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71st ARRS HC-130 refueling 5040th Heli Sqdn HH-3E over Alaska 1971
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5040th HES HH-3E approaching "contact" with refueling drogue |
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Elmendorf AFB ramp - winter morning |
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One of the 5040th's H-3's had fixed landing gear and was used mostly for cargo. Shown here loading near Fairbanks, Alaska. 1970
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The 5040th was involved in many rescues. The airplane had carburetor icing and the pilot elected to land on a drilling rig road. Unfortunately, the road was very soft and he lost control on landing.
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The "bush" pilots would "bounce"on lake ice with some flying speed to see if the ice would break, then go around and land. This worked OK except if it's soft where you stop. They guys got out but spent a cold night lakeside. Believe it or not, they managed to get logs under the wings and float it up to the beach, put floats on, dry out the engine and fly it out the following spring. Ingenuity at work!
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Ran out of gas at dusk. The brush-covered area looked like possible landing site. The pilot and male passenger were killed. The woman survivor was trapped in the wreckage for a day before being found.
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The 5040th assisted in water drops on a tundra fire in Interior Alaska. 1971
Leaving vapor trail in sub-zero temperatures enroute to the North Slope.
Extreme cold operational exercise near Point Barrow, Alaska 1972
Lake Clark Pass enroute to King Salmon, Alaska
Helicopters in support of University of Alaska studies of the 1918 Mt. Katmai eruption.
Sunrise on the Kenai Peninsula
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5040th HH-3E near Mt. Redoubt across Cook Inlet west of Anchorage.
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The only way to pull "Alert " in the summer at King Salmon -a forty pounder.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
