The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
RAAF ground crew, who are posted to the Australian Army's No 161 Reconnaissance Squadron at Vung Tau, regard themselves as a 'queer kettle of fish', because although they are RAAF, they live and work to Army rules. No 161 Squadron flies Bell Sioux helicopters, nicknamed 'possums' because they operate at tree top height with a Cessna forward air control aircraft to spot Viet Cong (VC) artillery posts. Originally the RAAF carried out all of the maintenance on the squadron's aircraft, but now they are being phased out and only eight RAAF men remain. Soon the work will be done entirely by Army ground crew. Here Army Craftsman (Cfn) 18637 Geoffrey Royston (Geoff) Pike, of Camp Hill, Qld, (left), helps two RAAF fitters, 33296 Corporal (Cpl) William Hills (Bill) Fagan, of Pascoe Vale, Vic (centre) and Corporal (Cpl) Jim Jordan, of Gaythorne, Qld, (unable to further identify) (right) overhaul an engine from a Sioux helicopter, in a tent at the Vung Tau airfield.
RAAF ground crew, who are posted to the Australian Army's No 161 Reconnaissance Squadron at Vung Tau, regard themselves as a 'queer kettle of fish', because although they are RAAF, they live and work
RAAF ground crew, who are posted to the Australian Army's No 161 Reconnaissance Squadron at Vung Tau, regard themselves as a 'queer kettle of fish', because although they are RAAF, they live and work
RAAF ground crew, who are posted to the Australian Army's No 161 Reconnaissance Squadron at Vung Tau, regard themselves as a 'queer kettle of fish', because although they are RAAF, they live and work
RAAF ground crew, who are posted to the Australian Army's No 161 Reconnaissance Squadron at Vung Tau, regard themselves as a 'queer kettle of fish', because although they are RAAF, they live and work
RAAF ground crew, who are posted to the Australian Army's No 161 Reconnaissance Squadron at Vung Tau, regard themselves as a 'queer kettle of fish', because although they are RAAF, they live and work
RAAF ground crew, who are posted to the Australian Army's No 161 Reconnaissance Squadron at Vung Tau, regard themselves as a 'queer kettle of fish', because although they are RAAF, they live and work
