Ramp football Saigon

We carried around a football to pass time while waiting on cargo. Here a crewmember is about to catch a pass (football in upper right) with Capt Ed (Pilot Aircraft Commander) walking toward the C-130 in Saigon - 1972. Here is a good illustration of how the propellers were about head-high … they were almost invisible while turning, and thus one would need to be extremely cautious not to literally loose a head. The term “walking into a prop” was a phrase often used when someone did something stupid. One or more engines were often kept running on the ramp to provide ground power and easier restart of the other engines; having a choice, usually engines on right side were kept running since the forward crew entry door was on the left side of the aircraft. Another interesting detail are all the small motorcycles and mopeds parked is front of the operations building in the background … indicative of how many people got around on base.