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AH-1G Cobra panel.


ian_
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I found this excellent forum when Googling for images of a Cobra gunner's panel I was trying to fill. Was very impressed by a pilot's panel, way down the thread. I got lucky on ebay with an empty AH-1G panel from 68-15031. The Cobra saw service in Vietnam, named 'Pandora's Box'. I'm very much after a glare shield to finish it off, if anyone knows of one kicking around...

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Thanks MattS, I'm fairly patient so nothing cost too much. I had to make the turret and wing stores panels. Have not seen either for sale. The sight was the most expensive part, especially postage. It turned out, from the Hebrew label, to be an ex IDF example.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ian, that is beautiful! I would love to see some other photos when you have a moment. Have you wired the sight to light up?

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Just a thought and it's been a long time..but "Pandora's Box" MAY have been assigned either to 2/20th ARA 1st Cav or 4/77th AFA 101st Abn.

You may be able to find more info on the VHPA site.

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Ian,

This is a pic of my panel in my 20mm ship flying with the 101st in 1971-1972 out of Phu Bai. Also a pic of my 20mm. Loved that system. And cat listening to hair raising war stories.

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Oh good Lord, I wish I could unsee that... :(

 

That's the last thing I need to get into.

 

MAN, that thing is COOL!

 

Thanks Ian (mostly).

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I'm very pleased to own a Cobra panel, but have flown one? Amazing! Thanks for your service, Hawk3370. And the cat. Excellent photos too. Across the years, do you remember what the stencil said over the M-35 gun? Would be very interested to hear more of your experiences. The 20mm kept you further away from trouble, I understand?

Pandora's Box appears in a couple of books. Flytiger, you're right on 2/20th ARA, flown by CW2 L Wayne Richardson and it also flew with 238th AWC.

Blacksmith, it is a bit of an addiction. I'm onto my tenth panel now. The guy I got the Cobra panel from was far more serious collector, having, amongst others, a B-29 panel signed by Paul Tibbetts.

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Have some pics of a Snake panel from another pilot my father flew with in Nam 69-70. Pics are from August 1969, not sure on the base but when I looked up the S/N it said it served D Trp 1st Sqd 1st Cav Div. Its S/N 67-15650 and I was surprised to see this airframe survived all these years and was eventually converted to an F model AH-1 and currently is on display at a Vets memorial park in MN.

 

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I love the Snakes! I was at the tail end of Army Cobra usage in the early 90s, there were some that were already static displays (including one fully equipped sitting in front of the Apache Training Brigade HQ at Fort Hood). Most of our senior Apache pilots were former Snake drivers. Great photos!

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Great panel and photos.

 

There's a Cobra on display in a little town near me. It's a former CA NG bird. I haven't visited it in awhile, I hope it's not all vandalized now... I should take a drive this weekend and check on her.

 

-Derek

 

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I'm very pleased to own a Cobra panel, but have flown one? Amazing! Thanks for your service, Hawk3370. And the cat. Excellent photos too. Across the years, do you remember what the stencil said over the M-35 gun? Would be very interested to hear more of your experiences. The 20mm kept you further away from trouble, I understand?

Pandora's Box appears in a couple of books. Flytiger, you're right on 2/20th ARA, flown by CW2 L Wayne Richardson and it also flew with 238th AWC.

Blacksmith, it is a bit of an addiction. I'm onto my tenth panel now. The guy I got the Cobra panel from was far more serious collector, having, amongst others, a B-29 panel signed by Paul Tibbetts.

 

I don't remember what was written over the gun, been a long time ago. Yes the 20mm had range on the 23mm the dinks were using but they wised up and started setting their guns up in a triangle so when you took on one you were usually in range of one of the other two. I had two good tours with a lot of action, spent most of both tours supporting SF operations in Cambodia and Laos. Managed to get myself shot down seven times. Attached is a pic of one of my better landings and the sighting station from the front seat of the AH-1G.

 

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Hawk did the G have a decently easy to jettison canopy doors or was it just the usual open or use the breakout knife? I think the later flat panel cockpit Snakes had a cartridge actuated device to blow them away. I recall seeing a video from Desert Storm I believe of a Cobra using it after a hard landing in the desert. I think the Army Crash Rescue training warned of it as well to stand clear. That elephant grass is intense in that pic, ate up the whole tail boom, I thought it was missing til I saw part of the 45 degree shaft and blade.

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Hawk did the G have a decently easy to jettison canopy doors or was it just the usual open or use the breakout knife? I think the later flat panel cockpit Snakes had a cartridge actuated device to blow them away. I recall seeing a video from Desert Storm I believe of a Cobra using it after a hard landing in the desert. I think the Army Crash Rescue training warned of it as well to stand clear. That elephant grass is intense in that pic, ate up the whole tail boom, I thought it was missing til I saw part of the 45 degree shaft and blade.

 

The canopy in this case was blown off by either a 37 or 57 mm AA, took a burst off the left side of the aircraft which took out the canopy and most of the instrument panel and pretty much ruined my whole night. I thought I was at 1500 feet or so, was pitch black and I had already been hit in the chin and leg by small arms so wasn't really alert as to what was going on when my nav lights flashed and I saw a tree go by. Pulled pitch to initiate a climb and a second later hit the ground the grass is actually not that high, just buried the aircraft in the rice paddy. Found out later that one pitch change link had been cut through and when I pulled pitch it snapped leaving me with flat pitch in one blade and full pitch in the other so I just fell that last 30 feet of so. Notice the torn up blade and if you look close you can see the missing pitch change link. The only thing that saved me was the armored seat, it was torn up pretty bad on the left side when the shell went off. They didn't find us till it got light a couple hours later. Ended up with two fractures in my spine, hole in my chin and leg and a hell of a headache.

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Amazing story, glad you're here to share with us! I see the P/C link is gone, the collective was fairly useless at that point. I have a buddy that went down twice in the same day in 2 OH-6s. I had one 'mishap' in an OH-58 that resulted in spinal damage but the government sends me a check once a month for that so I guess we're cool.

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