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Re: [GMCnet] I have a new job! Also, Heavy/medium truck tire age limits? (OT) [message #247664 is a reply to message #247645] Wed, 16 April 2014 20:57 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Ken Henderson is currently offline  Ken Henderson   United States
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma:
Senior Member
Rob,

I sure didn't think the P came along that early; I guess I missed it when
they added the refueling capability. All of ARRS's HC's were at one time
equipped with the Fulton gear, but I don't know that they every attempted a
rescue -- and I don't remember what their test program was like.
Presumably the 147 preceding my recovery included those.

The Fulton Recovery system was very safe, and did NOT subject the
passengers to excessive stresses. The 10% stretch built into the 500'
doyor 750' night nylon lift line (of which I still have hundreds of
feet),
combined with the geometry made the lift pretty gentle. While the
instrumentation showed a very brief spike to about 8g, the overall lift,
for only a few seconds was around 3g. As the Fulton Recovery Officer, I
did the pre-demonstration ground work, briefings, and debriefings for
demonstrations all over SEA. The subjects always reported that it was a
gentle, exciting ride that they'd like to repeat (granted, most of them
were a little on the, what shall I say, fringey, side -- a Special Forces
Major in Thailand wasn't allowed back in RVN after 5 tours, including 3
escapes from the VC).

As for injuries, the Army attempted to use Caribous for recovery; it didn't
have the power or inertia for the job; they drug a few volunteers through
the pines -- but never killed anyone. While two-man recoveries were
authorized, they were discouraged because they generally were not very
aerodynamic and tended to spin -- at 150 mph, that's not consider fun even
by the "fringest". The only recorded fatality, which you mentioned, was
when the Navy, during a test, got a guy on the ramp and disconnected the
lift line from his harness before securing him with a safety line; still a
bit unsteady, he fell off the ramp. Our procedures were such that once we
captured the 10,000# test lift line, we never let it be attached at less
than two places.

Lest anyone misunderstand my affection for the system: When I arrived at
Nha Trang, the tradition was that the Squadron Commander's and the Fulton
Recovery Officer's last end-of-tour flights were boarded via the Fulton
system. I was not at all bashful about informing everyone that I neither
abandon flyable airplanes nor attempt to board them when they're already
flying -- that tradition died upon my departure. :-)

No, I didn't use a GMC as a crew bus -- the closest I can get to including
relevance here!

Ken H.


On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 7:46 PM, Robert Mueller wrote:

> My TDY in mid 1968 with the 39th ARRS which conflicts with:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/39th_Rescue_Squadron and
> the aircraft we had were HC-130P modified to refuel helicopters as per:
> http://www.aero-web.org/specs/lockheed/hc-130p.htm
>
> My memory is extremely foggy but I "heard" that there were attempts at
> picking up downed pilots but were never successful. The rapid
> acceleration pilots were subjected to when lifted caused injuries.
> Supposedly the got one up onto the open rear ramp but when they
> disconnected him from the rescue cable he fell back out of the aircraft.
>
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach

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