VC-12/VAW-12 Newsletter

February 2006

All the old newsletters;

for members list: www.vc12vaw12.org/members/members.html

Chairman: Seykowski, Edward CWO4 607 N 70 E Valparaiso, IN 46383 219-462-3636 edseykow@juno.com FAX 219-462-2168 1959-1962 AT2 Karen

Treasurer, Scribe, & Membership Chairman for dues:

Roger G. Smith, MD Office: 256 SE 2nd Av. Hillsboro, OR 97123 503-648-7126

503-628-2229 home; Office 503-648-7126; FAX 503-648-9179 rgs@coho.net

Dues are $10 a year for those who get the newsletter by post. New year starts at the reunion.

Many who get the newsletter by e-mail offer dues and we are grateful. We send e-mail newsletter to all who wish to see it regardless.

We are nearly 1500 members. There are a lot of people we have not found.

We have listed groups by detachments. Send me your request and I'll share your detachment list with you so you can contact the guys you want to meet at reunion. Tell us who you remember and let us help you find him/them. We have too many new contacts since the reunion to list them all.

I am very sorry to say that our roster has been posted on the Yahoo.

I have written twice by e-mail and once by post to ask that it be removed. That can be a nuisance for some.

VAW-12 Books at the VAW Store

We have copies of GUPPY PILOT at $27.50 each post paid. This is a book written by Roger Smith about squadron flying. His address is on the letterhead. 80 color photos and some others. Naval history, sea stories, personal reminiscence.

We do not have copies of SAILORS IN THE SKY by Jack Sauter, but inscribed copies can be purchased from him directly for $19.95 at 235 Robby Lane, New Hyde Park, NY 11040. This is an enlisted aircrewman’s view of the Korean War from the back seat of an AD3W operating off the Lake Champlain. Jack is the president and editor of the magazine for that ship’s reunion group to this day.

HANOI COMMITMENT the story of 7 years a prisoner of the North Viets. Purchase from the author for $15. plus postage. CAPT James A. Mulligan 912 Five Points Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23454-2642

Harry Mead writes, Hey Roger: Just got my book 20 WAS EASY published. It's available for $8.95 plus postage by writing to 38 N. Alder Drive, Orlando, FL 32807-5030. There is a chapter about VAW-12.

VAW-12 Patches on sale for $5 for dues paying members and $8 for those not paying dues. Write to editor (Roger Smith) address supra.

We have a new supply now.

VC-12 / VAW –12 US NAVY SQUADRON REUNION

September 22-24, 2006

DAYS HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER AT DULLES

to be CROWNE PLAZA in 2006

2200 Centreville Road Herndon, VA 20170 703-471-6700

Special Group Rate of $79 + 9% tax for 2006

Cut off date 2 weeks prior to Reunion

Room rates 3 days before and after Reunion

Hospitality Rooms

Complimentary Meeting Rooms

Scheduled Tours from Hotel

The Reunion Group Photos were made by Robert Alexander. Copies may be purchased by contacting him at RobertA@netdoor.com or calling toll-free 1-800-356-4124. Prices are:

Any single 8 1/2"X11" photo - $25.00 OR both Ladies' and Men's - $45.00 plus $2.00 shipping per order

Any single 11"X14" photo - $45.00 OR both Ladies' and Men's - $85.00 plus $4.00 shipping

This appears to be the line up for the Fort Walton photo:

Names and numbers of all the players:

Rear row: Adkins, Watkins, Keltner, Howard, Schwartz, Short, Miner, Edmonston, Larry Martin

Middle row: Ritzman, Reutenauer, Lukasik, Seykowski, Ortiz-Marty, Rezzarday, Smith, Becker, Jacobs, Schweining, Hays, Sargeant, Victor

Front row: Don Martin, Sequeira, Stevens, Simpkins, Oldham, Schneider, Speaker, Greenleaf, Hergert, Knott, Dalton, Shoemaker

Down front: Bray, Denni, LTjg Choate, Greenwood

Not pictured: Coller, Gedney, Frederick, Lord, Rell

Further recollection by Capt Marvin Hoffler:

The squadron needed a replacement NAOC after LTjg Warren Pearson was killed on a bailout from a burning Guppy in the Lake Champlain detachment of 1961. A crew of which I was a member suited up in March 1961 and left Quonset during a snowstorm for Norfolk. Along the way we were climbing near Navy Lakehurst to get above the worst of it. During the climb the pilot ran the drop tank dry and we “stopped” in mid air. Just then the fluorescent orange tail of a reserve C54 crossed our flight path. Had the engine not quit we should surely have had a midair.

There have been requests for copies of the poem written by Approach Magazine staff concerning the ditching of a Guppy by your editor in 1957. A copy has come to hand reprinted in 1993.

Comments from members on December reports:

1. This has to do with the stall spins off the cat.

I personally believe that the unexplained failed cat take off's, without engine malfunction, are directly related to cat problems. Any airframe of the AD series with the 3350-26WA engine can handle a 10 degree off axis wind even with asymmetrical loading.

One night I was shot before I switched my "go" light on and found myself going straight up with the stick back in my gut, chart board slammed into my middle, and the power off. ..this was 100% cat error, but if I had not made it, it would be an explained pilot error or loading error or something other than ships’ company.

I served on a CVE for one year prior to flight training, and saw things which the ship always blamed on the pilot. One of the big ones is setting the CAT pressures ..which vary as you know due to gross weight of various airplanes. All one needs is to have a young lad to set a lower launch reading than needed and the airplane never gets the wind speed over the wings. I would tend to lean in that direction. Too bad so many years have gone by, or we could get into it. -Jack Becker

2. Great stories! Thanks! Deck runs in the guppy frequently caused errant control passing the island. Cat shots were preferable at night and often required cross control. The private conversation you had about cat shots with wind > 10 degrees off the port bow, the drop tank, etc., seems to quite accurate. Norm Sassi was very good. Captain John Lavra may shed some light on the subject. -Larry Stotsberry

3. I've read some of the accounts of Norm Sassi's accident and can perhaps shed some light on it. Norm was a personal friend and watching his airplane hit the water was something I'll never forget. I was an LSO in an S2F squadron on the Valley at the time of the accident, and observed the accident as I was the duty LSO for the launch. The Guppy was usually spotted furthest aft on the flight deck to allow for the maximum deck run for the deck launch, and was launched last.

The deck run appeared normal, i.e. acceleration, engine noise etc., However after the aircraft left the bow it didn't climb much above flight deck level and started a slow roll to the right and impacted the water in about a 30 to 40 degree right bank just a few hundred yards ahead and about 20 degrees starboard of the bow. The aircraft broke up and sank rather rapidly as I recall.

I remember giving a statement to Lcdr Bollenbacher and had a number or discussions as to the possible cause. At the time a partial engine failure was the prime suspect, however that didn't explain the right roll to my mind. After thinking about it for almost 50 years a control malfunction makes the most sense to me.

It would be quite a stretch to consider this a pilot error accident. As an LSO I had a pretty good idea of the abilities of the Air Group pilots and I considered Norm to be one of the best. The Navy lost a fine Officer and pilot, and a number of us lost a good friend.

-Chuck Berthe

4. There were a couple of briefer comments as well. One correspondent noted that the rear hatch had been blown as the Schilleci airplane was skimming the ocean shortly after take off since the rear seat occupant expected to be ditched. He had a very cold ride to Oceana. Another NAOC recalled a similar occasion when his pilot just managed to save the guppy from going in the port catwalk abeam the island on take off.

To my disappointment, we have yet to locate Al Schilleci.

Roger rgs@coho.net