In support of an official event 

The Museum will be closed Sunday, May 25
In addition, the Fourth Hangar will be closed Saturday, May 24

Access to the Presidential Gallery will be limited from May 15 to June 5
 

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

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  • Against All Odds Lieutenant Colonel William Jones III

    On September 1, 1968, Lieutenant Colonel William Jones III, flying A-1H, serial number 52-139738, led a group of rescue helicopters to recover a downed pilot who ejected over North Vietnam. As the on-scene commander, Lt Col Jones flew multiple low-level passes near a well-defended enemy supply road

  • Rescue of Oyster 01 Bravo

    On May 10, 1972, the start of OPERATION LINEBACKER, a flight of four US Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom IIs from the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron took off from Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, to provide escort cover for strike flights heading into North Vietnam.Using the call sign Oyster, the

  • A-1 Legacy and the A-X Program

    The US Air Force learned many lessons regarding SAR and CAS from its A-1 Skyraider experience in Southeast Asia.As early as 1966, the USAF anticipated the need for a specialized close air support aircraft and these lessons shaped the request for proposals sent to industry under the new A-X

  • The Need for Fuel

    The 3rd Aerospace Rescue and Recover Group determined that if a downed Airman could be reached within fifteen minutes, the chances of rescue were good. However, after thirty minutes or more, the survivor’s chances of being rescued drastically decreased.Unfortunately, the US Air Force’s rescue

  • Refueling Innovation

    Previously considered impossible prior to 1964, a handful of US Air Force pilots and civilian engineers at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Ohio, took the concept of helicopter aerial refueling and turned it into a reality.Conventional thought at the time was that a helicopter was too

  • Helicopter Aerial Refueling

    Helicopter aerial refueling allowed for improved range and capacity, and was the first major breakthrough for the rapid response and deployment of rescue forces in Southeast Asia.Following successful tests at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Air Rescue Service requested modified C-130s and H-3s

  • Increasing the Odds

    OPERATION HIGH DRINK, along with the invention of helicopter aerial refueling, enabled US Air Force search and rescue units in Southeast Asia to recover downed Airmen in any location.Helicopters no longer had range or weight limits based on fuel. Beginning in 1967, rescue forces and tankers

  • Forward Air Controllers and the Secret War

    In 1959, the North Vietnamese began building a secret road system through Laos and Cambodia. Named the Truong Son Road – but known to Americans as the “Ho Chi Minh Trail” – this supply line consisted of a network of roads and logistic bases concealed by the jungle.Laotian neutrality, based upon the

  • From Butterflies to Ravens

    Stringent rules of engagement over Laos necessitated the use of Forward Air Controllers (FACs) to ensure no mistakes occurred that could have resulted in the death of friendly ground forces.In 1964 a handful of US Air Force Air Commandos entered Laos to serve as FACs. As airstrikes increased, more

  • Raven Forward Air Controllers

    Beginning in 1966, USAF pilots with a minimum of six months of combat experience in South Vietnam as forward air controllers were eligible to apply for the classified Steve Canyon Program.Using the call sign Raven, these pilots mostly flew unmarked armed Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs, wore civilian clothes,