2 Helicopter Stories from Vietnam

[stealth420]

Written by Micheal Herr "Dispatches"


Atack Huey Short Story
Armed with : 2 - 50 cal MGs, Hydras.

At midnight over Vinh Long, the gunship made seven or eight low runs above a company of viet cong on the eastern edge of saigon. At first the tracers just snapped away into the dark, spending themselves out in sparks or skipping once or twice on the ground. Then flares showed a lot of men running out in the open, and our tracer lights began disappearing abruptly. The smoke from white phospurus was so birght against the darkness that you had to squint a little to look at it. By 4 AM half the city was on fire. Reporters wernt allowed on gunships, But this was the second night of the TET offensive, total Hysteria and no rules. I never got to ride in one again.

Loach Recon bird (Littlebird)
Unarmed joyride story

Later that day I went out on a joyride in a Loach with the Cavs Star flier. We flew Fast and close to the ground, countour flying, a couple of feet between the treads and the ground, barley missing treetops and hootch roofs. Then we came to the river where it ran through a twisting ravine, the sides very steep, almost a canyon, and he flew the river, taking us through blind turns like a master. When we cleared the ravine he sped striaght toward the jungle, dipping where i'd been sure he would rise, and i felt a sharp freezing moment of certain death. RIght in there under the canopy, a wild ship shaking U turn in the jungle, I couldn't even smile when we broke clear. " That Dude can fly 'em right up his own ass" Someone said back at the LZ, and the pilot came over and said, " Too bad we didn't get shot at. I'd Like to've shown you my evade.


These are some bad ass stories from vietnam. I thought id share with all you fanatical helicopter pilots.

[goguapsy]

Ok I really thought this was one of those other very cool stories from PR which got "transported" to some other time. I really like this kind of stories, but when I read the last sentence, I was wondering, is that PR, invented or IRL?

[Cassius]

maybe a bit of both, guess there was a reporter riding in an attack huey and he added a few bits to spice it up

[BloodBane611]

Thanks for sharing. Source?

If you want to read a book about the insanity of being an air cav pilot in vietnam, I thoroughly recommend To the Limit by Tom Johnson. I read 2/3 of the book before I realized he had a DFC and a Bronze star. The man writes humbly, and he's a solid badass to boot.

[[R-DEV]crazy11]

Moved to off topic.

[Teek]

Chicken Hawk is another good Vietnam helicopter book

[Scot]

Originally Posted by Teek

Chicken Hawk is another good Vietnam helicopter book

x2, really good book.

[stealth420]

bump 2 years later, good stories eh ?

[[R-CON]Wicca]

Rise from the dead. Stories of vietnam.

Man, some of the people i see in PR these days. Same helicopter skills. No communication skills. It sadens me.

[Airsoft Soldier]

Originally Posted by Teek

Chicken Hawk is another good Vietnam helicopter book

x3 on the book really recommended the read.

lol @ necro