AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2014 - 10

LETTERS

FROM OUR SEPTEMBER 2014 ISSUE

The Bonanza Goes to War
Mike Collins' story on a little-known modified Bonanza that was a key combatant in the
Vietnam War brought back memories for many readers.
Good article on a littleknown or recognized outfit
in Southeast Asia. Not to take
anything away from the article or the "Vamps" but here's
a little additional information.
I believe it was in the spring of
1972, the Vampires flew their
last mission from Nakhon
Phanom (NKP) following an
engine failure and fatal crash
on takeoff.
The mission was temporarily taken over by elements
of the 774 TAS flying the old
C-130B and also flown from
NKP. With the call sign of
"Trump" we flew 12- to 13-hour
missions over Laos racking
up lots of hours flying race
tracks and hourly "ops normal" reports to Moonbeam or
Alleycat. Although we weren't
initially configured for the
mission, that detail was covered by loading a pallet with a
large rack of radios to provide
the relay back to Blue Chip.
When the EC-130 became available, our temporary duty went
away. Those guys flying the
QU-22s were a gutsy bunch.
Jim Ferrell
AOPA 1147603
Newport News, Virginia

You may know that the vast
majority of airplanes going to
Vietnam went through Hawaii.
Hickam Air Force Base is not an
airport. It is a parking lot where
airplanes go after landing at
Honolulu International (HNL).
During 1968-71 I was a controller at Honolulu Tower. We saw
many strange aircraft and operations there. Some we could talk
10 | AOPA PILOT November 2014

Pitot-static pitfalls
The BONANZA GOES to WAR
Meet the QU-22B and the men who flew her
BY MIKE COLLINS
P H O TO G R A P H Y B Y T H E AU T H O R

VIEW THE

VIDEO

QU-22B pilots discuss
their experiences in
this online video.

70 | AOPA PILOT September 2014

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 71

"We forget sometimes that not all the airplanes that support a war effort are big
fighter jets. I was an Army warrant officer
during the Vietnam War and flew the O-1
Bird Dog. I think I may have flown the smallest fixed wing during the Vietnam War, but
still supported the effort."
Roger Anuskewicz
AOPA 506331
Galena, Illinois

I enjoyed reading Barry's column on pitot tubes ("Proficient
Pilot"). I'm sure the column
prompted many pilots to
remember the time when their
airspeed suddenly went down
or went to zero. About 20 years
ago I was on a routine pleasure
flight in a Cherokee Six when
my airspeed suddenly went
down about 50 percent in level
flight, VFR conditions. As I
approached the airport for a
landing I was able to judge my
airspeed from pitch and engine
settings, but tried to keep it on
the high side. I landed uneventfully and was very surprised to
see the cause when I checked
the pitot tube. There was a
dead sparrow straddling the
vertical pitot tube, one leg on
each side, obscuring the opening. I wished had a camera, but
it is still vivid in my mind.
Vince Flynn
AOPA 523488
Coronado, California

about and some we could not. Of
all the weird things I saw there,
I never saw, or even knew of,
the QU-22. What a great story.
Thanks. Now I have to tell all
my old HNL buddies about
your story. Perhaps someone else
knew of this airplane.

want pilots to embrace ADS-B
Out, allow for portable ADS-B
Out devices, at least for VFR.
Pilots love portable. We gobble up headsets, GPSs, weather
receivers, transceivers, traffic
detectors, iPads, and, of course,
ADS-B In devices. Portable
Martin Coddington ADS-B Out could keep the
AOPA 474462 cost down and utilization up,
Prior Lake, Minnesota
not just for our birds, but for
all types of aircraft, including
NextGen mandate
gliders, antiques, lighter-thanThanks for AOPA's continued air, ultralight, and even drones.
attempt to bring reason to the Keep it simple, FAA.
FAA ("AOPA Action"). Here's
Rob Dant
AOPA 1302949
a reasonable suggestion: If you
West Chester, Pennsylvania

In 1961 Northwest Airlines flight
had an upset taking off out of
Miami in a Boeing 720 because
of thunderstorms and possibly
pitot heaters off. I was in the U.S.
Coast Guard aviation in Miami
at the time, and we were tasked
to help retrieve the 720 from the
swamp and help rebuild it in a
hangar at Opa Locka for investigative purposes. Later while
flying for World Air Lines, a
Northwest weather person came
to our ground school and taught
us what he had found from the
1961 upset and crash. Basically
follow your attitude indicator

AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2014

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