SAIGON BASE MOliTHLX REPOHT9
I. GfiTtEAAL
overall activities returned to normal with flight tlae higherprevious month, but lower than January. Otherwise, the aonthunevetable with the exception of the continued combatcomplicates living in Saigon
cost of living continues to spiral with the upward trend, house
owners are again returning to practice of the late fiftlee, requiring two years rent in advance. ne small bedroom epartoent in downtown Saigon brings USa6lC.CC per month with advance payment. Minor items such as eggs, which are seldom found in the commissary are an indicator of Inflation. Cost per eggach orer dozen.
Is. continued Police harassment of our personnel by the police.
. Fabassy advises not to pay circulation taxes on vehicles, however, the word haa not been received by the Vietnamese Government who instructs the police to impound vehicles that have not paid the tax. It la one big happy merry-go-round, but very discouraging to the individual who haa hla car impounded.
DEVELOPMENT
Heap Concreting (SGK)
Contractor has placedf the base couroe. Flrat shipment of cement has arrived at the ^obslte and concrete placement is underway (approximatelyomplete), "ork on drainage atructuree laomplete. Contractor has hla paring operations fairly well organised; steady progress la anticipated.
Build inx and Antennas (SOU)
Procurement action for hardware and equipment has been held up due to the lackom F. Customer insistsith detailed invoice coata before he will considereimbursement approval. SCM haa received moat of the *ork sheets from TKN which are based on firm vendor quotations. When all auch workehects are onill be prepared and presented to the Customers. Hopefully, this will occur in April,
3. OUst Fence. heat haa? (SCM) Afc Closure NoUct Initiated by SPD/SCM on9 due to -irport Coreanoant'e desire that this project not be implemented.
L. Utility TunnelSGH) The Utility Tunnel itself has now been
completedoint immediately in front of tho xGKD Complex. Contractor's backhoe is now operating;irogres5 on thiB Important project is speeding up.
5- Teaporarr Personnel Cffics (SCM) This project was completed curing this month; Ar. Closure *otic* initiated by SFL/SGS.
Cafeteria Annex Hoof trusses for the extension have been completed and CI sr.eet roofing Is in place. Masonry wore (bricks) has been completed on all exterior walls and plastering ia underway, the baae for the floor slab is being leveled and compacted.
hevetaont Walla (SCM) Vendor has completed approximately ICO panels and will begin delivery to jobaito during April. ) personnel will commence foundation work,n the near future.
Danang flose Hangoj; bork ia continuing on the Installation of lighting fixtures and electrical circuits. It is be1loved that the project will be coopleted in April.
Power distribution UKA) Work is continuing on this project asare available and aa materiale arrive.
Concrete Areas (Dtf3) losure Hoticc initiated by SPD/3CH during9 duo to exhaustion of funds.
Concrete Accossway (DttO) AH Closure Notice initiated by SFL/SGH during9 dueto exhaustion of funds.
PIC Office This project was completed this aocth. loaure aetice initiated by Sro/SGN.
TSN Comnon Use Water) Air America and Aire given formal approval of this project. Tho Airport Commandant is ready to sign
the contract with the Contractor but is being held up by Pan Am who have still not. approval. Airport Coaoandant is applying pressure on Pan Am to act. It
IA. Completion of Base Area Lighting (SUM) Long load procurement items were ordered in February and have not yet arrived at Saigon base.
Coar-letlon ofll Thla Ah waa approved oo Contract documents are being prepared.
Miscellaneous ower Poles for ClfCA, was approvedhis Ah is supplemental toITCA Relocation. Poles have beenailed ond An Closure notice will be Initiated in the noar future.
The designldg ALhUI OPS Complex aa an alternative totory Orations anc AcalniatraWon building (rejected by Cuatooers) la nearinx conpletion.
March, was,Inypical nonth: ittle progress here and there in the form of important newittle more attention to old, still-unfinishedtill more time spent in coping with the ever-changing administrative requirements of USG and CVK; all of thieemporary absences of key BMSGH staff members.
Underoatu our current efforts toroup ofooyees for theweek MMB training
course in baslcaircrartrch.apicyeea hadand were takingaptitude tests
as continuingrlainP?lrsabaence on leave to resolve questions of pay, recruiting new-hires and further liaison with USAID and GVH. ay target date for arrivalinal-selection team from TKNit ambitious as of now, but we can report some headway and much enthusiasm.
items ccoyrise Categoryoteworthy among them arelaim aeaInst Air Vietnam for damage5 (our local file nowfmonthb-old effort (now amounting toieces
of paper) to settle, to the satisfaction of offices and parties concerned, the case of Mr. Hua Khac PKOOC, who was killedietnamese military vehicle onease-renewal negotiations on the SCH hostel and the BKSGN residence; and others, such as liaison with the Cafeteria, Base Manual revisions, etc.
ncludes continuing attempts to gather vehiclefrom employees and GTD while the Embassy, which wants this data
for the GVN, repeatedly changes instructions; attempts through the QabaBay, to retrieve vehicle registrationnd vehiclesroa the Vietnamese National Police, who are confiscating them forf the controversial Vietnam road tax, which the Embassy for the pastonths has been advising our employees not to pay; etcetera.
5,, Category_4* Because of annual leave, illness, resignation and TDT, the Base Manager's staff operated at about of capacity during the nonth.
it was notified that CPA has confirmed by letter to shippouchand per DCD's instructions that one Companymust be shipped from each end eacheek, we started toservice immediately. But it ia not oneayseekbag and personnel shortage problem. as advisedmust follow up this now system of handling from
Traffic
V. saflty
meetings
Following safety topics were discussed at pilot mcetinga in Harch
Necessity of visually checking Qeech and VTB landing gear oembers several tines daily for obvious fatigue, misalignment, and overloaded down stops.
Continued emphasis onafety Concent, as the pilot's tool for accident prevontion.
Operational Hazard Heports continue to flow in regarding traffic violations by aam aircraft. Attention was drawn tof the March Tactical Aerodrome directory for South *ietnam. General rules are given for traffic at uncontrolled airfields, flon-corapllance with these rules will continue to result in OHh's. Some pilots ignore HDZ1MS which sot up traffic control by Coubat Control leans at forward airfields.
ihercnvestigations in varying degrees of completion, f them will be processed forward to Taipei by tho end of April.
Sjjt^estlons
afety Cocwents for March:
ello pilot commentPoY. accident Suggests tighter precautionary measures in bad weather. Forward to DSAFE..
Clhange OSAID radio antennae blinkers to shorter intervals.e obstructions lights have been altered to burn steadily, wereblinking atecond intervals.
umerous gripes by one pilothortcomings. Still being processed locally.
ack of response to transmissions. rorwarded to DSAPf:.
azards to pilot in field while loading or unloading2 nose baggage compartment. Forwarded to LSAPE.
mproper loading of1 Local investigation forwarded to DSAPt.
- Army helicopter onto runwayl while AAH aircraft was on
tarfe-off roll. Process through- info to LSAFS.
7 seat belts too long at buckle portion. Forwarded to LSAP2.
5 lost twice on radar finalang because of no transponder Later cancelled IPii flight to Quang Tri becauseot VHP equipped, forwarded to LSaFE .
hony radio beacon at Long Ka. notified all pilots. Info to LSAFi.
ilot suggests green tinted plastic and fresh air louvres toheat prooleos, and removal of cockpit curtains for betterto LSAFE.
Ii. Follow-us Action
Letter to kabasey Air Operations re^ardirn;
5. Unfriendly Action
HAfE
eb
C2 her
02
08
22
24
6. Minor Incident/Inflict Irre/nilarltj
Lata
07 .ieo
hasaroc at Hon.
Under overcast', PIC caneec SA fire, clinbod Into overcast to avoid.
ec SA fire at 1CC0', PIC turned tal toward fire.
it ln belly by one rd SA while. hd passed through fwd pax seat through roof and lodged In spoiler ata-biliier. Ko Injuries.
its by AW wnlle turning final for rwy lL3 at. SCO'. d leading edge of leftd througn belly damaged elevator tumjuckle. So injuries.
rew AW fire whilen long final Clin bed out anc aadc close-in approach.
rewec AW while deecencing. Evaded by diving right hand turn.
ds SA while flyingWl. Increasedd descenOe to enow friendly area. Lid not cllnb because of traffic above.
hort burst AW whileC' with sling load. ito.
ds SA,ec bursts of AW enroute between sites at ICOO'. Mo hits, reported to Ancy gunahips In vicinity.
ds SA,ureto of A* enrouteC1 duo to WI. Ho hits.
i on ar its
CJKUS Jeep driven by Honor7 dented left elevator tip Juatarkedjp. Pilot says thisotential haiard at to cuBtoser througho correct have ueen fruitless.
7. eports
aaaip
heap
U
Left engine very rough and backfired Just after take-off. PIC feathered and Landed after engine quit. Replaced carburetor and3 cylinder.
Remarka
ubataatlally damaged oa landing. Under investigation, suspect hard landing.
hudder bracket found cracked on2 live Control aoeke.
Left sain tire flat on landing, no obvious daaage.
Daaaged elevator tip described inbove.
Bullet daaage described in Hostile fire acove.
Aft cabin door ulew open on run-up fraae broken and latch poshed in. Hot locked prior to run-up.
Engine and prop being reooved as unit, due prop could not be pulled. Lnglne assy and hoist tipped over In strong wind one prop blade bent rearward.
as being run up byn front. as Improperly ehceaed (too close proximitylew back into APU damaging left elevator.
ubstantially Caoagedlade struck treee-off. Undersue^ect engine FCU malfundtlon.
Parking brake failed toleft
brake. Left brake, wheel
tire damaged oeyond repairto taxi.
16
22
23
25
28
Ramp
nech ran APU Into lower right nose section. " cut in skin. Improper operation of rasp equipment.
Rotor wash frooauted right wing tip to scrape ground on landing. Mor PIC statement has been submitted.
LH inboard flap bellcrank found broken. Suspect flaps extended at too high
Left main tire blew while taxiing onramp. Casing gave way or recap Numerous large rocks at Cheo Reo.
Fuselage and wing found damaged during unloadinglrshlpped from TUN to SOI).
:anta^9
reeioietlona were tendered during the month of March.rogram. In addition Capt J8 hen son was terminated, 'o,
. tendered their resignation during^hi^mnth. Capt Aufl submitted his as well. Captains Ball andj^^JJ^freslgnatlono are to
effective during the month of April. It was feltesignations would be of benefit until the trend in flying time started rising. We could have used all four captains who departed during the conth very nicely.
advertisement in the Saigon Dally, newspapers for pilot positions towas answered by one prospect. The review of his qualificationsquestions not previously considered. What are the minimumquestion was asked of DFD. The answer was in accordance with the*FAA Commercial license with an instrument rating". If these areit is most dubious that any of the indigenous applicantsqualify. If the qualifications in the MFD manual were amendedof FAA commercial licenee with instrument rating" whatthey be allowed to crew? It is by word of month that all newpilot positionsTAKIHR For thisreferred to PHBKK.
Enlifhtenoont on these questions sc-inu be rewai
We were not free from accidents during the month. We suffered two major accidents. Preliminary investigation is indicative of material failure ln both accidents. One accloentZ experienced landing gear failure andX encountered power failure on lift off. Minor Injuries were incurred only inccident. No ground or traffic accidents were reported.
Capt JB Stallman had his car impounded by local police for non payment of the Vietnamese circulation tax. This tax was deemed not applicable by
tho US Embassy. We havo encountered much harraasment by the local authorities heretofore. It is felt Captain StalLoan's case will resolve this at last.
VXX. THAFFIC/AAM
or lteaa of interest occurred during the aonth. Lt. Freeman COttDS liaison officer departed for thend was replaced by Mr. White.
Another hello was transhipped viaraffic was on hand to observe. am*T
A queetion arose aa to the authenticity of VM passengers. CO-UiSheckeeks of each VN passenger. Card against manifoBt and/or ticket. Ho unauthorised passengers were discovered.
li. Due to the aan7 varied Supply letters lseued regarding shipments of items to Bangkok on boara AAMeeting was held botween Supply/ Traffic to try And reduce the verbage to plain English. utual understating of Supply and Traffic documentation was reachedocal Traffic SOP will be formulated and followed. It la noted that soma Supply indicates ara not passed on to Traffic while others are eometimes difficult to interpret.
Tha new baggage lost and found procedure has been sent to the other stations and seems to be working out as expected.
5. Statistics
Passenger departures SGN (All Contracts)
Paeeenger arrivals " )
Outbound cargo
Inbound cargo
CCCUPAXCY
1. Duringnlyode ware occupiedercentage. In compliance with Internal Auditor tteport, the hostel report will be computedive bed availability bads for each day. During thisotalips were issued.
(See Personnel Strength Attachment A)
Hureber of sick call: 9
Accident: nd only two of then were considered toittle more serious.
ouB oases; Operations Dispatcher and
Jof aaergoncy Equipment both suffered from foodeating ham and cheese eandwichea in the AAM So^cnB*m them were centfl| flatin the
he lateHMD Quality Control was found dead ln hia
residence by^rrr^raSuseTeeper it the night ofauae of death unknown,
km Hospitalized sick call : accident : accident: Two
hospital ferne fl fter.
Physical examination: light crew
Pre-employment physical 15
Accident flight physical 5
Sanitation: air (except two employees suffered food poison) Toilet air
Vaccination: ?6
Total nan days lost by reasons of$ days Total man days lost by reasons of accident: 44 days
n9an Son Nhut airport experienced to one alert which last aboutinutesC rockets landed outside the VNAF security fence.
Durlng this month, VC shelled the rockets almost to all parts of the South and Central Vietnam. Saigon capital had been also shelled.
arch,wo rockets (one hit the Bach Dang qual, 1st precinct and anothar hit Do Thanh Khan street Lth precinct and caueed insignificant daaage).
arch,ockets hit the agglomeration of the 4th precinct, killingivilians and woundingthera.
Onarch,ockets (one hit the Bach Dang quai,ivilian, destroying one house and damagingehicles; another hit the 9th precinct, no damage was reported).
Onocketeanded at 4th precinct and another landed at 9th precinct, no damage was reported).
3. Several insignificant terrorism cases were noted during this nonth in Saigon capital. Onarch athe main post office located at Nguyen van Traeho lor. was blown up by terrorism causing serious damage to the building.
L. These VC activities proved the presence of the VC in all the parte of the South and Central Vietnam aa well as to support the political objective of the communists at Paris Peace Talk asar it does not bring any success to the communists of North Vietnam and meantime by the political military activities toressure topublic Government of Vietnamirect negotiation with the Liberation Front of South Vietnam for the fate of South Vietnam.
SERVICES
1. Aircraft Maintenance production in all S'fii Stations, measured in flights handled, overnight checks, heavy service checks, and ahop aupport work increased along with thancrease in flying over the
nonth of Februaryhort nonthong hollaay). Flying fine the rolativo workload were atlll down froa that of January by.
2. Unscheduled vorkload as measured in aircraft delays recoveries, premature replacements, lncldenta and accidents indleatod slight improvement in relation to flying hours. We hope this to be the beginning of an upward trend; however, the trend is questionable only because of two accidenta, still under Investigation for cause: anding gear failure onZ, which nan been repaired and returned to service; and Helicopter
Can Tho .HMD Project continues to go well, and has helped practically
to eliminate recoverlea from that station.
The curfew restrictions at the airport still requires working unbalanced shifts, which is an obstacle to the reduction of CTO and best man power utilization.
Visits to SVN by Dm and MAC from TalMn.OL VTE were beneficial to SVN Stationa, and it la hoped that we will sea more of such visits.
The drive towards "Safety Thinking* continued with the Installation of additional aircraft grounding pins; fire extinguisher and ramp equipnent marking and location, etc. Decidedly noticeable Improvement was made at all SVH Stations ir. general housekeeping, and in equipment and facilities appearance. The review of all SVN refueling equipment this aonthmprovement in aircraft fuel aervicing equipment and procedures, fiecerti-ficatlon of personnel for taxi, totting and run up continuesegular program.
Facilities continue to Inprove with the near completion of the Utilities Tunnel; with continued progress on themp repaving project, now estimatedpproximately mid-Hay completion; with approval for completion of the South Ramp wall; and with approval for the tomtauni cat ions Transmitter Building installation.
7.
Ove.-nightervice Ho.ngine change
Rcquisit ions Receipts Store Icsuas Stock Credits Posted to cards
10 M. Hulae
Base Manager
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Original document.
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