Jump to content

Vietnam Balloon Pilot Wings !


pconrad02
 Share

Recommended Posts

This one just cracked me up! :blink: Must be for the ultra secret Vietnam Balloon Corps or VBC......

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vietnam-Balloon-Pilot-...=item4aa7fdec47

 

post-182-1295980194.jpgOk

 

Ah yes, a very interesting piece of history, and one that brings a smile to ones face.

But as mentioned by Kurt survival was a bummer. On that note it seems that I recall during the conflict there was a project that was being considered in which a balloon was actually attached to the ejection seat. This balloon would inflate upon ejection and keep the pilot airborne until a specially equipped C-130 could fly in and snatch the whole rig and pull it into the cargo bay of the C-130. Very similiar to the extraction system that we actually used in Special Forces where the C-130 would pick up a soldier who was setting at the end of a long rope connected to a balloon. I don't think the Navy version was ever used due to the high volumn of anti-aircraft fire over the target areas where the pilot would most likely bail out.

Terry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...