VW-1 Operations at Chu Lai

NASU Chu-Lai circa 1968 - 70	Chu-Lai circa 1968	Chu-Lai circa 1967

Chu-Lai aerial views. circa 1968	Chu-Lai, road to/from barracks. circa 1968	Chu-Lai page 8. circa 1968

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1st picture from left: TE-4 at Chu Lai shows TE-4 on the ramp at Chu Lai. circa 7/69 2nd picture from left: TE-4 on the tarmack at Chu Lai circa 7/68 3rd picture from left: The first crew members at the aircraft waiting for the rest of the crew. Chu Lai circa 6/69. 4th picture from left: TE-3 #1 engine is fired up. The R3350 engine always looked like this when ignition was switched on. After the engine got to firing on all 18 cylinders the smoke would clear out. Usually there would be a burst of flame from the exhaust stacks during the start up. A member of the line crew was usually positioned at the rear of the engine with a CO₂ fire bottle, in case the burst of flame became a bit agressive. The R3350 burned a lot of oil. Chu Lai circa 4/69


1st picture from left: Before take-off, there would always be some congestion at the end of the runway Lots of traffic ready to go. circa 4/69 2nd picture from left: At the end of the runway and turning around for our take-off. 3rd picture from left: Late afternoon takeoff for barrier with the 7th. fleet in the Gulf of Tonkin. We'd be back in about 16 hours. circa 4/69 4th picture from left: Chute is Good! This photo was taken after landing and taxiing back to the VW-1 aircraft parking area. Whenever the fighters would land (F4's), after touchdown they'd use their chutes to slow them down. The tower would advise the landing aircraft if the chute was properly inflated. This VW-1 crew, on TE-8, not to be out done by the fighters, placed a drop-sonde parachute on the pressurization dump valve which opens on landing. After touch down, the tower called "chute is good!" (the chute can barely be seen inside black circle) circa 4/68


1st picture from left: ADJ-2 Reddard waiting for his aircraft to return from a mission. The flight electricians, flight mechs, crew chief or flight metalsmith would rotate flying on the these missions. We would cook the meals for the crew while in flight and also sit up in the cockpit as an observer. The guys who didn't fly would meet the aircraft when it landed the next day to work off any maintenance gripes. circa ?/68 2nd picture from left: Ok! this one is me (Thomas Dawson) a long, long, long time ago, while with VW-1 in Chu Lai I was 21 at the time. circa 1/69 3rd picture from left: Chu Lai 4/69: TE-3 parked on the tarmac at Chu Lai. circa 4/69 4th picture from left: Our maintenance shack at Chu Lai, which we shared with NASU. circa 7/68


1st picture from left: AT-3 Anthony walks out to his aircraft for preflight, he was one of the CIC scope operator. Chu Lai. circa 6/69 2nd picture from left: VW-1 Det "C" maintenance, don't remember the names of these guys, hopefully someone out there does. Chu Lai. circa 4/69 3rd picture from left: A nude R3350 aircraft engine. circa 7/69 4th picture from left: This photo, taken from the window at the navigators station is of the exhaust on number 3 and 4 engine during climb out at night. As you can see the exhaust stacks would get pretty hot. circa 1/69


1st picture from left: While sitting in the shade of our Willy Victor we could watch the aircraft taking off from Chu Lai's runway for another combat mission. circa 6/69 2nd picture from left: Explosion one day while working off electrical gripes we heard a noise and looked up and this is what we saw. circa 4-69 3rd picture from left: Monsoon season, when we landed it was raining, and it did so for days, ..anyway, the little building in the middle of the pond was our out house. circa 1/69 4th picture from left: Our mascots relief station wasn't any easier either, (note the fire plugs location.) circa 1/69