Still More Memory Joggers From Ben Shuppert
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The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was a tough old bird. Many returned with damage that would seem to make the plane unflyable, their return often a testament to the skill of our pilots. Holes in wings, canopies, and fuselage were commonplace. One even returned with an unexploded SAM (surface to air missile) stuck in its rudder assembly. Ben and his fellow maintenance workers and the crew chiefs would spend many hours and great amounts of ingenuity making them airworthy again in minimal time. Here are some of Ben's memory makers.....|
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A large portion of this wing has been blown away, probably by anti-aircraft fire or a very closeSAM explosion. The pilot not only had to contend with the loss of lift and control, but interior lines have been damaged as well. |
Looking from the ground up through the same hole in the wing. Had it hit a few more inches aft, it would have made the landing gear inoperable and a safe landing impossible. This particular aircraft was tail # 454. |
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Better start on the parts list. This is going to take more than a little tape and spray paint to fix up! But by the time our maintenance guys got through with her she was probably as good as new and ready to go back to lugging iron. They learned skills through experience, and those skills served many of them well in later life. Some of our Takhli veterans are involved in a project to help restore and refresh display aircraft around the country. |
The broken canopy does not show well in this photo, since it is of course transparent. But looking closely at the forward rim of the raised canopy we can see what remains of the broken plexiglass. This burst was above the pilot and undoubtedly caused him some anxious moments. The yellow spot on the plane is where the camo paint was taken off by another piece of shrapnel. While the pilot may have felt unlucky when hit, he may have changed his mind after landing and surveying the damage. |
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Each of the yellowish primer spots represents a hit by shrapnel on this aircraft. Again proving the beating this plane could endure. As with most fighter aircraft, there is not much empty room inside the fuselage, any single one of these could have hit a vital hydraulic, electrical or control line - or the pilot. Tail # 151. |
If one accepts the old adage that 'any landing you can walk away from is a good one' then this was a good one, and 482 brought her pilot back to ground in one piece. If a pilot had to join the 'caterpillar club' it was better to do it here than North Vietnam. Only a relative few of our aircraft were lost in the vicinity of Takhli, the bulk of losses occurring over hostile territory. |
