WO Fred Thompson, Shark 7

Scotch Rockets

This is a pair of rockets launched at a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) .51 caliber antiaircraft position from Shark #140 by Capt Mike Ackerman, mid-February 1971. The crewchief was John Moore. Shark 140 only had the 19 shot pods at this time (it later got a nose-mounted 40mm grenade launcher as well), and the rockets were fired by the aircraft commander flying in the right pilot's seat (Ackerman). The copilot, flying in the left seat (Thompson), "watched the gauges." Flying copilot on this aircraft was the only time you could REALLY take pictures!