TEXT: US HELICOPTER
  PILOT IN VIETNAM
  
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND lLLUSTRATOR
  GORDON L ROTTMAN entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for
  Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served
  in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969-70 and subsequently
  in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments until
  retiring after 26 years. He was a special operations forces scenario writer at
  the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer,
  living in Texas.
  STEVE NOON was born in Kent, UK, and attended art college in Cornwall.
  He has had a life-long passion for illustration, and since 1985 has worked
  as a professional artist. Steve has provided award-winning illustrations
  for the publishers Dorling Kindersley, where.his interest in historical
  illustration began.
  
  WARRIOR • 128
  US HELICOPTER PILOT
  IN VIETNAM
  GORDON l ROTTMAN
  ILLUSTRATED BY STEVE NOON
  
  First published in Great Britain in 2008 by Osprey Publishing,
  Midland House, West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 OPH, UK
  443 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, USA
  E-mail: info@ospreypublishing.com
  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  The author is indebted to Kenneth Henson, Kenneth Upton, Leroy "Red"
  Wilson, and Dr. Graham Turbinville for their valuable information and the
  loan of photographs.
  © 2008 Osprey Publishing Ltd.
  All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private
  study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright,
  Designs and Patents Act, 1988, no part of this publication may be
  reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
  or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical,
  photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission
  of the copyright owner. Inquiries should be addressed to the Publishers.
  A CIP catalog record for this book is avaiiable from the British Library
  ISBN: 978 1 84603 229 S
  GLOSSARY
  chalks
  201 File
  autorotation
  Dust-off
  fast-movers
  ground pounders
  JP-4
  red legs
  slick
  sortie
  stick buddy
  A load of troops to be carried in one hel icopter
  Personnel records
  A power-off helicopter landing
  Medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) helicopter
  Jet fighter-bombers
  Infantrymen, grunts
  Jet fuel used by helicopters
  Artillerymen
  UH-1 Huey troop-carrying helicopter
  One flight by one aircraft
  One's student fiying partner
  ABBREVIATIONS
  Page layout by Scribe, Oxford, UK
  Index by Alan Thatcher
  Typeset in Sabon and Myriad Pro
  Originated by PPS Grasmere Ltd, Leeds, UK
  Printed in China through Worldprint Ltd
  08 09 10 11 12 10 9 8 7 6 S4 3 2 1
  FOR A CATALOG OF ALL BOOKS PUBLISHED BY OSPREY MILITARY AND
  AVIATION PLEASE CONTACT:
  NORTH AMERICA
  Osprey Direct, c/o Random House Distribution Center, 400 Hahn Road,
  Westminster, MD 211 S7
  E-mail: info@ospreydirect.com
  ALL OTHER REGIONS
  Osprey Direct UK, P.O. Box 140 Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 2FA, UK
  E-mail: info@ospreydirect.co.uk
  Osprey Publishing is supporting the Woodland Trust, the UK's leading
  woodland conservation charity, by funding the dedication of trees.
  www.ospreypublishing.com
  ARTISTS NOTE
  Readers may care to note that the original paintings from which the
  color plates in this book were prepared are available for private sale.
  All reproduction copyright whatsoever is retained by the Publishers.
  All inquiries should be addressed to:
  Steve Noon
  50 Colchester Avenue
  Penylan
  Cardiff
  CF2398P
  UK
  The Publishers regret that they can enter into no correspondence upon
  this matter.
  EDITOR'S NOTE
  For ease of comparison between types, imperial measurements are used
  almost exclusively throughout this book. The exception is weapon calibers,
  which are given in their official designation, whether metric or imperial. The
  following data will heip in converting the imperial measurements to metric:
  1 mile= 1.6km
  lib = O.4Skg
  1 yard =0.9m
  1ft =O.3m
  1in. = 2.54cm/2S.4mm
  1gal = 4.5 liters
  1ton (US) = 0.9 tonnes
  1hp = 0.74SkW
  All uncredited photographs are in the public domain.
  AIT
  BCT
  C&C
  CTZ
  DA
  DEROS·
  FRAGO
  GT
  HHC
  IFR
  IP
  LRP
  LZ
  MEDEVAC
  MOS
  NVA
  o clubs
  OCS
  ORWAC
  PT
  RVN
  501
  SOP
  TAC
  TO&E
  VC
  WO
  WOAP
  WOC
  WORWAC
  Advanced Individual Training
  Basic Combat Training
  Command and control
  Corps Tactical Zone
  Density altitude
  Date Eligible for Return from Over Seas, or "de-roes"
  Fragmentary Order
  General Technical
  Headquarters and headquarters company
  Instrument Flight Rules
  Instructor pilot
  Long-range patrol
  Landing zone
  Medical evacuation
  Military Occupation Specialty
  North Vietnamese Army
  Officers' clubs
  Officer Candidate School
  OfficerlWarrant Officer Candidate Rotary Wing Advisor Course
  Physical training
  Republic ofVietnam
  Signal operating instructions
  Standard operating procedures
  Tactical, Advisor, and Counseling
  Table of organization and equipment
  VietCong
  Warrant officer
  Warrant Officer Aviation Program
  Warrant officer candidate
  Warrant Officer Candidate Rotary Wing Aviator Course
  
  CONTENTS
  INTRODUCTION
  4
  CHRONOLOGY
  5
  RECRUITMENT
  7
  What is an aviation warrant officer?
  TRAINING
  13
  Primary Flight School • Advanced Flight School
  APPEARANCE
  26
  EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS
  30
  CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
  35
  BELIEF AND BELONGING
  43
  ON CAMPAIGN
  46
  EXPERIENCE IN BATTLE
  51
  AFTERMATH OF BATTLE
  60
  COLLECTIONS AND MUSEUMS
  63
  BIBLIOGRAPHY
  63
  INDEX
  64
  
  US HELICOPTER PILOT
  INVIETNAM
  INTRODUCTION
  Huey pilots, viewed from
  the passenger compartment.
  They have yellow"label gun"
  tapes on the back of the their
  helmets, with their names
  embossed. An M16 rifle
  bandoleer can be seen
  hanging from the back ofthe
  left seat, and what appears
  to be a leather belt, possibly
  for a revolver, on the right.
  (Virtual Vietna m Archive,
  Mervin Greene collection)
  The thing is, helicopters are different from planes. An airplane by its nature wants to fly,
  and if not interfered with too strongly by usual events or by a deliberately incompetent
  pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety
  of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance
  in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying immediately and disastrously.
  There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter.
  This is why a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why,
  in general, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts, and helicopter pilots
  are brooders, introspective anticipators of trouble. They know if something bad has not
  happened it is about to.
  - Harry Reasoner, Vietnam-era ABC anchorman
  Although the United States had become militarily involved in Vietnam to
  an increasing degree since 1959, infantry units were not deployed there until
  1965. It was a different matter for aviation units. They began deploying there
  to support the Vietnamese Army in 1961, and they were also among the last
  units to leave in 1973.
  4
  To us ground pounders - the grunts,
  red legs, and special operations types -
  who relied on helicopters for transport,
  resupply, fire support, scouting, and
  medical evacuation, the men who flew
  them were anonymous figures sitting
  behind their controls. They all looked
  the same to us: dome-helmeted figures
  with their eyes hidden by darkened
  visors or sunglasses. They wore dark
  green suits and gauntleted gloves, and
  they were strapped into their armored
  seats; they might have been robots.
  The only skin to be seen was their chins,
  with their apparently constantly moving
  lips partly hidden by a microphone.
  One of the similarly outfitted men in the
  
  back of the helicopter would drop to the ground and motion us aboard. We
  didn't know which was a gunner and which a crew chief. To us they were all
  gunners. All chopper crewmen looked the same and were as young as we were.
  For all we knew the pilots flying us may have inserted us before. We were
  climbing into frail, temperamental machines flown by men we knew nothing
  of. Once airborne, we saw only the backs of their helmets, and what little they
  had to say to us was relayed by one of the gunners shouting into our ear.
  We knew just one thing: we had absolute faith in them to do the very best job
  they possibly could, and we were seldom disappointed.
  CHRONOLOGY
  1955-63
  The UH-l-series Iroquois,
  or Huey utility helicopter,
  was the workhorse of Vietnam.
  This UH-l H was introduced
  later in the war. This bird is
  armed with 2.75-in. rocket
  pods on the sides. Its full-color
  markings are typical for a
  stateside unit with white
  "ARMY"; red, white and blue
  national insignia; and yellow
  tail rotor warning band.
  March 1955
  July 21, 1955
  December 1960
  December 11, 1961
  February 6, 1962
  September 18, 1962
  February 15, 1963
  1964
  August 2-4
  1965
  February 7
  First US military advisors arrive in Vietnam.
  Vietnam divided at the 17th parallel as the French withdraw.
  National Liberation Front (Viet Cong, or VC) formed.
  First US Army helicopter units deploy to the Republic of
  Vietnam (RVN).
  Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) formed to
  control all US armed forces in RVN.
  Aircraft designation system standardized in all armed services.
  11th Air Assault Division (TEST) formed to test the airmobile
  concept.
  Destroyers USS Maddox and C. Turner Joy allegedly attacked
  by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin.
  VC attack US installations in Pleiku. President Johnson author-
  izes air attacks on North Vietnam, commencing on February 24.
  5
  
  A UH-l H"slick" with the troop
  March 8
  compartment doors locked
  April 6
  open. It is in ground effect,
  hovering as it taxies to
  May 7
  its takeoff position.
  (Leroy "Red"Wilson)
  June 15
  July 30
  September 11
  1966
  May 25
  1968
  January 30
  March 31
  May 12
  July 1
  1969
  June 8
  1971
  April 26
  November 12
  1972
  March 10
  6
  First US Marine ground combat troops arrive in RVN.
  US ground troops authorized to conduct offensive operations.
  First US Army conventional ground combat troops arrive in
  RVN, 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate).
  11th Air Assault Division redesignated 1st Cavalry Division
  (Airmobile).
  US Army, Vietnam (USARV) activated to control Army
  logistical and support forces.
  1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) arrives in RVN.
  1st Aviation Brigade activated in RVN to control nondivisional
  aviation units.
  VC and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) initiate Tet Offensive,
  which ends on February 26.
  US government announces de-escalation of its war effort and
  halts bombing of North Vietnam.
  Peace talks begin in Paris.
  101st Airborne Division redesignated (Airmobile).
  US initiates Vietnamization Program to completely turn the
  war effort over to RVN forces.
  1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) departs RVN.
  US forces cease offensive operations but could support
  Vietnamese forces.
  101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) departs RVN.
  
  1973
  January 15
  January 27
  March 28
  March 29
  US announces the halt of all ground action.
  Ceasefire agreement is signed in Paris, and US conscription
  ceases.
  1st Aviation Brigade departs RVN.
  Final US troops withdrawn from RVN, and MACV is
  disbanded. Final aviation unit to leave is 180th Aviation
  Company (Assault Support Helicopter).
  RECRUITMENT
  Universal military service - conscription, or the draft - was a key source of
  personnel for the US Army during the Vietnam War. All qualified males
  registered at age 18 and were eligible for conscription, barring deferments
  and exemptions, until age 27. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of the
  personnel enlisted in the Army were volunteers. The particulars of the Army
  conscription and recruiting system and requirements for service are discussed
  in detail in Osprey Warrior 98, US Army Infantryman in Vietnam 1965-73.
  The road to becoming an Army aviator - a helicopter pilot, "rotor head,"
  or "flyboy" - was somewhat different from other career fields. Most
  helicopter pilots and the few Army fixed-wing types were warrant officers
  (WO), a special category of specialty officers (see below). Aviation WOs were
  different from technician WOs and underwent a much different career path
  and training. Commissioned officers were also rated aviators, but they held
  command positions and rotated in and out of aviation units to assignments
  in their parent branch's units.
  Pilots, whether fixed- or rotary-wing, in all other US armed services were
  commissioned officers. This was impractical for the Army, which needed pilots
  in the thousands - more helicopter pilots than all the other armed services
  combined. Commissioned officers, regardless of service, were required to
  possess college degrees, although there were a small number of exceptions. Of
  course, not all college graduates possessed the necessary intelligence levels,
  Whether an old Sikorsky UH-
  34D Seadog as here, or a Huey,
  aviators could find themselves
  flying missions they had never
  imagined.
  7
  
  Troops off-loading from a
  hovering Huey in the Mekong
  Delta. The chopper cannot land
  as the plain is flooded. The
  white mist is water spray from
  rotor wash. (Kenneth Upton)
  This Bell UH-l B is serving as
  a gunship with 2.75-in. rocket
  pods on the side. Typically in
  Vietnam the side doors were
  removed, all markings were
  black, and there were no
  national stars.
  8
  physical standards, and other requirements to be commissioned. Of that group
  only a relatively small percentage were qualified to become aircraft pilots.
  Many of those joined the Air Force, Navy, and Marines to fly high-performance
  jet fighters and bombers. These pilots could remain in the service for an exciting
  and fulfilling aviation career or look forward to a lucrative career in the
  commercial airline industry. Comparatively few of these individuals would be
  attracted to flying clattering helicopters loaded with grubby infantrymen into
  machine-gun-swept jungle clearings. Why fly a slow-moving helicopter gunship
  at treetop level dodging rifle fire when one could make victory rolls at
  supersonic speeds?
  Since there were not enough qualified commissioned officers to man the
  thousands of Army helicopters, a warrant officer career field was established
  for young aviators. These men cost less to pay, and even their flight pay was
  less than for commissioned aviators. They did not have to undertake officer
  leadership training. All of their training was integrated into flight school. Nor
  did a career path have to be developed for them as they rose through the
  ranks and into more senior duty command and staff positions. They would
  fly helicopters their entire careers, be it six or 30 years.
  Technician warrant officers were usually older, highly experienced former
  NCOs appointed as WOs to serve in their technical specialty. Many soldiers
  remember WOs as the old, crusty
  battalion motor officer who oversaw
  his domain of the motor pool with an
  iron fist or as the pay specialist who
  could fix any pay problem that his
  "worthless" clerks seemed lost on - if
  you could attract his ear. Aviation
  WOs were a different breed. They were
  typically 18-21 years old, were on
  their first tour in the Army, rash, and
  were in search of adventure. They had
  been raised on World War II flying
  movies,
  and
  most
  felt
  themselves
  patriotic. Their fathers and uncles had
  often served in World War II or the
  Korean War.
  
  There were few civilian helicopters in the rnid-1960s,
  and they were a curious sight if one was seen. The only
  familiarity many had with helicopters was from reruns of
  the 1957-59 television series Whirlybirds. Many men
  attracted to Army aviation had an interest in things
  mechanical: cars, model planes, and miniature rockets. The
  Army ran ads in car and sports magazines advertising,
  "You can be a helicopter pilot in the Army with a high
  school diploma." This was a powerful inducement for a
  high school graduate in his first boring job, wishing
  something would "happen." It was so powerful that some,
  lacking support for the far away war in Vietnam, ignored
  any reservations they might have had. Others realized that
  the war gave them an opportunity for adventure and
  something unique. Many others were already in the Army
  serving their first tour. They may have been three-year
  volunteers or draftees sweating out their two years. It does not take much
  imagination to see why an infantryman humping a rucksack and envious of the
  helicopter pilots he occasionally rode with or why a rear service support soldier
  stuck in a boring work-intensive job could be drawn to a pair of silver aviator
  wings - and become a warrant officer at that. These young men were often
  competitive, even aggressive. Some had a year or two of college, having
  dropped out after losing interest, or even having flunked out. This lost him his
  education exemption and made him eligible for the draft. He "beat" the system
  by volunteering for something other than a minimal job. He would be an
  officer saluted by NCOs and be allowed into the officers' club - not an enlisted
  man (EM) pulling guard duty, KP, and endless fatigue details at the first
  sergeant's whim. His rank and flight pay would also give him more money.
  He could afford a car and maybe even share an off-post apartment with
  another WOo And yes, the silver aviator's wings could be a girl magnet.
  However, volunteering for flight school required two-year draftees to
  sign up for three years, to become Regular Army (RA). If they washed out
  in flight school, they reverted to their previous rank and were assigned to a
  job in their original Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) to complete the
  remaining time of their three years. Once they graduated from the almost
  one year of· flight training, they were discharged from the Army as an
  enlisted man and given a warrant as a WOl. They now owed the Army six
  years, and it was more than likely they would serve at least two tours
  in Vietnam.
  Qualified soldiers could volunteer for WO flight training at any time,
  although if on an overseas tour they usually had to wait until they returned
  stateside, or the Continental United States (CONUS). They had to have
  completed Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training
  (AIT) and have been awarded an MOS, their job skill. It made no difference
  in what MOS they had been trained. Individuals could also enlist in the Army
  for flight training. They too would undertake BCT and AIT, usually as an
  infantryman. Once graduating from AIT they might have had to wait for
  weeks or even months for a class slot. In the meantime they performed their
  duties as any other soldier. Aviator recruiting teams sometimes visited Army
  posts and interviewed prospective candidates. The recruiters would take the
  candidates on a somewhat wild helicopter ride to weed out those with a
  previously undetected fear of flying or those who became airsick.
  A UH-l H crew chief relaxes in a
  pilot's seat awaiting the order
  to launch a mission. Below his
  left leg is an angled black bar.
  This is the collective that
  controls blade pitch, and is also
  the throttle. (Kenneth Upton)
  9
  
  A UH-1H Iifts off for its ta keoff
  run. Troops typically sat in the
  door with legs dangling. In the
  background are revetments
  constructed of double-walled
  aluminum airfield mats
  backfilled with sandbags.
  (Leroy"Red"Wilson)
  At the beginning of 1966 there was an extreme shortage of pilots.
  The midyear projection was for 14,300 pilots. However only 9,700 would be
  available through the training pipeline at that time. Some 2,000 former pilots
  were asked to consider recall, but only 60 accepted. Commissioned pilots
  below lieutenant colonel were all assigned to aviation slots, "robbing" them
  from their parent branches where they were needed in other assignments.
  In all areas outside Vietnam, authorization levels for pilots were reduced to
  a quarter of their needs. All aviators with Vietnam tours would be returned
  to Vietnam within a year. Bright enlisted men completing AIT and quizzed if
  they liked fast cars or ever considered flying were virtually shanghaied into flight
  school. While acceptance requirements to flight school were not lowered,
  instructors were a little more lenient in passing students on check rides at
  different phases. By mid-1968, these measures, coupled with the gradual
  expansion of the flight schools, provided enough pilots, but just barely.
  Warrant Officer Aviator Program (WOAP - pronounced "whop"volunteers
  were required·to possess a General Technical (GT) score of 110, the same as
  required for Officer Candidate School (OCS). The GT score was part of the
  Armed Forces Classification Test (AFCT) taken by all individuals entering the
  armed forces. Volunteers also uI'ldertook an aviator's aptitude test, a Class lA
  Flight Physical, and had to possess uncorrected 20120 vision with normal color
  vision and depth perception. The aptitude tests validated one's ability to locate
  and orient oneself in unknown terrain. The volunteers also had to pass the
  Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) and be within height and weight standards
  for their age, which was required to be between 18 and 32 years inclusive.
  Applicants needed high-speed reflex ability, to think fast, to learn fast, and to
  be completely ignorant of what they were really getting into.
  What is an aviation warrant officer?
  Most Army helicopter pilots were and are warrant officers. Outside of the
  service there is sometimes a misunderstanding of the role and place of WOs,
  known simply as "warrants." WOs are ranked above all enlisted grades, even
  sergeants major, although any WO would wisely be reluctant to pull rank on
  his battalion sergeant major or his company first sergeant. WOs are also
  senior to officer cadets and candidates but are below all commissioned
  officer grades; that is, 2nd lieutenant and up. In other words, WOs fall in
  between NCOs and commissioned officers in regard to authority.
  
  This does not mean that NCOs progress upward and then through the
  WO grades, nor do WOs progress up through commissioned officer grades.
  Enlisted WOs and commissioned officers are separate career paths. NCOs,
  after reaching a certain degree of skill in technical fields, could be warranted
  through competitive examination, and there were instances where exceptional
  WOs, still within the maximum age limitation for commissioning and having
  obtained college degrees, were commissioned. For this reason most nonflying
  WOs were older, highly skilled technicians, possessing years of experience in
  their specialty; these were the technician WOs. They might be communications-
  electronics technicians, automotive technicians, administrative or finance
  specialists, bandmasters, masters of large Army landing craft or other
  watercraft, counterintelligence specialists, or radar repair technicians, among
  other fields of expertise. The WO route was not available to all NCOs; there
  were no WOs in combat arms branches. For example, infantrymen and tankers
  did not become WOs.
  The role of the WO was to serve in specific technical positions requiring
  greater longevity and experience than the usual billet assignment of
  commissioned officers. He was a technical expert, a leader, a trainer, and an
  advisor providing valuable technical skills, guidance, and expertise to
  commanders and organizations in their particular field.
  Army-commissioned officers receive their commission through the
  President and possess the authority to command, to allocate funding, and
  they have judicial authority to assign disciplinary punishment. WOs can
  lead small units such as specialized sections and platoons, detachments, or
  vessels as part of a larger unit commanded by a commissioned officer.
  In that regard they have basically the same leadership authority within their
  area as NCOs.
  There were four WO grades (today there are five). Warrant Officer 1
  (W01), the entry-level grade, was warranted by the Secretary of the Army.
  The three higher grades were rated chief warrant officers (CW2, 3, and 4).
  Upon reaching CW2 they were commissioned by the President, taking the
  same oath and receiving the same commission and charges as commissioned
  officers deriving their authority from the same source. They were still
  technicians and did not have full command authority.
  WO helicopter pilots were in a somewhat different category from
  technician WOs. They did not work their way up through the NCO ranks
  gaining technical expertise along the way to eventually become warrants.
  They either enlisted in the Army specifically to become pilots or volunteered
  after having served a relatively short time as an enlisted man who then
  entered the WOAP.
  Aviation WOs originated in 1947 when the Air Force became a separate
  branch of service. Previously there had been a "flight officer" rank equating to
  the old WO junior grade, but this rank was eliminated. Aviation WOs were
  envisioned as the capstone of enlisted aircraft maintenance specialists, along the
  same lines as other specialist NCOs becoming WOs. However, in 1949 it was
  decided that no other services' aviators were expected to possess such intimate
  knowledge of aircraft maintenance, and the number of applications for
  WOs was draining off the already small numbers of valuable NCO aircraft
  maintenance supervisors. Civilians with comparable commercial aircraft
  maintenance experience could also be enlisted for the WOAP. WO pilots were
  expected to serve as career pilots, while commissioned officer aviators,
  commanding and staffing units, were rotated in and out of aviation units.
  11
  
  It was not uncommon for the
  shark-like Bell AH-1 G Huey
  Cobra to bear tiger's teeth.
  This one is undergoing painting
  with only the white eyes and
  teeth painted in and awaiting
  the snarling red lips and block
  mouth and iris. Note the peace
  symbol on the nose cover of
  the 2.75-in. rocket pod.
  Originally it was thought that WOs would replace all lieutenant and captain
  pilot positions, but it was realized that junior officers needed to command
  aviation sections and platoons- to obtain experience in aviation operations
  before commanding and staffing units. The first WO candidate class in the
  Army Helicopter Pilot Course was in 1951. Pilot WOs had been listed on tables
  of organization since 1950 and were assigned MOS 1066 regardless of what
  type of aircraft they were qualified on. Proponency for aviation training was
  under the Transportation Corps at that time as there was no aviation branch.
  The MOS system was changed in 1965, and WO helicopter pilots were
  assigned new MOSs:
  Ft Wolters stage fields
  The seven pre-Vietnam stage
  fields were given "Western-
  related" names while the later
  ones were named after towns
  in Vietnam, and were located
  in approximately the same
  relationship to one another,
  but not in terms of distance.
  When opened in 1956 there
  were four stage fields,
  and these grew to the
  following 25 during the war.
  The stage fields were about
  7'(, miles to 12 miles out
  rom Ft Wolters.
  Pinto
  Sundonce
  Romrod
  Mustang
  Rawhide
  Bronco
  Wrangler
  12
  AnKhe
  BacLieu
  Ben Cat
  BenHoa
  Cam Ranh
  Can Tho
  Chu Lai
  DaNang
  Hue
  My Tho
  PhuLoi
  Pleiku,
  Qui Nhon
  Soc Trang
  TayNinh
  TuyHoa
  VinhLong
  VungTau
  062B: Helicopter Pilot, Utility and Light Cargo Single Rotor
  (UH-l, OH-13, OH-23, OH-6A, OH-58, AH-l)
  062C: Helicopter Pilot, Utility and Light Cargo Tandem Rotor (CH-21)
  062D: Helicopter Pilot, Medium Transport (CH-47)
  A very small number of WOs were selected for Fixed-wing Flight School
  at Ft Rucker, AL, or Ft Stewart, GA. They flew 0-1 Bird Dog observation,
  OY-l Mohawk surveillance, U-l Otter, U-6 Beaver, U-8 Seminole, and
  U-21 Ute utility aircraft for liaison, utility, YIP transport, and surveillance.
  WOs
  had
  the
  same privileges
  and
  received
  the
  same honors
  as
  commissioned officers (i.e., were saluted by lower rankers, had authorized
  officer-grade quarters, and had access to the officers' club). Officially, WOs
  were addressed as "Mister" and "Sir" but more commonly and informally
  as "Chief," or even "W01." However, WO pilots preferred not to be called
  Chief since their enlisted crew chiefs were commonly called the same, although
  they normally tolerated nonaviation soldiers who erroneously referred to them
  as Chief. As warrant officer candidates (WOC) they were informally called
  "wocks," "like something you would throw at a wabbit." Commissioned
  officers were referred to tongue-in-cheek as "real live officers" (RLOs), and
  RLOs called a WO a "Wobbly 1" or simply "W2," their pay grade; the former
  failing to endear RLOs to warrants.
  WOs were not assigned duty positions by grade on the unit table of
  organization. Warrant positions were listed merely as "WO," irrespective of
  grade. There was a limitation on the number of commissioned officers that
  could be assigned to aviation units, but there was no similar cap for WOs.
  
  i
  Commissioned aviator officer shortages frequently saw WOs servlllg as
  section and platoon commanders and on aviation unit staffs.
  Army aviation was not a branch. During the Vietnam War aviation units and
  commissioned aviators were assigned to infantry, armor, artillery, transportation,
  medical, military intelligence, and other branches. This decentralized employ-
  ment of aviation assets was less than satisfactory. Aviation was thought of as
  only another means of transportation, and helicopters were integrated into units
  along the line of trucks.
  Commissioned officers rated as aviators held command and staff positions.
  Command positions included battalion/squadron (LTC), company/troop
  (MAJ), platoon (CPT) commanders, and section and team leaders (LT). Rated
  officers also filled battalion/squadron XO (MAJ), S3 (operations) (MAJ);
  and aviation safety, aviation maintenance, and liaison officers (CPT at
  battalion/squadron, LT at companyltroop levels) positions. Other battalion
  staff officer positions were also held by rated aviators. Aviation battalion and
  company commanders carried the MOS 1983, operations officers carried 1982,
  and platoon and section leaders carried 1981. Air cavalry unit commanders
  were assigned MOS 61204 whether they commanded squadrons or sections.
  TRAINING
  If enlisting for flight school or volunteering during training, future aviators
  undertook Basic Combat Training (BCT) just as any other soldier. BCT could be
  conducted at one of many training centers throughout the country. Many
  destined for flight school took Basic at Ft Polk, LA. Basic was eight weeks in
  duration, preceded by Zero Week for administration, inoculations, uniform issue,
  and testing, among other preliminary requirements. BCT was undertaken by
  all enlisted men entering the Army. It included instruction in discipline, customs
  and courtesies, rank, the military justice system, drill, physical fitness, bayonet,
  M14 rifle qualification, hand grenades, hand-to-hand combat, individual
  combat techniques, first aid, field sanitation, and physical conditioning.
  Upon graduation recruits were sent to AIT at one of seven infantry training
  centers or, for other combat arms or service support MOSs, at a branch school.
  Training helicopters
  The Army's primary training
  helicopters were originally the
  Bell OH-13G Sioux and Hiller
  OH-23D Raven. These were
  similar makes of two-seat
  light observation helicopters.
  Both choppers were used
  interchangeably in Vietnam
  as scouts. Dating from the
  Korean War, neither was still in
  production. To replace them
  the Hughes TH-SSA Osage,
  derisively known as the
  "Mattei Messerschmitt;'
  was introduced in 1967.
  The earlier helicopters
  were preferred as trainers,
  but with the expansion of
  flight training a lower-cost
  helicopter was needed.
  Specific student flights were
  assigned one type of aircraft,
  and they remained with it
  through Primary. In the
  Advanced School, instrument
  training was conducted in the
  TH-13T, a modified OH-13S
  with a complete instrument
  package, and replaced
  in early 1967 by the
  Bell UH-1A Iroquois.
  UH-1B, C, and D Iroquois
  or Huey utility helicopters
  were used for transition flying
  to qualify on the aircraft.
  Training helicopters were
  painted entirely or partly
  international orange.
  The simple instrument panel
  of the OH-13G was ideal for
  primary flight training. It was
  not so complex as to confuse
  the student.
  13
  
  The OH-13G and OH-23D
  began to be phased out by the
  Hughes TH-55A Osage trainer.
  The earlier trainers were no
  longer in production and
  existing choppers were
  wearing out. The Osage
  was developed as a
  low-cost replacement.
  14
  For most combat arms MOSs (infantry, artillery, armor, engineer) and many
  service support MOSs, AIT was eight weeks. Most technician MaS training
  ranged from 12 weeks to many months. Many future warrants were sent to
  Infantry ArT (MaS lIB). If they washed out of flight school, they could then
  be utilized as infantrymen, of which a shortage prevailed through the war.
  (The details of BCT and Infantry AIT are discussed in US Army Infantryman
  in Vietnam.)
  With the serious need for aviators in Vietnam from 1968, some flight
  training volunteers went directly from BCT to Ft Wolters or were pulled out
  of AIT before completing it. Training did not always begin immediately upon
  arrival at Wolters. Many candidates spent up to a month "snowbirding,"
  waiting for an available class. During that time they pulled KP, work details,
  and physical training (PT).
  As wacs they drew E5 pay ($226.20 per month with under two years
  service) but were not considered sergeants. If they had held a higher enlisted
  grade prior to· becoming a wac, they continued to receive that pay. Despite
  wacs undertaking seven months of flight training, they were not eligible for
  flight pay until graduation and until they were fully rated as aviators. However,
  commissioned officers undergoi.ng flight training did receive flight pay.
  Primary Flight School
  Ft Wolters was east of Mineral Wells, TX, and west of Fort Worth. Wolters
  was the US Army Primary Aviator Flight School. It originated as Camp
  Wolters in 1925, and during World War II it was an infantry replacement
  training center. It was deactivated in 1946 and transferred to the Air Force
  in 1951 as Wolters Air Force Base. Wolters was transferred back to the Army
  in September 1956, and the Primary Flight School was transferred from Ft
  Rucker. This move was made because as Army aviation grew, there was not
  enough ground and air space at Rucker to accommodate all phases of
  training. Wolters was redesignated as a permanent post in June 1963 and
  renamed Ft Wolters. The terrain was relatively flat, although there were
  sufficient hills and peaks for "pinnacle" landing practice. The surrounding
  area was sparsely populated and devoid of overflying commercial air traffic.
  The weather was mostly favorable year-round for flying, but summers were
  hot and winters colder than many expected in Texas.
  ---------
  --
  
  1
  )
  Foreign helicopter pilots from 30 countries also trained at Wolters,
  including many from the Vietnamese Air Force. Marine helicopter pilots
  began training there in 1968, and Air Force pilots began using the facility in
  1970. Government agency civilian pilots were also trained at Wolters. When
  established in 1956 the school operated 12 OH-23 observation helicopters as
  trainers. By 1965 there were 400 training helicopters, 775 the following year,
  and just over 1,000 in 1967. By 1970 there were almost 1,300 training
  helicopters. In March 1966 the post was redesignated the US Army Primary
  Helicopter Center. The small numbers of Army fixed-wing pilots received
  their primary flight training at Wolters, as did Regular Army and Army
  National Guard commissioned officers taking primary helicopter training.
  The base had the usual post facilities and amenities: post headquarters,
  various administrative and support offices, troop barracks, mess halls,
  quartermaster issue facility, motor pools, aircraft maintenance facilities, movie
  theater, bowling alley, service clubs, officers' club, library, gymnasium, other
  recreational facilities, chapels, and hospital. Of course there were extensive
  aviation facilities, including three heliports. Besides the main heliport, Downing
  Heliport was built adjacent to it in 1966. Dempsey Heliport was built west of
  Mineral Wells near Palo Pinto in 1968. There was also the Collazo Army
  National Guard Airfield and 25 stage fields, many of these on leased ranch
  land off-post. The heliports were massive expanses of tarmac apron, where
  hundreds of training helicopters parked on their marked pads.
  The content, scope, and organization of the training evolved through
  the school's 17 years. Depending on the time in question, students had
  different experiences. The following describes Wolters in about 1970. While
  there were differences in earlier classes, the students' experiences shared a
  certain commonality.
  Warrant officer candidates reporting for duty signed in and were assigned to
  a WOC company or to the holding barracks if awaiting a class. Early on, from
  1965, the lst--4th WOC companies were flight training, and the 5th was for
  Preflight. In 1967 the 5th moved up the hill to join the other companies in
  the new barracks along with the new 6th-8th WOC companies. The 9th and
  10th companies were for Preflight. Later, all WOCs were assigned to one of the
  ten companies in which they undertook all phases of training. By 1970 these
  were organized into the 1st and 2d WOC battalions under the Student Brigade.
  There was also a Student Officer Battalion of four companies, plus a Vietnamese
  Student Company. Prior to this there had only been the -single Student
  Officer Company. Commissioned officers and the few already-warranted
  WOs undertaking flight training attended the 16-week OfficerlWarrant Officer
  Rotary Wing Aviator Course (ORWAC). The Warrant Officer Candidate
  Rotary Wing Aviator Course (WORWAC) was 20 weeks.
  WORWAC classes were identified by the year and an odd number, such as
  68-7. ORWAC classes were identified by the year and an even number. Class
  sizes varied over the years, but by midwar it was typically 100-200 with
  up to one-third washing out. Companies were subdivided into two structures.
  For flight training and academics, companies were divided into two lettered
  flights; flights were divided into as many as four sections depending on the
  class size, e.g., Flight A-3 or B-l. One flight flew in the morning, while the
  other undertook academic studies in classrooms and would fly in the
  afternoon. They would do this for a week, and then the morning flying flight
  would switch to afternoons. For administration, companies were divided into
  as many as five platoons. The last platoon comprised recycled students.
  15
  
  What has become an iconic
  photograph of the Vietnam War
  - air cav troopers of an aero
  rifle platoon being inserted on
  a hilltop from a UH-l H Huey.
  The countless confined-area
  touch-and-go practice landings
  the pilots made during training
  served them well in Vietnam.
  Students were assigned to platoons in alphabetical order. Individual positions
  were directed by Tactical, Advisor, and Counseling (TAC - pronounced
  "tack") personnel, but each class elected its own president, vice president,
  secretary, and treasurer. Platoons usually made their own guideon flags, often
  of an amusing nature.
  The first four weeks of training was the wac Indoctrination Training
  Course, known as Preflight, with the initial 91 hours of WO development
  training covering everything from map reading to management of personal
  finances. The Student Evaluation Review Board could eliminate wacs for
  such infringements as lack of character, lack of motivation, or poor aptitude.
  They would become, after all, officers. The wacs marched in formation to
  PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING - FLYING
  During flight training the prescribed uniform was the K-2B very lightweight man's
  flying overalls. The suit was sage green, a light grayish green used by the Air Force; much Army avi-
  ation gear was procured through the Air Force. Preparing for a flight in a Hughes TH-SSA Osage
  training helicopter is a WOC (1) who has successfully soloed, as indicated by the unofficial solo
  wings on his company-colored baseball cap. The Southern Airways pilot instructor (2) displays
  corporate insignia. While a civilian contractor, he had served in Vietnam as indicated by the
  1st Cavalry Division patch on his sage green helmet bag, and is currently a member of the Texas
  National Guard's 49th Armored Division's aviation company. All sorts of patches could adorn
  veteran pilots' helmet bags. Helmet bags were effectively a pilot's "brief case;' in which were
  stowed maps, logs, airfield landing plates, and other documents. Their APHS helmets would
  be white, although the PI might still have the helmet he used in Vietnam.
  
  17
  
  The OH-23D instrument panel
  was as simple as the OH-23G's.
  The cyclic control stick is seen
  in the lower right.
  18
  ~
  classes,
  to
  meals,
  and
  to
  and
  from
  barracks.
  They
  were
  bussed
  to
  the
  heliports and stage fields. To oversee
  them, each flight was assigned two TACs,
  usually a CW2 and an NCO, a staff
  sergeant or sergeant first class.
  Both
  usually had a tour in Vietnam under their
  belts and were equivalent to the drill
  instructors experienced during Basic. The
  TACs ensured that the WOCs maintained
  strict military discipline and decorum
  (barracks squared
  away,
  that WOCs
  righted
  their
  many
  wrongs,
  etc.);
  maintained WOC training records; and
  conducted PT, drill, and inspections - all the time meting out a good deal of
  harassment'. They fired a barrage of questions at marching students while
  another TAC shouted others. The idea was to see if students' could prioritize
  and sort out what was important while being distracted. There was no
  harassment on the flight line or in the classroom. TACs also saw to it that the
  WOCs participated in the mandatory evening study sessions, although their
  pestering sometimes made it difficult for a WOC to absorb his lessons. The
  idea was to ensure the students paid meticulous attention to detail.
  The barracks might be the World War II two-story, wood-frame type
  modified by being compartmentalized into three-man rooms, or the new big
  cinderblock three-story barracks, also divided into three-man rooms. A room
  had a double bunk and a single bed and three built-in lockers with drawers and
  shelves. There was a single, large latrine and shower room on one end of the first
  floor of the wooden barracks, and in the center on each floor of the three-story
  barracks. Mess halls were separate buildings adjacent to the barracks.
  A tradition was Grundy Day when the WOCs would "take over" the
  company. The date was kept secret, but it was always a Saturday, and the
  company would don a self-prescribed "uniform" (orange-side-out aviator's
  jacket, gray sweat pants, and black necktie tied in a bow, for example) and
  "relieve" the company commander. It would be a day of pranks and gags,
  a day to blow off steam.
  The WOCs were assigned to one of the flight training companies and
  drew flight gear, which they retained through their entire flight training
  process and when assigned to an aviation unit. The eight-week Primary I was
  conducted by Southern Airways of Texas and consisted of 50 hours of flight
  training. Two or three students, depending on the class size, were assigned to
  an instructor pilot (IP), their "stick buddies." The IPs would fly with one
  student out to a designated stage field, and the others would bus out to the
  field where they would crack the books in the classroom adjoining the
  control tower. The students would take turns flying through the morning or
  afternoon. The other half of the day was spent in academic classes where
  students had a wide variety of complex subjects to learn.
  Most stage fields were composed of six parallel tarmac lanes with a
  control tower. Lanes 5 and 6 were allocated for autorotation (power-off)
  practice, and the others for practice takeoffs and landings. Hover practice
  was conducted on the tarmac area or between the lanes. Emergency
  procedures and flight maneuvering were conducted away from the stage field
  over a bare patch of prairie.
  
  Students began by learning to hover, described as balancing on a ball
  bearing rolling on a glass table, or as one pilot described it, "like patting
  yourself on the head and rubbing your tummy while running down the
  stairs." The pilot had to move the collective stick up and down with one
  hand, operate the cyclic control with the other, manipulate the foot pedals
  controlling the tail rotor, maintain 3,200 engine rotations per minute, stay
  oriented with a point on the ground without drifting, maintain a specified
  altitude, and be aware of wind speed and direction. A milestone was archived
  when the student was able to correctly hover, officially: "Having remained
  motionless in space; flown backward, forward, sideways and vertically
  in US Army helicopters, is hereby rated a genuine US Army Hoverbug."
  Autorotation practice was critical and quite stressful. Entered at 500ft above
  ground level with the IP rolling off the throttle, but keeping it in the engine
  idle position to allow the rotor to rotate without engine power, the student
  immediately reduced the collective pitch, ensuring that the rotor did not
  underspeed. The chopper immediately dropped, and at 100ft the helicopter
  was flared, reducing airspeed and ground speed as it continued to drop
  groundward. At 15ft collective pitch was applied to further reduce the
  airspeed and rate of descent. Then in the final 3ft collective was further
  applied to cushion the landing while ensuring the skids were level.
  During the initial short flights around the stage fields, the students were
  taught constantly to scan the instruments, ensuring the data was registering in
  their minds, and to maintain awareness of their attitude, ground track, and
  wind direction, among other variables. Subsequent instruction covered in-flight
  engine failures including those in a hover or during takeoff, engine fire in a
  hover, tail rotor failures at different times, and so on, repeatedly.
  Within about two weeks students had accumulated the requisite ten hours
  of solo flight time. A few gifted students might have been allowed to solo after
  eight hours. When the student felt ready and was given the nod by his IP, he
  would be cleared through the stage field tower to make three circuits. On the
  way back to base the bus would detour to the Mineral Wells Holiday Inn where
  soloing students were dunked in the pool in their flight suits.
  At the end of Primary I, bottles of liquor were given to the civilian
  instructors. The IPs in the eight-week Primary II were military, about 70-percent
  WOs and 30-percent commissioned, all Vietnam veterans. Training was moved
  to Dempsey Heliport on the other side of Mineral Wells. Flight training went on
  with increasingly difficult tasks, including dealing with emergencies at night.
  Dozens of OH-23Ds lined up
  on the tarmac of Downing
  Heliport at Ft Wolters.
  Each chopper had its
  own numbered pad.
  19
  
  A Hiller OH-23G Raven, here
  with stateside markings, was
  used as a scout helicopter in
  Vietnam, and was armed with
  two .3D-cal. machine guns on
  the skids. It was also used as a
  primary trainer.
  20
  Night solo flights, day and night flights, and long-distance cross-country flights
  were conducted to perfect navigation skills. These flights were often conducted
  with a stick buddy, with one student flying out and the other flying back. Such
  cross-country flights might be as distant as Abilene, TX, or Ft Sill, OK, where
  the helicopters would refuel. Students also conducted tricky pinnacle landings
  on peaks and cliff tops, landings in confined areas, and slope landings. Further
  instruction included more autorotations and emergency procedures, low-level
  operations, and navigation. Sites used in these operations were marked with
  colored tires (white=easy, yellow=difficult, red=very difficult). Students took
  check rides conducted by the Flight Evaluation Division at each phase to
  demonstrate their proficiency.
  There was no margin for error, and no slack was cut for marginal
  performance. A student could be washed out at any time. Those with
  unsatisfactory performance or those failing academic subjects or possessing
  motivational or attitude problems were reverted to their original rank,
  usually private or private first class, and sent to a unit needing their MOS.
  However, some were considered "salvageable" and were recycled to another
  class for additional training.
  WOCs were required to undertake a great deal of study, but there was
  some free time, after the first two months during which there were no passes.
  There were a lot of recreational facilities on the post, but being young men
  they were enticed off-post. Some had cars, and taxi and bus fares were cheap.
  Motorcycles were banned. The nearby Mineral Wells Holiday Inn was a
  favorite weekend hangout, with most rooms booked by students. A common
  practice was for WOCs to pool their meager resources and send a chartered bus
  up to Texas Women's University north of Fort Worth. WOCs' girlfriends there
  would alert other girls and they would go down for the weekend, being given
  rooms at the Desert Inn in Mineral Wells. These were called "flight suit
  parties," as the girls would wear the WOCs' suits for the weekend. Another
  source for dates was the American Airlines Stewardess College in Fort Worth.
  Many WOCs eventually married these stewardesses and college girls.
  Academic training included watching aeronautic training films, many
  dating from World War II and the Korean War, and attending endless classes on
  preflight procedures, flying safety, aircraft preventive maintenance, weather, radio
  
  operation and procedures, navigation, flying maneuvers and techniques, and
  much more. Written exams were frequent. There was no leave granted during
  flight training other than Christmas leave for classes in session over the holiday.
  Commissioned officers in the ORWAC were mostly 2LTs who had
  volunteered out of Officer Candidate School (OCS) or college Reserve
  Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and had completed their branch basic
  course. They were assigned to the infantry, armor, artillery, transportation,
  medical service corps, and other branches, and were aviators secondly. Very
  few West Pointers attended flight school. Prior to attending flight school,
  officers were normally assigned an "initial utilization tour" where they served
  as a platoon leader in their branch. This was a one-year tour, often overseas
  in places such as Germany, Korea, or Panama. Then if not volunteering for
  flight school, they would go to Vietnam. The need for pilots was so great
  that by 1969 many officers were skipping the branch basic course and
  utilization tour and going straight into ORWAC and then to Vietnam. An
  officer's branch was loath to "lose" good oHicers to aviation however.
  The 20 weeks of training passed quickly. It was exciting, fast-paced,
  demanded hard work and study, and offered an element of danger. Six to 12
  students were killed a year, and others suffered serious injury. Graduation day
  finally came with a simple ceremony at the post theater. Grads were presented
  a certificate, but they knew they still had a lot of hard work ahead before
  pinning on wings and WO bars. From Ft Wolters they were given a week to
  travel to Ft Rucker, AL, or Ft Stewart, GA, for the Advanced Flight School.
  Advanced Flight School
  Ft Rucker is located in southeast Alabama, near the town of Ozark. It was
  opened in 1942, and served as an infantry division training post until
  inactivated in 1946. It was reopened in 1950, and in 1954 the Army Aviation
  School moved there from Ft Sill, OK, and became the Army Aviation Center
  the following year. In October 1955 the camp was renamed Ft Rucker.
  This was to become the main Advanced Flight School, where pilots who had
  completed the Primary Flight School continued their training.
  With the rapidly growing need for pilots, it was found that space did not
  allow expansion of the advanced course. The Air Force closed its Hunter
  A classroom simulator taught
  the student the basics of flying
  theTH-55A.
  Southern Airways
  ofTexas, Inc.
  The Southern Airways
  Company had trained
  thousands of personnel for
  the Army Air Forces in World
  War II. In 19S6 it was given the
  contract to conduct primary
  flight training at Ft Wolters
  and continued to do so until
  the school closed in 1973.
  In 1963 the Ft Wolters
  operation became a separate
  corporation, Southern
  Airways ofTexas, Inc.
  Southern Airways instructors
  provided classroom training
  in aerodynamic-related
  subjects, and some 300 IPs
  ably instructed and coached
  student pilots through
  Primary Flight I. Most of
  the instructors were former
  World War II and Korean
  War pilots (including former
  commissioned officers,
  flying officers, and "flying
  sergeants"). Others were
  civilian helicopter pilots
  trained at their own expense,
  former WO aviators having
  completed their military
  service, and Texas and
  Oklahoma National Guard WO
  pilots. The firm's 1,BOO-man
  maintenance department
  maintained all of the school's
  helicopters (except those
  flown by foreign students,
  which were maintained by
  the Army). They operated
  24 hours a day, maintaining
  and making minor repairs.
  Southern also provided
  bus drivers, food service
  personnel to operate the
  mess halls, and other service
  staff. The company freed over
  3,000 military personnel and
  helped reduce operating
  costs. The instructors wore
  K-2B flight suits with a white-
  on-black name tape on the
  right chest, white company
  wings on the left, and an olive
  green baseball cap.
  21
  
  A flight instructor critiques 
  a woe after returning from 
  a training flight in an orange-
  and-white-painted TH-55A. 
  Such critiques were cordial 
  and constructive, unless the 
  student had "tried to kill them:' 
  22 
  Field, adjacent to Ft Stewart, in 1967, and the Army established the US Army 
  Flight Training Center there, with a second Advanced Flight School. Camp 
  Stewart, near Savannah in southeast coastal Georgia, was established in 1940 
  as an antiaircraft artillery training center to become the largest post east of 
  the Mississippi River. The base was inactivated in 1945, but was reopened 
  in 1950 and redesignated Ft Stewart in 1956. Advanced flight training 
  was conducted at Hunter Army Airfield until the facility closed in mid-1972. 
  The training of Vietnamese helicopter pilots was conducted there from 1970. 
  Helicopter door gunnery was also taught there. 
  The advanced flight training conducted at both Rucker and Stewart was 
  identical for all practical purposes, allowing for differences in terrain and 
  facilities. The training locations described here are Rucker, affectionately 
  known as "Mother Rucker." At Stewart all training was at Hunter Army 
  Airfield. WOs' and commissioned officers' training was still segregated. 
  WOCs suffered little harassment now. 
  Advanced training was divided into four four-week phases under the 
  Department of Rotary Wing Training. Basic and Advanced Instruments were 
  conducted by the Basic and Advanced Instrument Training Divisions at 
  Hanchey Heliport. The IPs were civilian contractors. The Basic Phase was 
  conducted in the TH-13T helicopter. UH-1As were used beginning in 1967. 
  The goal was to provide each pilot with sufficient training in Instrument Flight 
  Rules (IFR) to get out of trouble if he found himself in an "inadvertent IFR" 
  situation, such as getting caught in a sudden rainstorm or fog. This gave the 
  pilot a Tactical Instrument Ticket, allowing him to fly under US combat flight 
  rules within Vietnam. Student pilots, accompanied by an IP, would fly wearing 
  the instrument training hood, a face shield that prevented him from seeing 
  out of the windshield, but allowing him to see the instrument panel. 
  Flying with the hood was none too popular. Pilots constantly practiced turns, 
  climbs and descents, and unusual attitude recoveries, among other maneuvers. 
  Classroom work reinforced areas of study such as instrument procedures, 
  weather, and flight and approach planning. Ground Instrument Flight Rules 
  training was conducted in Link trainers. Students complained of the value of 
  this because the World War II-vintage Link trainers were designed for fixed-
  wing aircraft. The controls were only slightly modified by adding a collective. 
  The control movements and instrument layouts bore no resemblance to 
  helicopters. When students complained that they were told that Link trainers 
  
  were "procedural" trainers and did not need to replicate helicopters. Upon
  completion of this 25-flying hour phase, students received a Tactical
  Instrument Ticket.
  The next phase was Contact, provided by the Contact Training Division
  at Knox Army Heliport, using UH-lB, C, and D Hueys. All instructors were
  military. There was a great deal of takeoff and landing training, including
  training with heavy loads, which greatly affected the handling of helicopters.
  Additional training included autorotations under different circumstances,
  normal and steep approaches, traffic patterns, cross-country flight planning,
  wind drift factors, and fuel consumption planning, among other required
  skills. This phase was also qualification on the Huey, the Army's most
  numerous helicopter.
  The Tactics Phase was conducted by the Department of Tactics at Lowe
  Army Airfield, using Hueys. While most IPs were Vietnam veterans, some
  were not, but in the Tactics Phase all were veterans. During the first two
  weeks, Tac-l, half of the students would fly out to the field sites, and the other
  half would b.us out to fly in the afternoon. The nonflying students would take
  classes. Pilots practiced low-level flying at treetop level, sling lpad operations,
  locating and flying to homing beacons, conducting troop insertions and
  extractions, night flying under tactical conditions, tactical takeoffs and
  approaches, tactical formation flying, aerial route reconnaissance, and
  airborne radiological surveying, among a host of other skills. Some of the
  training was for missions they would conduct only in a conventional or
  nuclear war environment, and would never be experienced in Vietnam. Pilots
  would also conduct a night escape and evasion exercise in which they were
  inserted on the ground, as though their aircraft had been downed, and then
  attempt to exfiltrate, avoiding capture by aggressor troops searching for them.
  The last two weeks was Tac-X, a tactical field exercise. The students moved
  to the field and lived in a base camp under pup tents. The conditions were
  made as similar to the harsher aspects of Vietnam as possible. Day and night
  tactical missions were conducted much as they were in Vietnam. The night
  flights were difficult because the only lights to navigate by came from the few
  widely scattered towns.
  Routine supply and
  administrative passenger
  hauling were common "milk
  run" missions. Often officers
  were delivered to firebases and
  units in the field to conduct
  face-to-face coordination.
  (Leroy "Red"Wilson)
  23
  
  A Bell OH-13-series Sioux was
  used as a scout helicopter until
  1968. The OH-13G was also
  used as a primary helicopter
  trainer. This chopper rests
  on an apron of pierced
  steel plates (PSP). Note the
  helicopter revetment beyond
  its canopy constructed of
  soil-filled helicopter blade
  shipping containers.
  While there were still washouts at Rucker, they were greatly reduced
  compared to the loss rate at Wolters. When the big day finally came for the
  wacs, a promotion ceremony was held at the post theater, and their W01
  bars and "squashed bugs" (the gold-winged spread eagle and wreath) were
  pinned on their Army green uniforms to which black braid had been added.
  Pilots had averaged 200-220 flying hours by now. The warrants also received
  a new seven-digit serial number preceded by a "W," replacing their two-letter,
  eight-digit enlisted serial number. (From January 1968, Social Security numbers
  replaced serial numbers, and the letter prefixes were dropped.) The next day,
  graduation day, the combined graduating woe and commissioned officer
  students conducted a mass flyover in Hueys, undoubtedly a nightmare for air-
  traffic controllers and a worry for the base commander and safety officer. Both
  groups had their silver wings pinned on and received their certificates. They
  were now Army aviators. Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler's popular "Ballad of the
  Green Berets" had an aviator's version:
  Silver wings upon my chest,
  I fly my ship above the best.
  But I can't wear no Green Beret,
  I can make more dough that way.
  Most
  graduates
  received
  orders
  for
  Vietnam
  and
  a
  well-deserved,
  predeployment 30-day leave. A few would deploy overseas or to stateside
  operational or training assignments, but there were very few helicopters in
  aviation units outside of Vietnam: only 250 aviators were assigned to Germany,
  and 34 were assigned to Korea (at one point there were only two WO pilots in
  the 7th Infantry Division in Korea). By 1973 some 40,000 pilots had been
  produced. The peak graduation rate was in 1967 with 600 per month.
  PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING - ACADEMICS
  The daily training uniform, when not flying, was the cotton olive green fatigues, highly starched
  and boots spit-shined. The wac (1) is braced at attention and undergoing counseling by a CW2
  TAC (2). Early on, wac companies were identified by colored plastic discs on their OG baseball
  caps. The orange pocket tab identified the wac as undergoing Primary I. The TAC officer wears
  the distinguishing glossy, black helmet liner. A passing senior class wac, who no longer had to
  endure such harassment, wears the khaki uniform and is identified by the black-striped orange
  shoulder strap tabs designating him as a member of the senior wac company. The Combat
  Infantryman's Badge identifies him as a combat veteran; on his right shoulder would be the
  patch of his unit in Vietnam. All wear the Primary Flight School patch, but the TAC, as other
  staff and cadre, additionally displays the Primary Helicopter tab.
  
  25
  
  26
  APPEARANCE
  Warrant officer candidates appeared little different from basic trainees, with
  most being 18-21 years of age, although a few were a bit older, having
  already been in the Army a few years. Most were white and middle class - it
  was rare for an African American to be found in a class and Hispanics were
  only slightly more common. Candidates were fit and trim and wore their hair
  cut short on the sides and back. They may have sported a flattop, or the top
  was cut short with barely enough hair to comb. Mustaches were discouraged,
  but once assigned to a unit, especially air cavalry, neatly trimmed mustaches
  were fairly common, although some unit commanders forbade them.
  The standard stateside duty uniform was the olive green shade 107 utility
  uniform. More commonly known as fatigues, they consisted of a 100 percent
  cotton shirt and trousers. Fatigues were habitually heavily starched at on-post
  civilian cleaners. When picked up they were stiff as a board and the phrase
  "breaking starch" could be taken literally. When shoving one's arm into a
  sleeve or a foot through a trousers leg, the sound made was like ripping fabric.
  The shirt was tucked neatly into the trousers and the trousers bloused into
  spit-shined black leather combat boots. It was popular to use blousing garters
  rather than actually tucking the trousers into the boots, but this was never
  permitted by WOCs. Blousing garters, also called "blousing rubbers" because
  two condoms were originally used as a rubber band, were twisted green elastic
  cords with a small hook on both ends. It was fastened around the ankle above
  the boot top, the sock extended above the boot top, and the end of the trousers'
  leg was turned up under the garter.
  Identity tags, or dog tags were part of the uniform. Often a religious
  symbol or locker key was worn on the dog tag chain. A watch was typically
  worn on the left wrist - Seiko and Rolex watches were quite popular, usually
  with a black face. Technically, the Army issued wristwatches to aviators, but
  stylish civilian watches were preferred. Issue watches made by Hamilton,
  Westclox, and Bemus had black faces, luminous dials, and olive drab web
  bands. They mostly showed up on the wrists of those "flying desks."
  WOs were not assigned to a branch of service as were commissioned
  officers. Enlisted men wore the branch of service insignia of the branch their
  unit was assigned to. WOs had worn a gold-colored rising spread-winged
  eagle and wreath since 1921. The WO eagle, the "squashed bug," was worn
  on the left collar of fatigue and khaki uniforms. Their rank bar was worn on
  the right collar. The subdued WO eagle was black metal or embroidered black
  on olive green.
  The dull silver 2V2-in. (63.5mm) Army Aviator's Badge, depicting the US
  shield on outstretched wings, was worn over the left breast pocket and on the
  front of the field cap above rank insignia. On khakis and greens the wings
  were worn above ribbons. Black metal and black embroidered on olive green
  subdued wings were available from 1968. Two additional ratings were
  Senior Army Aviator (mounting a star) and Master Army Aviator (mounting
  a wreathed star). The Senior Army Aviator was required to have served seven
  years as a rated aviator with at least 84 months in operational flying duty
  assignments and accumulated 1,000 hours of flight time. The Master Army
  Aviator must have served 15 years with 120 months of operational flying
  and accumulated 2,000 hours' flying time.
  In 1968 subdued insignia began to replace full-color insignia on field
  uniforms: rank, branch of service, special skill badges, shoulder tabs, and unit
  patches. The changeover was not completed until 1970-71. In the interim,
  
  owing to the irregular availability of subdued insignia, mixed full-color and
  subdued insignia could be displayed on uniforms.
  On occasion the Army khaki shade 1 uniform was specified as the
  uniform of the day. The cotton uniform was a light tan. The summer version
  of the shirt had an open collar and short sleeves, while the winter was long
  sleeved (phased out in 1966) and worn with a black necktie.
  The Army green shade 44 garrison cap, commonly called an "overseas
  cap" or "c':' ':'t cap," was worn with khakis. The cap's curtain was piped
  according to rank category. Commissioned officers' piping was gold and
  black intertwined, WOs' was silver and black, and enlisted men's were Army
  green as the cap itself. On the Army green service cap, which could be worn
  with the Class B khakis or Class A Army green uniform, WOs wore an
  enlarged version of the "squashed bug."
  A white undershirt was worn, as was a "black" (actually dark blue) web
  belt with a solid brass rectangular buckle and brass tip on all uniforms
  including fatigues. In the field an open-faced square brass or black buckle
  was substituted and sometimes a black tip. Black low-quarter dress shoes
  and black socks completed the khaki uniform.
  Khakis were also heavily starched. While a sharp-looking uniform when
  donned, it was only a matter of hours before it looked like it had been slept
  in. What were called "military pleats" might have been pressed into the shirts
  when starched. This was a crease running up the chest on both sides aligned
  with the center of the breast pockets. Matching pleats ran down the back
  over the shoulder blades with a third pleat down the spine.
  Unit shoulder insignia were not worn on the short-sleeve shirt. Branch of
  service insignia was worn on the left collar and rank insignia was worn on
  the right (enlisted men wore a US device on a brass disc on the right).
  A white-an-black plastic name tag was displayed on the right breast pocket
  flap. Distinctive unit insignia, called "crests," were worn on the shoulder
  straps. Each aviation battalion had their own distinctive crest. Separate
  companies did not but instead wore the crest of the command to which they
  were assigned, usually that of the 1st Aviation Brigade.
  The black cushion-sole boot socks were despised. Cushion-sole referred to
  the sale, toes, and heel being twice as thick as"the rest of the sock. These socks
  Airmobile infantrymen
  off-load from a UH-l slick
  during a training exercise at
  Ft Benning, GA, before the
  1st Cavalry Division deployed
  to Vietnam. Yellow cavalry
  sabers were often painted
  on the noses ofThe Cav's
  choppers. Troop lift was one
  of the more frequent missions
  flown by aviators.
  27
  
  Aircrewmen wearing the
  two-piece fire-resistant Nomex
  flight suit, introduced in 1969.
  It could be worn tucked into
  the trousers or worn out, but
  offered more fire protection
  when tucked in.
  A Warrant Officer Candidate
  stands before his Ft Rucker wall
  locker wearing the MA-1
  Nomex intermediate flyer's
  jacket and an APHS helmet.
  28
  copiously shed lint that stuck to the feet and
  between toes. Soldiers often had to wash
  clothing of different colors in the same
  washing machine, and the socks turned white
  underclothing a dingy grey. In 1966 black
  socks began to be replaced by olive green.
  Olive green undershirts, underdrawers, and
  handkerchiefs were also issued in Vietnam.
  Previously, when units were alerted for
  deployment to Vietnam, Rit green dye was
  bought in local stores and washer drain-
  water ran green.
  The "baseball cap" or "cap, hot-weather,
  olive green shade 106" was introduced in
  1962 and was instantly disliked. Soldiers
  complained it made them look like mechanics or garbage men. Its rounded
  crown was composed of six wedge-shaped segments with the front portion
  provided with an internal nylon mesh stiffener plus a semi-rigid visor. This
  prevented the cap from being folded flat and inserted into a pocket when not
  worn. Soldiers pushed the back portion into the front and then stuffed the visor
  into the back of the trousers. One had to remember to remove it before taking
  a seat or dropping one's trousers to sit on a toilet or else the wet cap had to be
  retrieved from its drowning and explained to one's buddies.
  WO candidates wore a brass "W.O.c." on both collars of khakis and
  fatigues and on the field cap front. On the garrison cap it was worn on the
  left side lin. from the front. Primary Flight School was divided into three
  one-month phases. Preflight students were identified by bare shoulder straps
  on their khakis and greens, but those in Primary I and II wore 2-in. wide
  orange cloth loops on their shoulder straps. The next class in line donned
  orange loops with a lJI-in. black stripe when the senior class graduated. They
  now had the right to inflict harassment on the junior classes.
  
  Each wac company wore a different-colored 11.1z-in. plastic disc on
  which the W.O.c. device was pinned on the front of their olive green baseball
  caps. The senior class added a horizontal black bar behind the W.O.c. Later,
  company-colored baseball caps were used. After soloing pilots sewed an
  enlarged, stylized black-edged white embroidered version of the aviator wings
  with a gold "S" on the shield above the disc. wacs and other aviation
  students wore a Primary Flight School patch on their left shoulder. Instructors
  and permanent party added a tab embroidered "Primary Helicopter" over
  it. The black-on-orange patch depicted a winged torch, irreverently called
  the "Flying Zippo."
  wacs with prior service continued to wear any special qualification
  badges (such as jump wings or Ranger tabs) and combat patches. This was
  not permitted in OCS.
  There were other distinctions for non-WaC personnel. Military instructors
  wore white discs and standardization, and instructor pilots had dark green
  discs. Commissioned officers undertaking flight training wore medium brown
  baseball caps with subdued rank insignia. Contracted civilian instructors
  employed by Southern Airways of Texas wore standard flight suits with the
  company insignia and wings sewn on. TAC officers were usually CW2s and
  wore their rank bar on the front of a glossy black helmet liner. TAC NCOs
  displayed a gold-yellow on moss green decal of their chevrons.
  The most common flight suit was the K-2B very lightweight man's flying
  overalls. This was a light grayish green, non-fire retardant, one-piece cotton
  suit. They faded considerably with exposure to sunlight and washing. As one
  former pilot exclaimed, the flight suit "had more zippers than all my pants put
  together." All pockets were zippered. There were diagonal pocket openings on
  the breast, a small vertically zippered pocket on the upper left sleeve called the
  "cigarette pocket" with pen pockets on the outside, a horizontally zipped pocket
  on the right thigh, a vertically zipped pocket on the left thigh alongside a
  snap-secured knife pocket, and horizontally zipped pockets above both ankles.
  There were no front or rear hip pockets. Waist size was adjusted by tabs, and
  there were vertical zippers in the ankles to allow the suit to be pulled on and off
  without removing one's boots. The suit was not fire retardant but could be
  treated with borax to provide a degree of fire resistance. However, it had to be
  re-treated after washing, and this was seldom done. While made of light cotton,
  being one-piece it failed to provide the ventilation needed in Vietnam and was
  still hot. It also had to be almost completely removed for natural functions.
  Development of a two-piece, fire-resistant flight suit began in 1967. After
  encountering problems, it did not reach Vietnam in its final version in any
  numbers until 1969. This was the olive green shade 106, a very dark shade,
  hot-weather, fire-resistant flying shirt and trousers. The hip-length shirt could
  be tucked into the trousers for flame protection, but it was often left hanging
  free for improved ventilation. On the ground the sleeves were usually worn
  rolled up above the elbows. When flying they were rolled down. The collar
  was slightly larger than the K-2B's, and there were Velcro-secured flapped
  patch pockets on the breasts. On the upper left sleeve was a pocket slotted
  for pens. The trousers had large Velcroed map pockets with vertical openings
  on the front of the thighs and smaller pockets on the sides of the calves. The
  shirt sleeves and trousers cuffs could be tightly closed with Velcro tabs. After
  about a dozen washings the fabric lost its fire-resistant capabilities because
  the starch and soap retained in the fabric reduced the suit's fire retardance. For
  this reason they were infrequently washed and became somewhat gamey.
  An air cavalry captain
  wearing the two-piece flying
  suit and a black Stetson hat
  bearing captain bars and armor
  branch insignia (crossed sabers
  and tank). Unofficial squadron
  and troop insignia are worn on
  the pockets. (Kenneth Henson)
  29
  
  This Warrant Officer Candidate
  wears the unofficial solo wings
  on his company-colored cap
  and the K-2B very lightweight
  man's flying overalls beside his
  OH-23D trainer. (Kenneth
  Henson)
  30
  Between missions they were hung in billets
  to air out, and standard jungle fatigues were
  usually worn on the ground. Sweat caused
  the suit to turn a reddish-brown, especially
  the arms and across the shoulders. The
  Nomex fabric was really not fire resistant,
  but
  it
  was
  somewhat
  fire
  retardant.
  The suits could still burn or smolder when
  exposed to intense flames. The suits of
  enlisted crewmen, those who did most of
  the maintenance and refueling, were soon
  impregnated with oil, grease, and JP-4 fuel,
  making them more flammable. Sometimes
  flight suits were not available for door
  gunners, and so they wore jungle fatigues.
  Sew-on insignia was worn on both types
  of flight suit in about the same manner as on fatigues. It was not uncommon
  for full-color unofficial battalion/squadron, company/troop, or platoon patches
  to be worn on the right breast but sometimes elsewhere. The pockets of both
  types of suit were designed for easy access by a seated man encumbered by
  body armor and harness straps. Aviators were issued two sets of K-2B overalls,
  but seldom were two of the two-piece suits available. Shortages were such that
  aviators had to turn in their suits when departing Vietnam.
  Aviators were restricted from wearing tropical combat boots ("jungle
  boots") because the nylon-reinforced canvas uppers were more prone to
  catching fire than all-leather boots. Some, especially in air cavalry units, wore
  tankers' boots. These lacked eyelets and laces and were secured by a
  wraparound buckled leather strap to be more fire protective. Metal eyelets
  transferred heat that burned the ankles. Aviators also avoided using lace-in
  zippers and avoided wearing nylon or other synthetic clothing such
  as undershirts. Most aviators wore cotton undershirts and shed their
  underdrawers because they retained sweat, keeping the groin area damp and
  prone to rashes, the uncomfortable "rot-ya-crotch-off."
  Early-issue gloves were soft, dark brown leather. Two-inch longer wrists
  were later provided, over which the sleeves were pulled for better fire
  protection. Gray kidskin gloves were also used. The thin leather gloves caused
  hands to sweat uncomfortably, but without them the hands were still sweaty and
  further resulted in a slippery grip and possible exposure to flames. Repeated
  sweat soaking and drying caused the leather to stiffen. Late in the war olive
  green Nomex gloves with gray leather palms were issued.
  EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS
  A critical piece of aviator equipment was the flying helmet or "brain bucket."
  The full head protection provided several functions. Besides crash impact
  protection it offered a degree of ballistic protection from small-arms fire and
  fragments and also provided some relief from the intense aircraft noise. In it
  was mounted the radiolintercom earphones and boom microphone as well as
  a brow housing that held a slide-down, heavily tinted visor. Besides sun and
  glare protection it gave the eyes some relief from small fragments and
  splintered windshield Plexiglas.
  
  In 1965 the AFHl crash ballistic protective
  flying helmet was adopted. It replaced the similar
  APH5
  crash-type
  flying
  helmet.
  The
  main
  difference was that the AFHl was made of
  laminated, ballistic nylon fabric. It was not until
  1967 that the AFHl began arriving in Vietnam in
  any numbers. Aviators returning to the States
  could retain their APH5s, but AFHls had to be
  left in-country. The APH5 was normally white,
  but in Vietnam they were painted olive drab; the
  AFHl was issued in olive drab. In 1969 the
  further
  improved
  SPH4
  flyer's
  helmet
  was
  adopted, but they would not fully replace the
  earlier helmets until 1972.
  Flying helmets were rather heavy owing to their leather or fire-resistant
  web liner, sizing pads, earphones, microphone, and retractable visor. New
  designs could not increase the degree of ballistic protection without increasing
  the weight. If too heavy it caused fatigue, neck muscle strain, headaches, and
  neck injuries during a crash. The chin strap was always buckled to prevent
  the helmet from shifting around and being knocked off in a crash. Besides
  acoustic, ballistic, and crash protection, helmets even saved aviators from
  glancing blade and tail rotor strikes. Aircrewmen often painted their names,
  slogans, unit insignia, home state flags, and humorous or downright raunchy
  pictures on their helmets. Decorations ranged from neatly modest to gaudy.
  Some commanders prohibited helmet markings.
  A variety of body armor systems was used by aviators. Regardless of type
  they were heavy, hot, restricted air and blood circulation, increased fatigue,
  restricted movement in confined quarters (especially door gunners), and made
  it more difficult to escape from a crashed aircraft. Armor provided a degree
  of protection from gunfire and fragments, and in some instances it shielded
  crewmen from crash injuries and fire. Body armor could not protect from
  large-caliber fire such as 12.7mm and even 7.62mm heavy machine gun
  rounds, but could against lighter rounds such as 7.62mm AK/SKS (smaller
  cartridge than 7.62mm machine gun rounds), :30 carbine, and 5.56mm. Body
  armor was made of fiberglass laminates, ballistic nylon, and ceramics. One of
  the most common was the M1952 nylon body armor vest from the Korean
  War. In 1964 it was replaced by a similar vest of composite titanium and nylon
  with a protective collar. However, it could not be used by aviators because the
  collar interfered with flying helmet movement. The 18.51b ceramic curved
  pilot's torso shield, supported by shoulder straps, protected the flyer from groin
  to collarbone. Some pilots sat on the plate. The small-arms protection
  aircrewmen armor that was introduced in 1966 was a vest with pockets
  containing composite laminated plates commonly called "chicken plates."
  Improved versions were issued through the war and included pockets on the
  chest and back in which large additional plates could be inserted. The back
  plate was often not used owing to the weight, and even the chest plate was
  deleted. Shin and thigh guards were tested, especially for gunners, but these
  restricted their movement too much.
  Besides bullet hits, aviators also suffered Plexiglas and aircraft fragments as
  well as small bullet fragments. A serious problem caused by hardened ceramic
  body armor was that a bullet shattering part of it caused fragments, and the
  bullet actually ricocheted through the aviator after striking the opposite plate.
  The cockpit of this UH-l B
  gunship shows the 7.62mm
  machine gun sight for the
  M16 (4xM60C machine guns,
  2x7-tube rocket pods) or M21
  (2xM134 miniguns, 2x7- or
  19-tube rocket pods)
  armament subsystem.
  To the left is the copilot's
  flexible reflex sight and the
  pilot's XM60 infinity reflex
  sight to the right. Note the
  M16A1 rifles slung on the
  back of the armored seats.
  31
  
  A copilot in his left seat. He
  wears the olive drab APH-5
  aviator's helmet with an
  M83 boom microphone.
  (Virtual Vietnam Archive,
  Gary Shend collection)
  B
  Gunners sometimes sat on their
  vests rather than wear them or
  used
  a
  second
  vest.
  They
  also
  "borrowed" the steel grill plate
  from field stoves to sit on. Some
  pilots spread an opened Ml952 vest
  over
  the
  lower
  portion
  of the
  helicopter's bubble nose, although
  these additional vests reduced the
  aircraft lift capability and speed.
  A complete pilot/copilot front plate
  version weighed almost 16lb while
  the gunner/crew chief front and
  back plate version was over 341b.
  All
  aviators
  were
  officially
  issued a Smith & Wesson ModellO
  revolver or a ;38 Special Colt Police
  Positive. The double-action revolvers had a swing-out six-round cylinder, but
  for safety reasons the chamber under the hammer was empty. The .38 Special
  had a full-metal jacket bullet and was also provided with red-tipped tracer
  rounds for signaling. The cartridge provided poor knockdown power and
  penetration. It also provided very limited firepower against enemy troops
  with automatic weapons, and it was slow to reload. For these reasons it
  was not popular with aviators, and many sought more effective weapons.
  During World War II, studies showed that aviators often lost the use of an
  arm or hand through injury while jumping from an aircraft by parachute
  (either during the exit or upon landing), during a crash landing, or from
  enemy fire prior to bailing out or crashing. Such an. injury may have
  prevented crewmen from cocking a A5-cal. pistol, which requires a hard pull
  and two good hands. A revolver can be reloaded and cocked more easily with
  one useable hand.
  EARLY WAR AVIATOR
  This example of an Army rotary-wing pilot is typical of the outfits and insignia worn until about
  1968. The non-fire retardant K-2B flying suit was standard, and displays full-color embroidered
  insignia. The 25th Aviation Battalion CW2 (1) wears an APH5 helmet adorned with his name
  and the wings and lightning bolt from the battalion's unit crest. The unofficial Company A patch
  is worn on the right chest. Aviation units organic to divisions wore the parent division's patch,
  while all others wore the 1st Aviation Brigade's. While the front of the flying suit was provided
  with ample pockets, there were no front, waist, or back pockets (2) as they were unreachable
  in a sitting position. Names, unit insignia, and other markings were often on the helmet's back.
  From 1956 to 1972 was were identified by gold bars with brown enamel (WO, CW2) and silver
  and black (CW3, CW4) bars (3a). Subdued insignia were approved in 1968; brown and green
  (WO, CW2) and black and green (CW3, CW4) (3b). Both full-color and subdued bars could be metal
  or embroidered on an olive green backing. The WO"squashed bug"worn on the right collar was
  provided in both gold and black (4). Brown leather flying gloves (5) - earlier versions had shorter
  gauntlets..38 Special Colt and S&W revolvers were standard issue to aircrewmen; here a S&W
  Model 10 with a black leather shoulder holster (6) (tan leather issued prior to 1956). The M186 per-
  sonnel signal kit (7), or "pen flare gun;' contained seven flares; three red, two white, and two green.
  The M185 kit contained all red. The Air Force survival knife (8) had a 5-in. blade with serrations on
  the top edge to cut through an aircraft's aluminum skin. The scabbard had a whetstone pocket.
  Depending on the type, at least four aeronautic first aid kits (9) were mounted in helicopters
  by "Iift-the-dot" stud and snap fasteners. The canvas or nylon cases measured 3.5x4.5x7in. and
  contained dressings, compresses, gauze, tape, and burn and eye treatment dressings.
  
  B
  3a
  3b
  33
  
  A UH-l H door gunner awaits
  the pilot's order to load up for
  takeoff. Note the "chicken plate"
  torso armor. They are aboard
  the USNS Corpus Christi Bay
  (T-ARVH-l), the only floating
  aircraft depot ship. It was
  manned by an Army
  maintenance battalion
  and a civilian-contract crew.
  (Leroy"Red"Wilson)
  Some chose to carry a .45-cal. Colt MI911Al pistol or a privately owned
  pistol or revolver, with 9mm and .357 Magnum being popular. These were
  passed on or sold when rotating home. The "forty-five," with a seven-round
  magazine, was unpopular as it was bulky and subject to accidental discharges
  - not a good thing in a helicopter. Some pilots used the .45 automatic as
  impromptu body armor. Carrying it in a leather holster on a web pistol belt,
  they would remove the magazine, pocket it, and turn the belt around the waist,
  positioning the holstered pistol over their crotch. Most retained a sidearm of
  some type but sought a more effective shoulder weapon. The standard 5.56mm
  M16Al rifle was common. Other weapons that found their way into cockpits
  were the scarce 5.56mm XM177E2 submachine, a shortened version of the
  M16; a .30-cal. M2 carbine, a .45-cal. M3Al submachine gun ("grease gun"),
  and occasionally a 7.62mm AKA7 or AKM assault rifle, the scarce folding-
  stock versions being preferred. On occasion M2 carbine barrels were cut down
  almost to the fore end and the stock was cut off, leaving a pistol grip. The
  "shorty M2" was notoriously inaccurate, strictly a "pray and spray" weapon.
  What was desired was a relatively compact weapon that was slung over the seat
  back or stowed behind the seat.
  Aviators understandably felt uncomfortable having hand grenades aboard.
  For this reason few carried casualty-producing grenades, but they often had
  a few M18 colored smokes to mark their position if downed and to mark
  enemy positions for gunships. These were also used to mark ground targets
  by dropping them from the chopper.
  An important piece of equipment issued to pilots was the SRU-211P
  survival vest, an adopted Air Force item. Aviators sometimes obtained them
  from the Air Force, but they were not widely available until 1972. The sage
  34
  
  green vest was made of nylon mesh, for air circulation, and nylon fabric
  panels, on which were mounted ten external and two internal pockets.
  A knife scabbard and revolver holster, both leather, were sewn on the left
  rear and left side respectively. Early vests had metal snap-secured pockets and
  a single strap on the holster. Most, however, had Velcro closures and two
  holster-securing straps. It was issued in medium and large sizes, the latter
  being the most common so it could be worn over body armor. (Contents of
  the vest are described in Plate E.)
  Prior to its issue, aircrewmen collected their own survival and signal items.
  This was according to personal preference, and there was no standardization.
  Typical items included a sheath or pocket knife, some type of compass (issue
  lensatic, wrist, or pocket), water purification tablets, a length of parachute
  suspension line ("550 cord"), a signal mirror (often just a steel shaving
  mirror), an orange marker panel, a Bic butane lighter, and basic first aid
  items. Such items as survival radios, strobe lights, and pen flare guns were
  scarce. More often, commercially available items were used and passed on
  when the aviator returned home. All too often some aviators carried virtually
  no survival aids.
  CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
  Thousands of aviators deployed to Vietnam as individual replacements. After
  a 30-day leave they reported to either Ft Lewis, WA, or Oakland Army Base,
  CA, where they underwent a week of administrative processing, received
  inoculations (they also received some at Ft Rucker or Ft Stewart before
  departing for leave), and were issued tropical combat uniforms. This included
  three sets of jungle fatigues, two pairs of tropical combat boots, five sets of
  olive green undershirts and shorts, and two olive green towels. Aviators
  hurried to the on-post dry cleaners to have their rank bars, "squashed bug,"
  aviator wings, and name and US Army tapes sewn on at 25 cents per insignia.
  No unit shoulder patches were sewn on, as they would not find out their
  assignment until arriving in Vietnam.
  The day they departed aboard a
  contr~cted Boeing 707 marked the
  beginning of their 365-day tour of duty. They learned a new word - "de-roes"
  - meaning Date Eligible for Return from Over Seas
  (DEROS), the day that marked their last one in
  Vietnam.
  As other troops, they were processed
  through either the 90th Replacement Battalion at Long
  Binh Army Base if arriving at Ton Son Nhut Airport at
  Saigon or through the 22d Replacement Battalion if
  arriving at Cam Ranh Bay. This at least gave them an
  indication as to what part of Vietnam they might be
  assigned. If arriving at Cam Ranh they would be
  assigned to a unit in I or II Corps Tactical Zone (CTZ)
  in the northern half of the country. Those arriving at
  Ton Son Nhut would serve in the southern III and IV
  CTZ. At the replacement battalions they underwent
  additional administrative processing and briefings.
  Since 1961 Army helicopter units were deploying
  to Vietnam or were raised in-country. In all, some
  140 separate aviation companies and troops were
  Besides maintaining the
  helicopter, the crew shield and
  door gunner maintained the
  weapons. Here a gunner cleans
  an M60 machine gun barrel.
  (Kenneth Upton)
  35
  
  A Huey door gunner mans his
  7.62mm M60 machine gun.
  The sun visor was typically
  worn in the down position
  because wind and sun glare
  could unexpectedly dazzle an
  aviator as choppers rapidly
  changed direction while
  maneuvering.
  m
  deployed, along with 16 aviation battalions and five air cavalry squadrons,
  which contained both organic 'and attached companies/troops. The battalions
  and squadrons were deployed between 1963 and 1969. Companiesltroops
  continued to deploy or were raised in-country into 1972. When assigned to
  a newly activated unit or an existing stateside unit that was alerted and
  preparing for deployment, the aviator had a much different experience from
  individual replacements. The unit's helicopters, vehicles, and equipment were
  shipped to Vietnam, and the troops were flown over.
  A new unit arriving in-country faced two major dilemmas regarding its
  aviators. The new unit was manned entirely by individuals who would rotate
  home in one year. While some had served in Vietnam previously, most, or at
  least a large percentage, had no in-country experience. During the course
  of the unit's first year, some replacements would be assigned for combat
  casualties, accidental injuries, and the seriously ill, although this would be a
  relatively small number. Rather than empty a unit of experienced personnel
  after one year and remanning it with more inexperienced replacements -
  thereby losing all the leadership familiar with the area of operations and local
  procedures and aspects - a unit would be partly restaffed upon arrival.
  Approximately half of the unit's leadership, aviators, maintenance personnel,
  and other troops would be reassigned to in-country units, which would give
  up a like number of personnel to be reassigned to the new unit. This gave the
  PREFLIGHT INSPECTION OF AN AH-1G COBRA GUNSHIP
  Helicopter preflight was essential. There were simply too many systems and instrument settings
  to leave to chance. Many procedures had to be completed in a prescribed sequence. If the crew
  was the last to fly the bird the day before preflight might take 15-20 minutes. If another crew had
  flown it they would closely check the logbook and double-check anything that had been written
  up. This required 20-45 minutes. If the bird was in from a major repair or overhaul, preflight could
  take an hour or more. Here the crew of a Bell AH-l G Huey Cobra check their aircraft's exterior,
  looking for leaks. Points receiving particular attention were the tail rotor, external stores, engine
  and transmission mounts, hydrauliC servos, swash plate, push-pull tubes and their rod end
  bearings, main rotor hub, and the main rotor retaining nut ("Jesus nut"). The crew chief loads
  the last 2.75-in. rocket and will take the 7.62mm minigun ammunition can with him when he
  leaves the revetment, built of double-walled 2x12ft AM2 landing mats filled with sandbags. The
  crewmen wear the two-piece Nomex flight suit with subdued insignia. This being an air cavalry
  unit, it was not uncommon for black Stetsons to be worn. The pilot also wears tankers' boots.
  
  m
  
  Typical base quarters for
  enlisted crewmen consisted
  of wood-frame barracks with
  steel bunks and mosquito nets.
  Latrine and washrooms were
  in separate buildings.
  (Kenneth Upton)
  38
  new unit the necessary expertise and experience to operate effectively in
  Vietnam. This of course disrupted unit cohesion and operating efficiency to
  a degree, and many individuals were displeased to be switched from "their"
  unit to a "strange" new one with a different chain-of-command. In practice
  all units involved in the shift of personnel between them would settle down
  and return to routine in a matter of weeks. Overall it was not as disruptive
  as one might imagine.
  If assigned to a divisional aviation unit, individual replacements underwent
  a two-week acclimatization and orientation program in the replacement
  training school. This included aviators. Individual replacement aviators
  assigned to a unit were assigned a copilot's seat regardless of their rank to fly
  with an experienced pilot. Even captains, majors, and lieutenant colonels who
  would command or serve on the unit staff would be assigned to an experienced
  WO or lieutenant pilot to learn radio and tactical procedures, the terrain, local
  weather conditions, local airfields and landing zones (LZ), air traffic control
  procedures, traffic patterns, and much more. The nuances of tactics differed
  somewhat between units, and these had to be learned as welL Pilots would
  accomplish 25 flying hours on administrative missions such as nontactical
  troops lifts, resupply runs, and·routine supporting flights to become familiar
  with the area and local procedures.
  Stateside, most helicopters were flown by the "pilot" and "copilot," but in
  Vietnam different terminology was used. In unit tables of organization and
  equipment (TO&E), they were listed simply as "helicopter pilots" regardless
  of which seat they occupied. In Vietnam, however, there was another rating,
  that of "aircraft commander (AC)," and it was designated on unit orders. The
  requirements for this rating varied between units but typically demanded
  150-200 hours of in-country flying time, three to four months operational
  flying experience, knowledge of the unit standard operating procedures (SOP),
  combat experience in all types of unit missions, and knowledge of its area of
  operations: pilots had to pick up "airsense." Commissioned pilots were usually
  required to obtain the aircraft commander rating before being assigned as
  section and platoon commanders. For this reason CW2s were often found
  actually leading sections and platoons as lieutenants were gaining the requisite
  flight time and experience to take over. The AC normally occupied the left seat
  
  and the pilot the right. Among WOs the copilot could easily
  outrank the pilot by rank or time in grade. The assignment
  of seats was purely based on experience. It might take from
  one to three months for a newly assigned aviator to gain
  sufficient experience to be rated a pilot.
  Aircraft commander was a much-desired rating but was
  seldom achieved by company XOs and battalion commanders
  and rated aviator staff officers. Their duties simply prohibited
  them from gaining sufficient seat time. The command pilot
  distinction was lost when an aviator left Vietnam, and he
  would have to begin the process anew if again deployed, as
  the skills were necessarily unit and area specific.
  All helicopter pilots were qualified to fly the Huey.
  They could get a checkout for different models including
  gunships within their unit and transitions for observation
  helicopters such as the OH-6A. It was a different matter for
  the Cobra gunship. Transition training was conducted either at Hunter Army
  Airfield in Alabama prior to deploying to Vietnam or from the New
  Equipment Training Team at Vung Tau southeast of Saigon. The CH-47
  Transition Course was conducted at Ft Rucker.
  Commissioned officer aviators typically flew for about six months and
  were then reassigned to staff and support positions. They logged very little if
  any flying time in such positions. This system is sometimes criticized as giving
  commissioned officers some kind of "soft" duty and protecting them from the
  hazards of combat for at least part of their tour. While the practice may have
  done this, it was valid in that it gave officers broader experience in field
  command and staff duties, as they would go on to higher staffs and to
  command units. It was invaluable experience for career development.
  A brief discussion of the organization of aviation units is necessary to better
  understand the functioning of these units. Aviation battalions were organized
  into a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC) with battalion
  headquarters, communications, medical, maintenance and supply sections, and
  an air traffic control platoon. Some types of battalion had three or four organic
  aviation companies designated Companies A-D. Most consisted only of
  a battalion HHC with three to six attached numbered separate aviation
  companies of different types. These are far too numerous to address here but
  are discussed in detail in Osprey's Vietnam Airmobile Warfare Tactics (Elite
  154). Depending on the type of company, there could be two
  to four platoons, which were usually divided into two or
  three sections, typically with four aircraft, five in air cavalry
  units. Companies were commanded by majors, platoons by
  captains, and sections by lieutenants. Companies also had a
  service platoon with aircraft maintenance and aircraft service
  sections. Air cavalry squadrons had a headquarters and
  headquarters troop and three air cavalry troops.
  Divisions had a combat aviation battalion while the
  1st Cavalry and 101st Airborne Divisions, both airmobile
  divisions, had three battalions, an air cavalry squadron, and
  some separate aviation companies.
  ondivisional aviation
  units were all assigned to the 1st Aviation Brigade since May
  1966. Commanded by a major general, this division-level
  command numbered over 4,200 aircraft and 14,000 troops.
  A typical metal wall locker,
  containing a merger set of
  uniforms, toilet articles,
  pictures from home, and
  stocked with snack foods.
  (Kenneth Upton)
  Even in a combat zone
  customary practices were
  maintained, such as weekend
  barbeques with steaks, baked
  beans, and baked potatoes.
  (Kenneth Upton)
  39
  
  An aviation unit's
  well-sandbagged tactical
  operations center. Over the
  right end ofthe TOC can
  be seen the airfield traffic
  control tower.
  D
  Besides the two pilots, 00-1 Huey series
  helicopters were crewed by an SP5 crew chief
  with MaS 67
  ,Utility Helicopter Repairer.
  This was a 12-week maintenance MaS, and
  J
  he was responsible for the aircraft's upkeep.
  ~
  He worked alongside the company and
  battalion maintenance personnel to keep his
  bird flying. He also served as a door gunner.
  The table of organization did not provide for
  a second door gunner. These were provided by
  augmentation personnel; infantry volunteers
  either from in-country units or on six-month
  temporary duty tours from the States or
  Hawaii. Door gunners considered their job
  relatively safe, at least safer than a grunt breaking brush in the boondocks day
  after day, and the gunner usually enjoyed real food and a bunk at night. The
  crew chief and gunner "stuck" to their aircraft, and the pilots were assigned to
  aircraft on a daily basis. This was normally done within the platoon, so even if
  the pilots did not always fly with the same enlisted crew, they flew with them
  frequently. The door gunner cleaned and maintained the machine guns, usually
  including the crew chief's, as he spent a great deal of time working on the bird.
  When finished with the guns and arming up on ammunition, he was usually
  pressed into cleaning the helicopter and helping out with maintenance. Many
  gunners applied for or undertook crew chief on-the-job training.
  Besides preventive and scheduled maintenance, the enlisted crew took
  pains to keep the bird clean inside and out. Troops dirtied up the cargo
  compartment with mud, vegetation debris, ration packaging, soft drink cans,
  occasionally blood, and even left-behind live ordnance. T.he interior and
  fuselage were kept clean, which included wiping off rainwater and dew to
  better detect fuel, lubricant, transmission, and hydraulic leaks.
  LATE-WAR AVIATOR
  The olive green shade 106 hot weather fire-resistant flying suit began arriving in Vietnam
  in 1968 (1/2). The two-piece suit could be worn tucked into the trousers or left out. The pocket
  arrangement was much different than the K-2B's, the results of lessons learned. A metal clip was
  commonly inserted in the left thigh pocket to hold a folded map. This CW2 wears the new SPH4
  flyer's helmet and leather direct-molded sole combat boots (3). Subdued insignia was in use by now.
  The 1st Aviation Brigade patch (4) was worn by all nondivision aviation units from May 1966. In July
  1972 new WO rank insignia were initiated, making it easier to identify the different grades with all
  being silver and black (Sa). Subdued WO rank was green and black (Sb). Many aviators carried the
  .4S-cal. M1911 A1 Colt pistol in the M7 shoulder holster (6). The holster could be rigged around the
  waist. Fire-resistant Nomex flying gloves (7) were issued with the new flying suit. The Operator's
  and Crew Member's Check List was contained in a plastic-covered three-ring binder (8).
  The A/P2SS-SA personal distress signal kit (9) was issued as a component of the SRU-21/P vest.
  The larger red flares could better penetrate foliage. The SRU-21/P survival vest (10) saw limited issue
  late in the war. Its contents included: S&W .38 Special Modell°revolver, 17x ball rounds, 6x tracer
  rounds, Air Force survival knife, pocket knife, tropical survival kit, emergency radio (ARC-RT-l 0,
  AN/PRe-90, AN/URC-64 or -68), A/P2SS-SA personal distress signal kit, SDU-S/E strobe light and
  flash guard, Mk 3 signal mirror, whistle, 2x chemical light sticks, Mk 13 Mod°handheld smoke/flare
  signal, lensatic compass, magnesium fire starter, matches in waterproof container, pen flashlight,
  3-pt (1.4 liters) water bladder, gill net, tourniquet, emergency blanket, insect repellent, snake bite kit,
  insect sting kit, chap stick, camouflage stick, and survival manual. Aviators might modify the contents.
  The MA-l Nomex intermediate flyer's jacket (11) had a reversible international orange lining to aid
  rescue. Even in Vietnam, especially in the mountains, aviators sometimes experienced cold air.
  
  D
  Sa
  8~I ~ i
  6
  8
  4
  Sb
  (
  9
  ••
  ~
  \\J
  41
  
  42
  Scout helicopters in air cavalry units were usually the OH-6A and were
  assigned only one pilot, a crew chief, and a sergeant scout observer (lID,
  Cavalry Scout). In practice, OH-6A crew chiefs were responsible for up to four
  aircraft due to personnel shortages, table of organization and equipment
  ("TO&E")restrictions, and the bird's less complex systems. In other than air
  cavalry units, light helicopters used as observation and utility birds (OH-13,
  OH-23, OH-6A, OH-58) were authorized two pilots, but often only one was
  available, and the crew chief did not always fly as the other three seats were
  needed for passengers. Since scout/observation birds had only one pilot, it was
  not uncommon for the pilots to give the observer enough unofficial flight time
  to learn how to land the bird if he was wounded. It was not uncommon for
  crew chiefs to be taught to give the engines test run-ups, strictly on an unofficial
  basis. Huey gunships were manned by two pilots, the crew chief, and a gunner
  who kept the weapons firing. The left-seater operated the machine guns and
  40mm weapons while the right-seater fired the rockets. AH-IH Cobra gunships
  were manned by only two pilots, with the front seater operating the chin turret
  and the backseater the wing stores. Cobra crew chiefs, -MOS 67Y, Attack
  Helicopter Repairer, did not fly. CH-47 Chinooks also had two pilots, but these
  were an SP6 flight engineer and· an SP5 crew chief, both MOS 67U, Medium
  Helicopter Repairer. They too manned door guns.
  WOs and officers did not socialize much with their enlisted crewmen.
  Fraternization was officially frowned on. Scout pilots and their crew chiefs
  and observers tended to be a bit tighter as they worked closely as a two- or
  three-man team. Popular pilots were sometimes invited to enlisted quarters
  for parties, and they would make an appearance but not become "one of the
  boys." Some commanders prohibited, or at least limited, such socialization.
  The life of an aviator in Vietnam was much different from that
  experienced by an infantryman. Most nondivisional aviatiolJ units operated
  regionally, based on the comparatively secure larger installations. Units might
  be subjected to an occasional rocket or mortar attack. Scores, even hundreds,
  of helicopters and their extensive maintenance facilities were seen at these bases.
  Since they did not relocate frequently, the accommodations were usually
  reasonable. They lived in one- or two-story temporary wooden barracks with
  bunks, mattresses, and mosquito nets, or at least aluminum folding cots with a
  nylon bed and an air mattress with a mosquito net hung over it. A camouflaged
  poncho liner served as bed linen and blanket. Often two-man rooms were
  available. However, in some units tents were common and were often worn out,
  resulting in leaks during the rainy seasort. Ponchos and shelter halves had to
  be stretched over cots, but everything stayed damp. The bases were notoriously
  dusty in the dry season, and the dust permeated everything. During the monsoon
  season the dust was replaced by glutinous mud. "Hooch [barrack] maids"
  cleaned the quarters, laundered uniforms, and generally tidied up. They were
  hands-off sexually, but that did not keep some girls from freelancing. Local
  boys made a good living polishing boots. For a lucky few, there were latrines,
  showers, and washrooms (sometimes with hot water), which were in separate
  buildings. There were mess halls serving rations little different from those served
  in stateside messes.
  The larger bases boasted officers' clubs (0 clubs), with live entertainment
  (contracted Vietnamese and Australian musical groups) and serving alcoholic
  drinks. WOs could frequent officers' clubs. They more frequently gathered in
  the small clubs cobbled together in a hooch by their company or battalion.
  They were less under the eye of outsider officers in their own territory.
  
  The flyers tended to stay together and did not socialize with the rear echelon
  motherf':- ':-kers (REMFs), the support personnel. There were outdoor and
  even sometimes indoor movie theaters, Armed Forces Television Network
  showing old TV shows, usa shows, a PX, recreational activities, and medical
  and dental clinics.
  Most warrants serving in Vietnam were W01s and CW2s. W01s were
  promoted after one year, but it required seven years as a CW2 before reaching
  CW3; in other words, one had to extend beyond the obligated six years. There
  might be one or two CW3s a battalion, and CW4s were virtually unheard of.
  Long-serving CW3s and CW4s were more frequently found in National Guard
  units. A W01 with less than two years' service drew $336.60 base pay while
  a CW2 with over two years was paid $436.80. A CW3 with over four years
  drew $512.70. Beyond that, every two years CWs received an approximately
  $20-35 per month pay raise. Warrants were paid a monthly $47.88 Basic
  Subsistence Allowance ("ration pay"). WOs and commissioned officers paid
  for their own rations except when in a combat zone. They also received Basic
  Quarters Allowance. If single, a W01 received $85.20 monthly and $110.10
  if married. There was an approximate $10 increase per CW grade. In Vietnam,
  $16 Overseas Allowance, $30 Family Separation Allowance if married, and
  $65 Hostile Fire Pay ("combat pay") were disbursed in addition to Flight Pay.
  BELIEF AND BELONGING
  Many helicopter 'pilots were thrill seekers to some degree. They liked fast
  cars and a fast life. To "party hardy" was a common term to describe their
  lifestyle. They loved to fly, and the war gave them the opportunity to do that
  - a lot. They were little concerned with the politics of the war and the
  conflicts back home, and they couldn't care less about the drug culture, the
  sexual revolution, saving the environment, and other social issues. Pilots were
  not politically indoctrinated by the Army, and their personal convictions
  regarding the war covered just as broad a spectrum as other Americans.
  Of course most supported the war effort; they had a stake in it.
  With the war's drawdown and the departure of American units beginning
  in 1969, most aviation units did not suffer as much from the growing pressures
  of the antiwar -movement, deteriorating race relations, and the increasing
  use of drugs as many other units, especially support units. The avoidance
  of excessive drinking and drugs came with the
  territory. It was insane to fly even after drinking
  a small amount or doing drugs, and officers,
  pilots, and aircrewmen were on the lookout
  for such. There were instances when crewmen
  refused to fly with a pilot suspected of being
  inebriated, and they reported him. Aviation units
  were usually self-policing in this area. They were
  having fun flying. A common aviator's idiom
  was, "Who needs drugs, I'm already high."
  Piloting was a stressful job. Besides the long
  hours and intense concentration required for
  flying, it was done in a combat environment. One
  always had to be alert to enemy threats, weather
  hazards, a constantly changing tactical situation,
  Hel icopters experienced
  a great deal of down time for
  repairs, routine maintenance,
  inspections, and scheduled
  parts replacement. Here
  aviation mechanics work
  on a Huey Cobra.
  43
  
  Hooches, the soldier's name for
  their simple barracks, were built
  of wood and corrugated steel.
  These have plywood panels
  that could be raised for
  ventilation and lowered
  when it rained.
  Next to the tin-roofed
  barracks were heavily
  constructed sandbag bunkers
  for protection from mortar and
  rocket attacks. The bunker roofs
  were excellent sunbathing
  spots. (Kenneth Upton)
  44
  the terrain, location, and other aircraft. When not flying, there were other
  concerns. Pilots often lived in p00r-to-marginal quarters. There were alerts and
  rocket and mortar attacks. All hands spent a great deal of time preparing aircraft
  for operations, inspecting, maintaining, arming, and fueling them. Many of the
  warrants and officers had additional company duties to perform other than just
  flying, including routine day-to-day administrative duties such as perimeter
  defense, laundry, unit fund, mess, or morale officer responsibilities.
  Regardless of what they thought of the war, pilots were true believers in
  the concept of Army aviation and believed they could do just about anything.
  Shelby Stanton describes them in Rise and Fall ofan American Army as, "Full
  of zeal, and bold to the point of recklessness, young and llllmarried, they
  became the best helicopter pilots in the business." Pilots were not shy to boast
  the Army Aviation motto, "Above the Best."
  Aviators tended to be highly decorated, and justifiably so. They of course
  earned the three "I was there ribbons" that everyone received: National
  Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Vietnam Campaign Medal
  (a Vietnamese decoration). They generally received a Bronze Star Medal for
  service and job performance. Medals for valor (from lowest to highest grade)
  were the Army Commendation Medal, Air Medal, Bronze Star Medal,
  Distinguished Flying Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, and Medal
  of Honor. The first three could be awarded for outstanding service and duty or
  for valor, in which case a bronze "V" device
  was affixed to the ribbon.
  -
  The Air Medal was also bestowed in
  recognition of the accumulation of flight
  f
  hours in a combat zone. Additional awards
  I,
  of the Air Medal were identified by bronze
  oak leaf clusters, but so many flying hours
  were being accumulated that in September
  1968
  numbers
  were
  affixed
  instead.
  Aircrewmen
  and
  non-aircrewmen
  alike
  could log their flying hours, turn them in,
  and be credited for Air Medals. For every
  24 hours of flying time, one Air Medal was
  authorized. Rather than logging actual
  
  flying hours, a formula was used to
  simplify things. Regardless of the actual
  mission duration, missions were credited:
  View of a typical larger base
  for a brigade or division on
  which many aviation units
  were stationed. Newly arrived
  officers would recommend that
  a machine gun be positioned
  atop water towers. That only
  attracted fire, making holes
  in the tower.
  % hour
  '12 hour
  one hour
  Administrative, VIP flights
  Visual recon, resupply, etc.
  Combat assaults, extractions
  It was not unusual for aircrewmen to
  accumulate around 1,000-1,100 hours in
  a one-year tour and wear a "40" or higher
  number on their Air Medal ribbon.
  In regard to the young WO flyers, what the Army got was not what
  it had originally envisioned. Rather than "officer-like" career professionals
  with an outlook similar to commissioned officers, the Army found itself
  with thousands of very young, flamboyant, near reckless, gutsy men with an
  enlisted man's outlook infesting their officers' clubs. To make it worse, the
  Army could not live without the warrant helicopter pilots. The Army was as
  reliant on helicopters as it was "deuce-and-a-half" trucks and "one-oh-five"
  howitzers. The young pilots were proud of their accomplishment of making
  it through the challenges of flight school, training that many commissioned
  officers were not qualified for. They possessed the boldness of youth, a
  nonacceptance of their mortality, and the confidence and lack of prudence
  that comes with inexperience. They were gutsy to a fault, frequently
  demonstrated true bravery, and possessed the pride to not even think about
  turning down a mission.
  Their attitude was more akin to that of a short-service enlisted man. Few
  had any intention of making the Army a career. They would do their six years
  and be on their way to a college degree, courtesy of the GI Bill, to start a
  Flight pay
  Flight pay, or what was officially called Aviation Crewmember Monthly Incentive Pay, varied depending on one's rank and time in service. It is
  interesting that it is considered incentive pay rather than hazardous duty pay as is "parachute pay" (which was the same scale as Submarine Duty
  Pay). The following is the flight pay for captains, lieutenants, warra~t officers, specialists Sand 4, and privates first class (the usual ranks of crew
  chiefs and door gunners). As can be seen, the time in-service increases for flight pay varied between ranks. Beginning with eight years service,
  it jumped $10 every !wo years. This scale was in effect from 1963 to 1975.
  Over 6
  Over 4
  Over 3
  Rank
  Under 2
  Over 2
  CPT
  745
  1LT
  775
  725
  2LT
  700
  705
  CW4
  775
  CW3
  710
  775
  CW2
  105
  770
  WOJ
  100
  105
  SPS
  60
  70
  SP4
  55
  65
  PFC
  55
  755
  765
  780
  750
  760
  135
  740
  120
  120
  775
  770
  80
  85
  70
  75
  60 (expected to make SP4 by year four)
  wo rank abbreviations and pay grades can be confusing. All Army rank abbreviations were limited to three letters/numbers. Pay grade, which
  is standardized between all the armed services, is identified by a single letter followed by a one-digit number: E= enlisted, W=warrant officers,
  and O=commissioned officers. It was not uncommon to see chief warrant officer 2 abbreviated as CW02 rather than the official CW2.
  Rank
  Pay grade
  CW4
  W4
  CW3
  W3
  CW2
  W2
  WOJ
  WI
  45
  
  46
  family and new career. One tended to be lax about uniforms and grooming
  and strove to obtain a reputation as a "wild and crazy guy." They were not
  cowed by threats of an indiscretion or infraction of the rules going into their
  201 File (their official military personnel file) as a "career killer." They were
  just as likely to distrust authority as an enlisted man, especially of those
  officers who were "obviously trying to get them killed" and who were less
  than familiar with the capabilities and limitations of helicopters. They felt a
  closer identity to the grunts and wounded they carried than to the officers
  over them. That was readily seen in the mutual respect the flyboys and grunts
  had for one another.
  ON CAMPAIGN
  The life of an aviator varied depending on the type of unit he was assigned
  to. Regardless of the scale of operations, it was at the aviation company level
  that the real work, the flying, was done.
  The real workhorses were the assault helicopter companies, designated
  aviation Company (airmobile) (Light) companies prior to July 1966.
  A company was authorized 23 UH-1D/H slicks and eight UH-1C gunships.
  "Lift" companies organic to assault helicopter battalions lacked the gunship
  platoon as these were concentrated in the battalion's Company D. Besides
  conducting combat assaults, the signature helicopter operation of Vietnam,
  they were true multipurpose units. They lifted troops, supplies, and
  equipment from one base to another; shifted units in the field to insert them
  into new areas of operation or to pursue disengaging enemy forces; picked up
  units in the field; resupplied units in the field with rations, water, and
  ammunition; recovered the dead, conducted medical evacuation (MEDEVAC)
  flights when dedicated MEDEVAC birds were unavailable or too few; flew
  command and control missions; conducted visual reconnaissance; inserted
  and extracted reconnaissance teams; and flew countless "ash and trash" or
  "pony express" flights. These flights ran the gauntlet of delivering mail and
  movies, transferring men from one site to another, picking up and returning
  soldiers from R&R, and transporting liaison officers or VIPs, among other
  responsibilities. Such a daily mission might see the chopper making the
  rounds of the three battalion firebases of a brigade, after first visiting the
  brigade base. The pony express would return to the brigade base around
  noon to refuel and lunch, drop off passengers needing to visit the brigade,
  and then repeat the rounds in the afternoon. The unit's gunships - "guns" -
  escorted the slicks, providing preparatory fire on LZs ("prep fire" or
  "prepping"). Though not intended to provide fire support or scout, they
  sometimes did just that. MEDEVAC or "Dust-off" birds were flown by
  Medical Service Corps pilots and had a reputation for going in to extract
  casualties no matter how bad the ground fire was.
  Aerial weapons companies (AWCs) and rocket artillery batteries both had 12
  gunships. AWCs provided close fire support, escorted troop lifts, and prepped
  LZs. The aerial rocket artillery (ARA) were substitutes for field artillery,
  providing area fire support. They usually did not get in close and personal
  because they were armed only with rocket pods and lacked the fixed machine
  guns and chin-mounted automatic grenade launchers of the "real gunships."
  Assault support helicopter companies - designated medium helicopter
  companies prior to July 1966 - were equipped with 16 CH-47s, and two
  
  observation choppers. They lifted artillery, light vehicles, bulk supplies, and
  ammunition and construction materials to fire bases and other locations.
  They also lifted follow-on troops into secured LZs.
  Air cavalry troops had an aero scout platoon with scout chopper, an
  aerial weapons platoon with gunships, and an aero rifle platoon with four
  squads of infantrymen and its own lift ships.
  Divisional general support aviation companies performed many duties
  including VIP transport, general utility and liaison flights, and command and
  control (C&C) flights. The brigade aviation sections with six observation
  choppers did the same and sometimes were consolidated in the general support
  company. While there were dedicated C&C birds with radio consoles and
  built-in map boards, any helicopter might be assigned the mission. While
  operations were under way, battalion, brigade, and even division commanders
  would be observing overhead, coordinating ground units, aircraft, fire
  support, close air support by "fast-movers" (jet fighter-bombers), and
  providing "useful advice" to company commanders on the ground. The C&C
  mission was rather unpopular with pilots. Besides simply orbiting an area high
  out of small-arms range, they had to put up with the "backseat" driving of
  commanders and staff officers who had unrealistic expectations and a poor
  understanding of the capabilities and limitations of aviation operations. These
  commanders and staff officers wanted to stay airborne continuously and often
  failed to plan forward to refuel during lulls, resulting in the pilot retorting (at
  least to himself), "You can't drink water and piss JP-4." Infantry battalion
  commanders would eventually learn, but higher staffs often never did, with the
  exception of those in airmobile divisions. Adding to the unpopularity of the
  C&C mission was that the choppers were often overloaded with radios and
  staff passengers, making them cumbersome to fly.
  There was a pecking order of different levels of prestige between aviation
  units. Of course the perception of that order was viewed differently depending
  upon the unit. The air cav units were the most flamboyant, often sporting black
  cavalry Stetson hats and some even wearing yellow gauntlet gloves and riding
  spurs, although seldom on missions. Due to the nature of their missions these
  units took many risks. They worked as fire teams; light fire teams having one
  Hazards of the profession.
  A wounded aviator is awarded
  the Distinguished Flying Cross,
  which is pinned to his arm
  sling. (Leroy "Red"Wilson)
  47
  
  II
  gunship and scout each and heavy fire teams having two gunships and a scout.
  They provided close fire support to units in contact and would scout just feet
  off the ground down among trees searching for footprints. Most air cavalrymen
  were volunteers. Aerial weapons units, the gunships, were among the upper
  crust, attracting the most aggressive pilots, and after the arrival of the Cobra,
  those questing for speed. Others preferred gunships as they could more
  effectively shoot back than in a slick. In the lift units, many competed for
  assignment to the company's gunship platoon or the battalion's gunship
  company. This required experience and demonstrated skill. The ARA batteries,
  while employing gunships, were considered by some to be a step below the aerial
  weapons units. Chinook pilots were viewed as truck drivers, but theirs was a job
  that should not be discounted. It was a difficult helicopter to operate in high
  temperatures, in low altitudes, and in confined areas, especially when carrying
  heavy loads. Sling-loaded cargo beneath the chopper offered its own challenges
  with balance, securing loads, turbulence, and reduced maneuverability if taken
  under fire.
  Operational planning was done at battalion level, and the 'companies were
  tasked with missions depending on the availability of aircraft. Ground units
  submitted their requests for·aviation support the previous afternoon, and
  aviation unit staffs approved/rejected, assigned, and planned the missions
  overnight. Aviation units were issued a Fragmentary Order (FRAGO) outlining
  all missions assigned to it that day. The FRAGO included the supported unit's
  designation, radio call sign, frequencies, type of mission, number of troops,
  pickup zone, landing zone, pickup and insertion times, and other details.
  The tasked units allocated their available aircraft to each mission, worked
  out a time schedule, assigned crews to aircraft, and worked out other details
  such as how many lifts would be required to insert the unit and identifying
  UH-l B HUEY GUNSHIP INSTRUMENT PANEL
  This Bell UH-1 BlUM Huey Hog gunship instrument panel is typical of all later Hueys, although
  there were slight differences and some additional instruments in later models. The pilot or aircraft
  commander occupied the right seat and the copilot the left. They shared many instruments, but
  had one each of the most important. The center console mounts radio and avionics controls.
  Folded up in the stowed position to the upper left is an M21 armament subsystem sighting
  and trigger controls and to the upper right an XM60 reflex sight.
  1. Airspeed
  9. Transmission oil pressure
  18. Turn & slip indicator
  2. Attitude indicator
  10. Engine oil temperature
  19. Glide slope
  3. Altimeter
  11. Engine oil pressure
  20. Clock
  4. Gyrocompass
  12. Main generator
  21. Control stick
  5. Vertical speed
  13. Standby generator
  22. Throttle & collective
  6. Fuel pressure
  14. Dual tachometer
  23. Radio & avionics console
  7. Fuel quality
  15. Torque
  24. Fuse receptacles & lighting
  8. Transmission oil
  16. NI turbine
  controls
  temperature
  17. Exhaust gas temperature
  Armored seat kits were installed in Hueys early on, but in 1965 the Mod IV hard face composite
  armor kit was introduced. The 5441b seats protected pilots from small-arms fire from below, from
  the back, and from the side, with a sliding panel providing additional protection on the outboard
  side. The outboard panels could be slid to the rear to allow exiting through the side doors.
  A wounded pilot could be extracted from his seat by pulling a red release handle, allowing
  the seat back to tip back and the pilot to be pulled out through the troop compartment.
  
  II
  49
  
  Strictly unofficial, the black
  Stetson was worn by many air
  cavalry units. An M7 shoulder
  holster rigged as a belt holster
  can be seen by this crew chief's
  right hand. (Kenneth Upton)
  The CH-47A Chinook medium
  cargo helicopter was the
  "2 '/,-ton truck" of the helicopter
  fleet, and was used to carry
  heavy equipment and supplies
  as well as troops. Here a
  "Shithook" delivers a 105mm
  M102 howitzer to a firebase.
  50
  refueling points. Aircraft carried only 2-2Y2 hours' worth of fuel, often less to
  save weight so as to increase the number of passengers carried. The flight time
  from the unit's base to the PZ (pick-up zone), the PZ to the LZ and return, the
  number of lifts required, and the flight time to and from the refuel point, which
  might be at a firebase or some other installation closer to the LZ than the PZ,
  all had to be calculated when planning the mission and fuel load.
  "Blade time" was a key factor in the availability of aircraft. Blade time
  was carefully logged by the crew chief and was the basis of determining
  allowable flight time. Every 25 hours a general inspection was required, along
  with specified preventive maintenance measurers. At 100 hours a major
  inspection was conducted. Inspections and maintenance took an aircraft off
  the flight line for several days. It was normal for a unit to have only 60-70
  percent of its aircraft, or 14-16 out of 23 slicks in an assault helicopter
  company, available for missions at any given time. Temperamental Chinook
  units usually had only 50 percent available. In theory a helicopter required
  a major depot overhaul after 1,100 hours, but Vietnam was brutal owing to
  the dust, sand, ingested vegetation debris, harsh climate, heat, and humidity.
  Engine dust filters had to be cleaned daily, or there would be a noticeable
  loss of power. Rotor blades took an especially hard beating, and their life
  was greatly reduced (a pair of Huey blades cost almost $13,000). Flying sand
  and dust eroded the leading edges, and long hours bearing heavy loads wore
  them out at much higher rates than were considered the norm. The life of oil
  and hydraulic seals was also severely shortened. The company maintenance
  officer closely monitored blade, engine, and transmission hours. He would
  temporarily ground some flyable birds as others neared their scheduled
  downtime so that enough aircraft would be available for later missions.
  Enemy ground fire was a constant threat. Armor was limited due to the
  necessity of flying as light as possible in order to carry more troops.
  Only the pilots' seats were armored (bottom, back, and outboard side), and the
  engine compressor was partly armed. The transmission and tail rotor gearbox
  were not armored, nor were the fuel tanks self-sealing. The aircraft
  fuselage offered no protection. A man could punch a screwdriver through the
  aluminum skin. The best way to avoid fire was to fly above effective
  small-arms range at 1,000-1,500ft or to fly low and fast at treetop level. Atop
  the trees a helicopter is in view of a machine gunner on the ground for brief
  seconds. Treetop flight had its own hazards from difficult-to-detect obstructions.
  The greatest vulnerability was when a helicopter was transitioning from forward
  flight to landing, on the ground off-loading troops, and taking off. The
  Soviet/Chinese-made 12.7mm machine gun firing armor-piercing incendiary
  ammunition was particularly dangerous to helicopters.
  RPG-2 and RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenades were
  also directed at helicopters. There was a very real
  hazard of "hot LZs" in which choppers would find
  themselves caught in deadly high-volume cross fires.
  Crashes
  were
  survivable,
  but
  aircrews
  suffered
  relatively high casualties. Enemy action was not the
  only cause for concern. Of the 4,642 US helicopters
  lost in Vietnam, over half were to nonhostile causes
  such as accidents, mechanical failure, and weather.
  A total of 564 Army helicopter pilots were killed in
  action and 362 died in nonhostile incidents. Those
  figures are roughly doubled for other aircrewmen.
  
  Aviators had to deal with long flying
  hours
  in
  a
  less-than-pleasant
  climate,
  heat,
  humidity,
  dust,
  rapidly changing
  weather, spare parts shortages, and spotty
  maintenance. Quickly maneuvering, jinking
  helicopters created spatial disorientation
  with sudden complete changes in vision
  aspects. The rotor, transmission, and anti-
  torque system high- and low-frequency
  sounds inside the open compartments were
  destructive to hearing. Toxic engine exhaust
  fumes gushed through crew compartments.
  EXPERIENCE IN BATTLE
  The conduct of a mission could be quite routine. The pickup and insertion
  locations changed, but overall the day-to-day missions were much the same. As
  often as not, not a single shot was fired during a mission. On the other hand
  there could be terrifying moments, but these were usually of relatively brief
  duration. There was the occasional day or even several consecutive days when
  major ground engagements broke out, and helicopters crew put in long hours
  shuttling troops, dropping off ammunition, and being pressed into medical
  evacuation service. More often, however, it was merely "follow the leader."
  The day began early. The duty orderly would make the rounds of the officer
  and enlisted hooches, waking up the crews between 0400 and 0500hrs.
  Duty crews would "shit, shower, and shave" and then head off to breakfast
  for eggs to order - powdered, but maybe even fresh - bacon or sausage, and
  pancakes or toast with coffee, orange juice, and milk - a reconstituted milk
  called "filled milk" that had a slightly sour aftertaste.
  Pilot and bird assignments were posted on a chalkboard. The enlisted men
  were readying the choppers with the ground crews, a short process because
  they had already fueled and armed up the previous evening. At this point the
  enlisted crews did not know who they would be flying with. Carrying their
  helmets in nylon carrying bags with their maps, signal operating instructions
  (501), and log books, the pilots gathered in the ops building, bunker, or tent.
  The mission briefing might run from 15 minutes to two hours, usually closer
  to the former. The company operations officer had been up much of the night
  with his NCO, coordinating the supported infantry units. A map of the area
  of operations (AO) was posted on an A-frame easel. There might also be
  a pictomap, a full-color aerial photograph overprinted with gridlines and
  man-made features (roads, bridges, villages, etc.) as on standard maps, or a
  black-and-white aerial photograph mosaic giving a more up-to-date picture
  of the area. Most crews were sufficiently familiar with the AO if they had
  been in Vietnam even two to three months.
  The ops officer, usually a 1st lieutenant or CW2, presented the fruits of his
  labor in a no-nonsense manner. It was little different from any other briefing,
  and routine details were standard operating procedure (SOP). These standard
  operating procedures may not have been codified in a written document.
  In theory every Army unit was supposed to have a written SOP. Few did,
  especially in Vietnam. Routine procedures were constantly being modified,
  new officers had their own preferences in the way things were done, and
  A Huey "slick" approaches an
  LZ with the troops poised to
  off-load as qUickly as pOSSible.
  Pilots would not take off with a
  man remaining in the chopper,
  but they wanted the troops
  out fast. The were quite
  accommodating, while
  not wanting to remain in a
  "bullet magnet" any longer
  than necessary.
  51
  
  Ground crewmen prepare
  a machine-gun flexible
  ammunition chute for loading
  aboard a UH-l Bgunship. the
  door gun is a 7.62mm M60D..
  52
  specific mission requirements demanded changes.
  Written SOPs were not flexible enough, and there
  simply was no time to write them. When a higher
  headquarters asked for a unit's SOP, the normal
  response was, "It's being revised, Sir."
  Pickup time and location, LZ coordinates,
  number of lifts, refuel and rearm locations, radio
  call signs, primary and alternate frequencies, and
  other details were provided, with the information
  jotted
  down
  in
  small
  green
  notebooks
  and
  acetate-covered maps anointed with grease pencils.
  Aviation, infantry, and artillery unit call signs
  seldom changed. A pilot serving in a given unit and
  then returning to it on a second tour a year and a half later would find that the
  same call signs were still in effect. Radio frequencies changed monthly however.
  The pilots walked to the flight line, found their assigned aircraft in their
  protected revetments, and met with the enlisted crew for a few minutes, ensuring
  all was ready. The enlisted men did not need to know much, and for the most
  part they were unconcerned. They were simply passengers and knew what to do.
  The pilots did a quick walk-around and boarded to begin their preflight check.
  This was one area where shortcuts were not taken. Pilots ran through the
  prescribed preflight checklist with care, confirming that all was a go.
  Seldom was a full fuel load carried, with the amount depending on the
  operation's range and density altitude (DA). DA was an important factor to
  consider in Vietnam. Air density changes significantly with altitude: density
  drops as altitude increases. Humidity and temperature also affect air density.
  Hot, humid air is less dense than cooler air. High heat and humidity in
  Vietnam greatly reduced troop capacity. Heavily loaded .helicopters had
  difficulty hovering over the hot jungles. It was even worse over firebases and
  sun-baked rice paddies because the large expanses of bare ground reflected
  more heat. DA had to be calculated and adjusted through the day as the
  temperature rose to determine the number of troops that could be carried.
  A section or platoon commander might be placed in charge of the mission.
  While ostensibly a commissioned officer, owing to shortages a more
  experienced WO might be in charge. For larger operations the company
  commander often led the mission, something the aircrews respected. Regardless
  of section and platoon organization, missions were actually organized into
  "flights," unofficially but more commonly called "lifts," of two or more
  aircraft, the number of aircraft being that which could land on the LZ at once.
  A "serial" was two or more flights. If an LZ could accept four birds, and the
  aviation company provided eight helicopters to insert a rifle company, it would
  be organized in two lifts (flights) of four birds each. Four lifts might be required
  to insert a rifle company, with each aircraft making two lifts for a total of
  16 sorties, or individual aircraft flights.
  Radio checks were made, frequencies and call signs were marked on the
  windshield with grease pencil, and on command the engines were cranked
  up, as gauges were checked and it was confirmed that the compass was
  correct. The helicopters would lift off the ground a few feet and hover into
  position, lining up on the runway. The flight leader contacted the control
  tower for permission to take off. When cleared, the flight made its takeoff run
  down the runways just as a fixed-wing aircraft - helicopters used the same
  takeoff and landing patterns as fixed-wing aircraft.
  
  After making the takeoff run down the runway and out of the airfield's
  traffic pattern, the flight would assume its prescribed formation. This would
  usually be a trail (column) formation if they were flying to another airfield
  to pick up the unit to be lifted. If the PZ was a clearing, the helicopters would
  form up in the formation set suited for its size and shape: an arrowhead, a
  diamond, echeloned (staggered 45 degrees right or left of line of flight), or a
  staggered trail. Any escorting gunships flew to the flanks.
  Pilots carried little with them. Their helmet bag and shoulder weapon, if
  they had one, were stowed behind the seat. A 2-gallon thermos or some
  canteens of chilled water might be carried. A meal or two of C-rations or long-
  range patrol (LRP) rations might be carried for lunch, or if the day's demands
  of missions saw them operating later than normal. Crew chiefs tended to
  be pack rats, with a kit bag stuffed under their seat with rations, packs of
  Army Helicopters
  The Army used a number of helicopter models in Vietnam, with improved designs being fielded over the
  years. Besides being bestowed the names of Native American tribes as official nicknames, helicopters were
  often given other unofficial nicknames. The years of introduction provided below represent a chopper's
  fielding in Vietnam and do not mean that all helicopters were replaced by new models at the same time.
  Older models could remain in use for a year or two.
  The first helicopter deployed to Vietnam was the Boeing Vertol CH-21 Band C Shawnee cargo helicopters
  known as the "Flying Banana" or "Hog Two-One:' It was replaced by the Bell UH-1-series in 1963-64.
  The first heavy-lift helicopter was the Sikorsky CH-37B Mojave cargo helicopter. It was replaced by the
  CH-47A and C.H-54A by 1965.
  Bell UH·1 B Iroquois utility helicopters began arriving in 1963, and the Huey would become the most
  widely used chopper in Vietnam. Seeing some use for troop lift, the B was mainly used as a gunship and
  utility/liaison.
  The UH-1 C, known as the"Hog;'was introduced in 1965, and was much used as a gunship and aerial
  rocket artillery.
  The UH-1 D was introduced in 1963 with a stretched body to carry more troops. Troop-lift birds became
  known as "slicks;' because they lacked the gunships' side-mounted armament array, or as "school buses:'
  The UH-1 H was fielded in late 1967 as a more powerful version of the D.
  The Bell AH-1 G Huey Cobra (the exception of not being named after a Native American tribe) began to
  replace Huey Hogs in 1967, but Hogs remained in use until 1971.
  The Bell OH-13G/H/5 Sioux and the similar Hiller OH-23G Raven were used as observation, scout, and
  liaison helicopters from the beginning until they began to be replaced by the OH·6A.
  The Hughes OH-6A Cayuse appeared in late 1968. It was known as the "Loach;' derived from "light
  observation helicopter" (LOH), or because of the shape of its fuselage and tail boom; an "egg with
  a hard-on:'
  The Bell OH-58A Kiowa began replacing the OH-6A in 1969 but were not as widely used.
  The twin-rotor Boeing Vertol CH-47A Chinook, called the "Shithook" or "Forty-Seven;' was introduced in
  1965, followed by the CH-47B in 1967 and the CH-47C in 1968. These were medium cargo helicopters.
  The Sikorsky CH-54A Tarhe or "Flying Crane" heavy lift helicopter appeared in 1965.
  ABOVE LEFT The crew chief
  and gunner often helped the
  pilots "buckle up" as they
  squirmed into their cramped
  seats. The copilot wears an
  SPH-4 aviator's helmet. It was
  common for unit insignia to be
  painted on the nose of Hueys.
  (Virtual Vietnam Archive)
  ABOVE RIGHT These UH-1 Huey
  pilots rev their slick after
  completing the preflight
  checklist. As the engine
  was run up, all gauges were
  monitored. The upper portion
  of the nose was usually painted
  matt black to reduce glare.
  (Virtual Vietnam Archive,
  Curtis Knapp collection)
  53
  
  While this scenario took place
  in a Marine UH-34D Seahorse
  helicopter, it demonstrates the
  risks aviators in Vietnam faced.
  The crew chief shouts
  instructions to another
  crewman while the pilot lies
  on the deck dying. (Time
  Life/Getty Images)
  54
  cigarettes, souvenirs scrounged off grunts, tools, cans of hydraulic fluid and
  oil, and a flashlight. Smoke grenades to mark enemy positions for gunships
  were hung by their arming levers on machine gun mounts. Crew chiefs/gunners
  would pass opened rations and water up to the pilots when needed.
  On the ground the infantrymen had already broken down into lifts and
  individual aircraft loads, called "chalks," so named as to the lift and aircraft
  numbers that used to be marked on helmets. Chalk also identified the
  aircraft's position in formation. The choppers arrived early enough to allow
  face-to-face coordination between the aircrews and grunts. As all infantry units
  were experienced in airmobile operations and they had most likely previously
  worked with one another, coordination was quick and informal: confirming the
  location of the LZ, the direction in which they would land, support artillery
  and aerial fires, direction the artillery fire would be arriving from so as to avoid
  
  i
  that area, confirmation of the number of passengers and lifts, and other factors.
  Changes from the initial briefing were to be expected. The AD had to be
  considered, and this might mean a reshuffling of troops if planned loads had
  to be reduced. It was also determined when the choppers would have to depart
  to refuel and what the estimated time of return would be.
  The crew chief, assisted by the gunner, would see to embarking the
  passengers, the PAX. They too were experienced and knew what to do.
  The troop doors were locked open (often they were removed altogether) and
  the troops seated. The nylon and aluminum tubing seats were often removed
  to allow troops to board and exit faster. This also made it easier to
  accommodate the cumbersome rucksacks and other gear burdening the
  infantrymen, and it further provided more room for cargo. Crewmen were a
  little concerned when carrying grunts because they were festooned with
  grenades, Claymore mines, demolitions, pop-up (handheld pyrotechnic
  ground signals) and trip flares, and had loaded weapons. The grunts were
  directed to remove their magazines, eject the round in the chamber, and carry
  the weapons muzzle down. M79 grenade launchers were to have empty
  chambers and were left broken open. Troops sat on the floor still wearing
  their rucks and unsecured by seat belts, their legs hanging out the doors. They
  were reminded not to fire from inside the chopper if receiving ground fire or
  if the door gunners opened up. It was too easy to hit another helicopter or even
  one's own men inside a lunging chopper.
  At the appointed time the now heavily loaded flight would take off down
  the PZ runway and head toward the LZ. Usually flights were only 15-40
  minutes. The artillery would commence the prep fires around the LZ. The last
  rounds would be WP (white phosphorus), signaling the ceasefire, and the
  gunships would roll in, peppering the tree line. Normally the gunships would
  not expend rockets unless receiving ground fire.
  Often helicopters could not tell if they were under fire. It was pure chance
  that they might see muzzle flashes or even see any tracers, if they were being
  used. Other helicopters might detect the fire and warn the bird receiving it,
  but more often they did not know until bullets started making solid hits or
  other heart-stopping sounds were rendered.
  The passengers' view from
  the "tail end Charlie" of a flight
  of Huey "slicks" inbound to
  a landing zone. The initial
  approach would be made
  high to avoid antiaircraft fire,
  but the final approach would
  come in low and fast just
  above treetop level.
  55
  
  Although hot LZs were not too common, there were other dangers. The 
  landing choppers were relatively close together so that the infantrymen would 
  not be too scattered out. They landed near the tree line, close to any enemy 
  concealed in the vegetation, so that the infantry would suffer minimal 
  exposure before reaching cover. Of course the tight formation made a more 
  tempting and easier target. The real danger was what might lie on the ground. 
  LZs might be dry rice paddies or level fields covered with short grass, but 
  more often they were covered with 2-6ft high elephant grass or brush. 
  Beneath this could be floodwater, deep mud, boulders, stumps and fallen tree 
  trunks, gullies, ditches, rice paddy dykes, landmines, or grenades rigged to 
  tripwires. If the pilot did not have a clear view of the ground, he would hover 
  low and stable for the troops to drop onto whatever was there. Efforts to 
  burn off elephant grass caused problems as everything was charred black, 
  making it impossible to see any obstructions. Additionally, the black soot 
  and ash could blind landing choppers. In especially dusty and sandy areas, the 
  resulting "brownout" created zero visibility and complete disorientation. 
  The grunts, using their parlance, would "un-ass the bird'? as fast as possible. 
  They knew that they were most exposed in a hovering or sitting chopper and 
  knew the pilot was not going tG give them more than a few seconds to exit. 
  Generally, unit SOP was that if one man had off-loaded and fire was received, 
  then everybody went. The grunts would dart for the nearest cover and quickly 
  assemble. If other lifts were to follow, they would land within 15-30 seconds 
  of the first. The troops would move out to secure the area to await the follow-
  on lifts. 
  Often the lift choppers would need to refuel before picking up their next 
  load. The gunships also had to refuel because they usually carried less fuel 
  than the slicks due to their heavy ammunition loads. They might also have 
  to rearm, and the refueled slicks would have to wait on them. The site for the 
  refuellrearm point might be different from the aviation unit's base or the PZ. 
  The pilot'S compartment was hot, as the sun beating on the windshield and 
  overhead canopy drove up the temperature. The pilots might open a side 
  window and stick an arm out to let the slipstream funnel up a sleeve to 
  ventilate their suits. Cobra pilots did not have this luxury. The Cobra canopy was 
  completely sealed and exposed to the sun. The cockpit was not air conditioned, 
  and it could easily reach 120°F (48.9°C) inside. Cobra pilots often shunned 
  underwear and chose jungle fatigues because they were cooler than flight suits. 
  At the refuel airfield the choppers would be directed to the refuel pad and a 
  "hot refuel" would be conducted; that is, with the engines still running. The 
  crew chief would drag the hose to the chopper from the earth berm-protected 
  black SOO-gallon JP-4 rubber fuel bladder, called a "blivet" or "elephant turd." 
  HOTLZ 
  A hot LZ under intense fire was every aviator's and grunt's nightmare. If downed, door gunners 
  dismounted their M60D machine guns and used them as ground guns. It had twin spade grips 
  and double thumb triggers. The bipod was retained on the gun to allow its use as a ground gun, 
  but lacking a shoulder stock it was awkward to handle. M60C fixed machine guns on gunships 
  and scout choppers could be dismounted and used as a handheld gun. Crewmen would carry 
  a trigger grip assembly to replace the solenoid trigger and an asbestos glove, normally used for 
  changing barrels, to hold it as it had no barrel guard. When a wounded bird had to be abandoned, 
  it was stripped of weapons, ammunition, radios and avionics (in the nose compartment), first aid 
  kits, maps, and SOls. If at all possible the hulk would be helicopter-lifted out to be rebuilt or 
  cannibalized for scarce parts and to deny the enemy propaganda photo opportunities. 
  
  57
  
  A liftoffour Hueys approach a 
  PZ to pick-up their troop loads. 
  the "chalks;' the troops assigned 
  to each bird, are formed up to 
  immediately board during a 
  "hot on-Ioad"with engines 
  running. 
  58 
  He would first open a 
  receptacle and reel out a 
  ground cable 
  that was 
  clipped to a grounding rod 
  to discharge static electrify. 
  The fuel filler cap was on the 
  right rear of the main body 
  of the helicopter. This also 
  happened to be an area that 
  was not affected by rotor 
  wash, making it an excellent 
  spot to relieve oneself while 
  refueling. There was usually 
  a latrine located at the refuel 
  pad or at least a clump of 
  bushes for crew in need to 
  scramble to. . 
  The refueled birds would lift off and return to the PZ to pick up the next 
  lift, which would quickly board during what was called an "engine-running 
  on-load or "hot on-load," and they were off again, making fastest possible 
  time back to the LZ. The element already on the ground was vulnerable to 
  attack and awaiting the arrival of the follow-on lifts. If the chance of enemy 
  contact was high, some gunships might orbit on station to provide fire support. 
  Due to their limited fuel load the covering gunship flight would be different 
  from the ones escorting the lift ships. Air cav scouts would be scouring the 
  surrounding area for signs of enemy movement. A C&C chopper orbiting 
  overhead would be coordinating this. Often the LZ was merely a drop-off point 
  for the infantry, and they went on their way and the LZ WqS left vacant. At 
  other times it might provide a base of operations, especially if there were few 
  other suitable LZs in the area that the infantry would be moving through. In 
  this case the LZ would be used to deliver ammunition, rations, and water; serve 
  as a site to MEDEVAC casualties from; and secure a site for delivering 
  reinforcements. The LZ might become a fire support base with an artillery 
  battery supporting the infantry. It might be there for a few days or even weeks. 
  Once the infantry was on the ground the choppers might be released 
  back to their unit's control, and that might have been the end of their day. 
  More than likely, however they would be assigned other missions, which 
  could include delivering ammunition and supplies to other units, shuttling 
  troops about, resupplying fire bases and other installations, and delivering or 
  hauling out construction materials from a closing firebase, among other tasks. 
  The flight, however, might remain under the ground battalion commander's 
  control, leapfrogging platoons about, conducting odd jobs, and making 
  resupply runs. They would deliver troops and ammunition under fire, but an 
  under-fire extraction was avoided if possible. 
  In some instances helicopters would night linger, or "remain over night" 
  (RON), at a firebase. Crewmen would find a place to sleep, sometimes 
  racking out in their choppers. They scrounged up meals on the base; breakfast 
  and dinner were often hot B-rations. If nothing else, the grunts readily shared 
  C-rations with them. 
  Daily flying itself was almost routine. There were of course high risks from 
  enemy action, changing weathel~ mechanical failure, and pilot error. Weather 
  conditions such as fog, haze, rain, and high winds took their toll. Night missions 
  
  t
  were flown only in the direst necessity. Night vision goggles were still on the
  drawing board, and by necessity the instrument panels had to be lit, which
  destroyed night vision. Few airfields had night navigation aids or even runway
  lights. Flying in Vietnam's northern mountains and valleys was especially
  dangerous owing to unexpected crosswinds, downdrafts, fog, low clouds, and
  loss of radio navigation signals in the valleys.
  In most areas navigation using landmarks and maps or pictomaps
  was fairly easy with good visibility. There were sufficient towns and roads to
  guide on, and after a couple of months operating in an area, pilots became
  readily familiar with it. For multi-aircraft missions the flight leader did the
  navigating, and everyone else simply followed the leader. Flying a helicopter
  requires constant attention, and awareness had to be maintained of what
  was happening around it at all times, the instruments had to be constantly
  scanned, and close attention had to be paid to radio and intercom traffic.
  Flying at over 1,000ft it was easy to pick up transmissions from US and
  Vietnamese units on the same frequencies many miles away, and sometimes
  Vietnamese commercial FM stations drowned out military traffic. At the
  same time a crew might not be able to contact a unit on the ground below
  them. Alternate frequencies might be used, but often they simply took the
  unauthorized expedient of dropping or raising the frequency 5 or 10
  megahertz, signaled by "Drop a nickel" or "Pick up a dime," meaning "drop
  5 MHz" or "go up 10 MHz." The crew chief and gunner continuously
  scanned the ground for signs of enemy fire.
  Determining the location of an element on the ground could be challenging.
  Units in the jungle or in dense brush and bamboo, unable to see even nearby
  landmarks visible from the air, could not always precisely locate themselves.
  Maps too were sometimes inaccurate. To mark their location on the ground,
  troops might use international orange marker panels, signal mirrors, and
  colored smoke grenades. Pop-ups, handheld rocket-projected pyrotechnic
  ("pyro") ground signals, could be used in daylight (colored smoke streamers)
  or at night (white, amber, red, and green parachute stars or star clusters). Pen
  flare projectors and strobe lights were also used at night. Blue filters were
  sometimes placed on strobe lights as they looked like muzzle flashes without.
  Tracers were also used day and night to indicate enemy positions.
  The main means of marking ground
  positions
  was
  MIS
  colored
  smoke
  grenades. Green was not too effective in
  most areas due to the vivid vegetation,
  but in areas of dried vegetation they
  might be used. Red was restricted for
  warning of danger or to signal that
  a unit was in contact. This left yellow
  and
  violet,
  which
  contrasted
  well
  with most vegetation, although yellow
  was ill-suited in dried vegetation and
  heavy blowing dust. At dusk and dawn,
  lighting conditions and haze made it
  difficult to identify specific colors.
  Standard procedure for identifying
  and
  confirming
  colored
  smoke
  prevented the enemy from popping
  grenades of the same color. The ground
  Infantrymen rush to board
  Hueys as they extract them from
  a PZ to be flown a short distance
  for reinsertion on another LZ for
  saturation patrols. Extraction
  was almost as dangerous as
  insertion, and the choppers
  would be on the ground only
  for seconds. (NARA)
  59
  
  Viewed over the muzzle 
  of an M60D machine gun, 
  Vietnamese troops who 
  survived a Huey crash are 
  pulling out other survivors. 
  Miraculously, no one was killed. 
  (Kenneth Upton) 
  m 
  element would not inform the aviators what color of smoke it was igniting 
  but instead would say, "Identify smoke" or "Popping smoke." Once the 
  aviator detected the smoke he would report what color he saw. This 
  prevented the enemy, if monitoring the radio, from popping the same color 
  if the ground element had notified the aviator what color it was using. In a 
  further effort to fool the enemy, fruit names were sometimes used, such as 
  lemon for yellow, grape for violet, lime for green, and cherry for red. 
  There were limits on the monthly flight time in order to not wear out pilots. 
  Pilots were usually limited to no more than 100 hours per month. It was less 
  in some units, especially in the mountainous north where fatigue could more 
  easily lead to fatal errors. Pilots displaying too much stress or fatigue might be 
  given less stressful assignments for a while, such as pony express and other 
  noncombat missions. Such jobs were rotated among pilots to give them a break 
  from combat missions. If pilots were accumulating too many hours for the 
  month, they might be given a three- or four-day break and possibly assist 
  the ops officer. Enlisted crewmen had no flight hour limitations. 
  AFTERMATH OF BATTLE 
  With DEROS approaching, pilots might be pulled from flying four to seven 
  days before their departure. Some were pulled out earlier to begin out-processing 
  BACK TO THE REAL WORLD 
  One year - 36S days - after departing the States, the "real world;' DEROS was fast approaching. 
  The "short" aviator has flown his last in-country mission and is out-processing, which translates 
  to ensuring that the unit admin people had his records up to date, his log book closed out, and 
  he had paid up his tabs in the O-club, mess, and laundry. There was gear and a weapon to turn in, 
  souvenirs to collect up, and farewells to be made. This was accomplished in the garishly and 
  tackily decorated unit club where he bought rounds of drinks for his buddies remaining behind; 
  a good way to rid himself of Military Payment Certificates and Vietnamese piasters. The more 
  popular brands of beer were not always available. Beer shipped to Vietnam came only in steel cans 
  lacking the new ring tabs. Bottled brew meant Vietnamese beers such as Ba Moui Ba ("33") or was 
  something faintly remembered from the States. 
  
  1
  61
  
  A Navy UH-l B gunship of
  Helicopter Attack Squadron
  (Light) 3 escorts river patrol
  boats. The Marines, Air Force,
  and Navy used limited numbers
  of Hueys, and the pilots and
  mechanics were trained
  by the Army.
  62
  for their return to the
  "real
  world"
  as
  they
  sometimes became a little
  twitchy.
  Short-timers
  were
  often
  shifted
  to
  support missions rather
  than combat. Farewell
  parties were thrown in
  the unit club; medals,
  plaques,
  and
  letters
  of
  appreciation
  were
  presented; and heartfelt
  goodbyes
  and
  hand-
  shakes were given to the
  unit staff, other pilots,
  enlisted crewmen with
  whom
  the
  pilot
  had
  flown,
  and
  ground
  crewmen who had kept
  him
  flying.
  The
  pilot
  received orders for his next station, but he was not told what his job would be.
  He would find that out when reporting in after completing his leave. With few
  fully manned aviation units outside of Vietnam, there was not much of a chance
  to land a "real" flying assignment. Many found themselves as instructor pilots
  at Wolters, Rucker, or Stewart, or as platform instructors covering academics or,
  worse still, as a TAC hassling WOCs. A pilot's life had suddenly become
  mundane. Many aviators were separated from the Army under the reduction-
  in-force (RIF). With the war winding down, scores of aviation.units were being
  inactivated in-country. When at one time the Army went though stages of
  aviator shortages, they now could not be demobilized fast enough.
  From 1970-71 CWs having completed a tour in Vietnam with good
  Officer Efficiency Reports could apply for a direct commission to 1LT. Few
  did. Others applied for OCS. The Army still lacked sufficient commissioned
  aviators. With the post-Vietnam drawdown from 1972 and lacking full
  college degrees, they were among the first to be RIFed. CWs too were RIFed.
  Some went into the National Guard.
  Many completed college by benefit of the GI Bill and went on with less
  exciting lives. The widespread use of helicopters in Vietnam led to their
  increased use in the civilian world. Most former aviators never flew again, but
  some became civilian helicopter instructors in a growing market or went on
  to acquire fixed-wing aircraft pilot licenses. Numerous airline and airfreight
  pilots got their start flying Army helicopters. Some flew helicopters for
  government agencies, business corporations, firefighting services, offshore oil
  rig companies, television stations, police departments, petroleum pipeline
  inspection, and life flight services.
  With the withdrawal of US forces from Vietnam, Army aviation units
  around the world were now supplied with helicopters, pilots, and maintenance
  personnel. The helicopter was firmly entrenched in the force structure, doctrine,
  and tactics. Army Aviation became a branch in 1983. Few of the types of
  helicopter used in Vietnam are still in use by the Army, but the aviators are
  much the same and carryon traditions in the spirit of those bold young men
  of some 40 years ago. They still bear the motto"Above the best."
  
  COLLECTIONS AND MUSEUMS
  The collecting of Vietnam uniforms, insignia, equipment, and memorabilia has
  become an increasingly popular pursuit. Collectors have found that actual
  Vietnam War items are becoming scarcer and more costly. There is wide interest
  among collectors in aviation insignia and related items, although they are
  cautioned that there are many fake Vietnam-era aviation insignia being
  marketed, especially in online auctions.
  Ft Rucker is the Army Aviation Center where all flight training has been
  consolidated since 1973. The Army Aviation Museum is also located there,
  offering excellent collections of aviators' uniforms, insignia, and equipment
  along with approximately 140 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft used by the Army.
  Ft Wolters, where aspiring aviators undertook primary training for 17 years,
  is now a Texas National Guard training site, an industrial park, and home of a
  state prison pre-release facility - appropriately the old WOC area. Standing at
  the Mineral Wells Holiday Inn is an inverted "V" of two helicopter blades
  bearing a plaque that reads, "Under these rotor blades passed the finest
  helicopter students in the world. July 1, 1956-August 16, 1973."
  Today, veteran pilots are represented by the active Vietnam Helicopter Pilots
  Association. Their website is vhpa.org. Crewmembers are represented by
  the Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members Association, with their website at
  vhcma.org.
  BIBLIOGRAPHY
  Breuninger, Michael S., United States Combat Survival Equipment: World War II to the
  Present, a Reference Guide for Collectors, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA (1995)
  Butterworth, W. E., Flying Army: The Modern Air Arm of the U.S. Army,
  Doubleday, Garden City, NY (1971)
  Dunstan, Simon,Vietnam Choppers: Helicopters in Battle 1950-1975,
  Osprey Publishing, Oxford (2003)
  Halberstadt, Hans, Army Aviation, Presidio Pre~s, Novato, CA (1990)
  Mesko, Jim, Airmobile: The Helicopter War in Vietnam, Squadron/Signal
  Publications, Carrollton, TX (1984)
  Stanton, Shelby L., U.S. Army
  Uniforms of the Vietnam War,
  Stackpole Books, Harrisburg,
  PA (1989)
  Stanton, Shelby L.,The Rise and Fall of
  an American Army: U.S. Ground
  Forces in Vietnam, 1965-1973,
  Presidio Press, Novato, CA (1985)
  Tolson, John]., Airmobility
  1961-1971, Vietnam Studies,
  US Army (1973)
  US Army, Army Aviation Utilization,
  FM 1-100 (August 1969 and
  October 1971)
  A CH-47A Chinook lands in
  swirls of dust to pick-up troops
  for a follow-on airlift into a
  previously secured LZ. The blast
  from the two engine exhausts
  over the rear opening was
  so hot that troops had to
  take a deep breath and
  charge on board.
  63
  
  INDEX
  References ro illusrrarion caprions are shown
  in bold.
  aircrafr, fixed-wing 12
  aircrafr commanders (ACs) 38-39
  alrirude, densiry (DA) 52, 55
  American Airlines Srewardess College,
  Forr Worth 20
  appearance 26-30
  see also decorations; equipment; insignia
  aviaror, early war 32
  aviator, late war 40
  caps 27,28,30
  fatigues, cotron olive green 24, 26
  flight suit, two-piece 28,29,29-30,36,40
  gloves 30, 32, 40
  overalls, K2B very lightweight flying 16,21,
  29,30,30,32
  uniform, Army khaki shade 1: 27
  uniform, combat 35
  Armed Forces Television Network 43
  "Ballad of the Green Berets" 24
  barracks, base quarters 38,39,42,44
  barracks, Primary Flight School 18
  base, typical 45
  see also barracks, base quarters;
  officers' clubs; tactical operations center
  barrie, aftermath of 60, 62
  batrle, experience in 51-56,58-60
  belief and belonging 43-46
  Bell AH-IG Huey Cobra 12,36,53,56
  crew 42
  maintenance 43
  Bell OH-13G Sioux 13,24,53
  cockpir 13
  Bell OH-13H/S Sioux 53
  Bell OH-58A Kiowa 53
  Bell TH-13T 13,22
  Bell UH-l Iroquois/'Huey' 5,8,27,51,53,55,
  56,58,59,60
  crew 42
  Bell UH-IA 13,22
  Bell UH-IB 8,13,23,52,53,62
  armored seat kits 48, 50
  cockpit 31
  gunsights 31, 48
  instrument panel 48
  Bell UH-IC1D 13,23,46,53
  Bell UH-1H 5,6,9,10,16,34,46,53
  Boeing Verrol CH-21B/C Shawnee 53
  Boeing Verrol CH-47 Chinook 42,46,48
  Boeing Verrol CH-47A 50,53,64
  Boeing Verrol CH-47B/C 53
  campaign service 46-48,50-51
  captain, air cavalry 29
  Check List, Operator's and Crew Members' 40
  chronology 5-7
  Collazo Army National Guard Airfield 15
  collecrions 63
  command and control (C&C) flights 47,58
  command positions 13
  conditions of service 35-36,38-40,42-43
  acclimirizarion and orientation program 38
  Corpus Christi Bay, USNS 34
  crew chiefs 9,40,50,50,53,53-54,54,
  56,58
  CW2s 24,32,40,43
  see also warrant officers
  decorations 44-45,47
  see also insignia
  64
  Dempsey Heliport, TX 15,19
  enemy ground fire 50
  equipment 30-32
  body armor 31-32,34
  boots 30,40
  first aid kits 32
  helmets, flying 30-31
  AFH1 31
  APH5 28, 31, 32
  SPH4 31,40,53
  signal irems 32,34, 35, 40
  survival items 32,34-35,40
  watches 26
  Ft Polk, LA 13
  Ft Rucker, AL 12,14,21,64
  see also rraining: Advanced Flight School
  Ft Stewart, GA 12,22
  Ft Wolters, TX 12,14,21,64
  see also training: Primary Flight School
  Downing Heliport 15, 19
  stage fields 12, 15, 18
  ground crewmen 52
  ground markers 59-60
  gunners, door 34,35,36, '10, 53, 56
  helicopters 53
  see also individual entries
  training 13, 15
  Hiller OH-23D Raven 13,15,19,30
  instrument panel 18
  Hiller OH-23G Raven 15,20,53
  Hughes OH-6A Cayuse 42,53
  Hughes TH-55A Osage 13,14,16,22
  classroom simularor 21
  Hunter Army Airfield, AL 21-22,39
  insignia 16,24,24,26,27,28-29,29,
  30,30,32,40
  see also decorations
  inspection, preflight 36, 52
  insrrucror pilors 16, 22, 29
  landing zones (LZs) 46,50,52,55,56,56,58
  losses 50
  maintenance 50
  MEDEVAC helicoprers 46
  Mineral Wells, TX: Holiday Inn 19,20,64
  missions, "milk-run" 23,46,47
  museums 63
  officers, commissioned 21,29,39
  officers' clubs (0 clubs) 42,61, 62
  operating procedures, standard (SOPs)
  51-52,56
  pay 43,45
  Reasoner, Harry 4
  recruitment 7-13
  see also warrant officers
  Warrant Officer Aviaror Program (WOAP)
  10,11
  Rise and Fall ofan American Army 44
  Sadler, Staff Sergeant Barry 24
  Sikorsky CH-37B Mojave 53
  Sikorsky CH-54A Tarhe 53
  Sikorsky UH-34D SeadogiSeahorse 7, 54
  Southern Airways of Texas, Inc. 16, 18,
  21,29
  Specialty, Military Occupation (MOS) 9, 12,
  13,14
  staff positions 13
  Sranron, Shelby 44
  Tacrical, Advisor, and Counseling (TAC)
  personnel 16, 18, 24, 29
  tacrical operations center (TOC) 40
  Texas Women's University 20
  training 13-16,18-24
  see also helicopters, training
  Advanced Flight School 21-24
  Contact 23
  Instrument Flight Rules 22-23
  Tactics Phase 23
  Advanced Individual (AIT) 9, 10, 13-14
  Basic Combat (BCT) 9,13
  Fixed-wing Flight School 12
  OfficerlWarrant Officer Rotary Wing
  Aviaror Course (ORWAC) 15,21
  Ptimary Flight School 14-16,18-21,28
  academic 20-21,24
  autorotatiol1 practice 19
  flight training 16, 18-20
  Grundy Day 18
  WOC companies 15,18,24,29
  Warrant Officer Candidate Rotary Wing
  Aviaror Course (WORWAC) 15
  WOC Indoctrination Training Course ·16
  United States Army
  air cavalry 16,27,29,36,39,47-48,50
  Airborne Brigade (Separate), 173d 6
  Airborne Division, 1st 6
  Airborne Division, 101st 39
  Aviation Bn, 25th 32
  Aviation Brigade, 1st 6,7,39,40
  Aviation Company (Assault Support
  Helicopter), 180th 7
  batteries, rocket artillery 46,48
  Cavalry Division (Airmobile), 1st (formerly
  11th Air Assault Div.) 6, 27, 39
  companies, aerial weapons helicopter
  46,48
  companies, assault helicopter 46-47, 48
  companies, general support aviation 47
  organization, aviation units 39
  Replacement Bns, 22d and 90th 35
  United States Army, Vietnam (USARV) 6
  United States Army National Guard, Texas:
  49th Armored Div. aviation company 16
  United States Navy: Helicopter Arrack
  Squadron (Light) 3: 62
  warrant officer candidates (WaCs) 12,14,
  15,16,16,18,20,22,24,26,28,28
  promotion ro WOl 24
  warrant officers (Was) 7, 8,9, 10-13,24,43
  see also CW2s
  grades 11
  weapons
  carbine, M2 .30-cal. 34
  howitzer, M102 105mm 50
  machine gun, .30-cal. 20
  machine gun, M60 7.62mm 35,36,
  52,56
  pilots 34-35
  pisrol, Colt M1911A1 .45-cal. 34,40
  revolver, S&W Model 10 .38-cal. 32,40
  rifle, M16A1 5.56mm 31,34
  rocket pods, 2.75-in. 5,8,12,36
  Whirlybirds 9
  wounded aviarors 47,54
  
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  Noo
  ex>
  5 1 8 9 5
  US $18.95 / CAN $22.00
  IS BN 978-1-84603-229-5
  I
  9
  781846 032295
  OSPREY
  PUBLISHING
  One cannot imagine the Vietnam War without helicopters. In this conflict
  they revolutionized warfare, lifting troops, supplies, materials, equipment,
  and vehicles. They conducted visual reconnaissance, command and control,
  medical evacuation, artillery spotting, and fire support. The 40,000 pilots
  were the men behind this revolution, and many were thrill seekers,
  liking fast cars and a fast life. They endured long flying hours in a
  less-than-pleasant climate, subjected to heat, humidity, dust, rapidly
  changing weather conditions, spare parts shortages, and, of course,
  deadly, high-volume cross-fire. Vietnam veteran Gordon L Rottman
  details these experiences, from the pilots' training and first deployment
  to the deadly thrill of combat in a warzone. Poignant photographs and
  detailed color artwork make this a crucial study of the conflict that defined
  the postwar generation in America.
  US HELICOPTER PILOT
  IN VIETNAM
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Osprey System/Warrior Series (WAR)/Osprey - WAR 128  - US Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam.pdf