January-February 1972-page 05, 16,17,18,19

“Southeast Asia”

RotorTips  Jan-Feb-1972 - p.05 :

"DET 1 Pedro Crew Saves Two Despite Obstacles"            

Fog, rain, broken clouds, poor visibility, a day search over mountainous enemy territory, a night landing in a confined area on a beach .... in spite of these and other obstacles, an HH-43 Pedro crew from Det 1, 3rd ARRGp, Phan Rang AB, rescued two downed pilots in urgent need of medical assistance.

The unusual mission began for Capt Robert M. Albers and his crew after an incomplete "Mayday" distress call was received. The HH-43 was airborne and heading for the supposed crash site two minutes later. A 20-minute search over the mountainous area, known to harbor hostile forces, failed to reveal the downed aircraft, however. Contact was established with an Army helicopter which was able to relay the full circumstances of the Mayday transmission. Acting on the information received, another 20-minute search was made in the gathering darkness. Efforts were further hampered by the poor weather - there were low scattered-to-broken clouds in the area, fog covered the lower terrain and a light-to-moderate rain was falling.

At this time, the Army helicopter monitored a radio transmission of "uncertain origin" that provided a clue to the location of the downed aircrew. The message said two men were in a Vietnamese fishing boat that was proceeding to a coastal fishing village. No further information was given ...no contact could be established with the originator of the transmission ...there were numerous fishing villages along the coast.

The crew of Pedro 20 was approximately two miles from the coast when this information was passed to them. Captain Albers headed directly for the coast and began a search for the boat. To this point, very little information had been given about the aircraft crash. The original Mayday contained only the call sign, the word "Mayday," and a garbled phrase, possibly "on fire." It was established by other means that there were two pilots aboard the aircraft.

A search of the nearby coastline revealed several fishing boats in the area. Capt Kevin M. Mahan, the copilot, noticed a flashlight being waved from one, and closer observation revealed that there were two injured Americans in the vessel. The Vietnamese fisherman was attempting to beach the boat on a sand bar about thirty yards from shore. It appeared that the most expeditious means of rescue would be to land on the adjacent beach and deploy the helicopter mechanic and medical technician to aid the downed pilots.

Captain Albers selected a relatively level spot on the narrow beach and made an approach and landing. Due to the restricted area and best approach route, a crosswind landing was accomplished. Rotor tip clearance, especially on the left side of the aircraft, was extremely close. The sand rose on that side to within two feet of the blades. There were several beached boats in the area which also restricted blade clearance.

SSgt David P. Dickensheets, the medical technician, and SSgt Allyn L. Matheson, helicopter mechanic, deplaned and ran into the surf to aid the pilots. The downed airmen were helped out of the boat and aided to the aircraft. The survivors had serious lacerations, varying degrees of back injuries and both were in shock from loss of blood. After loading, Pedro 20 made an immediate takeoff for return to Phan Rang Dispensary. Sergeant Dickensheets treated the survivors for shock, and stopped the bleeding from their wounds.

At this time, complete darkness had fallen, and Pedro 20 was approximately thirty miles from Phan Rang. The weather had deteriorated rapidly after nightfall. Fog was more extensive, the rain was steady, visibility was poor and because of the need to stay below low broken clouds, "navaids" were useless. First following the coastline, then using lights and landmarks, Pedro 20 held maximum comfortable airspeed while returning to Phan Rang. Hospital personnel were standing by when Pedro 20 landed on the dispensary helipad.

Approximately five minutes later, Pedro 20 returned to the alert helicopter pad with less than twenty minutes of fuel remaining. 

Vietnamese Colonel Medevaced

Flying over hostile territory and through a hazardous mountain pass, an HH-43 crew from Det 1, Phan Rang AB, medevaced a seriously-ill Vietnamese colonel to the hospital at Cam Ranh Bay. Rain showers were encountered several times during the 30-mile flight.

RotorTips  Jan-Feb-1972 - p.16,17,18,19 :  

“A Helicopter Called  “Pedro”            photos by Sgt E. V. Agana

SCRAMBLE - When the crash phone blares, rescuemen waste no time getting to their assigned "Pedro." Every man knows his job and each knows exactly what to do.

SECONDS TO LIFTOFF-With each rescueman carrying out his assigned task in a minimum of time, the Pedro can lift off in less than 90 seconds after the alert phone sounds.

TAN SON NHUT AB, RVN (7AF) - The men who built it named it "HUSKIE," and its sure lived up to the name. When introduced into the U.S. Air Force inventory, it set helicopter records for weight lifting, altitude and distance.

In Southeast Asia the HH-43 got a new name, "Pedro". And in Southeast Asia it tallied achievements that make a proud name, too. Pedro is credited with saving 1,880 people, many from certain death or capture, since it arrived in 1964. This is more than one half of the 3,400 saves of the Third Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group, the parent rescue unit in the Republic of Vietnam. In fact, Pedro has rescued more people than any other single U. S. Air Force aircraft in Southeast Asia.

Pedro is a unique aircraft in several ways. It is the only active aircraft in the U. S. Air Force inventory to have non-metal rotor blades. Pedro can launch faster than any other aircraft in Southeast Asia. Its single jet engine requires no warmup, and its five-man crew is airborne in less than 90 seconds after the crash phone sounds.

Probably its most recognizable eccentricity is the "strange tank" suspended by cables under the aircraft, the Fire Suppression Kit. In the event that a downed aircraft bursts into flames, asbestos-clad firemen may be deployed with the kit to extinguish a path in the fire by which to res­cue the downed crew.

Because it has a combat radius of only 75 miles without auxiliary fuel, the tiny Pedro is now assigned primarily to the fire-suppression role and local base rescue. The larger HH-3 Jolly Green Giants and HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giants do the heavy and long-distance work.

It was not always so. In the early days the HH-43 flew far into North Vietnam to effect daring rescues. With 50­gallon fuel drums strapped in the cabin and the fuel hand­pumped into the aircraft's tanks to extend the range, Pedro flew within 40 miles of Hanoi. It took men of iron to fly over the air defense network of North Vietnam in the tiny, single-engined helicopter.

Although her days for dashing over the DMZ to pull downed airmen from the hands of the North Vietnamese are over, she still manages to get her fair share of the glory. Serving side-by-side with active combat units at bases scattered throughout the Republic of Vietnam and Thailand, Pedro rescue helicopters are ready to answer any call for help. During the past 10 months, HH-43s in Southeast Asia have rescued 13 persons, participated in civic action projects, assisted in numerous medical evacuation missions, fought fires and acted as an airborne command post directing fire fighters.

There's no doubt that Pedro is a life saver, and people affected by the little bird's actions do not forget it! 

MAINTAINING PROFICIENCY - A Pedro with a Fire Suppression Kit suspended beneath it prepares to move into a practice fire area. 

FSK HOOKUP - A fireman stretches out the door of an HH-43 Pedro to make sure the Fire Suppression Kit is properly fastened. The kit is designed to make a path to trapped crewmembers in the event of a crash, not totally extinguish a large fire. 

IT'S CALLED PEDRO - Returning from a fire suppression mission, the crew goes over the HH-43 very closely. Being inspected are the hub and composite rotor blades. 

LIFESAVER - More than 1000 combat personnel saves have been made by HH-43 Pedros since arriving in Southeast Asia. Pedros have played many roles in the war: air crew recovery, fire suppression, medical evacuation, civic actions, and others. The proud and unbeaten Pedro maintains 24­hour alert to follow through on the motto of the 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group - "That Others May Live."

Det 14 Rescues Two Wounded Vietnamese

An HH-43 Pedro rescue crew from Det 14, 3rd ARRGp, Tan Son Nhut AB, ended a harrowing day recently for two seriously-wounded Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) members. The pair, along with five others, had been in a VNAF helicopter, shot down approximately 60 miles from Saigon. Despite heavy ground-fire, a U.S. Army helicopter succeeded in picking up the two men. While proceeding to Tan Son Nhut, the Army UH-1 developed trouble, lost a tail rotor and had to crash-land.

A U.S.Air Force HH-43 rescue helicopter was scrambled and arrived at the crash site within 10 minutes. The two wounded VNAF men were then airlifted to the Vietnam hospital at Tan Son Nhut. U.S. Army troops secured the remaining men that were aboard the Army helicopter.

The Pedro crew members were Capts Henry G. Hamby III, aircraft commander, and Clayton L. Coston, copilot; SSgts Norman B. Tenny and Ellis A. Thompson, firefight­ers, and Anthony M. Fiducia. 

Midnight Medevac By Da Nang Unit

Responding to a midnight call, an HH-43 crew from the Pedro Section, 37th ARRSq, Da Nang Airfield, medevaced three officers who had suffered severe fragmentation injuries in an explosion at the base.

Capt John N. Drexler set the Pedro down on the helicopter pad near the 366th Dispensary and the first patient, who had been critically wounded, was placed aboard. He was accompanied by the flight medical officer, Capt Richard  J. Emerson (MC). The HH-43 immediately took off, delivered the wounded man to the 95th USA Hospital, and returned to Da Nang. Captain Emerson remained at the hospital with his patient.

At Da Nang, Pedro picked up the second patient and delivered him to the Army hospital. Captain Emerson was returned to Da Nang. Two hours later, the Pedro Section was notified that it would be necessary to medevac the third wounded man. Again the HH-43 crew took to the air, made the pickup and airlifted the patient to the hospital. Pedro returned to the ramp shortly before 3 a.m., the aircraft was serviced and the crew assumed an alert status once again.

Accompanying Captain Drexler on the medevacs were Capt Michael F. Schmidt, copilot; A1C Robert S. Bos, flight mechanic; and Sgt Earl Brooks,Jr., medical technician.

FASTEST RESCUE - An HH-43 Pedro from the 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group's Det 6 at Bien Hoa AB recently made the fastest U. S. Air Force rescue during 1971. While flying a routine training mission at Bien Hoa, the Pedro received a call saying a VNAF A-1 Skyraider had crashed off the end of the runway and was in an unsecure area. The time was 9:58 a.m.

The HH-43 was at the scene a minute later and by 10:02 a.m., a happy if somewhat damp, Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilot had been lifted from a rice paddy and was safely aboard the Pedro.

Making the four-minute rescue - a record for the year - were, left to right, Capt Verl K. Diamond, copilot; Maj Kenneth S. Smith, pilot; and SSgt Ronald L. Wilson, medical technician. (USAF photo)

last update : 22/10/2007