For those aircraft buffs and History "analysts"..

[paladin]

Check Wikipedia..

Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base

[huisjen]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhon_Phanom_Royal_Thai_Air_Force_Base

Anything in particular you'd like to draw our attention to there Chuck?

[paladin]

Nope...general info, and the dates.....and for the weenies that denied that certain aircraft were not in use, or existed at those times....
The sign on the door read "TWA" for Teenie Weenie Airlines....and additional info Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base

and Bio, Harnavee, Tha Chan "Chip"

These are all folks that didn't exist, couldn't have been there, never saw such an airplane etc.....just thought that I'd brighten the day....
Have fun......

If you will google Bird Air, Bird and Sons Inc., Continental Air Services, Inc., you will find a nearly complete listing of the aircraft in use. I have corrected some wikipedia info. For instance, we had the 395 series Helio, but also the Stallion, commercial 337's and both conventional Beech 18's and the Volpar conversions. The Cessna 206 cargo version was also used. I have some of the old pilots handbooks and parts manuals. The reason that some were not listed as Bird/CASI/Air America property is that Bill Bird owned Thai Rock Products as a front for the operations, and many of the aircraft were listed as their property, Brother Scott Bird owned Philippine Rock Products in Manila and also owned Philair/Philippine Aviation Corp. and was the entire south east asia distributor for Cessna (among others) aircraft....so all the 0-2 business went to Bird and sons, and the 0-2 conversions for the military and psy-ops were done in Bird Hangars. I legally owned the entire electronics set-up as a separate corporation.

If you look closely at the photos at Nakkid Phanny you will see 337's in commercial paint on the runways next to military painted 0-2 aircraft....some were equipped with rocket pods, some with a mount to take light machine guns....what was interesting was that we also trained Thai pilots and they were so much smaller that they would stuff as many as a half dozen guys in an 0-2 when on training flights.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhon_Phanom_Royal_Thai_Air_Force_Base

Anything in particular you'd like to draw our attention to there Chuck?

[Tar Devil]

Chuck, I heard a story about several Helio Couriers, property of the United States but under control of a third world country, unexpectedly reappearing in the US - and with all the paperwork.

I don't remember any more of that story... something tells me you could fill in the blanks! :)

Good to see you again, Chuck. Doing OK?

[paladin]

I'm fine....just a bit pi$$ed about some things...but that's the forum.....

The Helio's are being refurbished, and there is a new manufacturer in operation...I hope they strengthen the tail.
There were also some Pilatus aircraft brought back in, and were in North/South Carolina. The L-100 series stuff was turned over to Southern Air Transport, I have about 40 hours in the right hand seat...those damn things were a bit heavy. Several Caribou were brought into New Jersey for rehab...I saw them before they started with the "refurb" jobs.....and several other aircraft have appeared in the Philippines.

I have lost touch with a lot of the guys. Every newsletter I get seems like six pages of stuff and 10 pages of obits...but that is normal...most of the pilots that I knew over there were in their 40's and 50's, and I was the baby of the bunch, and I have 70 close on the horizen.

[Tylerdurden]

Helio's have a new manufacturer?

[paladin]

Helio Aircraft
Office

6487 Wilkinson Drive
Prescott, AZ 86301

TEL (928) 717-1069
FAX (928) 717-0999

E-Mail


And for those interested, my next to last assignment to HQMACV was to Quinhon as Deputy Chief of Station and from there I took over as station chief at Dong Ba Thin. There's a couple of photo's floating around with my Porter with the tigershark mouth painted on it...the only one in Vietnam. From Dong Ba Thin I was assigned to the ICCS teams (referees for the cease fire)...from there, after Vietnam, I was assigned to Lopburi Thailand, as trainer for their Special Ops and Moved my pregnant wife there too. I operated as HS3AJH, amateur radio from there running phone patches to the states for the military personnel that were assigned there.

info@helioaircraft.com

Loading 500 pound gift for downtown Hanoi, 1968...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pb7bfb5f0cb72e6287a89b9433768e741/e85a5c53.jpg
Connie comes visiting.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5df27fc6b3589f6316f8f9da24a74598/e85a4383.jpg
Ho Chi Minh Trail from a safe distance up.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p092d6112ce60dcc1056caa18a8ab2063/e85a43a5.jpg

0-2 down, 1968
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5f9096076dbf3ae351b795b93f7f0040/e85a434d.jpg


Kymer soldier, 1967
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p9d423157eaab40d40c3b3edf7337309c/e85a4368.jpg

local young ladies
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p2969d9929fcaf3ed0edb73556df5095b/e85a431f.jpg

[Bob Adams]

Chuck, you REALLY need to write a book!

[paladin]

Grumpy A1E looking for someplace to lay eggs....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p6c369797601de5cf747cf0fea41d2127/e85a5c50.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p00ee3516d354ee8c14a170dad4aaa128/e85a58eb.jpg


Ann-Margret1968
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4fa34010614bb87757a575f80a5ca5e0/e85a52a3.jpg

Local tracto/trailer
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pb2963e949d9c06f4d273fc4611cbb94d/e85a43a3.jpg

On final to Nakkid Phanny, just hoping that the snipers have gone home for the day....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc23c2a95be7d9b9742213404adf54563/e85a4360.jpg

We lost two of these on covert missions.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p223cc47984714d46d0c43174bdecedf9/e85a0d90.jpg


Got about 120 hours in these...and never broke one..
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd964b90fb26c689be8edfd52c6999904/e85a0d55.jpg

[paladin]

Japanese control tower built during WWII.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pb494c60c0a3dd2a41ca2421df68cfc3a/e85a0d4c.jpg

Very late nigh visitor
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p59a0bfa03d26cd4c5fde4e2ca4caf695/e85a0d46.jpg

Honey truck on detail...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pfaa394dbd6a28d038a29ced4eedf7c1c/e85a0d41.jpg


Gunboats don't mess around with folks without papers....
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p1339047199b3d52483945faba41cedee/e85a0d53.jpg

and why I stayed so long......
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p1d0dfdcce8ada6e8d730c1bc827c2ed4/e85a0d9a.jpg

[CK 17]

Air America is playing on TBS right now. Great flick, but I'm sure there are lot's of errors. Most flying flicks manage to miss the mark. . . .

[paladin]

The only good thing about that movie were the airplanes...

[paladin]

from wikipedia

Vietnam War
During the early phase of the Vietnam War, On Mark Engineering Company of Van Nuys, California was selected by the Air Force to extensively upgrade the (A-26)Invader for a counterinsurgency role. On Mark converted 40 Invaders to the new B-26K Counter Invader standard, which included upgraded engines, re-manufactured wings and wing tip fuel tanks for use by the 1st Air Commando Group. In May 1966, the B-26K was re-designated A-26A and deployed in Thailand (Nakon Phanom[NKP])to help disrupt supplies moving along the Ho Chi Minh trail.

[Ian Marchuk]

Hi Chuck..... Glad to see your posts again , I have been wondering how you have been.
The aircraft certainly are interesting , your history of intrigue is fascinating .... but Chuckles that lovely woman must inspire volumes...... she is gorgeous.....

[paladin]

yup! She kept me off the streets and outta the bars...and I don't drink.....