korat (KRT) in 1968 and later. Are those the ones you're talking about? They may have supported the 46th a few times.

Thai Beavers
 

Sounds like something Clancy S. might have been driving at the time.

In '69 we would get an occasional Beaver to join our formation over 3 Corp. "Will chalk 10 (of a 9 ship formation) come up on guard, please?" We would have to slow up a bit so he could close.

I wasn't starch wing rated at the time. We did allot of Airborne Ops with our Huey's DS to 46th Co. That was in 68.

Beavers
 

Yes, they were slow. But they were easy to maintain and if you could fit the pax and cargo in it, it would get off the ground. I enjoyed flying Hueys more but the year with the 46th SFCA was great.

Thailand
 

I never got to Thailand, but I have friends who spent considerable time there, though probably not with the 46th. Mostly MI types flying RU-8's & 21's, and some AA guys. I always wondered why they were so warped. Probably from partying with the SF. ;)

So, what was it like to jump out of one of those things?

I made my first freefall out of a Beaver at Ft Hood Sport Parachute Club, 10-24-'71. I had made all of my static line jumps out of a Huey, but when it was time for the FF, all of the Hueys in the world were grounded!! So one of out pilots got the General's U6A. The second FF later that day was from a Huey. Medevac got the first ship that came up, and the SPC got the second!!

I got to jump both Beavers and Otters up in Alaska. I still remember the first time I was the jump master on a Beaver jump, with (4) static lines all over the floor. :eek:

The strangest aircraft I got to jump was the Air Force SA-16, when the Reserve PJs came up from PDX to Sandpoint NSA, WA to do water jumps into Lk. Washington. We were the only Army unit on that Navy base. (12th SFG(A) :munchin

SA-16 jump
 

I guess if you had a problem in the water the SA-16 could alight (couldn't call it landing) right next to you and take you home.

I jumped the SA-16 when I was with the 7th SFG and Jumped my own Huey five times, with the 46th SFCo, to get my Thai Jump wings.

Who flew the Beavers out of Bragg in the mid 60's. One was dispatched to Fort Jackson so seven of us could get in our jumps when we were assigned to the hospital there during training.....

Jim

Bragg Beavers
 

incommin,

I'm checking. I will PM if I get names. BTW, was there lunch and a couple cases of beer involved at Jackson back then? I think that was the going rate in the 70's. Don't know about the mid 60's.