Australian airmen shared the perils over Vietnam in full measure with their American and Vietnamese allies. 9 Sqn flew the ‘Huey’, 2 Sqn flew the Canberra but the most familiar Aussie’s aloft were the crews of RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam, known as Wallaby Airlines.
Flying a total of 7 Caribous from August 1964 to february 1973, their job was to carry anything anywher anytime, under any conditions, the flying wallabies braved harrowing enemy fire, to haul troops and supplies into isolated camps, mud, rain, fog, dust, mountain valleys, ridiculously short makeshift airstrips were all in the game, crews found themselves putting in 10 sorties a day.
In January 1969 a Caribous piloted by a Flt. Lt. Thompson, had just landed at a besieged U.S camp when the mortar fire started, the first shell shattered the windscreen, two tyres burst and the hydrolics were knocked out, the crew unloaded the cargo and somehow Thompson got the Caribous airborne and home. By the time the wallabies detarted they had carried 700,000 passengers, delivered 41 millon kilo’s of frieght and miraculously, no one was killed.
Being a Canadian, the Caribou and its descendant aircraft, the Buffalo, mean a lot. Unfortunately, they are also a reminder of Canada’s once thriving aviation industry’s heyday back in the 50’s and 60’s, what it once was, and probably never will be again.
I wish I had had the money for the Hobbycraft 1/72 Caribou kits when they were out in the mid 90s, I’d love to have done one up in an all white UN scheme.
Bob: The only 1/48 Caribou kit I ever heard of was by OzMods back in the 90’s. Vacuum form with white metal and resin parts. From what I recal, it got a fairly respectable review in FSM.
Thanks for the story Rob. There is a Caribou finished in the pizza scheme on the ACTSMS sight www.actsms.asn.au And there is an article on it in the latest newsletter (downloadable on the site). it is a 1/72 model from the hobbycraft kit.
