Required fields are marked *. In action, gunships sometimes left their lights on for night missions, for according to another Huey pilot, We had a doctrine that wed rather have the enemy shoot at the gunship than at the lesser armed slicks.. Is this the Steve DaCosta who was friend of my brother W.O. The cables going out . His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. The UH-1 evolved from a 1955 US Army competition for a new utility helicopter. The average age for helicopter pilots in Vietnam was in the area of 22 years as I recall. About 12,000 U.S. military helicopters spent 7.5 million hours above Vietnam, flying 2 million missions. The pilots who were flying this helicopter, "The aviation units were the sole combat element of the U.S. Army that did not come. The ideal entry-level account for individual users. [The Wall Street Journal] The Wall Street Journal, 1 June 1996 page A15. Further proof of these facts can be found at a recent Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) reunion. The second pilot you will meet is retired CWO2 Allan Potter. Are you interested in testing our business solutions? an.. A grunt is the true reason for the existence of the helicopter. Read more about the planned U.S. Air Force helicopter Vietnam War history sections. See also The History of the Ranch Hand Epidemiologic Investigation. member. f.. (One has to realize that there was virtually no protection for the pilots from the front and little from the sides or underneath.) Federal Aviation Administration. Then I did another Young & Stupid thing. members without the express consent of the member. PO Box 8091 The first time I tried to land on the ship at night, I terminated at a 30-foot hover over the deck instead of on the deck, and the Aircraft Commander had to take over and hover us down to the ship. . about halfway down . Please call HQ on 800-505-VHPA (8472) to sign up to be a life Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. (CACF and Westmoreland), Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book "All That We Can Be," said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam "and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. We fought to an agreed stalemate. or down. I never forgot the reverence with which that statement was made, as I began to form a survival plan of action in my mind. From 1957 to 1973, the National Liberation Front assassinated 36,725 South Vietnamese and abducted another 58,499. It was a small price to pay for the successful completion of our daily rescues. Most Agent Orange contained .0002 of 1 percent of dioxin. When the Army decided to use helicopters as the Eyes, Protection and Horses of the 1st Cavalry Division, men both young and older were chosen to become pilots. Operation Chopper occurred on 12 January 1962 and was the first time U.S. forces participated in major combat in the Vietnam War. As mentioned earlier, there was little protection from weapon fire for the pilots, and with body parts exposed on a third seat, we were especially vulnerable. It turned out to be the best thing that happened to me, even though I was wounded before the year was out and sent home before my tour was over. First, one has to understand what a hoist mission is and why we did them. The additional weight of patients on the end of the hoist as they were lifted off the ground further complicated the stability of the aircraft. American-owned airlines never knowingly transported opium in or out of Laos, nor did their American pilots ever profit from its transport. $36/year subscription. Its just what they do. The crewmen I flew with on hoist missions (like me, in their teens and early 20s) were absolutely the best, and I wish I could shake every one of their hands and hug them today. On what turned out to be his final mission, they were to pick up wounded on a mountain top, but got caught in heavy fire while making their approach. [Nixon], The Vietnam War has been the subject of thousands of newspaper and magazine articles, hundreds of books, and scores of movies and television documentaries. Put some fire in that bunker! I yelled to Private Whats-His-Name. Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Dustoff 7-1-1, were going down over the sea. [Home] [ReunionInformation] [Donations] [OurLegacy] [MembershipServices] [RelatedWebSites] Member Login. b.. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Warrant Officer Candidates (WOCs) then progressed to Fort Rucker, Alabama, or, from 1967, Hunter Army Airfield at Fort Stewart, Georgia, for advanced flight training and instrument flight instruction. If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they need. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. All of these, however, are better than extraction by Medavac, even if it is technically, a form of flying. This freed Marine quotas at Pensacola which could be used to . (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. Every helicopter flying in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. one of 42 pictures of this helicopter that UPI photographer, Hubert Van Es took If I had gone down over land, I probably would not have taken my weapon with me. Scott McBride CW4 152HH AH-64D Apache Flight Instructor, Charlie Troop 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry Regiment, The Troopers of Charlie Troop 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). am.. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. They explained the trajectory of the weapons fired from an aircraft, especially when firing in a turn., Fort Rucker trained 120 aviators on its gunship aerial weapons course for the UH-1B in 1965. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). Average Vietnam Of Helicopter Age Pilot [ROCFI4] [VHPA Databases] Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Databases. We were unarmed, and experience had taught us that, usually, we were better off to quickly fly to the landing zone, get in and get out as fast as possible while avoiding the bad guys, and fly straight back to the hospital. I remember my very first primary flight instructor pointing at him as I listened intently to his every word. In the movie We Were Soldiers and Young the Lift Pilot was portrayed by Snake and To Tall. The Weapons Team. [VHPA 1993], The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. submit other directory changes and updates. Mine were draped over the back of my seat, along with my M-16 rifle. As a result, less than one percent of all Americans wounded who survived the first 24 hours died. This form number DA- 4733-DSC (Dustoff-Sized Cajones), was used to determine which pilots would obtain MedEvac training at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, upon completion of training at Mother Rucker. solicitation purposes, or any correspondence related thereto. Without his heroic actions that day we, the Grunts, would have been in severe situation as we were running out of food, ammo and our radio batteries were almost dead. I already knew the difference between port and starboard, and it wasnt that hard to figure out beam and quartering approaches. These new battalions eventually formed a sort of modern-day cavalry for the Army. The movie and a book the movie was based on contend that the CIA condoned a drug trade conducted by a Laotian client; both agree that Air America provided the essential transportation for the trade; and both view the pilots with sympathetic understanding. If so glad to know youre well. Most aviators receives about 210 hours of flight time. Online membership [All That We Can Be]. . The gunships that were escorting him told Al to put it on the ground right away because of the serious leak. of what you can do online at https://www.vhpa.org/memhelp.htm#ODA, To preserve the legacy of all Vietnam Helicopter Pilots, an endowment reunion. October 20, 2021. Don S. the last (in-country) Masher33, 1971, It is not easy to read this stuff. Statistics about the Vietnam War - VHPA to Europe and both have since died. It does not have to be war related. He was a Dustoff pilot. (Three years for [1996 Information Please Almanac], POW-MIA Issue (unaccounted-for versus missing in action), Politics & People, On Vietnam, Clinton Should Follow a Hero's Advice, The BSR (Bang Stare Red) Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the gauges. Loud, sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention. years. . Topics cover the entire spectrum from Vietnam to . We believe that the Huey along with the Huey Cobra have more combat flight The building is the Pittman Apartments, a 10 He was an Air Cav pilot, delivering and evacuating troops into and out of battlefields. Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association - VHPA Those brief and simple heartfelt words meant more to me that night than anything else ever said to me during my entire tour. I just tapped him gently on the shoulder and whispered, Hey, Buddy, Im as far back in the elevator as I can get now. I knew what he was really saying. Most were 19 or 20 years old, with a few experienced old men per platoon in their late twenties. The VC knew the points in an assault where the helicopter was most vulnerable, so thorough prepping by gunships and strike aircraft was essential. We risked much in a totally dark valley that night, and there was no doubt that someone appreciated us. Their stories are extremely compelling. Business Solutions including all features. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture was Vietnamese. [2]:3, The helicopters transported over 1,000 Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) paratroopers for an assault on a suspected Viet Cong (VC) stronghold 10 miles (16km) west of Saigon. tail number N4 7004, were Bob Caron who lives in Florida and Jack The initial Army designation was HU-1, which led to the common unofficial nickname of Huey.. When I found out that I was assigned to be a MedEvac pilot, I was devastated. While there are still officially more than 2,200 cases, there now are only 55 incidents of American servicemen who were last seen alive but aren't accounted for. Recent reports in the news media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect. Translation: There are bad guys all around, weve got wounded, get in here NOW before they die or we have more wounded, and you have to come back again. I tried to use the opportunity to prove to myself that I could accomplish the goals I set for myself and do them well. This famous picture is the property of UPI Corbus-Bettman Photo Agency. Flight training was preceded by grueling infantry instruction at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and Fort Polk, Louisiana, where recruits, predominantly volunteers, learned through Basic Combat Training that they were primarily soldiers, with a secondary role as helicopter crew members. Whatd he say? Hell, I dont know. A hoist mission was just the opposite. Read the latest issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center Newsletter and subscribe to recieve future newsletters. The terms Protective Armor and Helicopter are mutually exclusive. Published by on October 31, 2021. Correspondence relating to commercial purposes or solicitations shall only be . Age Vietnam Helicopter Average Pilot Of - albe.mi.it San Antonio, Texas 78208-0091, Copyright 2023 DUSTOFF Association | Powered by Barefoot Pixel, USAAAD conducts life-saving rescue of two civilians near Mount Adams. Epilogue: Most people who see photos of Dustoff Hueys in Vietnam observe only the outside of the aircraft. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Aero Bonus 320085 1/32 Us Army Helicopter Pilot Vietnam War 1960-1975 at the best online prices at eBay! Nighttime was even worse. contained this quote about Vietnam, there has been "the most extensive accounting in the history of human warfare" of those missing in action. One of those is the missing man table at the banquet at each average age of vietnam helicopter pilot. I guess that woke him up, as the next thing I heard was his rifle plugging away at a mound of dirt just outside his door and about 30 feet down. Walking is better than running. Use Ask Statista Research Service. Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America's commitment in Vietnam. I will always thank Warrant Officer Study for his late-night, picture-perfect landing on the round end of the boat. If you ask people who live in these countries that won the war in Vietnam, they have a different opinion from the American news media. Register in seconds and access exclusive features. The third seat was installed in our combat aircraft to accommodate the well above average size of our family jewels, which were required to complete most of the missions we flew in Vietnam. U.S. aviation industry - average age of active pilots by - Statista g.. average age of vietnam helicopter pilot - lebel-minsk.by Not only were we not found to be lacking as youthful aviators, as a whole we far exceeded the expectations. [People], The evacuees were Vietnamese not American military. 5. Most of our Door Gunners and Crew Chiefs were also 18-21 years old. Myth: A disproportionate number of blacks were killed in the Vietnam War. To retrieve the data click on 2020 Active Civil Airmen Statistics. . The Vietnam War helped medical progress in this area. Helicopters in "No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. In fact, not at all, since we usually flew with the doors open, even at night. As they entered a one year combat tour, many pilots heard the ominous rumor that the average life expectancy of a US Army Aviator helicopter pilot in combat was only 19 minutes. Harnage, Aero Bonus 320085 1/32 Us Army Helicopter Pilot Vietnam War 1960-1975 t.. is passed from outgoing President to incoming President at each reunion. Without that commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world. As he entered the crowded car, he said, Ballroom, please.. Obviously, I was wrong, but I did not know it then. Wainwright Station e.. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover for you. Most 18 year olds only think about girls and what they can get from them. The night I was wounded, my new co-pilot Don Study put us right on the deck, but all the while I had visions of my first 30-foot hover when I was a Funny New Guyan FNG. It was finally time to find out if we had the gonads to be combat helicopter pilots. plaque made from the mold for the AH-1G prototype collective grip. With the front of my Huey still kissing the tree leaves and my crew keeping me posted as to what was going on, I took a quick, curious look out my left window to see where the friendly fire was impacting. Uh, thats a can opener for those of you who arent military. Operation Chopper (Vietnam) - Wikipedia An automobile accident or other traumatic event also can cause it. The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) is a non profit veterans organization dedicated to the fulfillment of the following purposes: To provide a forum for recreational communications amongst a fraternity of aircrew members who served in Vietnam during the period 1961-75 At the conclusive battle of the war (the Fall of Saigon), the . The average age of the 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. Annual car sales worldwide 2010-2022, with a forecast for 2023, Number of cars sold in the U.S. 1951-2021, Battery electric vehicles in use worldwide 2016-2021, Annual gas prices in the United States 1990-2021, Automotive industry worldwide - statistics & facts, Motorcycle industry in the United States - statistics & facts, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. on VHFCN (http://www.vhfcn.org) , Heli-Vets and FaceBook also another FaceBook site. dont care. As soon as he stepped from the left side to the right, the aircraft tipped. rotary wing aircrews that flew in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam Era. The early (65-68) Weapons Team was made up of two pilots, crew chief and a door gunner. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only 1/2 of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. ad.. On 11 December 1961, the USS Core (T-AKV-41) docked in Saigon with 32 U.S. Army Piasecki H-21 helicopters and 400 crewmen of the 8th Transportation Company (Light Helicopter) and the 57th Transportation Company (Light Helicopter). It was the Pilots mission to fly as low and as slow as he could allowing the observer and the Door Gunner to watch for signs of the enemy or to allow the enemy to fire at them. Were about five miles out. Five miles out from where? Others flew fixed wing and some were already in the Army but applied for and were chosen to attend flight school. Funds are paid by Greater Good Charities to benefiting organizations as a grant. Vietnam Helicopter Memorial: Veterans Fight Bureaucracy | Time
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