With the mission briefing complete and takeoff still a few hours off, the crew found themselves under the supervision of an old crusty and believed to be former Air Force Line Chief performing routine maintenance on the EC-97. Most were delegated to wiping, having been issued a large bundle of rags. The one thing about radial engines and old aircraft they leak, drip, ooze and bleed fluids like mad. The ole chief had everyone one not on the flight deck crew madly wiping every square inch within access by human arms. Some were on top of the wings, the rest under them. Those under quickly wished they had not already put on their flight suits they were going to wear for tonight’s mission.

The flight deck crew was being given instructions on the new tracking radar which had been installed while they were sleeping . “The emitter/receiver is located in the nose blister just above the primary navigation radar.” He explained now sporting a fresh but unlit cigar. “It is about the size of a lunch box. It has a range of two hundred yards give or take a few.”

He took a pause to look each crewman in the eye before emphasizing his next point. “It only has a thirty degree angle viewing…get this aircraft outside of that cone, you’ll lose target acquisition. Think of it like looking out the front window peering through a paper towel roll. Tunnel vision is an understatement.”

Everyone got the message. “Up here this box on the dash contains two switches. One is the power switch the other is a gain control. The image is displayed through your radar screen here. You’ll need to select which source you want the scope to use by this switch here. The idea is that you’ll have no problem following the target, while flying in clear air it will have its lights on. But if it should go dark, you’ll have to rely on your eyeballs to keep an eye on the targets exhaust flames. This little device is to help you should that occur. Once you are in position you are to turn the gain down until you barely receive a return on the target. At that range you should be able to see the aircraft but nothing will see you unless it is directly between the two of you and on this particular frequency band.“  He paused before asking. “Questions?”

“Will I have the same display on my scope?” The navigator asked.

“No. You only have the primary input, standard nav radar. You also have to ensure the set is off so the targeting system will be allowed to display. We didn’t have time to come up with the proper switching circuits. If you turn on the radar, you’re blind. It will back feed the circuits to the targeting radar and burn it out. We hope to have something better available to replace this setup but we are at the mercy of equipment availability. What we are trying to do just hasn’t been perfected yet for this sort of application.” He stated.

“Nav, your the man. You control the radars. I don’t want to lose my glasses so to speak when we’re following something that close through any clouds.” The aircraft commander said.

How did you set up the alignment for this thing. What will be our position be in relation to the aircraft we are following using this thing?” The copilot asked.

“That is something we aren’t one hundred percent sure of, as we have no equipment to test that. We just relied on Kentucky sights…windage and elevation. We’ll adjust it based on your flight tonight. Keep close track of where you are when the pipper centers up in the scope.” He replied.

“Great, this sortie is going to have a very high pucker factor, especially since heavy cloud cover is expected over Taiwan tonight. If this thing puts us too far either side of center or above center, there is a good chance the target could spot us. Especially if the navigator on board it takes a celestial reading through the top blister.” The aircraft commander retorted with a little sarcasm.

It was now time for the crew to take a short break to clean up have a snack and prepare their personal gear for the flight. An airman from the Osan AB chow hall carried up several boxes into the aircraft filled with food, beverages and supplies, which he carefully packed away in the galley. “Who’s going to be responsible for the galley?” He asked. No one on board even responded. So he exited the aircraft and found the aircraft commander standing next to the nose wheel, flashlight in hand peering up into the wheel bay.

“Sir, who should I instruct on operation of the galley equipment to prepare the meals?” He asked.

“Pick one of those guys over there, designate a primary and a backup. If they give you any guff, just turn and point towards me.” He replied and went about his preflight inspection.

The young airman walked over to a group of six of the aircrew who were chatting and pointed at one then another stating. “You’re elected the galley chief and you’re his assistant. Come with me! Then turned to walk back up the steps into the aircraft.

“Who the…” one of them started to say but the Airman was already pointing a finger towards the aircraft commander who was now approaching the left landing gear. The two grabbed their bags and followed him aboard.

Once inside the airman quickly explained what was stored where and fished out an instruction card from one of the galley’s storage drawers. Here are the steps for using the ovens to heat your inflight frozen dinners. I’ll demonstrate how to make coffee, watch closely.” He said and went through the steps to setup the coffee maker so it could be switched on after takeoff. “Also never leave any compartment doors unsecured. Close and verify they latched. Otherwise you might find yourself cleaning up a nasty mess. Oh and be sure to turn the pots heating elements off when not in use. These things have a habit of getting too hot and catching fire. I’ll see if I can scrounge up a couple more thermoses for you guys, that way you can make and transfer the coffee from the pot into them.”

A couple of questions were asked by the two new flight stewards and the airmen took what trash he had created and carried it with him off the aircraft. “Oh before I get. It is your job to empty the trash and the end of each flight. If you don’t the chief will have you washing and cleaning the whole galley each and every time you fly.” He said as his parting comment. The two new galley attendants just stared at each other knowing that after wiping down the outside, the inside of a galley would be even harder to pass inspection by the “chief.”

“Engine start in thirty minutes, lets get situated and get the preflight tasks completed.” The copilot said standing at the foot of the steps.

It was a mostly clear sky tonight, the sun seemed to take its sweet time setting. The aircraft commander stood outside the tent like hanger looking across the field towards the runway and taxiway. He was watching a crew of several dozen soldiers lay steel matting in three narrow strips between that where the EC-97 was encased in its tent and a nearby taxiway. Each strip was spaced just so, so each of the landing gear wheels could roll over it, preventing the heavy aircraft from sinking into the compacted soil. “They were planning on putting in a permanent taxiway in before we got here. Unfortunately, our timetable didn’t allow it to be completed. So the Civil Engineers came in and built up the ground to hold the matting and the aircraft.” Dirks explained.

“You are going to have to start engines, taxi down the lane here and onto the taxiway. There we’ll refuel you as fast as we can. I just don’t trust doing it up here and I don’t relish the idea of explaining to my boss why I let an airplane get stuck on my outpost.”Dirks commented.

A short while later the power cart started up and the winches began to retract the tent like hanger and netting open. Once it was opened fully the power cart was connected to the EC-97′s external power port. The crew started engines two and three and once all connections were removed the aircraft was again marshaled forward with a guy and two lighted wands. He just walked down the center row of the PSP matting rolling his outstretched arms to lead the plane down the slight incline and onto the cement taxiway. Once the EC-97 was safely on the cement he motioned for it to stop and for the wheel chalks to be replaced. The copilot shut down the number three engine as a safety precaution. The refueling truck was already in place and its two attendants quickly took to the task of pumping fuel into the aircraft.

With that task completed, the crew restarted number three, then number four, then number one. “Checklists complete. We’re ready to go.” Said the pilot.

To be continued.

No update on the build in this segment…hope you are enjoying the story.

Chapter III

Chapter II

Chapter I

As the EC-97 crossed over the mainland of Japan it felt like the first mission the pilot had flow over Japan during the War as a young second lieutenant flying from a base on Tinian. The Boeing 337 was an offspring from the B-29′s design and with his hand firmly on the yoke as the aircraft buffeting in the turbulence it felt all too familiar to him. In those days he wasn’t flying bombing missions over Japan, but reconnaissance flights filming the bomb damage done by B-29 strike missions or gathering target and weather data for a forthcoming sortie. Tonight it seemed like just yesterday.

As the distance from Japan increased and the coast line of the South Korean peninsula grew closer the entire crew’s anticipation and activity also increased. They were eager to get away from the confines of this aircraft, so they began to gather their gear and storing it in its proper place.

The aircraft crossed the Korean coastline near the small coastal city of Pohang. The city itself was mostly obscured by clouds but the crew could see a few lights of the city below. Shortly after they started their descent on a heading that would take them into the airport at Seoul, the country’s capital. Kimpo Airport was once a major fighter base during the Korean War, but it wasn’t the destination runway they’d actually be landing on. The radar approach controller gave them a left turn “for spacing” to separate them from other arriving traffic which there were only two and they were not anywhere close. However this turn put them on a course to the destination where they would be landing.  Another airfield that played a major role in the air war over Korea.

Suwon Air Base was the home of the 51st Fighter Group in those days, now it was a little used field controlled by the South Korean military and where the CIA established a small temporary operational support unit. The EC-97 landed without incident and was quickly greeted by a jeep like truck with the familiar “FOLLOW ME” sign on its rear. The flight crew was instructed to shut down its outboard engines and taxi without any lights on.

“Where is this guy taking us, it looks as if were going out into the dingtoolies!” the copilot stated.

“I can’t be sure but I think we’re taxiing on PSP matting.” said the pilot.

The FOLLOW ME vehicle slowed, an occupant with lighted wands jumped out the passenger side, then it sped away to the left. The marshaller walked backwards motioning the big aircraft forward. Then suddenly he motioned for a hard left turn and literally had to run to double time backwards to turn the aircraft one hundred and eighty degrees. Once the aircraft had swung completely around and the nose wheel centered up, an indication to STOP was signaled followed by a cut engines sign.

The crew shut down the two engines and secured the aircraft. Chocks were placed around the main wheels and a power cart could be heard starting up but no connect was made to the aircraft. Instead this cart was the winch system used to raise and cover the Night Lark with a camouflaged tent and netting.  When the crew emerged down the aircraft’s stairs emerging into what they felt was a pitch black insides of a circus tent. In fact it was very similar, only it blended in with the surrounding countryside from every angle including if anyone was looking downward at it. The Night Lark now nestled into her new “nest.”

“Skipper, what the hell kind of hanger is this?” One of the crewmen asked.

“Nothing like I can remember ever being in.” He replied.

Just then the inside of the “tent” lit up. It wasn’t bright but at least you could now make out more than what the aircraft’s cabin lights cast out the doorway. A big man in civilian attire approached them accompanied by another man, who was much smaller wearing a uniform.

“Welcome to Suwon gentleman I’m Dirks, the detachment commander here, this is our host Colonel Yi. This is his base and he has graciously allowed us to set up our circus for a few weeks.” He said with a distinct facial expressions that was a troubled relationship. The only thing on the crews mind at this moment was finding a place to unpack their gear and get some hot chow. But they shook hands with their new hosts and smiled.

“We’ve got a barracks ready for you and your crew, though for now everyone will bunk in the same bay. We’re working on getting some trailers setup, but we haven’t been given a place to set them up yet. A truck will be bringing you some hot chow up from Osan in about an hour. We typically eat our meals there, but it was easier to bring it to you tonight.” Dirks explained.

The barracks wasn’t really a barracks, it was more of a small storage building with no windows and just one door. Inside the crew found sixteen cots set up, with a thin GI mattress, pillow and linen rolled up and stacked on one end. The room was illuminated with three light bulbs equally spaced apart dangling at the end of their power cord from the rafters.

The navigator said what everyone else was thinking…”From one Spam can into another.” As he tossed his duffle bag next to the first cot he came to. The rest followed his lead. Most didn’t even make their beds, they just rolled the mattresses out and laid the linen over the pillow then laid on down to await chow.

“This is going to he a long and hellish deployment if this is going to be our digs for the next 90 days.” One of the radar operators said. The others just moaned in agreement.

Chow arrived two hours later, nothing fancy, plenty of burgers, fried chicken, fries, Coca Cola, Coffee and a sheet cake for dessert. It was tastee, but sat heavy on everyone’s gut. The crew settled into their cots which they now had made and they all seemed to doze off quickly.

Eight hours later they were jolted awake by the opening of the steel entrance door and someone yelling  “Wake Up! Breakfast is ready and mission briefing is in one hour!” The sunlight flooded in through the doorway. Everyone started to moan, they all felt like they had a hang over. Their heads ached and then it hit them…”What the hell is that god awful smell?”

This revelation was delayed because the only thing they could smell last night was the canvas of the “hanger”, the smells associated with being around  aircraft and its support equipment. But this morning the aromatic offerings of Korea made its way in through the now open doorway. A mixture of fish, rotting vegetation, a plethora of different feces, stale air and other nondescript but repulsive odors. One of the agency boys stuck his head in the doorway and said there was a portable shower now setup and ready for its first customers and if they hurried they’ll all get one before the hot water ran out. Everyone grabbed their shower kits and shuffled outside towards the shower. They arrived just in time to find young Airmen handing out cups of fresh hot coffee. Only two could shower at a time so coffee was a welcome alternative to smelling the odors they were experiencing. The young airman noticing the crews noses buried in their cups to mask the odors shouted, “You’ll get used to it in a couple of days, we all did.”

Breakfast was still being eaten when the briefing started. It was lead by a short little guy in a white short sleeved shirt and a well worn blue necktie. He had is collar unbuttoned and the tie loosened. His pack of Lucky Strikes was clearly visible through his shirt pocket and he looked like he needed one bad. He started his briefing…”Tonight we have a simple run for you, just going to do a practice sortie. You’ll be shadowing a commercial airline flight bewteen Tokoyo and Hong Kong. Timing on this is critical so you can get in the slot and shadow it until it reaches Hong Kong. We know that this particular aircraft occasionally flies not to Hong Kong but onwards to Hanoi. We’re, that is you are going to start following this flight every night on the chance you get to follow it as it makes its way into Hanoi.

“When will we know whether or not it is going to Hanoi instead of Hong Kong?” Ask the aircraft commander.

“Our agents in Tokoyo believe the only time it in fact does alter its intended route and bypass Hong Kong is when it has a courier, some government official or an invited guest.” The briefer replied. “They typically have not been arriving in Hong Kong airspace with they intend to go to Hanoi. Someone in the Hong Kong air traffic control knows ahead of time and simply seems to report the flight as having arrived on time. We picked up on this fact because we discovered that some days records indicate it arriving long before its scheduled arrival. We believe it is about the time it diverts to Hanoi.”

“So where can we expect it to divert if it is, do we know its route?” The navigator asked.

“That location varies but it is either while it is near Xiamen or Shantou. How it gets to Hanoi from there we don’t know. Our agents just report its arrival in Hanoi and when it leaves on the return to Tokoya via Beijeng. We’re not sure if it takes an overland route or by sea. None of the Navy’s radar planes have been able to track it, the Chinese Air Force has been also active on those nights southwest of Hong Kong all the way to Nanning.” He explained.

A tall gray haired old guy stepped up to the front of the room. Everyone took notice as he was chewing the remains of a cigar. He spoke with a southern accent. “While you were sleeping the better part of the day away, my boys installed a new radar gizmo into your aircraft. It will help you follow another aircraft at close range. It has less power than a flea, but you’ll be able to track it if you stay withing a hundred yards. It is designed to not set off any of the bad guys sensors. It works similar to a missiles targeting radar, a very small signal cone. Once you’re in the grove you can dial back the gain so no one will ever know you are there unless they are between you and the aircraft you are following. I’ll brief the flight deck crew before you depart.” He stated. Then he shifted his cigar to the other side of his mouth and walked out of the room.

The briefing continued on for another hour. It finished up with one last question which was poised by one of the youngest members of the crew. “There wouldn’t be a chance we’d get to RON (remain over night) in Hong Kong would there?” Everyone laughed and already knew that answer.

The build. Well the story is taking shape faster and better than the model. Disaster struck as I was installing the nose gear legs into the wheel well. The wheel well apparently wasn’t cemented well enough in place the slightest pressure caused it to recede deep into the fuselage. There is no way to access it to replace it so it looks as if this will be a gear up in-flight model. I managed to complete the engine nacelle assemblies and install two of the four on the model. The engines are a bugger to line up on the inside of the nacelles. Since the gear are going to be up, I have to make some guides for the gear doors so they are easier to position in the closed configuration. It also means I might consider cutting some clear styrene discs to replace the propellers. Hmm. Have to give that some more thought.

If you are enjoying the story let me know, post a comment!

Continue on to Chapter IV.

Missed reading Chapter II or even Chapter I?

I hate when that happens! Just when you have the paint scheme just right a mishap occurs and ruins everything you’ve achieved. It happens to the best of us. So what do you do? Toss the model into the trash? Spares stash? Strip it down and start again?

Well, I chose to repaint the whole thing AGAIN. Originally I used enamels, but on the second round I switched over to acrylics. Why because if it happens again they are much easier to strip off.

The scheme is one of black under surfaces, and upper surfaces painted tan, dark green and drab green, much like the standard SEA scheme.

Besides the repainting of the fuselage and wings, I also have the cowls painted and ready for them to receive the engine assemblies. Started painting the propellers but it was getting late so I left them for another session. Still have to get the landing gear painted and assembled so I can get this gal on her legs instead of clothes pins.

The crew made their final farewells and climbed aboard. The preflight was done and it was time to start engines as the darkness started to sweep across the base where the EC-97 Night Lark had been calling home for these past several weeks. Inside the crew went about their tasks quietly, the only conversations were brief, mostly relating to checklist items. In a matter of minutes the Night Lark was airborne and heading northwest towards Seattle, then her crew would point her towards Shemya AB, Alaska.

The low pressure system coming down the west coast would give her tailwinds most of the way once past the Washington state coastline. An unexpected bonus to the mission planners. This meant no stops at populated bases that had no adequate places to hide her. The crew settled in for the long trip, chasing the night in a jet was one thing, doing it in a piston powered behemoth was another. The flight deck was subdued but vigilant at watching the gauges and the black sky.

One hundred miles from Shemya the crew started their descent. When the copilot made his initial call to Shemya approach control the rest of the crew half dozing took notice to the break in silence on the intercom. “Shemya approach this is Spud three three seven, ninety miles south east, starting our descent from two three thousand, with Victor.”

“Spud three three seven, Shemya approach,  squawk zero three three seven and ident, turn left to course of three five zero.” The approach controller said.

“Roger, left to three five zero, squawking zero three three seven, Ident.” The copilot replied. The pilot rolled the EC-97 slightly left to swing her on to the new course heading. The approach controller was obviously setting them up for a short ILS approach.

“Spud three seven radar contact now seven eight miles out, descend to nine thousand, altimeter three zero point zero zero, looks as if we have some fog rolling in, visibility now one mile and expected to drop to a quarter mile or less soon. Keep your speed up.” The tower advised.

The pilot didn’t reduce power on the four big radials as much as he normally would, instead he kept the airspeed up during the descent. He knew that once visibility dropped to near zero he’d have to go elsewhere and that really wasn’t an option with this aircraft. No he’d zip in before the weather closed in.

Thirty minutes later the crew was hobbling down the stairs onto the Shemya ramp trying to rid their muscles of cramps from sitting for so long. The fog along with the darkness was a blessing. It helped keep Night Lark’s secret protected. Just a few miles off shore laying in wait was a Soviet submarine which watched the comings and goings of aircraft at Shemya AB. Tonight they had nothing but a radio conversation as they never were able to see Spud 337 land.

The refueling of both the aircraft and the crew took just over an hour but their departure would be delayed. The fog that arrived when they did settled in firmly. You couldn’t see more than a few feet, barely visible was the number two engine from the cockpit window. The pilot caught a ride to the base command post to “phone home” on a secure line. The conversation wasn’t a pleasant one, those in charge of the program Night Lark were upset that their established timetable had been broken. But by the time the call was over a new time table was being worked out. By the time the weather started to show signs of lifting the sun was beginning to set.

The crew ended up spending their time either in the aircraft or hanging around base operations. Each took time to wash up in one of the sinks in the latrine. They also grab their meals from the snack bar’s limited menu. It was that or dine from the vending machines, which didn’t look like they had been used since the end of the Korean War!

Finally the weather started to improve and the fog was showing signs of lifting. The aircraft commander called back to his command section  advising them they would be departing within the hour to ensure they could depart unnoticed. He was informed to monitor a specific HF frequency for further instructions once airborne. With that he got an update on the weather along his planned “route” and headed back to the aircraft to brief the crew.

The crew had the aircraft ready to go, all they needed was just a bit more visibility and they’d be able to depart. They still couldn’t see more than a couple taxiway lights in distance but it was improving. About a half hour later engine number three was being cranked over followed by number two. Once they were up and running the remaining two were started and the EC-97 started to taxi under a new callsign, Tater 337.

“Shemya tower Tater three three seven ready for takeoff.” The pilot radioed.

Tater three three seven, altimeter two niner point niner two, left turn on course approved, Cleared for takeoff.”

“Tater three three seven Roger on the go.” The pilot replied as he pushed the four throttles forward, his hand guarded by the copilots.  Visibility was still pretty poor, only able to see five or six hundred feet at best. That didn’t stop the crew from making perfect takeoff and as the pilot banked left the gear were retracting into their wells.

“Gear up, flaps coming up, trim.” The copilot said as he read his checklist. “Shemya Departure, Tater three three seven with you climbing through thirty five hundred.”

“Tater three seven, radar contact five miles west of the field, continue on course, cleared to climb to two five thousand. Suggest you monitor Sapporo Radio for traffic advisories. Frequency change approved.” The departure controller said.

“Three seven copies.” The copilot responded.

As Night Lark continued its slow laborious climb, the crew in back were warming up their receivers, the flight along the coast of Russia might provide some interesting listening to distract them from their otherwise boring ride. The pilot’s voice broke the silence on the intercom. “Before you guys start evesdropping on the commies, listen for our message traffic. Of course that was primarily an automated process. The operator only had to make sure the frequency was properly set, then once a signal with the proper authenticaion identification came through the teletype would start printing the coded message. All he’d have to do is give it to the crew on the flight deck to decode.

Upon Tater 337′s departure the clerk on duty at base ops that evening sent a message to his reporting authority notifying them that Tater 337 a C-124 bound for Clark AB, Philippines departed on time with seven souls aboard. This message was no doubt going to be intercepted so a little white lie was tossed in. Nothing unusual about a C-124 landing at Shemya, they typically bought in personnel and supplies.  With the war on in Vietnam they also typically flew onward to either Japan or the Philippines.

Night Lark was just reaching its cruising altitude flying a heading of two hundred and ten degrees when the radioman brought up a teletype sheet of paper with a lot of numbers and words that looked like jibberish.  In fact it was a complex coded message. The navigator and the copilot worked through the message to decode it. Once done they learned where they were heading and the route they would take.

The navigator a Major who had more than seven thousand hours in the air quickly plotted the routing information on his charts. Then he used his navigators wiz wheel to do the mathematics and noted them on the chart as well. With the courses carefully plotted their journey now had them flying to Yokohama, Japan from there a turn westward towards South Korea.

To be continued in Chapter III.

Click here if you missed Chapter I.