Comments on: Reflections: Smuggle’s Blues (IX)-Conclusion http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion Notes and commentary on things present, reflections on a career in naval aviation and serendipitous items as strike me at the moment... Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:38:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Chuck http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/comment-page-1#comment-4784 Chuck Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:39:35 +0000 http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/#comment-4784 Discovered the series while looking for a picture of Glen Fry's Beech 18 from MV 'Smuggler's Blues'. I worked the ground portion of these in the mid 70s and recalled a number of these missions,that were never done from a radar station in South Fla. Two have always stuck in my mind....the first was a little lost boy flying north, busted the parrell north of Cuba and we scrambled to Fox 4s. We knew who it was, there was a Custom's agent sitting in the room but we had to make an offical ID. They seperated by 1000 feet and split him for the ID at supersonic speed. It nearly blew him out of the air forcing him to land at Keywest. The other was Customs crew flying low in the 6 O'clock postion, there was an'ah ****' Mayday Mayday over the radio...the bad guy had spooked and started dumping **** out the door and hit the Custom's plane.... of course this never happened at the time there was some issues with using military for civilian LE. Discovered the series while looking for a picture of Glen Fry’s Beech 18 from MV ‘Smuggler’s Blues’. I worked the ground portion of these in the mid 70s and recalled a number of these missions,that were never done from a radar station in South Fla.
Two have always stuck in my mind….the first was a little lost boy flying north, busted the parrell north of Cuba and we scrambled to Fox 4s. We knew who it was, there was a Custom’s agent sitting in the room but we had to make an offical ID. They seperated by 1000 feet and split him for the ID at supersonic speed. It nearly blew him out of the air forcing him to land at Keywest. The other was Customs crew flying low in the 6 O’clock postion, there was an’ah ****’ Mayday Mayday over the radio…the bad guy had spooked and started dumping **** out the door and hit the Custom’s plane…. of course this never happened at the time there was some issues with using military for civilian LE.

]]> By: Steeljawscribe http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/comment-page-1#comment-429 Steeljawscribe Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:33:49 +0000 http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/#comment-429 Mike: Thanks -- my bust :) Correction has been made. - SJS Mike:

Thanks — my bust :) Correction has been made.
- SJS

]]> By: Mike Folks http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/comment-page-1#comment-428 Mike Folks Wed, 05 Sep 2007 03:00:11 +0000 http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/#comment-428 A small correction about the A-37B aircraft. The cannon on this aircraft is a 7.62 six barrel (.308 caliber) mini-gun the same type that was used in the UH-1N helicopters. I was based at Howard AFB Panama from 1970-1971 with the USAF and worked in the aircraft weapons loading branch of the 24th Munitions Maintenance Squadron. A small correction about the A-37B aircraft. The cannon on this aircraft is a 7.62 six barrel (.308 caliber) mini-gun the same type that was used in the UH-1N helicopters. I was based at Howard AFB Panama from 1970-1971 with the USAF and worked in the aircraft weapons loading branch of the 24th Munitions Maintenance Squadron.

]]> By: Theodore http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/comment-page-1#comment-427 Theodore Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:15:43 +0000 http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/#comment-427 I enjoyed this series too - thanks for writing it. I enjoyed this series too – thanks for writing it.

]]> By: Steeljawscribe http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/comment-page-1#comment-425 Steeljawscribe Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:33:02 +0000 http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/09/03/reflections-smuggles-blues-ix-conclusion/#comment-425 Thanks Michelle -- if you want to peruse a longer list, checkout <a href="http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_167.shtml" rel="nofollow">this list of shootdowns</a>. -SJS Thanks Mich***e — if you want to peruse a longer list, checkout this list of shootdowns.
-SJS

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