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The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery, Troisième partie: la vengeance!
- Thread starter SynixMan
- Start date
One of only 4 of the Silver Eagle aircraft still around is in the possession of the Southwest Chapter of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation. Before joining the demo team Loach 357 served in Vietnam where in traditional LOACH fashion, was shot down 6 times. Never damaged badly enough to be sent home for repairs, it served in country from 1970 to 1973. We acquired 357 from a private owner who displayed it for many years. Ridden hard and put away wet, we restored the aircraft to museum quality, Due to incomplete maintenance records and some questionable structural repairs, it will never fly again. It lives on a trailer for easy transport and display around the Southwest USA.
I don't have a pic following final restoration. This is Silver Eagle 357 a couple months ago.
GroundPounder
Well-Known Member
I saw them at Hunter Army Airfield, I think in 1976. In my recollection it was in the same time frame as visiting the Bicentennial Train, which was in Savannah on 16 November.
I was 9 years old when the TV series titled "The Blue Angels" was on for one season. They flew F11F's then, and although having never seen them live, that was a nice looking plane and looked good in formation. The F-4 show was impressive, if only for the size of the a/c and the noise and smoke it produced. IMHO, by far the best show was the A-4. That was when the Blues distanced themselves from the T-birds due to the tight formations and keeping much of the show directly in front of the crowd. Having known several of the members from those days and having flown Scooters for 14 years may have influenced my opinion. And like @jmcquate noted, "Delta wings in the Diamond, roll rate, and Van Halen." The Legacy Hornets looked good and still out-performed the T-Birds in their F-16s, but I haven't seen the Blues since they transitioned to the newer model.
I just saw them a month ago and they didn't seem as 'snappy' as they did with Hornets, it wasn't a huge difference but that was my impression. Still a great show, and as always better than the T'Birds, that my family all enjoyed.
Got some current photos of the former Silver Eagle. These were from a static display at the Scottsdale Fairmont Hotel over July 4th. This is a period color for Vietnam deployment. We haven't added any company/squadron livery yet. If you know any vets from a LOACH unit that want it to honor their unit, we will take donations to have proper graphics added. 
Today I learned...this gentleman, Huan Nguyen a reserve EDO, was promoted to Rear Admiral in 2019:
Why is this notable, at all? It is not the fact that he is the first Vietnamese-American US Navy Admiral but what he survived before he even made it to the United States. During the Tet Offensive in 1968 he was the sole member of his family to survive after being attacked by Nguyễn Văn Lém, a Vietcong officer who murdered his parents, six siblings and grandmother in their family home outside Saigon. Admiral Nguyen survived being shot twice in the back later and later fled South Vietnam in 1975 with his uncle, an RVNAF officer.
So why post all of this in the picture thread? The VC who killed his family is none other than the guy in this photo, one of the most famous from the Vietnam War:
Why is this notable, at all? It is not the fact that he is the first Vietnamese-American US Navy Admiral but what he survived before he even made it to the United States. During the Tet Offensive in 1968 he was the sole member of his family to survive after being attacked by Nguyễn Văn Lém, a Vietcong officer who murdered his parents, six siblings and grandmother in their family home outside Saigon. Admiral Nguyen survived being shot twice in the back later and later fled South Vietnam in 1975 with his uncle, an RVNAF officer.
So why post all of this in the picture thread? The VC who killed his family is none other than the guy in this photo, one of the most famous from the Vietnam War:
Admiral Nguyen is a cool dude. Got to talk with him when he came out to the EDO Schoolhouse. He made the EDO Reserve job sound like a great gig. Definitely has an interesting background.
GroundPounder
Well-Known Member
Thanks for coming by and giving me something to look at, while I should have been working.
How much of a landing crosswind?
GroundPounder
Well-Known Member
| Manufacturer: | North American |
| Model: | T-28B Trojan Search all North American T-28B Trojan |
| Year built: | 1952 |
| Construction Number (C/N): | 200-313 (138242) |
| Aircraft Type: | Fixed wing single engine |
| Number of Seats: | 2 |
| Number of Engines: | 1 |
| Engine Type: | Reciprocating |
| Engine Manufacturer and Model: | Wright R-1820 SER |
Aircraft
| Registration Number: | N242J |
| Mode S (ICAO24) Code: | A23835 |
| Certification Class: | Experimental |
| Certification Issued: | 2011-11-18 |
| Air Worthiness Test: | 1987-08-11 |
| Last Action Taken: | 2011-11-18 |
| Current Status: | Valid |
Are you interested in taking passengers? I'll be near CVG (and really near LUK) a few times later this year. I can chip in money for avgas..
GroundPounder
Well-Known Member
Maybe the first, and probably the last time these two types will be seen at KAGS. Been pretty busy here for the past few days, lots of activity in what is normally the slow part of the year for the airport. Once the ANGC closes for the season, it can get slow.
If you have the bucks, a ride can be arranged.
If you have the bucks, a ride can be arranged.