XBradTC

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XBradTC

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Raygun Lead flies Nguyễn Cao Kỳ out to USS Enterprise.

Some bits of family history stick with you. During his only wartime cruise, with VA-35 embarked with Air Wing 9 aboard the USS Enterprise in 1966-1967, Dad once escorted Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, chief of the Republic of Vietnam’s air force, out to a visit aboard Enterprise.  Maintaining good relations with our ally was an important…

Some bits of family history stick with you. During his only wartime cruise, with VA-35 embarked with Air Wing 9 aboard the USS Enterprise in 1966-1967, Dad once escorted Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, chief of the Republic of Vietnam’s air force, out to a visit aboard Enterprise.  Maintaining good relations with our ally was an important matter. And I’d seen pictures in the cruise book of Ky aboard the Big E. But I’d always assumed Dad just hopped an Intruder ashore and picked him up. What I didn’t realize was that there was a whole gaggle of Intruders along for the flight.

Nothing exciting happens in the video. Just some flying in some pretty weather. If you like Intruders, well, it’s always nice to see them.

But understand, I never saw Dad fly the Intruder. In fact, the only thing I ever saw Dad fly was a UH-46 from the air station’s SAR detachment. So seeing him flying an Intruder is a bit of an emotional thing for me. I suspect he’s in 504, and I’ll try to check the logbooks later.

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Responses to “Raygun Lead flies Nguyễn Cao Kỳ out to USS Enterprise.”

  1. Quartermaster

    Even Lemay visited the Navy. Yeah, the guy that said “The Soviet Union is the opponent. The enemy is the Navy.”

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  2. RJM

    Lots to see here- the Ray Gun is marked NG for CVW-9; the others are VA-85 Buckeyes from CVW-11 (NH) off Kitty Hawk. It doesn’t look like any of them have external stores. Its also transition period from black radomes to natural color.

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  3. Xbradtc

    Yep. I suspect it was just after or just before a line period. But that’s just a guess. I’m hoping to check the logbooks next week.
    Incidentally, VA-85 was actually Dad’s first squadron command. They lost the CO and XO within the space of about a week, and as Ops, Dad was next senior. They actually went on to win the Battle E. He was very proud of that. That was back when they were in A-1s, before they transitioned to A-6s.

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  4. mushdogs

    I don’t care what anyone says. Intruders were a good looking aircraft.
    I didn’t know your dad was rotary qualified too.

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  5. Xbradtc

    He wasn’t. But they’d let him sit in the copilot’s seat, and hold the controls once in a while. Gotta get 4 hours a month to secure flight pay.

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