Ivy Leaf information
for 366 AVN DET
1 BDE 4 DIV
58 AVN BN
For date 681103
366 AVN DET was a US Army unit
1 BDE 4 DIV was a US Army unit
58 AVN BN was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Kontum Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Dak To
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Air Traffic Poses No Big Problems"
Dak To, Vietnam (4th Div IO) - When "What sort of problems do you encounter in your operation?" was asked LTC William J. Gorman of Wharton, NJ, he replied immediately. "We don't have any problems at all." And he can say that honestly. LTC Gorman is the commanding officer of the 366th Airfield Service Detachment at Dak To, headquarters of the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. His men control all the air traffic within a five mile radius of that air strip and also the air strip at Old Dak To. During an average month these airfields handle more than 12,000 take-offs and landings, which include planes as large as the C-130. The unit was formed at Ft. Benning, GA in November, 1967. It was deployed to Vietnam April 4, 1968 and attached to the 58th Aviation Group at Long Binh. On May 15, 1968 it took over the two air strips at Dak To and since that time has established itself as one of the smoothest running air control detachments in Vietnam. Among the personnel of the 366th are six tower operators and six member of the ground control approach unit. They work in two-man shifts 24 hours a day. The tower operators are responsible for clearing aircraft for take-offs and landings. Member of the Ground Control Approach units assist pilots in landing when visibility makes a visual approach hazardous. By tracking the incoming aircraft on radar and establishing radio communication with the pilot, they are able to inform the pilot of his altitude, his position in relation to the airstrip, and the correctional heading needed to make a safe approach to the air strip. The pilot is then guided until he is underneath the cloud cover and can make a landing without further assistance. SSG Edward F. Peoples of Williamsburg, VA, a section chief with the 366th, states that each member of his section has graduated from the Air Force school for air controllers at Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS. Although there is seldom any trouble at either air strip, they are prepared. "If you had a thousand different emergencies, no two of them would be the same," he says. SSG Peoples attributes this to the fact that no two pilots are exactly the same, so their reactions would be different, even in an identical situation. "There is a standard series of messages you should relay in case of an emergency, but in all the emergencies I've handled, there has never been enough time," he states. "About all you can do is alert the crash crew and clear the air in the vicinity of the air strip. Naturally we try to help the pilot in any way possible, but we really have to play it by ear."
Comments: LTC Gorman, William J.; 366 Airfield Service Detachment CO; ;
SSG Peoples, Edward F.; Section Chief; ;
The source for this information was Copy of the entire newspaper
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Last updated
12/30/2001
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023