The Grumman F8F Bearcats have been transfered from French Air force (L'armee De L'air) to VNAF at the early time when VNAF was considered as a fledging Air Force. Here is some specifications of the Bearcat.

      Julius Barney and his team are working on the project of restoring an original A-37B Dragonfly. The markings on one side will be the US AFRES scheme and the other will be the VNAF 524th scheme of Thien Loi FS (the serial number is 71-832). Below are some photos of the restoring process. Will update photos when the aircraft is finished.

      The VNAF has ceased to exist thirty years ago, but today some of its aircraft still fly in the freedom sky thanks to the restoration done by the professional, dedicated aviators. The following photos show some typical VNAF aircraft that have been restored to their original images and full functions. Most photos come from unknown sources; any corrections for photographers and sources are welcome for full credits.

       The F-5 is a supersonic fighter combining low cost, ease of maintenance and great versatility. More than 2,000 F-5 aircraft have been procured by the USAF for use by allied nations. The F-5, which resembles the USAF Northrop T-38 trainer, is suitable for various types of ground-support and aerial intercept missions, including those which would have to be conducted from sod fields in combat areas.

The F-5 first flew on July 30, 1959, and deliveries to the Tactical Air Command for instructing foreign pilots began in April 1964. Pilots from Iran, South Vietnam, and South Korea were the first to be trained in the F-5, followed by pilots from Norway, Greece, Taiwan, Spain and other Free World nations that have adopted the F-5. A two-place combat trainer version, the F-5B, first flew in February 1964. In 1966-1967, a USAF squadron of F-5s flew combat missions in Southeast Asia for operational evaluation purposes.

HISTORY

      One of a long line of civilian light planes converted to military use (like the Taylor, Piper, and Stinson "Grasshoppers" of World War II fame), the Cessna L-19 "Bird Dog" observation and Forward Air Control aircraft traced its origins to the Cessna 170, a 4-place civilian light plane, with its military power upgraded from 145 to 213hp.

Winning a U.S. Army contract in 1950 with its Model 305A redesign of the Model 170, Cessna was awarded an initial contract for 418 of the aircraft, which were then designated L-19A, and named "Bird Dog." By the time the final craft was manufactured in 1962, over 3,400 Bird Dogs had been built.

Structurally, the military version differed significantly from its civilian progenitor, with the passenger capacity reduced by two, the aft superstructure radically revised to provide a clear view rearward, and transparent panel being inserted in the wing above the seats. The access door was made wider to accommodate a standard military stretcher, for which support brackets were installed. The L-19 was judged to be much better in terms of performance on takeoff and climb than its World War II predecessors, as well as more comfortable for the pilot and observer.

In 1953, an L-19A-IT version was developed to provide instrument training capability. Of the 2,486 L-19s delivered by 1954, 60 were reassigned to the U.S. Marine Corps where they were designated OE-1.

Although they were only used in small numbers during the Korean War, Bird Dogs were widely employed during the early days of the Vietnam war, when the U.S. Air Force acquired many to use in the Forward Air Control and observation roles, for which they were upgraded to carry wing stores, such as White Phosphorus ("Willie-Pete") target-marking rockets.

In 1956, constant-speed propellers were first installed in the TL-19D trainer version. The final production variant, the improved L-19E, had a higher gross weight.

Aircraft model identification coding was changed by the U.S. armed forces in 1962, with the result that US Army L-19A, TL-19D and L-19E aircraft became O-1A, TO-1D and O-1E respectively, while the US Marine OE-1 became O-1B. The Marine Corps also received 25 of the higher-powered O-1C. Standard production models of the U.S. Army trainers were redesignated TO-1A and TO-1E. Supplied to many nations, Bird Dogs were also built under license in Japan.

In the 1970s, a Texas company, Ector Aircraft, created "civilianized" conversions of the Bird Dog called the Mountaineer (213-hp) and Super Mountaineer (240-hp).

While long out of production, some Bird Dogs are still in active use around the world. In Canada, for instance, O-1s were deactivated in 1973 by the Canadian Army (with whom it first entered service in 1954), but 17 were subsequently reassigned to the Royal Canadian Air Cadets for glider towing and familiarization flying. On the civilian market, Bird Dogs have become popular as economical warbirds in the United States and Australia.
[HISTORYby HYPERLINK "mailto:kevinmurphy1@earthlink.net.nospam" Kevin Murphy]

(Story provided by Huy Nguyen/Bird-Dog). See Model Section page#2 for Huy Nguyen's project of building "Flight For Freedom"L-19 .

       The North American T-28 Trojan was a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States armed forces in the 1950s and into the early 1970s. The largest single concentration of this aircraft was employed by the US Navy at NAS Whiting Field in Milton, Florida in the training of student naval aviators. Many were subsequently sold to private civil operators where and are often found flying as warbirds today.

Some of the following photos showed VNAF T-28 during the Farmgate program, in which the US pilots flew combat with VNAF marking and Vietnamese personnel in the back seat.

      The O-2 Skymaster aircraft had been acquired and used by VNAF at the very late time period of VN War that many ARVN personnel were unaware of it. The following is some of its specification characteristics

      In late 1966, the USAF selected a military variant of the Cessna Model 337 Super Skymaster to supplement the O-1 Bird Dog forward air controller (FAC) aircraft then operating in Southeast Asia. Designated as the 0-2, the aircraft was distinguished by twin tail booms and tandem-mounted engines. This unorthodox aircraft resulted from several years of study by Cessna aimed at producing a twin-engine airplane that would be simple to fly, low in cost, safe and comfortable, while offering all the traditional advantages of two engines. Having twin engines enabled the O-2 to absorb more ground fire and still return safely, endearing it to its crews.

      Two series were produced: the O-2A and the O-2B. The O-2A was used for identifying and marking enemy targets with smoke rockets, coordinating air strikes and reporting target damage. It was equipped with wing pylons to carry rockets, flares, and other light ordnance and was used in the FAC role. The O-2B was equipped with loudspeakers and leaflet dispenser and was used in a psychological warfare role in Vietnam. It carried no ordnance.

      The O-2B crew consisted of a pilot and an observer. It had a cruising speed of 196 mph with a max speed of 205 mph. The aircraft had a flying ceiling of 19,300 ft but for PSYOP missions it spent most of its time flying above tree tops. The range of the aircraft was 1,325 miles. The 02B aircraft were assigned to the (USAF)14th Special Operations Wing, Nha Trang Air Base, Vietnam. (US PSYOP SOURCE)

      Pham Quang Khiem is not only a VNAF "con-artist," (humorous title bestowed on those who made fake VNAF digital photos), but a former VNAF C-130 pilot also. The below pictures are his unique collection of VNAF C-130 herkys. Based on his "blue logo" on the corner of the photos, I believe these were real pics, not the "fake" ones. Being a "con-artist" myself, man...I couldn't tell which one is the real McCoy, but I have to rely on his "authentic trade mark!" The guy has been making a lot of VMAF digital art that I couldn't keep up for posting. More of his digital art will be soon presented in the 3rd slides show (VNAF Digital Art Section).