Each day we launched our RF-4C's from Saigon at the same regular times, though you could also add 8:00 P.M. to the times mentioned. That meant, considering typical routes and flight times, we'd be in the hot target areas at predictable intervals. It didn't take a genius to know the best times to prepare antiaircraft receptions for our planes, for we'd arrive like clockwork. And you shouldn't be surprised to know that we were getting shot at pretty heavily, just about on schedule.

Furthermore, those targets we were going after could be just about as easily guessed by the enemy. In hot zone like the Khe San area, main points along the Ho Chi Minh trail and places where enemy troops and equipment were concentrated, we could be expected to be taking pictures. Those areas were likely to be defended with light anti-aircraft artillery, small arms and even rocket launchers. It's bad enough that we had to fly into such dangerous places to get the needed pictures, but there was no excuse for the predictable timing of our arrivals. The enemy could almost set his watches by our regularity.

Sometimes flight crews themselves made it easier for the enemy to shoot at them. Quite often crews would approach their targets from the same axis of attack, repeatedly. Worse yet, some crews would re-fly the same routes to targets day after day. That sure makes it easier for the enemy to place defensive fire. But the most egregious errors were making second and third passes over the same target on a mission, flying back and forth on the same or opposite flight path. It's like inviting the enemy to hit you, and making it easier to boot.

I suspect that such silly scheduling was for the convenience of the headquarters folks. They wanted to establish daily routines for themselves. And it probably made the job of the maintenance folks easier, knowing just when they had to have birds loaded and ready each day.