USAF A-1 Skyraider SANDY "Madden Kit"

[Ken]

In 1971, Capt Jim Madden of the 1st SOS was flying a SANDY mission in eastern Laos. A Navy pilot was down and, after a few days, enemy activity was such that he still had not been rescued. With night falling and low on fuel, the rescue force returned to base. By the time they landed, the on-scene FAC reported that the survivor had gone off the air due to depleted radio batteries. Contact was lost and he was not rescued; years later they learned that he did survive to become a POW.

Madden and his team were frustrated that a pilot was lost over the simple lack of spare batteries and decided there had to be a better way. Brainstorming amongst the SANDY pilots and Life Support technicians, several ideas were considered to develop a device to deliver food, water, radios, and batteries to survivors. The final version used the gutted cylinder from a Mk24 parachute flare with the addition of a weighted nose cone and locally fabricated high-drag fins. Test drops showed the "Madden Kit", as it came to be known, to be quite accurate and for it to impact upright allowing its end cap to removed for easy removal of its contents. Declassified reports show numerous Kits were dropped in SEA including the BAT 21 rescue. No known Kits survive, photos are rare, and its use is little-known.

I felt that this innovation ought to be recognized and pursued the construction of a replica for donation to the Tennessee Museum of Aviation's Skyraider; an actual SEA combat vet. (http://tnairmuseum.com/) The replica was presented on Sept 26, 2015 with guest speaker Jim Madden present. It was a great day and a fitting tribute to all those who wore the title SANDY, JOLLY, or PJ.

Special thanks go the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta for donating the time and materials to create a new Kit. They just completed a major renovation and are now open to the public. If you are ever in Atlanta please plan a visit! (http://www.deltamuseum.org/)

Ken

An original Madden Kit in Thailand, 1971. Photo by Alan Price Young.


A craftsman at the Delta Museum, himself a C-130 Crew Chief in Vietnam, generously donated his time and effort to create this realistic replica. Photo by me.


The first time a Kit had been hung on an A-1 in 43 years. Photo by me.


Neal, Jim, and Ken. Jim's smile lasted all day and made this well worth the effort. Photo by me.

[DH82EH]

Really cool thread, story and info.
Thanks for posting that Ken.

Andy

[Dan K]

Ditto Andy's comments. Kudos to all involved with this tribute.

[Zac Yates]

Very cool. I never knew about the Madden Kit. Kudos to you Ken, the C-130 tech, and everyone else involved.

[Snake45]

Very cool indeed!

[SaxMan]

Great work all the way around: Research, Fabrication and Presentation. This is what it's all about...to bring the little known stories to the forefront.

[L-4Pilot]

[Davo87]

I was at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation for the unveiling of the "Madden Kit". Ken did a great presentation and it was nice to be present for the introduction of a formally unknown bit of history. Grabbed a few photos from the event.



Jim Madden, creator of the "Madden Kit".



Ken Holston, Jim Madden and Neal Melton at the "Madden Kit" unveiling.



Jim Madden's friend Jerry watches Ken and Neal hang the replica "Madden Kit" on the Tennessee Museum of Aviation's A-1H Skyraider "Lieutenant America".

[Ken]

Thanks for sharing those additional excellent photos.

Getting to know Jim has been an honor and a pleasure. He is quick to point out that any rescue effort was "the ultimate team sport". Multiple A-1's in SANDY high and low flights, two JOLLY helicopters with their PJ's, other strike aircraft and a C-130 orbiting to coordinate.

He also told me that when the Generals got enthused about the idea, he and a Life Support tech were asked to bring a Kit to his commander's office for a briefing. A General asked, "What do you call that thing?" and Jim sorta shrugged and said it didn't necessarily have a name but the tech stepped in and said, "Sir, we all call it the Madden Kit". Jim was caught off guard but the name stuck. My opinion: despite his genuine modesty, it is an appropriate name.

As an interesting aside, Jim was near the end of his tour when this came about and said that he did not personally drop a Kit in combat, only tests. His eyes really lit up as he told the story of being freshly back in the US and getting a call from Thailand when his squadron mates had made their first combat save with the Kit and reported, "It worked, we got him!". Good stuff.

Ken

[Adam Kline]

Nice oral history lesson. Now no longer oral but reality.

[Duggy009]

Thanks, I learnt something new today.
Awsome work.

[Fouga23]

Lovely

[Ken]

Pleased that the Kit is now on display, front & center, with Lieutenant America ...

[Snake45]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing this.

[Richard W.]

Fantastic thread. Thanks for sharing it.