Sunday, May 03, 2009
Steve's "Otter Of The Week"! .....by Karl E. Hayes
Italy, Germany, France, England, Vietnam, then Cambodia, where her story "grew cold"... until some new information surfaced.....
All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:
De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
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Otter 200
Otter 200 was delivered to the United States Army on 8th February 1957 with serial 55-3327 (tail number 53327) and first served with the 202nd Aviation Company, Boscomantico AAF, Verona, Italy, part of SETAF. It was one of five Otters (the others were 53323, 53324, 53325 and 53326) delivered from Downsview to Red Bird Field, Dallas, Texas where they were fitted with radios suitable for use in Europe. They were then flown to Mobile, Alabama from where they were shipped to Bremerhaven, Germany, where they were re-assembled and flown to the depot at Mannheim, Germany. They were collected from there by pilots from the 202nd Aviation Company and flown to their new base at Boscomantico AAF in May 1957. 53327 continued to fly for the 202nd Aviation Company until May 1962, when it was flown back to the depot at Mannheim to be prepared for its next assignment, which was to the 2nd Aviation Company in France, where it arrived in January 1963. It was noted visiting Leeds Airport in England during July 1964. It continued to fly for the 2nd Aviation Company until July 1966, when it returned to the depot at Mannheim.
It was transported back to the United States and then onwards to Vietnam, where it arrived with the 605th Transportation Company in January 1968, and was then assigned to the 18th Aviation Company. It is mentioned in the unit's history for an incident on 10th July 1969: “CW2 Cliff Welsh, CW2 “Porky” Porter and SP4 James Estabrooks were on an instrument departure from Pleiku to Nha Trang. At 7,000 feet, twenty five miles southeast of Pleiku, “Reliable 327” (the Otter's radio call-sign) blew a thrust plate seal. Maintaining their poise, the crew declared an emergency and were vectored to Camp Holloway in actual instrument conditions. The aircraft was landed without damage”.
53327 continued in service with the 18th Aviation Company until March 1971 when the unit was disbanded. The Otter was handed over to the 388th Transportation Company at Vung Tau, the unit responsible for the storage and disposal of all Army Otters in Vietnam. In August 1971 the Otter was handed over to the Government of Cambodia, one of 18 Otters transferred to that country. Their operation was short lived and the fate of this Otter can only be described as “withdrawn from use and scrapped”.
- by Karl E. Hayes
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To quote "Bill Kurtis", her case went "cold". Then, some new info surfaced on Otter 200.......
CHECK OUT - Khmer Air Force U-1A Otters by Dr. Joe F. Leeker
Scroll down to Page 3 and read about Otter 200......
Fate: ground looped on landing on 2 July 73, while operating outstation; total loss
(Air America’s Phnom Penh Station monthly report for July 73, in: UTD/CIA/B39F1).
WOW! Amazing story of old "Reliable 327".....
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
All information is from Karl Hayes' "masterful" CD entitled:
De Havilland Canada
DHC-3 OTTER
A HISTORY
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Otter 200
Otter 200 was delivered to the United States Army on 8th February 1957 with serial 55-3327 (tail number 53327) and first served with the 202nd Aviation Company, Boscomantico AAF, Verona, Italy, part of SETAF. It was one of five Otters (the others were 53323, 53324, 53325 and 53326) delivered from Downsview to Red Bird Field, Dallas, Texas where they were fitted with radios suitable for use in Europe. They were then flown to Mobile, Alabama from where they were shipped to Bremerhaven, Germany, where they were re-assembled and flown to the depot at Mannheim, Germany. They were collected from there by pilots from the 202nd Aviation Company and flown to their new base at Boscomantico AAF in May 1957. 53327 continued to fly for the 202nd Aviation Company until May 1962, when it was flown back to the depot at Mannheim to be prepared for its next assignment, which was to the 2nd Aviation Company in France, where it arrived in January 1963. It was noted visiting Leeds Airport in England during July 1964. It continued to fly for the 2nd Aviation Company until July 1966, when it returned to the depot at Mannheim.
It was transported back to the United States and then onwards to Vietnam, where it arrived with the 605th Transportation Company in January 1968, and was then assigned to the 18th Aviation Company. It is mentioned in the unit's history for an incident on 10th July 1969: “CW2 Cliff Welsh, CW2 “Porky” Porter and SP4 James Estabrooks were on an instrument departure from Pleiku to Nha Trang. At 7,000 feet, twenty five miles southeast of Pleiku, “Reliable 327” (the Otter's radio call-sign) blew a thrust plate seal. Maintaining their poise, the crew declared an emergency and were vectored to Camp Holloway in actual instrument conditions. The aircraft was landed without damage”.
53327 continued in service with the 18th Aviation Company until March 1971 when the unit was disbanded. The Otter was handed over to the 388th Transportation Company at Vung Tau, the unit responsible for the storage and disposal of all Army Otters in Vietnam. In August 1971 the Otter was handed over to the Government of Cambodia, one of 18 Otters transferred to that country. Their operation was short lived and the fate of this Otter can only be described as “withdrawn from use and scrapped”.
- by Karl E. Hayes
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To quote "Bill Kurtis", her case went "cold". Then, some new info surfaced on Otter 200.......
CHECK OUT - Khmer Air Force U-1A Otters by Dr. Joe F. Leeker
Scroll down to Page 3 and read about Otter 200......
Fate: ground looped on landing on 2 July 73, while operating outstation; total loss
(Air America’s Phnom Penh Station monthly report for July 73, in: UTD/CIA/B39F1).
WOW! Amazing story of old "Reliable 327".....
CONTACT KARL, CD PRICING and ORDERING INFO - De Havilland DHC-3 OTTER - A HISTORY by Karl E. Hayes
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I served with Cliff and Porky, and piloted that Otter. I flew out of Pleiku in 69/70. I learned more about flying in that Otter, than any other plane I piloted in my 40 year career, from the Cherokee to the B777.
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