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US Army Aviation Vietnam, CV-2 Caribou question


VonL

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Am building up a Hobbycraft 1/72 DHC Caribou 62-4168 for a US Army vet who was her crew chief at Vung Tau, c.1964. (Yes, I am actually building something!) Fortunately, it's from 61st Aviation Co., the exact same unit depicted in the kit's decals (What are the chances!?)

 

I found some 1963 pix of this very bird, online. The airplane in these pix lacks the distinctive radar nose. Can I assume she was configured the same in 1964-65, when my vet friend worked on it? Or were radars retrofitted, in country? Most of these birds appeared to have the radar, prior to their transfer from the Army to the USAF, c.1967 and this one did go to a depot for repairs in 1963.

 

Caribou gurus...?

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Bob - Here are a couple of Caribou photo's I took in 1969 at Vung Tau Airbase. It might not have what you are looking for exactly, but could be useful anyway. The Air Force threw a conniption fit over the Caribou, Mohawk and anything with straight wingy thingy's! I always felt that the effectiveness of the army was badly effected by not having a mid size STOL fixed wing in its stable. Photo's by Dan King

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I would say it probably remained without the weather radar as long as it remained in the Army's inventory. I have found a lot of photos of Army CV-2's without radar.

 

However, once it transferred to the USAF, it did receive the radar--this is the same airplane as the much-photographed "Santa-Bou", with Santa's face painted on the nose. At this later date, it does have the radome in place.

 

Be aware, though, that the kit radome is not exactly correct--if you do decide you need it, you'll have to do some fitting and carving to get to to mate with the kit fuselage and to get it shaped correctly. The kit depicts is as almost a button-nose (i.e., nearly hemispherical other than the mating skirt) while the real thing is more of what the old-timers would call a "nipple nose"...

 

Ralph

Edited by Ralph Nardone
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Cool - thanx for this intell, guys. Will leave it off, as it matches a few more pix that I stumbled across. Pretty sure the Army c/c was there earlier, rather than later, when the planes went to the USAF. Just got the main OD paint on 'er, between cold snaps.

 

Sadly, the level of play between parochial interests never seems to improve much. Am about 1/4 through Lambeth's The Unseen War, about the big OIF air effort in 2003. Constant 'dynamic tension' between the parochial types at HQ and the operators who just wanna get it done, in each service.

Edited by VonL
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