Previously Held AFSC/MOS 27250A-Air Traffic Control Operator
27270-Air Traffic Control Technician
Service Years
1960 - 1980
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
What are you doing now:
My wife and I are both retired and travel a lot- mainly throughout the Southwestern USA. We both enjoy photography and music.
Other Comments:
After retiring from American Airlines in 1995, I worked as office manager for friends who owned 3 Port of Subs sandwich shops. Then I helped out another friend as office manager of Casino Gaming School. When the Las Vegas Gladiators came to town, I worked for them as Operations Manager. Great people to work with and a fun job!!! I also worked several years at House of Blues as a production runner. It was a lot of fun until they, because of insurance requirements, required the performers to use taxi or limo transportation. When I could no longer transport them in my vehicle, I bailed.
Ramstein AB, Germany. We got a squadron of them from France after DeGaulle kicked us out of his country and left NATO.
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RF-101C Voodoo Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
RF-101C U.S. Air Force technicians prepare a McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo for a photo reconnaissance mission
Using the reinforced airframe of the F-101C, the RF-101C first flew on 12 July 1957, entering service in 1958. Like the RF-101A, the RF-101C had six cameras in place of radar and cannons in the reshaped nose. Unlike the RF-101A, the RF-101C retained the ability to carry a single nuclear weapon on the centerline pylon. One hundred and sixty-six RF-101Cs were built, including 96 originally scheduled to be F-101C fighter-bombers.
The 1964 Project "Toy Tiger" fitted some RF-101C with a new camera package and a centerline pod for photo-flash cartridges. Some were further upgraded under the Mod 1181 program with automatic control for the cameras.
The RF-101C saw service during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was sent to Vietnam in 1961, becoming the first USAF jet aircraft to serve there. RF-101C saw heavy service during the Vietnam War, with the first F-101 being lost in November 1964 to ground fire. From 1965 through November 1970, its role was gradually taken over by the RF-4C Phantom II. In some 35,000 sorties, 39 aircraft were lost, 33 in combat,[7] including five to SAMs, one to an airfield attack, and one in air combat to a MiG-21 in September 1967. The RF-101C's speed made it largely immune to MiG interception. 27 of the combat losses occurred on reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam. In April 1967, ALQ-71 ECM pods were fitted to provide some protection against SAMs. Although the Voodoo was again able to operate at medium altitudes, the added drag decreased the speed enough to make RF-101 vulnerable to MiGs and thus requiring fighter escort.
On 27 November 1957 during Operation Sun Run an RF-101C set the Los Angeles-New York-Los Angeles record in 6 hours, 46 minutes, the New York to Los Angeles record in 3 hours, 36 minutes, and the Los Angeles to New York record in 3 hours, 7 minutes.
After withdrawal from Vietnam, the RF-101C continued to serve with USAF units through 1979.
In service, the RF-101C was nicknamed the "Long Bird;" it was the only version of the Voodoo to see combat.
