USAF Retires Song Tay Raid Veteran

this is from the Dec 2008 issue of Flight Journal Magazine:

this past April the USAF retired a Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low serial 68-10357 after 38 years of service. that particular helicopter was purchased in 1968 as a HH-53C by the USAF in 1967 after evaluating the USMC's CH-53Cs. 68-10357 took part in the failed raids on POW camps in Song Tay, flying well behind enemy lines into Vietnam to attept to resuce american POWs. the helicopter was upgraded to HH-53H Pave Low II standards following the Vietnam war, upgraded again to MH-53J Pave Low III standards in 1987 and finally to a MH-53M Pave Low IV in 1990. the helicopter flew it's final combat mission in iraq on 28 March and will be retired to the USAF museum in Dayton, OH.

the remainder of the fleet was retired on 1 October and the AFSOC is trasitioning to the CV-22.


there are no pix of 68-10357 on a.net, pictures is another MH-53M

I love how it looks, so mean. I only wish I could have seen em fly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nick

I love how it looks, so mean. I only wish I could have seen em fly.

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amen to that!

I get a few Pave Lows or Super Stallions [can never tell which one is which] over the house here every month or so. It's always impressive. They're just so big.

When I was at Eustis, I had the privilege of watching a Stallion do touch and goes for hours.

I use to get packs of 3 to 4 fly over my house out of NXX at 500'. Those rotors are just so loud.. Love the sound of them and the look too. I usually would get woken up on Saturday's when they would fly over. Always thought the windows would break.

I use to get packs of 3 to 4 fly over my house out of NXX at 500'. Those rotors are just so loud.. Love the sound of them and the look too. I usually would get woken up on Saturday's when they would fly over. Always thought the windows would break.