MSgt. Carl Houdek

I was in the 12th from 1952-55 when they transfered to France. At that time we were flying the C-119-C with the the R-4360 Engines.

We had just loaded up a bunch of Troopers and was screaming down the runway to take off. Just as we broke ground, #2 engine startd backfireing like a son-of-a-gun. The pilot hollerd: "feather number two". I said: "no your not going to feather #2, just pull the power back". "Your going to ruin the engine" he answered. I said:" I don't care, let that engine run, let it backfire, but leave the power on; swing on around and land with it, that way after you flare out you got it if you need it.


I went downstairs and told the Troopers that #2 engine was giving us a bit of a problem, don't worry. You should have seem them, there eyes were as big a saucers.

We made it around and landed this thing. We got to work on the engine and the only thing we found was a screw had come loose in one of the Magnitoes and was rotating around in side shorting it out at times. That's what was making it backfire and belch a lot of black smoke. We put the screw back in, ran it up and it was perfect.
I returned to Rhine Main AFB in 1962 where I flew on C-54 and C-118aircraft until 1967 picking up Tech and Master Sgt along the way. Returned to the States in 1967 attended Flight Engineer's school and was stationed at Dover AFB flying on the C-141 aircraft flying in and out of Viet Nam twice a month until the end of the war logging over 5,000 hours in the C-141.When we first stared flying the C-141 some of them only had 100 hours on them, when I retired in 1974 they had over 30,000 hours. PS...You know Bill, they made gunships out of the old C-119 in Viet Nam, butI never got close enough to take any pictures, they would of made a great picture in your web site eh!!
I retired from the Air Force after 22 years and a little over 10,000 flying hours.

Note: looks to me like you had a screw loose.