Retirement fun for the Cat Herder.

25 views
Skip to first unread message

Carl Robinson

unread,
May 3, 2024, 8:32:57 PMMay 3
to Vietnam Old Hacks
Off-topic a bit, but something I'm doin' for fun into my 80th year, shooting video with a 3-kg SONY 1080 after decades of only still photography.  (At least I know how to frame a shot!)   The HARS Aviation Museum is world-class and just down the road from where we finally landed 100kms south of Sydney, Australia, and where I'm an active volunteer.

I'm sure we all remember the Lockheed Super Constellation in our lives and the Museum has the only one in the world still flying.  (The recently-restored Bataan in US, Ge

neral McArthur's aircraft, is not a super-one.)  The livery on ours is sorta' like Qantas but they didn't want to risk their crash-free record letting HARS use the original.  So just Connie to us.  

On this shoot, I was straight-on tripod and then off the shoulder for other shots, including overhead.

Enjoy! 


Carl Robinson

bke...@hawaii.rr.com

unread,
May 3, 2024, 8:52:48 PMMay 3
to vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Have fun, Carl, but stay safe.
Bev

-----------------------------------------

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Vietnam Old Hacks" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to vietnam-old-ha...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vietnam-old-hacks/CADHX3pmTO7BM3fc6py4k9mQWt0bQB6zCZoYf96MWT_wYyT6ShQ%40mail.gmail.com.

Denis Gray

unread,
May 4, 2024, 2:31:23 AMMay 4
to vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
You should have started shooting video earlier. Good job, as Esper used to say. Denis

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vietnam-old-hacks/d7cc466c8278ecd472a014ca38ae378ddd3fa279%40webmail.

Carl Robinson

unread,
May 4, 2024, 7:05:44 AMMay 4
to vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Thank you, Denis Gray.  But the AP Saigon expression "Good work" wasn't a George Esper one, but one of those turnarounds as the expression started with Bob Tuckman from the London Bureau during & right after Tet '68 and when I joined AP and actually aimed at George as he'd torment himself over writing another a.m. or p.m. war news wrap-up for the AP wire.  Bob would calm him by constantly assuring him "good work, George."  The expression caught on and was widely established & used when you arrived in '69-70.   It was the simplest and highest compliment you could get for hacking out anything half-decent for the wire.  

Another widely adopted expression at AP Saigon, and not always in his presence, was the legendary German-born photo boss Horst Faas frequent use of the expression Jesus Christ -- pronounced "Cheesus Kryst," of course.   And you never wanted to be on the receiving end of those outbursts !   

Cheers -- and best thing about video is somebody to edit what you've shot ! 

Carl

   

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vietnam-old-hacks/CAB%3Dx12TM3ngz_Gxx13TTwkdiS1A7_X76UTusZU13k6Jm81UN7g%40mail.gmail.com.

Denis Gray

unread,
May 4, 2024, 7:14:26 AMMay 4
to vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Many thanks for the anecdotes Carl. All best. Denis

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vietnam-old-hacks/CADHX3pnt1bxVEdHd%2BQHz-TVFbG6sG9NKLjm4mGDfwF9qXOKbWw%40mail.gmail.com.

Ron Yates

unread,
May 4, 2024, 11:54:22 AMMay 4
to vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
I remember those Super Constellations. They were the backbone of TWA, headquartered in my hometown of Kansas City in the Crossroads downtown area when I was growing up. TWA moved its headquarters to New York in 1964, but the TWA training center for its flight attendants remained. As you or your Aussie buddies might say, Carl, there were some beautiful "Sheilas" in that place, and many of us college guys spent much time there checking out and dating the "birds." Those were the days.

Thanks for sharing that great video of the Super Connie. Good job!

Ron

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Vietnam Old Hacks" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to vietnam-old-ha...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vietnam-old-hacks/CADHX3pmTO7BM3fc6py4k9mQWt0bQB6zCZoYf96MWT_wYyT6ShQ%40mail.gmail.com.


--
Ronald E. Yates                      
Author, Journalist, Professor/Dean Emeritus 
“If you don’t want to be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing about.” – Benjamin Franklin

Contact Information: 
(E-mail) jhaw...@gmail.com                          
My Website: http://www.ronaldyatesbooks.com/
Authors Guild Website: http://www.ronaldyates.com/index.htm
Link to me at       https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronyates
Ron's Substack Link: https://ronyates.substack.com/
Ron's American Free News Network Link: https://afnn.us/


Rick Fredericksen

unread,
May 4, 2024, 12:16:31 PMMay 4
to Vietnam Old Hacks
Great production Carl. I've attached my story on the relatively unknown significance of this aircraft in Vietnam: it introduced television to the country in 1966 prior to the 8 ground stations that were ultimately broadcasting AFVN from the Delta to the DMZ. They were called Blue Eagles—three of them—and were part of Project Jenny, which installed complete TV stations in the Connies. I posted your link to their Facebook page, Blue Eagles of Vietnam. The guys there will love it.​


From: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com <vietnam-...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Carl Robinson <robinso...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 3, 2024 7:32 PM
To: Vietnam Old Hacks <vietnam-...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Retirement fun for the Cat Herder.

Carl Robinson

unread,
May 4, 2024, 6:36:59 PMMay 4
to vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Thank you, Rick Fredericksen, for posting your story about the Lockheed Constellation's role in introducing television to South Vietnam in early 1966.  The Connie at HARS is very popular with visitors and I have mentioned the aircraft's role in introducing TV to South Vietnam but unhad the details.  (Ours, by the way, is a C-121C, not J, but was ex-USAF and only saved from scrap at its Arizona graveyard by its being the home of thousands of birds.  Quite a restoration too.)   And, yes, TV was gonna' win the hearts & minds and pacify the whole country, eh?  (I love hearing that old idealism!)   

That was indeed quite a speedy introduction of TV to South Vietnam and took place while I was back in US for a year finishing uni after my first year in Vietnam until June '65.   So, February 6, 1966 is the day and I'll have to remind my wife KD of that as she thought there was TV earlier in South Vietnam.   (That would've been just after Tet too which was 21 January.)   By mid-July when I returned, ground stations were running and the Constellation was running down over the Mekong Delta where I was stationed with USAID.  I do remember that.  Everyone would gather around the shop-fronts and in people's homes to watch the Vietnamese and US channels.   It really did bring quite a dramatic change to South Vietnam.   We used to all joke how it'd also bring down the birth rate.

And let's not forget what a star NBC's George Lewis' then-wife became the star weather girl on AFVN and what was that expression she (or perhaps someone else) about having a nice day "and otherwise"?  

I watched some shows on AFVN with Laugh-in standing out.  But I'll never forget going to a military hospital ward full of wounded guys with the TV blaring Combat.  That was just a bit too much.  

Best regards,

Carl 

 

Rick Fredericksen

unread,
May 4, 2024, 8:46:12 PMMay 4
to vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Warm memories Carl, thanks. I was at AFVN in 1969-70. Most of my time was at Saigon HQ, but the final three months was at the Nha Trang detachment on Hon Tre Island. I anchored the one evening TV newscast. By the way, there were two Bobbie weather girls. It was Bobbie Keith who closed off her segment with, "have a good night weatherwise, and of course, otherwise. She still uses it to close out her emails today from her home in Florida.
Sent: Saturday, May 4, 2024 5:36 PM
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com <vietnam-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Retirement fun for the Cat Herder.
 

Carl Robinson

unread,
May 4, 2024, 10:08:18 PMMay 4
to Vietnam Old Hacks
Yes, that was the expression.  Everybody picked it up with a real chortle.  

Cheers

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vietnam-old-hacks/DM4PR22MB36972CE0B351D77BB1EED1E7C71D2%40DM4PR22MB3697.namprd22.prod.outlook.com.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages