Runway Visions - An American C-130 Pilot's Memoir of Combat Airlift Operations in Southeast Asia, 1967-1968, 2d ed

From February 1967 to April 1968, David Vaughan flew the Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Southeast Asia. Initially a co-pilot, he moved up to aircraft commander and then instructor pilot as he mastered the challenges of landing on very short, unimproved airstrips in difficult terrain and bad weather. He describes his progression from inexperienced novice to veteran flyer as he learned his trade under combat conditions.
Vaughan's airlift missions took him to more than 50 fields in South Vietnam, from the Delta in the south to the DMZ in the north, carrying supplies, mail, food, ammunition, and soldiers alive, wounded, and dead. Among his most harrowing flights were resupply missions into the U.S. Marine base at Khe Sanh during the most intensive days of the 1968 Tet offensive. This expanded and revised edition of his memoir details several additional episodes and features more than twice as many photographs as appeared in the original edition.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction to the Revised Edition

Poem: "Visions of Runways"

Before

1.¿New Guy

2.¿The View from the Air

3.¿Check Out

4.¿On the Shuttle

5.¿Rubber Plantations and Banana Runs

6.¿Da Nang ABCCC

7.¿Piece of Cake

8.¿The Golf Course

9.¿Blackout Flight to Khe Sanh

10.¿Orbit City

11.¿Phan Thiet in Blue

12.¿Long Night over the South China Sea

13.¿Dancing in the Alligator House

14.¿Ground Pounder

15.¿Gear and Flaps Man

16.¿Taipei R&R

17.¿Christmas at Khe Sanh

18.¿Bao Loc in the Fog

19.¿Tet

20.¿Rising Dust at Dak To

21.¿Blind Descent to Kham Duc

22.¿Low Visibility at Quang Tri

23.¿Bangkok Shuttle

24.¿Old Head

After

Poem: "Incident at Tuy Hoa"

Postscript

Pronunciation Guide

Military History of David K. Vaughan

Index

About the author

David K. Vaughan is a retired Air Force officer and educator. He lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Summary

From February 1967 to April 1968, David Vaughan flew the Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Southeast Asia. He describes his progression from inexperienced novice to veteran flyer as he learned his trade under combat conditions. This expanded and revised edition includes new episodes, supplemented by twice as many illustrations before.

Product details

• Authors: David Kirk Vaughan
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 12.09.2024
• EAN: 9781476694689
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-9468-9
• No. of pages: 182
• Dimensions: 178 mm x 254 mm x 9 mm
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Series: Voices in American Military Aviation
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Vietnam, Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, military history, Memoirs, HISTORY / Asia / Southeast Asia, Air forces & warfare, c 1960 to c 1970, Asian History, Air forces and warfare, Military history: post-WW2 conflicts, c 1955 to c 1975 (Vietnam War period), Vietnam War, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / Vietnam War, HISTORY / Military / Aviation & Space, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Memoirs