o2a

Photo of 862 with Chuck was taken in the 21st TASS Boron FOL revetment at Phan Thiet, RVN, August 1970. The rusty barrels contained sand and were designed to absorb shrapnel from NVA mortars and rockets. My first experience with enemy
ordnance occurred while flying 862. I Took an AK round through the elevator
trim assembly. Still have part of the severed chain linkage somewhere in a
drawer upstairs. The sound was identical to a basketball hitting a
backboard and my brain wondered who the hell was out playing with a
basketball that morning. (Sounds of bullet impacts one hears during movies
are nonsense.) Next, experienced runaway full nose-up trim. Pulled the
circuit breaker. Made no difference. It required force of both knees
pushing forward on the yoke to maintain level flight. Considered flying
out over the ocean and leaving by parachute. Wore a backpack. Finally
decided to pickle off the remaining willie petes, take it back to Phan
Thiet, then land it. Phan Thiet's runway was PSP . The runway began at
the edge of a vertical cliff about 300 feet above the water. Flew the
thing home with my knees, made an uneventful landing, taxied to the
revetment and shut down both engines. The crew chief, SGT Salley, stuck
his head in through the door and asked if I had any write-ups. Told him
the bird had runaway trim. He disappeared and I continued filling out the
781 form. Less than a minute later SGT Salley reappeared with a huge smile
on his face. "You don't have a runaway trim -- you got a bullet through
the elevator and trim tab!" First clue I had as to causality.

This is an excellent photo of our 02A as it was in Nam with it's pilot Chuck Hines.
( See Story Above)

Photo of an 02A on the ground at An Khe, late 1970, may be of 02A, 862. This is the work environment that 02A`s served in
photo by Chuck Hines, 02A Combat Pilot"

***This 02A is a combat veteran of Vietnam and one of the few surviving, flyable*** ***Vietnam 02A's***.
	*Curator Richard Rench is shown with his son Thomas* *( both pilots ) with* *their newly acquired Cessna 02 A.*
*Attaching one of the 500 pound bombs to the wing hard point.*	*View of dash of 02A*	*Curator Rench and son Tom stand by the double tail section of* *the 02A*.