02-08-2017, 23:24
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#1
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Area Commander
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Clay House Stuttgart, Germany
Posts: 2,671
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AC-47D call sign "Spooky"
Have always wondered who's idea it was to put a few GE Mini Guns in the old C-47 and make it a gunship. Also would like to know who nicknamed it "Puff, the Magic Dragon". Any of the old timers here get to see it in action? Must have been impressive. 
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uKOrpyO0z48
Last edited by mojaveman; 02-11-2017 at 22:18.
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mojaveman is offline
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02-09-2017, 00:03
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#2
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Area Commander
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Cochise Co., AZ
Posts: 6,200
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mojaveman
Have always wondered who's idea it was to put a few GE Mini-guns in the old C-47 and make it a gunship. Also would like to know who nicknamed it "Puff, the Magic Dragon". Any of the old timers here get to see it in action? Must have been impressive.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uKOrpyO0z48 |
Spooky
Puff the Magic Dragon
Pat
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PSM is offline
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02-09-2017, 04:09
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#3
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: midwest
Posts: 353
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I'm holding out for the AC-5A! 
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Remington Raidr is offline
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02-09-2017, 05:47
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#4
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Italy
Posts: 1,989
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Still in use by a lot of third world nations. In fact, Colombia has a modernized version (AC 47T) with variable pitch turboprop engines, 3 x side mounted . 50 cal GAU-19s and FLIR. One of their planes substituted one of the GAU 19s for a 20mm. They cost them about $5M each. Talk about cost effective. When I was stationed with one of their JTFs, they had one on site that was used to support their CG operations and I flew in it a few times. Awesome is all I can say.
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Last edited by sinjefe; 02-09-2017 at 05:52.
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sinjefe is offline
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02-09-2017, 06:11
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#5
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: 18 yrs upstate NY, 30 yrs South Florida, 20 yrs Conch Republic, now chasing G-Kids in NOVA & UK
Posts: 11,901
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mojaveman
Any of the old timers here get to see it in action? Must have been impressive. |
During my time in the bush, we didn't use them, as the triple canopy prevented visual marking. And they were spray-n-pray at best. The C-47 are not what you call stable in tight rolls.They tend to "float".
We did used them around camps and fire bases, as denial support. Circling the Fort, to stop in depth & mass attacks. From with-in the fire base we use 105mm, 0 elevation, flechette (beehive) ammo. A real crowd-pleaser combination.
The combo normally did a good job of telling Charley that he was not an invited guess..
I was assigned to the 1st ARVN Airborne for a short period, as the fire support coordinator, to the 1st Cav. We had a observation point on the bunker roof and would "walk" Spooky around the camp.
They fired the normal 1-n-5 tracer, but at 6K+ @ minute, it looked like flowing fire water. You could see tracers pour down and WAG (wild a$$ guess) the "safe" range. This was almost exclusively at nite.. During the day light hours the tracers were harder to visualize,, but the sound.. Like the hammer of Thor..
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Last edited by JJ_BPK; 02-09-2017 at 07:34.
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JJ_BPK is offline
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02-09-2017, 08:33
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#6
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Occupied Pineland
Posts: 4,701
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We gave El Salvador a couple of them in the early 80s. Never saw them shooting but we did get intel support whenever they were flying in our AO. Limited sensor package but still provided useful info.
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Peregrino is offline
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02-09-2017, 21:58
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#7
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,814
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrino
We gave El Salvador a couple of them in the early 80s. Never saw them shooting but we did get intel support whenever they were flying in our AO. Limited sensor package but still provided useful info.
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I saw them in Honduras.
The El Sal AF was dropping flares over Mesa Grande Camp.
Looked pretty impressive to us a few klicks away.
Got to ride on a couple of AC-130 missions, that was really impressive.
TR
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The Reaper is offline
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02-11-2017, 16:42
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#8
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Harrisburg PA
Posts: 864
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AC-47
My dad saw them in Vietnam. Said the "cone of fire" was impressive. And just heard that loud "Hmmmmmm" of the guns.
What he really said was impressive was Arc-light missions.
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Monsoon65 is offline
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02-11-2017, 18:45
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#9
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,309
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There were C 119 gun ships too. Called 'Stinger' if I remember correctly....any mini gun at night is impressive both in the air and the splash.
Impressive for us, not so much for Charles or the NVA.
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PRB is offline
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02-16-2017, 18:14
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#10
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Harrisburg PA
Posts: 864
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AC-119
Quote:
Originally Posted by PRB
There were C 119 gun ships too. Called 'Stinger' if I remember correctly....any mini gun at night is impressive both in the air and the splash.
Impressive for us, not so much for Charles or the NVA.
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I think the Stinger gunships were flying out of Rocket City (Da Nang).
I know that the VNAF was using them a lot too.
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So let me fill my children's hearts
With heroes tales and hope it starts
A fire in them so deeds are done
With no vain sighs for moments gone
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Monsoon65 is offline
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02-16-2017, 22:11
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#11
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,309
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsoon65
I think the Stinger gunships were flying out of Rocket City (Da Nang).
I know that the VNAF was using them a lot too.
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There were a few at the Pleiku airfield too...a favorite rocket target.
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PRB is offline
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