F-100 Super Sabre in Vietnam

[Bill Kestell]

The Hun had a set of pylons for drop tanks and two pair for ordnance ... but I have some questions:

1. Did the Hun ever drop those tanks (if, for example, up North and having to deal with an air threat)?

2. Short range missions down South without these tanks but with some additional ordnance in their place?

3. Or did those tanks end up being more or less "permanent" external fuel tanks?

Any of you Viet era aviators ... jump right in!:salute:

[TARPSBird]

Bill, I passed your questions on to Col. Jim "Mugs" Morgan, an old shipmate of mine. Mugs flew RF-4's in VN but he might know some Hun guys who could give you the straight info.

[Jagdflieger]

I just finished a book titled "Bury Us Upsidedown." a few weeks ago. It was about the Misty fast FAC program in Route Package 1. According to the book, the F-100 pilots routinely jetisoned their tanks when taking fire or after getting hit.

Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Bury-Us-Upside...8683313&sr=1-2

[Bill Kestell]

Thanks, TARPS ... Jagd. I've been playing with the donationware F-100 and used some F-105 modified pylons to hang ordnance on. I wanted to know about the tanks because I may have to alpha them away and find suitable replacements.

I sure wish all designers would make life easier for me (tongue firmly planted in left cheek of my mouth) ... by building a/c with all the pylons and droppable tanks. BITCH ... BITCH ... BITCH!

[TARPSBird]

Bill, I received this response from Col. Morgan today. Will post more if the Hun driver responds.

Jerry:

I don't know much about the Hun (which to my way of thinking was the AF version of the F8 -- both the 'first' level flight supersonic fighters, and both using the good ol' J-57 -- and which I wanted to fly coming out of pilot training). I do know that at least from about 1966 on they were used primarily for air-to-ground in the south, but they were also used as "Fast FAC's" or "Misty FAC's" in Laos and North Vietnam. In fact, Bud Day was flying one when he was shot down in southern NVN. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Day )

My best guesses for your friend's questions are:
1. Almost surely those tanks were capable of jettison. I don't know of any 'modern' ones that weren't. Given that, I'm sure the circumstances required their being dropped on more than one occasion.
2. Probably.
3. I don't think so.

Sorry I couldn't be more help. I know a couple of old Hun drivers, but I don't have contact with them.

For Ralph: Your friend Bob was a Hun driver. If you have email contact with him, could you pass this to him for comment?

Mugs

[Bill Kestell]

Thanks, TARPS ...It's this kind of information that generally gets lost in the "junk". Glad to know there are still some guys out there who "remember" how it was.