Experience Russia Lying to Capture C-130 Crews for West Berlin
C-130 Flight Paths into West Berlin
Flying C-130s into West Berlin
I flew C-130s into West Berlin several times, and it was always fun. At that time, the only way into Berlin was through three corridors from the west, over East Germany, and into Berlin. Almost every time we made the trip, Russian controllers would come on our frequency and give us directions to violate the corridor boundaries. If we did, we would have been either shot down or forced down and spend a long time trying to get out.
We carried in a couple of classified loads, about which I can’t say much about.
Each time we went to Berlin, we landed at Tempelhof Airport, which is now closed. During WWII, it was a major field for the Nazis. Later, it became the center of the Berlin Airlift, and as a result, many airplanes landed there, lending it a rich history.
Landing at Tempelhof was interesting and likely one of the reasons that it was closed. Due to the high housing density in West Berlin, our approach took us over East Germany, then into East Berlin, and ultimately to the airport.
As we approached the runway, we flew between apartment buildings. We were so close that we could see in their windows. It must have been interesting for them.
It was quite a sight flying over East Germany. The contrast between East and West was striking. Seeing the Berlin Wall from the air was scary. We could see all the barbed wire, guard towers, control gates, and the East German soldiers.
The city of East Berlin was dismal. It was dark, dirty, and had little traffic. Military trucks were everywhere.
I was an Air Force pilot for 12 years and flew to 27 countries. Then I worked on many Top-Secret programs at Northrop Grumman. I have a lot of interesting stories like this, check them out at Ray’s Interesting Stories
Here’s an interesting link, when President Reagan landed at Tempelhof
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Ray Jay Perreault
Ray is a prolific author who enjoys science fiction. He believes that genre is fertile ground for understanding ourselves and where we’re going. He has written a mix of Sci-Fi stories but tends to focus on narratives featuring strong female characters, computers, post-apocalyptic themes, and strong morals, loyalties, and drama.
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Ray was a Senior Pilot in the US Air Force and traveled to 27 countries worldwide. His C-130 assignments ranged from landing in a farm field in Paraguay to entering East Berlin and experiencing Russian controllers giving him false headings.
Ray’s other assignment was as a T-38 instructor pilot. “The T-38 is the best plane in the world; two pilots, two engines, and two afterburners.” Two of his remarkable experiences included training the first class of female pilots and receiving an Air Commendation Medal for saving a T-38 that blew an engine during a touch-and-go, thereby saving himself and the student pilot on board.
After his Air Force career, Ray went on to enjoy a long and exciting career with Northrop Grumman. During the 28 years at Northrop, some of the highlights included work as the Lead Wind Tunnel test engineer on the F-20, F-23, F-18, and B-2. His career progressed to be the Deputy Manager of Engineering for the Tri-Service Stand-Off Attack Missile (TSSM). Later, he was responsible for all the computers at Ryan Aeronautical and then for all the computers on the B-2 Bomber program.
Ray hopes you enjoy his work, and he looks forward to sharing many new and exciting stories with you.
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