ROBIN OLDS Another warrior fades away

[time expired]

B/Gen.Robin Olds USAF,passed away at age 84.
RIP
A WW2 ace and probably the most successful air combat leader of the Vietnam war,
4 Mig shootdowns,.He turned the F4 Phantom wings around in the war and showed
them that they could deal with the Mig threat over North Vietnam.
A tough opinionated leader who lead from the front (cockpit) we will not see his like
again.
                                    RIP
                                    Regards
                       

 

[exspy]

What a coincidence, in that General Olds was shown on Canadian television last night.  He was featured in the series "Dogfights" (2005) which was being shown on the History Channel.  He was one of the expert commentators on the reenactment of the Phantom vs MiG-17 segment which profiled the successful dogfight conducted by Duke Cunningham and Irish Driscoll over Vietnam in May, 1972.

I have a copy in one of my aviation books of Robin Olds as a Colonel commanding an F-4 wing in Thailand.  Tall, with chiseled features and a mustache, wearing his flight suit, g-pants and wedge cap, looking off into the distance from the side of his Phantom.  What an inspiring shot.  I also remember he was instrumental in planning a raid over Hanoi in 1967 which resulted in the shooting down of about a half dozen enemy aircraft at one time.  A feat the NVAF never allowed to happen again.

To learn about the man watch any video or television show about the air war over North Vietnam.  He was always interviewed and had some really interesting things to say about modern (modern at the time, anyway) jet combat.