HIDARG - PHOTOS  June 2012 VHF Contest

Maxs first attempt at doing the June VHF contest.

Some photos and stuff of interest.


Lookout tower on Wolf Mt. approx 75miles east of Prineville and 15 miles SW of Dayville.


Veiw of the truck from the second platform on the tower.


Simple throw and go setup for the station, running 50watts max.


Antenna setup, 11 element beam currently pointed to the nortwest. Not many contacts. This was in the final hours of the contest.


Berry the blind poddle working the log book, while I make the contacts. That's Bailey in the back totally bored with the whole thing.


Looking towards Pine Mountain in the south west, though not visible.


Glass Butte to the south, we have a repeater on this site. Was able to get to it with my HT and 1 watt.


View of the three sisters, had to go up to the second landing on the tower to get this shot.


This was posted on a rock near the tower. Tragic end to some lives during WW-II. I did some research on this when I got back. See Below.

This is an excerpt from book   -- Hamilton: The Country Club Airbase: by F.H. Oberding USAF Ret

 

On Feb 4, 1942 a B-18A sn 39-26 departed McClellan Field, piloted by Second Lt Richard J. Heiderstadt, and flew into the 6400ft Peak of Wolf Mountain, seventy-five miles east of Princeton, Oregon (sic Prineville is the town-Max) The aircraft sheared off several huge trees, and cutting a three-hundred-yard swath. All on board were killed in the crash.

The aircraft wreckage was finally discovered by a couple of sheepherders on August 14, 1942. The accident report for this crash states that the aircraft departed McClellan Field with the station of the pilot typed in as unknown but handwritten in as McClellan Field. The original newspaper account of the accident stated that the aircraft was from Hamilton Field, and the article in the Friday, August 14, 1942 issue of the Marin Independent Journal stated that they were informed by McClellan Field that the wrecked aircraft was from Hamilton. To further stir the waters, the B-18A, s/n 39-26, was listed in a previous accident report on July 27, 1941 as being stationed with the 36the Bomb Squadron at Elmendorf Field, Alaska. A write-up in the Vol-1 of the book Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the US. 1941-1945, by Anthon J. Mirels, states that the aircraft was cleared to Pendleton Field, Oregon, with the final destination at Elmendorf Field, Alaska.

 

According to the record card for 39-26, it was stationed at Elmendorf Field on May 27, 1941, and went to the Sacramento Depot at McClellan field on September 20, 1941. Further, the record card does not show that it was ever stationed at Hamilton Field. I think the most likely story is that the aircraft did belong to the 36th BS at Elmendorf Field and, at completion of repair work at the Sacramento Depot, was being returned to Alaska with a ferry crew borrowed from Hamilton. I recently acquired the entire accident report file for this accident, and there were three different reports. The first on indicated hat Lt. Heiderstadt was stationed with the 17th Transport Squadron at Hamilton Field. Further, one of the messages issued after the accident site was discovered state that the adjutant at Hamilton Field would notify all of the next of kin, which tells me that the entire crew was from Hamilton.

 

2/LT Richard J Heiderstadt O-417958 (pilot) 22y
2/LT Walter V McShane O-421271 (co-pilot) 24y
TSG Michael R Bittner 1096450 (engineer) 43y
SSG Donald R Kirtland 624 31 53 (radio operator) 33y

 

NOTES: MaxV

McClellan Field (near Sacramento,CA) was a primary service and repair depot for aircraft during WWII.

Richard Heiderstadt left behind 3 brothers and a sister, some who may still be alive today.

Walter V McShane had a brother Lt. John R. McShane who was in Bataan building airfields in Luzon when captured by the Japanese. He was put on a prisoner of war ship and on Oct 11th , 1944 with 1774 other prisoners. On Oct 24th the ship was sunk by submarine action in the South China sea. Only 5 survivors were picked up.