The Last of the Mohawks

Grumman's triple-tail, bug-eyed, heat-seeking camera platform.

  • By John Sotham
  • Air & Space magazine, March 1997
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OV-1 Mohawk The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk.

US Army

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Crews of SLAR-equipped Mohawks provided instant intelligence results to airborne command and control aircraft and were data-linked to ground-based imagery analysts. "We could report 'Fifty movers along a ridge line,' for instance, and they could send an inbound sortie to attack the target," Hardman says. "We also talked to AWACS [Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft], who would let us know when there was a fast-moving aircraft coming in. Then we'd decide if we wanted to break track and get out of there."

Despite the Mohawks' dependable service in the desert, what the world saw on television were guided missiles piercing hangars and flying down airshafts while the OV-1s and their crews remained where they always were--in the background. "There were Mohawks in the air 24 hours a day, but they got absolutely no recognition," Reed says.

Exclusion from the headlines in its last campaign served only to strengthen the close-knit Mohawk fraternity. Its members became closer still when the OV-1's retirement came and went without fanfare. For most Americans, it was like the passing of a distant relative: It's hard to miss someone you never really knew. As the OV-1 was withdrawn from service in steps--first in Europe in 1992, then from Korea in September 1996, and finally, after retirement ceremonies during that same month, in Savannah, Georgia--there remained only one place for Mohawk lovers to turn. Elvis fans have their Graceland. Film buffs head west to Hollywood. For "Mohawkers," there's Anoka County Airport, north of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Former Mohawk pilot Mike Langer, founder of the American Wings Air Museum, oversees a growing collection of aircraft used for reconnaissance, training, forward air control, and liaison, including 12 Mohawks in various stages of completion or restoration. The museum had three flyable Mohawks until a 90-mph wind gust severely bent one airplane's right main landing gear.

A partially restored Mohawk procured through a chance encounter with a military surplus catalog rests in the museum's hangar. "In paging through the catalog," Langer says, "I found that one of the aircraft available was the same Mohawk that I had put in at least half of my flight time in Vietnam. I said, 'I've got to have it, and I don't care if it never flies again'.I've got to have it.'"

Langer, who had gained restoration experience working on a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, submitted the winning bid and trucked the airplane to Minnesota. Seeking help from Grumman officials, Langer received technical manuals and drawings but was told that only a non-profit museum or foundation was likely to obtain new parts. "I thought, there are a lot of little one-horse and one-hangar museums, particularly in the Midwest, and I've been able to pigeonhole enough interesting stuff in the last 15 years, so why don't I form a museum?" Langer says.

After four years spent securing donations and getting legal details ironed out, the American Wings Air Museum was born. Due in part to his insistence that the museum focus on the type of aircraft Langer and his volunteers knew best, the organization's credibility grew. "Our charter is four-fold: We're into photo reconnaissance, gunships, forward air control, and trainers," Langer says. "We're fairly knowledgeable, and we're beginning to be pretty respected in those areas."

Bob Johnson, a former Mohawk crew chief who served in Vietnam, knew nothing about the Mohawk Association, but three years ago, a Mohawk flew over his house near an airport hosting a fly-in. "I just couldn't believe it," Johnson says. "I hadn't seen one since 1971." Johnson hurried to the airport, met Langer, and has been a faithful Saturday volunteer ever since.

Korea's demilitarized zone is the world's most elaborate tripwire, a ravaged strip of mine fields, barbed wire, and tank traps designed to slow an invasion. From fortified positions south of the zone, U.S. and Republic of Korea soldiers peer northward as if watching a long-dormant volcano for signs of eruption. They know that North Korea could react at any moment to its current dire economic condition by launching a military foray into the South.

But for years U.S. commanders have relied on a set of eyes that look deep into the north from a vantage point high overhead and miles south of the DMZ. These eyes can instantly spot any vehicle movements and record them on film that is processed in seconds to be scanned and relayed to the ground. If even one truck were to move anywhere within a vast area to the north, U.S. commanders on the ground would know it within minutes. This powerful vision belongs to a combat-proven airborne radar system, and the system is mounted aboard one of the oddest looking tactical aircraft that has ever served the United States in combat: the Grumman OV-1 Mohawk. The Mohawk is also the only fixed-wing aircraft ever built specifically for the U.S. Army since the Air Force became a separate service in 1947. In September 1996, it flew its last mission over Korea and was retired after nearly 40 years of operations in two wars over some of the most hotly contested geography on the planet. Despite its distinguished service record, the Mohawk remains largely unknown outside the small communities of men and women who flew, maintained, and loved the small, ungainly-looking aircraft.

"It's an unsung hero," says Russ Wygal, a pilot with the Army's 224th Military Intelligence Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, the last stateside unit to fly the Mohawk. Wygal says that when he tells people he flew an OV-1, they often confuse it with the North American OV-10 Bronco, a twin turboprop developed specifically for counter-insurgency campaigns like the Vietnam war. "Then I have to describe what it looks like," he says. "It's not like an F-14 Tomcat, where everybody goes, 'Ooo, aah, Top Gun.'"

The OV-1 finally retired because it had been superseded by newer systems, newer aircraft, and the evolution of the satellite, which had been little more than a symbol of cold war one-upmanship when the Mohawk made its first flight on April 14, 1959. The OV-1 was designed to meet a joint Marine Corps-Army requirement for a short-takeoff-and-landing battlefield surveillance aircraft. It was intended to operate close to the front lines in support of unit commanders, and after the Marines dropped out of the project, development was continued for the Army. The first version, designated OV-1A, was configured to provide a platform for photographic and visual reconnaissance. Because form followed function, the result was an airplane with a large, bulbous cockpit, slender fuselage, and odd triple-tail arrangement; it looked like a cross between a helicopter, an airplane, and an insect.

The initial design called for a T-tail, with the horizontal stabilizer set atop the vertical fin, but because the aircraft had handling problems at low speed, Grumman adopted the Lockheed Connie-style three-tail arrangement. Two Lycoming turboprop engines sit atop the Mohawk's wings. Like many multi-engine airplanes, its engines are canted outward to improve handling when the aircraft is flown on only one engine. But Wygal, who was required to practice single-engine flight during training, likened the rudder pedal force required opposite the dead engine to being "in a gym doing leg presses with only one leg. It's very demanding."

The OV-1's roomy cockpit features large, bulging side windows that give the airplane a bug-eyed appearance and allow an unobstructed view of the ground immediately below. The pilot sits on the left, and a technician or observer sits on the right. Unlike other tactical aircraft in which the crew sat side by side, like the Air Force's F-111 or the Navy and Marine Corps' A-6, right-seaters on the Mohawk were almost always members of the enlisted ranks rather than officers. They were primarily responsible for monitoring the panoramic camera and surveillance systems while providing another set of eyes to scan the terrain below. Once it was in the air, there were no blind spots below: "You can lift the Mohawk 35 feet in the air and the pilot's vision and observer's vision will converge at a point directly underneath the aircraft," says Joel L. DiMaggio, who, as a Grumman production line worker, began an association with the Mohawk that would last the lifespan of the airplane.

The next version, the OV-1B, incorporated side-looking airborne radar (SLAR), which would ultimately shape one of the airplane's primary missions throughout its service life. The radar's antenna was contained within a long boom--like a big railroad tie--that was mounted below and to the right of the fuselage centerline, giving the Mohawk an even gawkier appearance. As the airplane flies along its assigned track, the radar creates a strip map of the terrain below and on either or both sides of the track. With this system, the Mohawk also gained the ability to detect moving targets, which would prove immeasurably valuable in Vietnam, along the borders of the former East Germany, along the DMZ in Korea, and ultimately, during the Gulf War. Over the relatively open terrain of Korea and Europe, Mohawks gathered SLAR intelligence by repeatedly flying over the same tactical areas and comparing the images.

"The reason you do it every day is that [the SLAR] is a surveillance and intelligence system, rather than just a target locating system," DiMaggio says. "You start out with a clean slate, look out there, and make a count on a road in East Germany, for instance, that normally has a certain number of vehicles going from one point to another. When things get hot, you begin to see more vehicles in different places--that's how you gather intelligence: by noting changes." DiMaggio, who after working on the Mohawk assembly line served four years in Germany and a year in Vietnam as a Grumman field representative, says that Mohawks could detect trucks and vehicles with SLAR and, using their infrared detectors, the hot engines of vehicles under cover at night. Once they were located by Mohawks, the targets could be attacked by fighter aircraft.

Successful SLAR missions required the Mohawk to provide an extremely stable platform while the radar scanned the land below, so most were flown on autopilot. However, straight-and-level is not the preferred flight orientation for a combat pilot. "It made you a sitting duck," said Gerry Durnell, who flew the OV-1 in Vietnam.

The OV-1C was the first Mohawk to be equipped with infrared systems, and they proved valuable for detecting Viet Cong guerrilla units, which were normally small, mobile, and hard to find. "The infrared Mohawks were able to pick up the heat from VC cooking fires," says Paul Reed, a former imagery analyst with both the Army and the Central Intelligence Agency. "There were a lot of VC that got very upset when artillery rounds came in on them while they were fixing breakfast."

The Mohawk's technological complexity gradually increased, but not the low-level, in-the-dirt nature of its missions. For pilots like Bob White, vegetation provided great protection as long as you kept the trees away from your wings. White was shot down while on a visual reconnaissance mission over the Mekong Delta in 1969. "We were real low, which was okay as long as you stayed close to the trees so you weren't in view very long. But we came out over an open area, and I'm sure that's when I got hit." White, who estimates he was at 50 feet and 150 knots when small arms fire set his right engine ablaze, suffered a compression fracture in his back when he ejected. He was captured and became a POW.

When they weren't dodging trees or hostile fire, Mohawk pilots were coping with acute discomfort. "You'd just be ringing wet in the summertime, which was most of the time in Vietnam," Durnell says. Before they were equipped with air conditioning, Mohawks had only vents that let in blasts of outside air, and the huge expanse of plexiglass turned the cockpit into a greenhouse.

In addition to their Vietnam and European service, SLAR-equipped Mohawks began operational missions in 1963 patrolling the 151-mile-long DMZ separating North and South Korea. "Until they were retired recently, they had been flying the same mission [in Korea] day and night for the past 32 years," says Reed, who was responsible for writing the operations plans to place the first Mohawk unit in Korea. The Army is currently flying a militarized version of the de Havilland DH-7 turboprop commuter airliner equipped with a SLAR system until JSTARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) aircraft, converted Boeing 707s with powerful side-looking radar, begin patrolling the DMZ. The difference between the capability of the Mohawk and JSTARS "is like comparing the abacus to the computer," DiMaggio says.

While many associated with the Mohawk understand the necessity to replace aging airframes and technology, some still question how quickly the information the Mohawk used to provide to front-line small-unit commanders will be distributed with new systems. "The Mohawk means more control on a smaller level," says Gulf War veteran Benny Hardman, a former Mohawk pilot and maintenance officer. "It seems to me that in the military intelligence field, it's going to be much more difficult for good, quick, accurate information to filter down to the battalion commander's level with JSTARS."

Mohawks were to get one last chance to fly the type of battlefield support mission they were designed for. Mike Summerville, who spent more than six months in Saudi Arabia as an OV-1 crew chief and flightline supervisor during the Gulf War, says the Mohawk was tested by long missions and harsh conditions. As the conflict intensified, Mohawks from stateside and European military intelligence units were deployed to the Gulf to begin flying reconnaissance sorties. Summerville's unit deployed 16 aircraft across the North Atlantic to the Gulf region, flew 10- to 12-hour missions around the clock, and returned to Fort Hood, Texas, without losing an aircraft. "Grumman Iron Works--that's the whole way to describe it, plain and simple," Summerville says, citing the time-honored slogan of reverence for Grumman-built aircraft.

Yet missions took their toll on men and machine alike. "When I didn't fly a mission, I was usually on the phone or the fax machine at night looking for parts," Hardman says. Hardman and his fellow pilots benefitted from field modifications to the Mohawk's SLAR boom, which was used to pinpoint Iraqi vehicle movements. "The Motorola guys helped us tweak the SLAR system out to its maximum range," Hardman says. The Mohawks flew pre-determined courses over friendly and unfriendly territory constantly scanning the desert for vehicle movements. In addition, special RV-1D Mohawks equipped to collect electronic-signal intelligence pinpointed and reported the location of Iraqi radar systems.

Crews of SLAR-equipped Mohawks provided instant intelligence results to airborne command and control aircraft and were data-linked to ground-based imagery analysts. "We could report 'Fifty movers along a ridge line,' for instance, and they could send an inbound sortie to attack the target," Hardman says. "We also talked to AWACS [Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft], who would let us know when there was a fast-moving aircraft coming in. Then we'd decide if we wanted to break track and get out of there."

Despite the Mohawks' dependable service in the desert, what the world saw on television were guided missiles piercing hangars and flying down airshafts while the OV-1s and their crews remained where they always were--in the background. "There were Mohawks in the air 24 hours a day, but they got absolutely no recognition," Reed says.

Exclusion from the headlines in its last campaign served only to strengthen the close-knit Mohawk fraternity. Its members became closer still when the OV-1's retirement came and went without fanfare. For most Americans, it was like the passing of a distant relative: It's hard to miss someone you never really knew. As the OV-1 was withdrawn from service in steps--first in Europe in 1992, then from Korea in September 1996, and finally, after retirement ceremonies during that same month, in Savannah, Georgia--there remained only one place for Mohawk lovers to turn. Elvis fans have their Graceland. Film buffs head west to Hollywood. For "Mohawkers," there's Anoka County Airport, north of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Former Mohawk pilot Mike Langer, founder of the American Wings Air Museum, oversees a growing collection of aircraft used for reconnaissance, training, forward air control, and liaison, including 12 Mohawks in various stages of completion or restoration. The museum had three flyable Mohawks until a 90-mph wind gust severely bent one airplane's right main landing gear.

A partially restored Mohawk procured through a chance encounter with a military surplus catalog rests in the museum's hangar. "In paging through the catalog," Langer says, "I found that one of the aircraft available was the same Mohawk that I had put in at least half of my flight time in Vietnam. I said, 'I've got to have it, and I don't care if it never flies again'.I've got to have it.'"

Langer, who had gained restoration experience working on a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, submitted the winning bid and trucked the airplane to Minnesota. Seeking help from Grumman officials, Langer received technical manuals and drawings but was told that only a non-profit museum or foundation was likely to obtain new parts. "I thought, there are a lot of little one-horse and one-hangar museums, particularly in the Midwest, and I've been able to pigeonhole enough interesting stuff in the last 15 years, so why don't I form a museum?" Langer says.

After four years spent securing donations and getting legal details ironed out, the American Wings Air Museum was born. Due in part to his insistence that the museum focus on the type of aircraft Langer and his volunteers knew best, the organization's credibility grew. "Our charter is four-fold: We're into photo reconnaissance, gunships, forward air control, and trainers," Langer says. "We're fairly knowledgeable, and we're beginning to be pretty respected in those areas."

Bob Johnson, a former Mohawk crew chief who served in Vietnam, knew nothing about the Mohawk Association, but three years ago, a Mohawk flew over his house near an airport hosting a fly-in. "I just couldn't believe it," Johnson says. "I hadn't seen one since 1971." Johnson hurried to the airport, met Langer, and has been a faithful Saturday volunteer ever since.

"We do things right, by the book," says Dave Mattsson. A Northwest Airlines mechanic, Mattsson maintains all the operational Martin-Baker ejection seats found in the museum's Mohawks. "If I'm gonna go up in one of these things, I want to trust the pilot, and if I've got an escape system, I want to trust that too."

"Mohawks aren't going to retire up here," says Mike Summerville. "This will always be a home for them as long as there's someone to fly them and maintain them." The turboprop whine of the OV-1 may have been silenced by decisions made in distant Pentagon offices, but after the close of a 37-year career, the story will continue, at least as long as there are evenings and weekends free for Langer's volunteers to turn a wrench.

 


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Comments (30)

Thank you for writing this article and giving
this fine aircraft some recognition it deserves!

Posted by Rich Robbins on November 5,2009 | 07:53 PM

I would like to say "thanks" to all associated with Mohawks!I grew up loving these planes..they were my dad's love and passion. He was happiest when he was flying. My dad passed away this year and I am still in shock. I am so pleased to be able to browse sights like these and feel the connection with my dad. I spent all of my life in or around planes..I LOVED IT! I have some VHS footage of dad flying low and not so slow in the Grand Canyon. I also have clips from: Ft.Stewart,Ft.Huachuca(my place of birth),Germany and possibly Ft.Rucker. I was lucky enough to inherit dad's Vietnam flight suit (party suit?), I love wearing it on Halloween. Totally in honor of all! The Mohawks and folks involved helped make my dad the wonderful person he was..I will be having a party to honor my dad on June 9,2010 in Corvallis,OR. Anyone interested-let me know. I guess I should mention dad's name! Here's to you ..Mark Dugan Lawrence, I miss you. Hope you are logging lots of flight time wherever you may be..Thanks again everyone.

Posted by Kinnie Lawrence on November 15,2009 | 11:42 PM

I enjoyed the article, I spent 19 months in Vietnam with the 519th MI BN. thanks again

Posted by Ron Macke on March 19,2010 | 02:10 PM

My brother, Bobby Pittman, flew this aircraft 1965-1966..disappeared with no trace of he or the pilot.r. Many different "official" stories, but now the Internet has been changing this. The truth is out there and we will find Bobby.
He trained at Ft. Huachuca, and loved what he was doing, which we now believe was flying missions in the Mohawk OV-1B over Laos/Vietnam. They said he was downed over water, supposedly, if it was over water, then some reports say it was the Gulf Of Tonkin.
If anyone remembers him, please comment here. Thanks! (I have some pictures of friends there with him, but no names.
The 20th Aviation existed until December 1966, at which time it was reassigned as the 131st Aviation Company, 223rd Aviation Battalion (Combat Support). The 131st Aviation Company had been assigned to I Corps Aviation
Battalion since June 1966, when it arrived in Vietnam. Bobby disappeared in September of 1966.
In August 1967, the 131st Aviation Company was
reassigned to the 212th Aviation Battalion where it remained until July 1971, whereupon it
transferred out of Vietnam.

Posted by Patsy Pittman Webb on May 1,2010 | 05:58 PM

It sure does seem that the Mohawk aviators loved this plane so much that they passed that affection to their children. I, too, am the daughter of a military aviator and a "Mohawker Brat".

My father, Lt Col Randolph J Ewan, flew 31 years in 3 wars and the Mohawk was, by far, one of his most favored planes! I remember when dad was stationed at Ft Benning, we would go visit him at the Mohawk hangar. I fondly recall that their mascot was a hawk named Mo. He died active duty in 1973 of agent orange induced leukemia. I was 16 yrs old. In recent years I reached out on the Internet to learn more about my father. I have enjoyed meeting those who knew him and welcome anyone who knew him to contact me. bewandavis(AT)yahoo.com.

Thank you to all who have served our country!

Affectionately,
Beverly Ewan Davis

Posted by Beverly Ewan Davis on May 11,2010 | 04:18 AM

My brother David Olney was Mohawk Pilot in Vietnam 1968. I went into the Army in 1989 and became a Crew Chief on an Army-Lockheed YO-3A "Quiet Star." 11 built, 9 went to Vietnam and were attached to the 73rd Mohawk SAC at Long Thanh North 1970-71. Almost all of our YO-3A Technical Observers were Mohawk trained T/Os. See www.yo-3a.com

Posted by Kurt Olney on August 28,2010 | 12:54 AM

I was crew chief in Korea and my plane was the Mohawk OV-1.
I want to thank you for your website and the great information about the Mohawk. My experience with the Mohawk and it's pilots and my other friends that were crew chiefs changed my life to become a better person.

Thank you once again,
and may God bless you and your loved ones.
JP Lopez

Posted by Jesus P. Lopez on October 11,2010 | 11:23 PM

i flew right seat in the ov-1A from 65-69--3 1/2 years.
never hear them even talked about. by 69 they took our armament away because we were making the big blue look bad.
rucker has one sitting out side, nothing inside at all.
ft ustis got rid of theirs because it didn't haul people.
two major schools, no history.
camp shelby in ms has one outside, nothing about it inside. tobyhanna pa has one outside with no info. this doesn't fly with me. been bugging them all to do something, a lot of history getting lost, major gen army talked about all aircraft, never knew we had a ov-1. can someone wake these people up. going to talk to gen courtwright on 26 oct here in ms. going to ask him who to get help with this.
commander, military order of the purple heart, state of mississippi.

Posted by JOSEPH [SNAKE] BALANOVICH on October 21,2010 | 04:13 AM

I was an Avionics Tech (35K) in a Guard Unit in Salem, Oregon. As happens quite often in life, I "fell" into the Mohawk unit thanks to my day job - I built Cop cars. My original Guard unit was having difficulties, so I decided to check out the Unit that flew these strange "bug-eyed" fixed wing aircraft. They asked me what my job was - "installing radios in cop cars" I said. "Have we got a slot for you!" they said.

This Mohawk Unit went through several Identities - 1042nd MiCAS, 641st Mi Bn, A Co 641st Mi Bn are the ones I remember. There is not much mention of this Unit in Mohawkdom. No matter what the name, it was an extreme pleasure to serve with the people and work on aircraft that was so unusual and impressive. "Whispering Death" for sure! The flashers at night can start a whole new series of UFO reports!

The Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon has an OV1D on display last I knew.

Posted by Jim DeHaven on February 7,2011 | 11:33 PM

Have been dreaming of the flying times that I had enjoying this aircraft. Over 700 hrs. in the flat seat on the left, and a wonderful time with all those who worked the right side. Miss those people. Also miss those guys who were there before me and could fly the airplane upside down and at 300 kts.

Posted by MICHAEL S. MCMAHON on March 5,2011 | 11:00 PM

I had a little over 2,000 hrs flying this wonderful airplane. I was checked out in the OV-1 April, 1964. I was with the 4th ASTA that trained at Ft.Bragg,NC July-October 1964. The 4th ASTA was the first unit to take the OV-1C and B models to Viet Nam. On December 23rd 1964.I along with Sgt Charles Davis flew the first combat mission in an OV-1B model. It was a ferry flight from Cubi Point, NAS to Vung Tau.On December 26th, 1964 the 4th ASTA and the 23rd SWAD merged to form the 73rd Aviation Company. Many articles, since then have been written claiming to be the first. The 4th ASTA, Was and will always be the first unit to fly the OV-1 B&C models in combat.

Posted by John Towler on March 26,2011 | 10:09 PM

Hello, Thanks to the magazine for posting this. I was the crew chief in the photos of this edition. If anyone has the pictures online, please let me know. I was a crew chief from 1990-1996. Got out right as they decommisioned them.

Posted by Greg Steele on April 12,2011 | 12:48 PM

Went to Vietnam in Oct. 1967 with the 245th---flew right seat ( T.O.) with Mjr. Curbow over Aushau Valley on my first mission . In Feb.1968 was transferred to the 225th along with about fifty other guys---flew SLAR/Infra Red & Cramera for the 225th. Made a lot of good friends in two years time. Wish they all would have made it home.

(Sp/4 Gary M. Todd)
26-E-20

Posted by Gary Todd ( Tennessee ) on May 29,2011 | 11:08 PM

Old Mohawkers never die - - - we just transition to newer aircraft. She was a great bird, and served the Army and our Nation well in peace and during war. I was fortunate to fly the OV-1 with VII Corps and XVIII Airborne Corps from 1988-1996. There are still a few Mohawkers on active duty (and some retirees turned contractor) continuing the aerial SIGINT and IMINT legacy of Grumman Ironworks finest airplane...hooah.

Posted by COL Joe Roberts on August 7,2011 | 02:44 AM

I served in Germany from 1962 until 1966 with the 4th Armored Div. at Fuerth, Germany. The unit was first 504th Avn Co., then changed to Co. B, 504th Avn. Bn, 4th. AD.

Like all the other folks that were associated with the OV-1, it will always be a part of me. I first was an E-5 crewchief and then an E-6 Fixed Wing tech inspector until my
discharge in 1967. God bless all you OV-1 pilots and crew.

Posted by wilfred l. griffin on August 25,2011 | 06:09 PM

The Georgia Army National Guard Aviation Museum was formed recently. We have rescued the last flyable OV-1B from being disassembled and have brought it to Winder, GA, where it served in the GA National Guard.

Check out gangam.org


I flew OV-1B's and OV-1C's as well as a C modified as a gunship in the 1st Cav ASTA Platoon in RVN 1966-1967.

Posted by Cliff McKeithan on August 28,2011 | 10:36 PM

I served in the 'Nam twice; 1st with the 9th Inf Div out of Dong Tam & later, Tan An. But, it was my 2nd tour I remember well; 131 st AVN out of Phu Bai & later, Da Nang in the shadows of Marble Mtn. I was a Sp/5 in chge of our photo unit; our cameras flying in the belly of a sweet & not so "gawky" aircraft. Forgive me as I cannot account for the specifics of the OV classes (types); a fair # of SLARs 'though. Until a year ago, I hadn't heard as to the retirement of this grand little bird. Moments ago, I Google-ized info to find out what had happened to these aircraft & that's how I came to be banging the keys at the moment. I just dug up 1/2 - 400' Super-8 reels of film yet to be transferred to the DVD format. Part of the footage was of a Capt. Nagle's fly by; filmed Apr 2, 1971. I have other OV footage as well & would be more than willing to donate a copy. Thank You for allowing me to trip down memory lane if but for a brief moment in time.

Posted by Tom Stevenson on September 15,2011 | 08:00 AM

The Confederate Air Force has saved many an aircraft through the years. I cannot understand why they've not taken in one of the 'hawks. What an addition one would make & a flyable one at that.

Posted by Tom Stevenson on September 15,2011 | 08:09 AM

I also was stationed in Vietnam (Apr 1963-64) with the 23d SWAD the first Mohawk unit. I in processed through Pleiku (52dAvn Bn) and went on to Nha Trang to join the unit. I do believe the 23d SWAD was the first Mohawk unit in Vietnam before it turned into the 73d in Vung Tau.

I was one of the POL C49 tank truck driver assigned to the unit.

Adolf Minaschek

Posted by Adolf Minaschek on September 28,2011 | 07:47 PM

Good memories. The first pilots I ever met were Mohawkers training at Libby Army Airfield on Fort Huachuca in 65. My folks bought a house in Sierra Vista right under the flight path to the main runway so these birds flew overhead nearly every day of my life for the next ten years. We would sit out on the back patio at night and watch as the pilots dropped flares and learned how the plane's various systems operated. As a young teenager my dad drove me out to the airfield one Sunday afternoon so I could take pictures of the parked aircraft. I walked alone into the airfield operations office and asked if I could take some pictures from the control tower. The soldier working the desk calls the guy in the tower and then says "Sure, go on up". Somewhere I think I still have those shots taken from the catwalk on the outside of the tower of a dozen or so Mohawks just sittng there in the Arizona sun. I have seen a Mohawk several years ago parked out at Deer Valley Airport in North Phoenix and possibly a second (if not the same) sitting on a farm somewhere between Glendale and Goodyear on the west side of Phoenix.

Posted by Matt Curtis on November 24,2011 | 02:06 AM

i was a t.o. in the 131st in 1967-68 in Vietnam. When I got there in Phu Bia the unit was a dump & only had a few t.o.s. As we got more t.o.s we made the t.o. unit pretty good. Jerry Brand was the sgt in charge. All went ok while I was there considering it was the nam. After '68, the unit went down hill as I heard & merged with the 245th in Marble Mountain.

Posted by steve digangi on February 20,2012 | 05:06 PM

I was a crew chief on the Mohawk in Korea during the Pubelo incident. I was with the 55th Avation.

Posted by Jeff Grage on March 2,2012 | 03:39 PM

I was part of the first group of 30 guys trained as OV1D TOs. Viet nam 70-71, Danag & Phu Bi. BuYa to all.
It would be interesting to know how many of these guys have a serious level of PTSD - like I do.

Posted by Mike Crisman on August 8,2012 | 12:00 AM

http://www.tinfeathers.com/Museum/USA/AmerWing/OV1/OV1.htm

more Mohawks than anywhere else I know of. Sadly their old hanger was pulled out from under them by the metropolitan airports commission to hand over to a company with bigger pockets than the museum. : o ( the guys who collect, keep them flying, and teach about the aircraft are great. They love talking about the planes and their histories, and many of the guys served with these or other aircraft, and know their stuff. Thanks!!

Posted by someone on August 12,2012 | 01:08 AM

I was a TO with the 131st MI Co at Phu Bai,Marble Mountain and Danang during 71-72. Would like to make contact with Mike Crisman who posted on 8/8/12. Mike, my email is wrench80@gmail.com. Give me a shout.

Posted by Ken Little on August 27,2012 | 08:29 PM

Wow! This article sure brings back good memories. I flew Mohawks as a pilot in the 73rd SAC in both Vung Tau and Long Thanh North, RVN, and then in Germany as part of the 122d AVN CO followed by stints in both the 158th and 159th MI Companies of the Georgia Army Guard. Over 2,500 hours sitting on that rock-hard seat with lots of exciting times but never lost an engine. I see a few old friends' names on these pages and am sure that lots more Mohawkers are out there who do not know about the existence of the OV-1 Mohawk Association. Go to

ov1mohawkassociation.org
to find more info and join up. Our 2012 reunion is in Branson, MO, Oct 11-14, and 2013 will be Savannah, GA, probably in the Fall. The OV-1 Mohawk will always be the most special thing in the hearts of those who flew her, worked on her or around her in a Mohawk unit. The people who were associated with this mostly-underappreciated marvelous piece of machinery were always special and proud of it. The Mohawk will always stand out as a proud member of the US Army stable of fixed-wing aircraft.

Posted by Chris Walker on October 3,2012 | 02:17 PM

Phu Bia,70-71
It's your flight operations coordinator reporting! I'm very proud of the service the 131st aviation crew accomplished both on air and maintanance. My heart went out to the men we had lost and not long ago in DC I visited the Vietnam Memorial and viewed Lt Rogallas inscription. He was a fine pilot dedicated to service, Fred Fiore.

Posted by fred fiore on December 14,2012 | 02:32 PM

Great article and quite the trip down memory lane. Funny how 40 plus years leaves behind most bad memories and lets you keep the good ones! I was in Vietnam with the 1st Cav ASTA platoon as a Mohawk observer 26E20 from May of 67 to June of 68. As most of us in this critical MOS we gained rank quickly, i arrived as an E2 or PFC (?) and finished as a Spec 4 in Spec 5 slot as SLAR TO section chief and I flew a lot of photo missions as well. We divided up the Photo missions between the SLAR and Infra Red teams. Seemed like we were always short handed so we flew a lot. I remember flying 2 or 3 times a day some days. If you happened to get back from the night before SLAR mission early enough to get a belly full of beer a photo mission the next day was brutal!!! Felt like 200 degrees in that little cockpit and we had no AC. Either crew member blew grits and he bought the other a case of beer. I never had to buy a case but I came back green more than once!
One of the members of the car club I belong to has a hanger full of fully restored WWII war planes and he invited the club down to see his treasures a couple weekends ago. In talking with some of his crew chiefs I found out that there is a Mohawk in a private collection in San Antonio. It just so happens that this years air showtheme is Korea and Vietnam and that the Mohawk will be there! Needless to say I will be there too! Anyone interested it's Oct 26th - 27th at Ellington Field, visit the site below. https://www.facebook.com/WingsOverHoustonAirshow

Thanks again for the Article,
George Helber
Houston, TX

Posted by George Helber on February 11,2013 | 04:36 PM

i flew in the slar mohawk with the 131st avn 1967-68 over north vietnam*tally ho was one of the missions name****i was drafted for 2 years & this was the mos i got*****the 131st avn in phu bia was a beat up outfit when i arrived but lukily things got better in the unit***if we were able to do waht we wanted to end the war we could have stopped the supplies from the north to the south very easily***but there were limits to waht & when we could do it which made us sitting ducks for nothing being done***after i left soon after the 131st joind the 245th avn in marble mountain**always wondered if the unit became a dump as i seen it when i arrived***as i seen it the war was a waste& the guys who never came back were the heros***we did what we had to do but the goal seemed with most of us we to get back to the world which we called home**i was luky i made it****god bless all that fell in that wasted war***they will all go to heaven because the spent thier time in hell***vietnam**********

Posted by steven digangi on March 21,2013 | 05:21 PM

Looking for info on Marshal Kipina mia from the 131st aviatiom company. He went down in a ov1 in 1966 . He was pow and their were 2 sightings of him alive. Their is one guy in I think Ill. was with him in a pow camp. trying to track him down . Marshal and I played football in high school back in 61-64 at Calumet Michiganin the up. Still have hope . Jerry kmieciak sbt1049@embarqmail.com usaf 64 69 46250 weapons mech. loaded bombs on b52 Guam 66 68 68 69 Vietnam Binh Thuy 22t.a.s.s o1s o2s phan rang o2s ov10 udorn t28 det 1 56 acw . Would like any info . I had a good and unfotgetable memorys of them 4.5yeays .

Posted by Jerry Kmieciak on April 5,2013 | 08:17 PM

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