Pacific Stars and Stripes information
for 45 TC BN

For date 630316


45 TC BN was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
South Vietnam
Location, Tan Son Nhut
Description: 16 Mar 63 How a "Junk" Plane Jolted Vietnam Saigon [AP] - American soldiers who tinkered with a junked fighter plane until they got it to fly, nearly sparked a general air alert over the Republic of Vietnam recently. US Army helicopter maintenance men and officers had been working for many months in their spare time on an abandoned American Bearcat fighter plane, one used by French expeditionary forces here during the Indo-China war. When the French left in 1954, the plane became part of the Vietnamese Air Force and was subsequently junked. The Bearcat, a fast, powerful fighter designed during WW2 to fight the Japanese Zero planes, has been unknown in Vietnam since the Indo-China war. When American crews had finally patched up their Bearcat, a US Army officer took off in it for a shakedown flight. Within minutes, a "bogey" aircraft was reported by radar stations, and VNAF T-28's were in the air to check on the fast moving intruder. A dog fight was avoided by a quick radio check, after which the Bearcat was ordered to land. The Colonel at the controls did. Actually, the Army men say their Bearcat is faster and more powerful than any other combat plane in Vietnam. But....since no regular military unit owns the plane, future flights are unlikely. Submitted by Don Joyce, December, 1999 Postscript: The "Colonel" flying the Bearcat was CPT Carl Strever, a Maintenance Officer in the 45th TC Bn at Tan Son Nhut. He told me he only intended to do a "high-speed" taxi run, so no flight plan was filed....but he said "the Bearcat felt so good....I just pulled the stick back and.... wow!". Carl Strever, a TC Officer, has since died after retirement. The F8F Bearcat is powered by a 2100 hp R-2800 engine and has a top speed of 421 mph. A modified for racing Bearcat set a piston-engine World Airspeed record of 483 mph in 1969.
Comments: CPT Strever, Carl; 45th TC Bn Maintenance Officer; ;

The source for this information was email supplied by Don Joyce 12/2/99


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Last updated 12/02/1999

Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023