Any air wingers out there ?

[Dinobosco]

H&MS-31 1967-1979 Avionics. Got half skins for flying on the C-117. EX-281. I finally found out what happened to the plane. They took it to Iceland and made a house out of it. Whoda thunk.

[sgtim]

Any pixs?

[Dinobosco]

Here's what became of my beloved plane.

[Dinobosco]

http://www.ruudleeuw.com/iceland07.htm

Here's a link with more photos and information about Goony Birds in Iceland. They even did a magazine story about the house they built from the plane.

[DrZ]

VMCJ-3
H&MS-11
VMCJ-1
H&MS-12
H&MS-15
H&HS Yuma Az
And a couple of floats with the squids.

So I guess I qualify as a Winger.... lol.

[jungholee90]

You Know You Were An Aircraft Mechanic If...

You’ve ever said, “Yea, it’s supposed to look like that.”
You know what JP-4 or JP-5 tastes like.
You ever stood on wheel chocks to keep your feet dry.
You ever wiped leaks away right before a crew showed up.
You refer to QA as “the enemy.”
You know more about your mechanic buddies than you do about your own family, everyone you know has some kind of nickname.
You’ve wanted the jet to start just so you can warm up.
You’ve ever been told to go get some prop wash, a yard of flight line or the keys to the jet.

LOL! You've ever been told to get exhaust sample with black trash bag.

[Marine1955]

Homemade B-29 bomber.........Wow! This is cool.

This aircraft runs on four chainsaw motors.

You can just imagine how much time, effort, skill and money these guys have put into this thing.

Click on the site below.

http://users.skynet.be/fa926657/files/B29.wmv

[lloyd holland]

When i left Cherry Point N.C. in 1983 i lost all contact with everyone that was in my squadron. We flew the EA6 Intruder, if anyone know of any lost Hawks from 533, let me know

[JohnEaceHunt]

Well, grampsdw251, I have answered this before, and expressed my opinion . Won't read all the pages to find out where, but it means 'if you ain't ordinance, you ain't sh*t'. But I'll say this, unless you have a Plane Capt., the Bird will not get re-fueled, repaired, Pilot strapped in, and, or launched. You can have all the ordinance in the world it will carry, as many cannon rounds it will hold, as many bombes and rockets it will carry, but unless you have someone(Plane Capt., to get it all put together, It will not get off the ground). I was in VMF(AW)333, ole Trip-Tray in Beaufort in '67, as a Plane Capt., and was transfered to VMF(AW)235, The 'Death Angels',(Delta Bravo), as a Plane Capt., the 1st Feb '68 after a rush job in A.I.T., at Pendleton, before going over. The 'Death Angles', 235, was the LAST Combat F-8 Crusader Squadron the Marine Corps ever had, as we had to give our entire Squadron of F-8 U's to the Navy,(the ones that were left), off the coast, and go to Iwakuni Japan, de-moth ball a Squadron of F-8 C's, mid '68, and fly them one shot to Okinawa, and get them all Combat ready with-in one month, and give them to the Navy, as well. Soon after both 451, and 333, I believe got the F-4 D's for awhile, then went to the F-18. Not sure in what year though. We then, that had time left in-Country, went back to various places. I went to Chu-Lai, to H&MS-13 Engine shop, then TAD to the Army CLICO, 23rd Americal Div. M.P. Company for awhile. Loved it. Then I went to Cubi Pt, Philippines for Complete Engine Repair, then back to H&MS-13 and extended for a Crew Chief slot on H-46 Helicopters, with HMM-265. Best 46 Squadron there, in my opinion. Ordinance is important, but unless the Bird gets off the ground, 'the ordinance ain't worth a flip'. Just like the 46 Crew Chief, unless the 46 has a Crew Chief, not one mission can be completed, period. Ah, a Gunner too, as the Crew Chief is a Gunner as well. Semper Fi, and READY-APP.

[lloyd holland]

I remember the first day i got to the airwing, man i thought comming from the grunts to the wing was like night and day, from spit and polish to laid in the shade, all the fellas had a little longer hair, unbloused boots, fluff dry covers that could fit in the side pocket of the cammies, Damn. When the SGTMAJ. of the squadron took me to the side, i was just a lance coolie at the time and told me he was an ex grunt too, hell i felt a little better, i told him that i don't know if i could fit in the wing, he said give it a try and if i didn't like it he would get me some orders cut to were i wanted to go. So i gave it a try and ended up staying in and swinging with the wing for the next four years. If all of the old squadron members of VMA(AW)533 HAWKS of 1979-1983 got back together and said we were getting back the old squadron hell yeah am with it.

[revleo]

A6E TRAM
Jet Mech
Plane Captain


and if i hear that double nuts has gone down for maintenence again i am gonna scream that was our trouble girl on the line

[ChuckH]

MABS-32 MAG-32
70-72
I just went back to good ole Beaufort last April when I was on vacation in Myrtle Beach.. has that base changed in 39 years!!!

[duwizrd]

Semper Fi, Marines, Phantom Phyxers and Harrier Techs - we are one

After basic Avionics and AFTA at NATTC Millington, I traveled west with my buddy and class mate Wayne Comfort in his souped up 1960 Pontiac Catalina to MCAS El Toro and together we joined the VMCJ-3 Avionics shop in February, 1971 and transferred with the flight control, reconnaissance avionics, and camera shop IMA vans to H&MS a few months later. Served on two Yuma and one Fallon deployments. Remember Boy's Town, the Mustang Bridge Ranch, Pool Shoot-offs, and general hi-jinks.

Bartended at the El Toro Enlisted Club (what was the name of that place?). Point man in the biggest race riot in Marine Corps history at that same club in '72 and was appointed as the base human relations facilitator as a result. Wanted to hit the dirt in Nam so transferred to Harriers at MCAS Beaufort in October, '72 but we didn't deploy until July, '74. Took the assignment to work on radar but there wasn't any. Ha! Screwed by the retention officer, the lyin fck. Always missed my Reccy Birds and the radar rangers I started with.

VMA-513 navigation and weapons control IMA at H&MS with deployments to Yuma and transfer to 1st MAW and MCAS Iwakuni via USS Tripoli in July '74. Remember Club 118, Iwakuni, soup soba, rice omelettes with Texas toast, jumping off Kentai Bridge, the Commandant's Regata, PI deployment, running the sea wall, and sniping the MPs.

Exited Marines to good jobs in the same business working on the same systems I was trained on. Helped transition four ANG bases to RF4Cs and installed a few ASR (airport surveillance radar) systems at civilian air fields across the country. Spent a year in Europe with NATO bringing up the Tornado which used an upgrade to the radar in the RF4s and then left the field entirely to go to college and enter the business world to make a splash after completing undergrad and grad programs in psychology and communication management, respectively.

Learned about PTSD, wrote The Wall Within which was used by the VA in Chicago and elsewhere in their PTSD programs for many years. Married, raised five step children, lost family in tragedy and got lost for a few years in self-abuse, apathy and anger: my own PTSD. Funny, when you're in it you can't really recognize it so much.

Returned to SoCal after 9/11, dove into acting, did several movies and some TV and had a hit play in LA dinner theater for five seasons as a Major General before spending two years ('06-'08) training battalions of Marines at 29 Palms for Iraq and Afghanistan, some as many as three times. The greatest duty this old Marine ever had was spending my thirtieth anniversary OUT of the Corps running around in a man-dress and head-wrap with an AK47 blowing hell out of Marines and then standing them up, correcting their errors and doing it again. We did this over and over at the Mojave Viper Culture and Urban Operations Predeployment Training Program. I was not even the oldest Marine on deck. One of my partners joined the Marine Corps the year I was born. He is my personal fitness hero, still fit because he works at it with skates and bicycle to go easy on the knees.

I retired from the field after receiving a severe injury to my leg from an overzealous young Marine. Was mostly unable to walk for 18 months and only recently can jog some and do limited leaping about. That ****es me off. Bicycling and skating to get back in shape one day at a time. The time off and pain killers took their toll on me and I lost track of a lot of things, including my finances as the economy went to **** and everything I had vanished. Now, rebuilding from scratch.

I am proud to have served with each and every one of you. Have faith and work with discipline to make things happen. Keep your waist down, your chest up, your chin high and catch up with me at: www.targetingchangeworks.com, scistm.com, daniellatch.com. I am open to business referrals and opportunities and always extend myself for Marines in any way I can. Never a hand out but always a hand up.

Semper Fi,
Daniel Latch
MCRD PI Plt 1049
USMC 1969 - 1976
AFTA #2
AKA: 'Doc', 'Grey Fox', 'DuhWizard'

[ChuckH]

I am cornfused.. Who were you with in Nam?
The way I read it you say VMA-513?

[USMCDavis07]

On my orders it says my unit is 1J1 and my GYSGT said that it is air wing unit... but I looked it up and it said 1st Marines 1st Division is an infantry unit??? I am confused... I am a 0612 wiremen... Thanks