April 1975

In the final year of South Vietnam's existence the military situation deteriorated fast. The NVA and vietcong were in control of most of south vietnam, except for larger cities and military bases. The ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) was unable to stop the enemy's offensives due to lack of determined leadership and unwillingness to fight and die for a lost cause. In a few cases the ARVN would revive into an effective fighting force inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Those few successes were not enough to turn the tide. Many high and low ranking officers and political leaders were preparing their flight from the country and that didn't help motivate the fighting men. The VNAF consolidated their forces many times in those final days and were able to continue to fly missions against the enemy until the final moment. Lack of spare parts and aviation fuel forced much of the VNAF's inventory to stay on the ground, and scores of aircraft were left to the enemy as base after base was overrun. Many crews took their aircraft out of the country to Thailand, Laos, Singapore and to the U.S. seventh fleet which lay off the vietnamese coast. The VNAF once was the world's fourth largest air force, and the end came sudden and forever.......On these pages are the stories of the final days of the VNAF, told by those who whitnessed events.

• The final days of the 239th Helicopter Squadron
  
• Pictures of the end.....final moments in history
  
• The first VNAF carrier qualified pilot...three photographs
  
• After they have been recovered, VNAF UH-1H are lined up at Cubi Point Naval Air Station in the Phillipines in June 1975
  
• In 1975, Dave whitnessed the arrival of many VNAF aircraft at U-Tapao Royal Thai air base. Read his report and look at the pictures, they have never been published before.
  
• The tail of A-1H 139665.
  
• The bombing of the Presidential Palace by a VNAF F-5E.
  
• Last Stand: an AC-119K and A-1H shot down over Saigon.
  
• VNAF A-37Bs attack Tan Son Nhut air base.
  
• VNAF A-37Bs, UH-1Hs and F-5s on board USS Midway.
  
• VNAF UH-1H pushed off a USN aircraft carrier.
  
• VNAF UH-1Hs, pilots and families on board USS Midway.
  
• Defector Trung in front of his F-5E.
  
• Satellite photo of VNAF C-130As, an AC-119K, a CH-47A and a C-47 at Tan Son Nhut in 2004/2005.
  
• A VNAF F-5E slung beneath a USAF CH-53A over Thailand.