GRUMMAN F9F COUGAR

[Tulio]

Maybe this will jog somebody's memory:

One of several of my shots on this particular Cougar:



Location is Brazoria, Texas.


Saludos,


Tulio

[RickH]

Tulio, Clyde Barton brought that in with the help of Ernesto Morales from here in Pearland. Ernesto used to rebuild T-28s over at Arcola. The picture shows it on Clyde's ramp in front of his hangar. He also owned a beautiful T-6 with postwar Navy paint called Dress Blues. It had GITMO markings. He sold Dress Blues when he was still based at Arcola. Don't know what happened to the F-9F.

[RickH]

Tulio, Clyde Barton brought that in with the help of Ernesto Morales from here in Pearland. Ernesto used to rebuild T-28s over at Arcola. The picture shows it on Clyde's ramp in front of his hangar. He also owned a beautiful T-6 with postwar Navy paint called Dress Blues. It had GITMO markings. He sold Dress Blues when he was still based at Arcola. Don't know what happened to the F-9F.

BTW, the airport is Brazoria County Airport at Angleton, TX

[Jack Cook]

The pilot, John Verde, I didn't remember his name, had two or three hundred missiions in Korea in the Panther. He was commisioned in the Marines after dropping out of M.I.T. engineering school. After Korea he worked as a mercenary in French Indochina flying everything the French had. The story I heard is that he was flying a Fairchild C-119 Boxcar as a mercenary in Vietnam and it was loaded with captured Viet Cong guerillas. The C-119 blew an engine and being overloaded started coming down. They discarded all the weight they could but were still descending. The Viet Cong were shackled to wooden palettes and Verde ordered them pushed out the back of the airplane!
Lighter, the airplane avoided crashing in the jungle and made it back to it's base. When I was in VMA-124, I had heard this story, but it was at the airshows later all the warbird people were telling and confirming the story. As to him flying F-4's I don't know or remember that story. There's a lot more on this guy.

John Verdi commanded VMFA-122 during it's 1967-68 combat tour in VN flying at least 250 missions. The C-119 story is not exactly correct. It June 4, 1954 and was a flight from Cat Bi to Ton San Nhut about 600 miles at 10,000' with 79 people (71 VC prisoners onboard). Since the overmaxed C-119 would fly like and anvil with 1 engine out, Verdi ordered the VC tied down 12 to a pallet and rigged has jettisionable cargo with the intention of dropping them it the situation arose. Has far as I know, the flight was completed with it's cargo intact.

Whether or not the F9 and it's pilot were missions capable, he wasn't legal and the weather sucked big time. The jet should have been in the hanger and the crew should have been tossing down a few tall cold ones!

[RickH]

Not to argue wether the C-119 story is true or not but I would like to point out that for the cargo to be jettisoned in that fashion the clamshell doors would have to be off the aircraft prior to the flight. I find it strange that with 71 people on board that they would leave them off for the flight.

[Eric Friedebach]

The version I heard a long time ago involved cattle that moved to rear of the aircraft causing a nose up attitude. This meant more cows and weight against the latching mechanism which eventually failed. The aircraft landed without further incident.

Just a hangar flying story; I don’t have any facts.

[Jack Cook]

the clamshell doors would have to be off the aircraft prior to the flight

They were, I just left that part out.

I find it strange

Show me one thing the the entire VN war that wasn't strange!

[RickH]

OK, Jack , you win !

[marine air]

Something is very wrong when there are more licence built Mig-15's and Mig 17's of various models sitting in cozy heated hangars restored and painted in the U.S. than there are F-9's being protected from corrosion and the elements and on display!
Who won those wars!

[Dan K]

Ummm... Capitalists?

Oh wait, that was a trick question, right?

[Jack Cook]

OK, Jack , you win !

Na, just sharing what I know.
If you're ever at the USMC Historical Center check out the Verdi Papers!!!
Eye opening stuff to say the least.

[RickH]

Marine Air, you know by now that you can thank our ever vigilant bureacracy for that sad state of affairs. They are only trying to ensure the American public's safety by not releasing the dreaded warplanes onto the unsuspecting public !

The recent attempts at the Demil legislation was only targeted at formerly owned DoD equipment. They had no purview over foreign items.

They would have the power to require destruction of US historical items but leave the foreign stuff untouched[/i]

[TimAPNY]

So I can buy a Mig-15 or Mig-17 but not an AK-74 (or 47) that has not been made to look like a child's toy.

[svekalex]

Anyone got a photo of John Verdi. Great photos of the Cougar he was piloting.

[Jack Cook]

Roy Stafford wrote a tribute to him in either AC or Warbirds Int. shortly after the crash. It was nicely done with a good picture. Anyone have a copy???