Hey Thud Driver, are you there?

SFC_Jeff_Button · Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 3:23 am Post subject: Hey Thud Driver, are you there?

Thud Driver,
From some research I did on F105's in VietNam, I know their pilots were called "Thud Drivers". You weren't by chance one of these pilots were you? If so, where'd you fly and with what Squadron/Wings?

SFC_Jeff_Button

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I may be Army Infantry, but I love this bird! Thats why I want to find "Thud Driver" out there.

David_Reasoner

On a related note, back about 1985-6 I was stationed at Little Rock, AFB Ark. What had to have been one of the last F-105G's in the AF inventory broke down during a transient stop there. It graced our flightline for about 6 months while a decision was made on whether or not to repair it and fly it out, or haul it out by truck. It finally left under it's own power, presumably on the way to the boneyard. Obsolescent or not, it was still an impressive bird.

David (ex-USAF Phantom Phixer 1987-9)

JG300-Ascout

"Wingy Thing" Alert! Aircraft dicussion in the AFV forum, sombody notify the authorities! Laughing

Now I'll have to dig out my "Wild Weasel" F-105 shot (with O-2 "push me/pull me" in the same frame) when I get home.

bsmart

As big and heavy as the Thud was it almost counts as Armor. A Republic built aircraft in the P-47 tradition of 'Instead of making in lighter and graceful make it big and sturdy and give it a honking big engine to get the performance you want'

JG300-Ascout

OK, well I focused on the O-2 because they brought us support on the ground....Wild Weasels didn't figure in our ops, so it's of secondary interest to me. I know a "WW" wouldn't likely carry iron bombs, but there's a Shrike on the left wing that you can't see.
These were taken at Hill AFB before they got their sexy new buildings to house aircraft in. I took this in '86 or '87, I believe. Looked pretty much like "in theater" (if you can imagine the Wasatch looking like Thailand).

C_Sherman · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 590

We've got a really nice G just down the road at the Pima Air Museum (Tucson, AZ). I took a ton of walk-around pics of it about 15 years back, when I still built wingy-thingies.

Doug, they used to train FACs here, so the Air Museum has some good displays of FAC stuff and A/C. Drop by sometime, and I'll join you for the visit. The museum is very much worth a trip, easily as good as the Air Force Museum in Ohio, just not quite as big (still pretty big, though).

C.

JG300-Ascout · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 11:36 pm Post subject: Re: We have a neat one, here

C_Sherman:

We've got a really nice G just down the road at the Pima Air Museum (Tucson, AZ). I took a ton of walk-around pics of it about 15 years back, when I still built wingy-thingies.

Doug, they used to train FACs here, so the Air Museum has some good displays of FAC stuff and A/C. Drop by sometime, and I'll join you for the visit. The museum is very much worth a trip, easily as good as the Air Force Museum in Ohio, just not quite as big (still pretty big, though).

C.

That's a deal, Chuck! I've been to Pima once, but had to rush. Need to take the spousal unit to see Barringer crater and Nuevo Mexico here one of these days...

SFC_Jeff_Button

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This is why I am interested in F105's, and contacting "Thud Driver" inparticular. These pictures show me with the front landing gear, (thats the old bunker storage complex in the background). The pilots "attitude" ball from the instrument panel. The last picture is of the impact crater. The plane, a F105D-31-RE, serial number 62-4322, crashed 11 Feb 1964. It flew out of George AFB, Victorville, CA. It was assigned to 12thAF, 831st ADIV, 355th TFW, 421st TFS, and was flown by Maj Charles Barnett, who parachuted safely, (he landed where the current tank gunnery range is). I could go on and on about this plane, its pilot, and the unit when it served in SEA. I complied a 3 inch binder of information. Yeah its a "wingy thingy" but it was this research, that led to my interest in researching armor vehicles. My first being an M4A3 that Kurt Laughlin help me with, (immensely). And now you know "the rest of the story", as Paul Harvey would say.

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