I apologize if this doesn't belong here - but, I thought some of you would enjoy this little story...
Even though they were a hard-working, dedicated combat unit, VAH-21 was not without its lighter moments. At NAF Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, Air Force F-4 "Phantom" jets flew around the clock. When they landed, they deployed drag chutes, then taxied to a drop area where the chutes were released and picked up by a crew with a pickup truck. That gave some AP-2H crew members the idea it would be nice if they had drag chutes. So, on landing, they began throwing a small yellow "Gibson Girl" parachute out of the waist window on a long rope. That went on for a long time until one night, when a crew landed and saw a "Real" drag chute laying near the runway. The chute was retrieved and packed; then they waited until the next trip back to NS Sangley Point, Philippines. When the Neptune landed, the chute, which had been tied at several places in the aft fuselage, was shoved through the bottom hatch and opened. The airplane nearly stood on its nose, the tie-downs broke or bent, and the unsuspecting pilot yelled, "What the hell did we hit?!" He stopped on the runway while the crew in the back frantically tried to pull the huge parachute back through the hatch - with no success. In desperation, the chute was cut loose and blew down the runway. The escapade was not repeated except in "You should have been there " stories told in the crew lounge...
Even though they were a hard-working, dedicated combat unit, VAH-21 was not without its lighter moments. At NAF Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, Air Force F-4 "Phantom" jets flew around the clock. When they landed, they deployed drag chutes, then taxied to a drop area where the chutes were released and picked up by a crew with a pickup truck. That gave some AP-2H crew members the idea it would be nice if they had drag chutes. So, on landing, they began throwing a small yellow "Gibson Girl" parachute out of the waist window on a long rope. That went on for a long time until one night, when a crew landed and saw a "Real" drag chute laying near the runway. The chute was retrieved and packed; then they waited until the next trip back to NS Sangley Point, Philippines. When the Neptune landed, the chute, which had been tied at several places in the aft fuselage, was shoved through the bottom hatch and opened. The airplane nearly stood on its nose, the tie-downs broke or bent, and the unsuspecting pilot yelled, "What the hell did we hit?!" He stopped on the runway while the crew in the back frantically tried to pull the huge parachute back through the hatch - with no success. In desperation, the chute was cut loose and blew down the runway. The escapade was not repeated except in "You should have been there " stories told in the crew lounge...
