Karel Staple Chapter does Travis AFB

[Sdude]

Mike spent the last few months organizing this meeting. Since it is on an Air Force Base, he had to make arrangements to get us on base. He created a list so the military could pre-screen us and we could just convoy in past the security guards. He followed up on Monday to make sure everything was set and was told we were good to go.

Well today, nobody at the gate knew anything about it and it took us 45 minutes to get in. But it was worth it as the weather was superb and we had a good time visiting the Doolittle Air Museum.

I asked the docent if they had any Studebaker engines in the museum and he thought I was kidding. We had to educate him on that one. I got a picture of it. That's our chapter president, Frank Smith in the trainer, smiling like a little boy that just snuck in to the baseball game.

We parked under the wing of a giant cargo plane and ate a huge feast that is typical of Karel Staple events. Here's some pictures for you. We only had 5 Studebakers show up as many members wussed out because it was supposed to be a hot day.

[Lou Van Anne]

I admit it, I'm a wuss...didn't even go!

[JRoberts]

Looks like a TW cover picture in there somewhere. Looks like you folks at a really good time.

[jclary]

I'm glad you folks had a great time. I visited Travis twice. Once in October 1967 on my way to Vietnam and again in November 1968 as I returned. I have never wanted to return again.

It looks like you were parked under the wing of an "Old Shaky," the nickname given to the Douglas C-124. One of my lingering memories of Tan Son Nhut Airbase in Vietnam involves one of those on a very tense dark night during the Tet offensive. I watched as one of those aircraft lumbered down the runway struggling to get airborne. Unlike the nimble F4 Phantoms, 101 Voodoo's, or even the turbo prop C-130's we were used to seeing steeply lifting off at mid runway...the ungainly Globe Master needed more runway as it slowly lifted. No sooner was he airborne near the end of the runway, when the big bulbous nose was filled with tracer rounds of hostile fire. A few of my friends and I had a short wave radio tuned to tower frequency.

As the big aircraft banked to the right, slowly gaining altitude, we heard the tower call and ask the pilot if he needed clearance to return, and letting him know they already had notified fire and emergency. In a very calm voice, the pilot replied..."Naw, so far, everything seems O.K. ...think we'll sit back down in Guam." We were all impressed, as the old craft slowly droned off into the darkness.