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.
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