12:12 p.m. PDT Nov. 2, 2021

Mike Brown sent us an audio recording of helicopter cockpit radio traffic made during the Vietnam War when a helicopter was dropping water on a wildfire just outside Phu Loi Field north of Saigon in southern Vietnam. The facility was also known as Phu Loi Base Camp and Darkhorse Base.

Mike, the Unit Historian for the 213th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC), said he believed the ship dropping the water was a CH-47 Chinook. In 2019 he sent us numerous photos of a Chinook battling a large structure fire in Saigon in 1970, found in a 213th ASHC Alumni Association photo album maintained by Don Skipper.

The Association’s website has a riveting article describing what may have been the first time a helicopter dropped water on an actual fire, after four helicopters crashed in a horrific nighttime chain reaction catastrophe in 1968 or 1969. It also describes in detail the water bucket assembly and how it was used.

In addition to the recording, Mike included the explanatory document, below, by Bob Patterson (BlackCat 3) who created the recording. I’m not sure, but I think the recording begins with “Tape 2”, the firefighting mission, which is followed at 14:09 by a recording from a 45 rpm record put out by the Boeing Vertol company.

The audio recording, here, will open in a new tab.

Gentlemen:

Here are some tapes of BLACKCAT missions. The first one is a recording of a couple of ash and trash mission I flew in ’72 in the unit’s fairly new OH-58A. I will mention a couple of items to listen for, since perhaps guys not there in ’71-’72 would not know who was talking or what we were talking about.

1 was flying in the 213th OH-58, nicknamed the “Pussycat” with a tail number 947. In the last days just before the 213th stood down, we actually got two OH-58’s. At the time, I was the only pilot checked out in a ’58 and even I had gotten an in-country check out. MAJ Berdux, the CO, had given me some stick time and then got me a check out so that when he hit his upcoming DEROS there would someone who could fly the little bird. As a result, I had to fly most of its missions end work on OPS stuff from the cockpit the last 3 months I was in country. I was using my call sign of Blackcat 3. I departed from the 213th Flight Line and the parking spot for our 58 which was known as “The Sandbox”. Call sign “40P” was the call sign for 213th OPS. The SP4 in OPS who worked the radios for me was named MAC. But I can’t remember his full name. Super guy though. The flight was from Phu-Loi to Plantation and then back again a couple of times as I recall. I did talk with one or two of the 47’s out working the area that day.

I used a regular small tape recorder with a homebrew patch cord I made up in Avionics. It let me plug in my helmet to the recorder, then plug the recorder into the aircraft plug. The recorder ran all the time end recorded everything that came through the headset, so what you hear is real time. It might be interesting for you to hear the towers and radio traffic again. I have enjoyed listening to this on several occasions since that time. Seems like yesterday that I made it… Can it be over 30 years?

As I mentioned, I made this for a friend who was civilian commercial pilot and had asked and wondered what the traffic sounded like. As it turned out, I probably got more fun from this than he did!

In tape #2, we join Joker Swift talking to Blackcat 11 and Swift 55 on FM as 11 flies a Fire Bucket mission around a compound nearby at Phu-Loi just after midnight. AS I remember, the fire was outside the compound and near a minefield, which made for an interesting flight. Blackcat 11 was getting water from near the Phu Cong Bridge. He moved to a new location for water and finally took care of the problem. I was taping this from 213a OPS with an open Mic, and I am in the background talking to Warlord to get the Light Ship cancelled. You will note Blackcat 11 was talking about taking a few rounds from some shooter in the area. They get the mission done, change to tower frequency and then come home. Nothing exciting…but as you remember, pretty typical long day!

Following the Fire Bucket mission, you will hear a short tape I made from a 45 RPM record (remember those?) that the Boeing Vertol company put out [at 14:09]. After first tour in 68-69 with the 147th Hillclimbers, I returned to Rucker to become an 1P, Flight CDR, and then Assist Branch Chief of the Multi-Engine Branch at Hanchey AHP. During this time, Boeing was at the test board at Cairns AAF testing a lot of concepts on the CH47 to include a model called the Boeing Vertol 347. They took an A model CH-47 (as I recall) and cut the fuselage at a factory splice and made it about 4 feet longer. They cut the aft pylon off and raised it 30 inches and put back on. They then added two 4-blade rotor heads. The cockpit had really nice airliner seats with armrests (!), it had a retractable landing gear, and two new L-11C engines to top it off Lots of other ‘goodies’ on it too. Later they added a wing on each side to let it fly like a fixed wing at high speeds and to unload the rotor heads for straight and level flight. There was only one catch I was told… The beast could not autorotate. If it went down it went in like a F/W. Can you picture this thing? Well, anyway.., we use to meet with the Boeing engineers who would come and ask us what we wanted on a new bird, etc….. All we asked for was a second FM which hurt their feelings, as they wanted some fancy. (I think Chinooks have 2 FM radios today.) One interesting feature of the 347 was that with a 4-blade head, the rotor RPM was considerably lower than the A,B, and C models. As a result it was quieter, and it was pretty fast. However it just could not pick up anything with all this “stuff’ hung on it and the 347 was strictly a test vehicle.

This little record was one of only a few made that compared the sounds of the A, C and 347 models. You will surely find it interesting. I converted the record to tape years back and even used a stereo recorder to make the ‘fly by’ come out in stereo! Turn it up loud and you will get a kick from it flying by. The neighbors will surely call the airport too!! I contacted the Army Aviation Museum a few years ago, since they had the original 347 (only one built as I recall) and I offered them a copy of this tape, which they were delighted to get. (They did not know of the record.) The guy narrating the tape sounds like he just got out of bed after a bad hangover! Still, the sounds are interesting.

Mike, do what you want to do with these… Copy and give away or sell ’em to other Blackcats,..no problem to me. They belong to all of us! By the way, I cannot remember who was Blackcat 11 in 71-72. If 11 is out there, give him a copy of the tape, or tell him to contact me and I will send him one.

Enough for now, get a cup of coffee, sit back and take a trip back to Phu-Loi! ENJOY.

Bob Patterson
(BlackCat 3 from 8-71 to 72 )

(end of document)

The video below found on YouTube is a slide show of images taken at Phu Loi Field during the war.

Check out the new website that is under construction for the 213th Assault Support Helicopter Company Alumni Association.

Two photos of a Vietman-era Chinook with the dual water buckets.