Listening to every transmission from 35,000 feet
Episode 16.
2:47am: When the rattlesnake comes over the headphones, Ted Lowry identifies the “High PRF” (Pulsed Repetition Frequency) signal and Firebird 5 turns inbound again to line up on it. Pull up 25 degrees. Launch. Hard left. The Shrike hits the bullseye. At $7,000 per Shrike, that’s a great investment.
No missiles left. Damaged by an SA-2. Time to turn southwest and limp to the nearest friendly base, right? No, they remain on station in orbit. You see, Don Kilgus and Lowry know they’ve shot all their Shrike missiles. But Charlie, sitting in a surviving SA-2 site, DOESN’T know that. Charlie sees the F-105G’s radar signature, so he’s going to think twice before he shines a radar on any more American aircraft tonight.
2:55am: When Brigham (the call sign of the Ground Controlled Intercept operators at Udorn RTAFB) announces that all other US aircraft have left the area, Firebird 1 tells his wingmen, “Firebirds egress,” Kilgus updates his status: “Firebird 5 is hit. We’re losing fuel and we need a tanker to head this way.” Kilgus says to Lowry, “Ted we don’t have enough gas to get home. Put in the SAFE areas (Safe Area For Ejection) in the doppler and we’ll head there.” He then Cruise-Climbs (the most fuel-efficient climb) to 32,000 ft because he knows they will need as much altitude as possible to get maximum distance in a flamed-out glide. During this climb, Firebird 5 is talking to Brigham, who is vectoring a KC-135 tanker directly to them.
Other aircraft mistakenly think Firebird 5 is in afterburner because they see flames trailing behind. Actually, it’s the fuel streaming from the fuselage, igniting at the burner can.
3:05am: Firebird 5 leaves North Vietnamese airspace at 32,000 ft, (an unusually high altitude for a Thud) and aims toward a SAFE area to minimize the chance of falling into hostiles.
3:14am: Kilgus notifies Brigham, “Firebird 5 is flameout” and begins a best glide of 300 knots. They lose more than 1000 ft per mile. They make final preparations to eject.
3:16am: A KC-135 is now on station, ready for a refueling at FL210. All are professionals trying to think of any options. Brigham gives relative positions of the aircraft, but there is no real hope of a flamed-out refueling. Several miles separated in the dark of night, the Thud never makes visual contact with the tanker. Already thousands of feet below the tanker, Kilgus calmly jokes, “Ask the Tanker to open his side door and maybe these seats will get us to him.” His last radio call: “If I don’t make it, tell the guys at the bar that I didn’t screw up—the SAM just got me.”
3:17am: At 12,000 ft, all preparations made, Kilgus says, “Ted it’s time for you to go.” Lowry pulls his ejection handles. Kilgus is out of the jet a few seconds later.
See more photos and stories on this website and in Who Will Go, which is just as much to honor the wives and family as the men themselves.
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