337 Special Missions Just randomly typing on my keyboard

[n86121]

I can neither confirm nor deny any specific knowledge about anything
At times it is as if I live in a dream.

But I speculate, that once upon a time, ...in a land far far away....

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The black painted 02 'BS' bombers could be known to fly at night
over enemy positions with impunity
using their massive speakers
to take on the acoustic signature of enemy aircraft.

Gaggles off 337s used to cross the Pacific following a lead aircraft with an onboard NDB.
That probably 'dates' such missions?

That many many strange and fascinating things have been hung from the wings
Back then, and even now.
Very dark things.
And very light things.

That over certain special events a 337 may be orbiting,
with very special equipment in back,
because at very low RPM, having low acoustic footprint, long duration
fully safe and redundant, as only a 337 can provide

If anyone else has some interesting fiction to tell...?

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Years ago I was flying to/from Washington DC to Boston quite a bit.
The most scenic and least complicated route being victor 308, maybe 30 miles offshore.
No one out there, not much traffic!

And yes, I always use flight following.

One Friday afternoon, cruising around 3,000 during the East coast air traffic 'push,'
while it was delightful and pleasant low,
New York was becoming IFR scuzzy schmoo higher up.

Rather than pickup IFR and mix in with the IFR chaos,
I just cruised along V308 at around 1,500 ft in clear smooth air.

The worried controller, asked, "What are your conditions out there down low?"

I replied, "It's delightful. Next time I'm going to bring a fishing pole."

[patrolpilot]

Yeah, exciting stuff "our" airplanes have done.

The lady that manages the 400 series Cessnas I will be flying, known her since I got out of the Army in '75, started her aviation career as a scheduler for an aircraft exporter. They managed the O2 gaggles that flew across the pond to SEA. She said they only lost one, but it was a total loss, including the pilot.

Rock Rabb has written a couple of good books about the use of the O2 in SEA: Baggy Zero Four (2006) and Mike Five Eight: Air War Over Cambodia (2007). I conversed with the fellow on a firearm related forum and discovered our interest in the airplanes.

While flying pipeline patrol with the 337 in South Texas during '78, one of our lines crossed the middle of a bombing range, where the two circular areas met. It was a Navy range that both they and the AF used. It was very active and they did not hold back on what was expended on the range. My Skymaster had an FM radio to communicated with the Navy Range Controllers. I would standby for the stuff to be dumped and then inspect the ROW. O2s out of Bergstrom AFB flew in the Restricted Area. I would horse around with flights of four O2s; formation fly, dogfight, etc., while I waited to enter the range. Somewhere, someone has a photo of a 337G tight in a flight of O2s. I'll never forget chasing a guy down low across the brush, maybe a 100' AGL, he was loaded with stores and could not shake me. So, he rolled the airplane; the wingspan ate up near half of the airspace to the ground. I was impressed as it really dumped the speed, and I had no recourse, but to drop the chase.

Years later, I would share a 737 cockpit with a couple of these guys. We always had an O2/337 connection and became immediate friends.

The Company I flew the 337 for had a pipeline that ran from Harlingen, TX to Manhattan, NYC, via Houston, Atlanta, and Baltimore. There were three airplanes and pilots spaced along the distance, me being at the SW end of things. I was a very young guy, the other two fellows in their late '50s. I coordinated with the Aviation Director, and these guys a total patrol of the line start to finish. Something that I wanted to do, so the other two guys took the week off. I flew a 337 over our terminal end, downtown Manhattan, at 800 AGL per the letter of agreement with ATC.

That's my "fiction"...

[n86121]

Yes, an interesting history for a flexible platform

Some years back we had a vietnam O2 / ferry pilot on field.

My being a 337 owner, he and others told me of some of their adventures.

For takeoff on a long runway 'overseas,' they made a special tape:
At the start of the run it would start sounding like a jet on afterburner,
then as the aircraft broke ground, it turned into the sound of a stuttering lawnmower

[patrolpilot]

I added the sectional view of the Bombing Range. Lot more private airports on the west side of the range now.

The Restricted area has always had a VFR flyway across the narrow. You'd pretty much be a nut to fly it. Back in the day with the F4s, I've seen ordnance being cast across it and outside the range.

I met a guy flying a C421 at Stuart, FL, years later, and we were talking about the range. He was flying A4s in training. The first time he was out at the range solo on the pull-up and with the excitement, he sent two rockets out to the horizon. He said he did kind of an "oh well," and figured he would go ahead and make the second run to complete the training cycle so nothing might be said. He did notice two smoke columns out on the horizon though!

We laughed like idiots, but this was very desolate country fifty years ago.