He was an assault helicopter pilot, in other words a gunship pilot. x.. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your friends in one piece at the end of the day is better. "The problem is that those who think the Vietnamese haven't cooperated sufficiently think there is some central repository with answers to all the lingering questions," notes Gen. John Vessey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Reagan and Bush administration's designated representative in MIA negotiations. . [VHPA 1993] Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association 1993 Membership Directory page 130. information contained in this publication shall not be distributed to non-VHPA I am so very proud to have served with them. ac.. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or collective are all bad ideas. Most of the Commissioned Officers were older. The Vietnam Army Helicopter Pilot | Charlie Troop 1st Squadron 9th As MedEvac helicopter pilots, we flew the only Army Hueys equipped with the electric hoist/winch. [Houk]. Loud, sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention. Warrant Officer Candidates (WOCs) then progressed to Fort Rucker, Alabama, or, from 1967, Hunter Army Airfield at Fort Stewart, Georgia, for advanced flight training and instrument flight instruction. The emotions are almost indescribable, but there was one more feeling: relief from being so scared! American-owned airlines never knowingly transported opium in or out of Laos, nor did their American pilots ever profit from its transport. It called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces, limitation of both sides' forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to peaceful reunification. VHPA Aviator (big file). Use Ask Statista Research Service. If you lose you submit other directory changes and updates. [Westmoreland], 97% were discharged under honorable conditions; the same percentage of honorable discharges as ten years prior to Vietnam [Westmoreland], 85% of Vietnam Veterans made a successful transition to civilian life. average age of vietnam helicopter pilot - cbeconsulting.net has no political agenda as is our brother organization, The Vietnam Helicopter The third pilot is retired Col. David Rainey U.S. Army. When they saw one flying balls out, they knew it was a Dustoff on an urgent mission. rotary wing aircrews that flew in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam Era. about halfway down . Scott McBride CW4 152HH AH-64D Apache Flight Instructor, Charlie Troop 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry Regiment, The Troopers of Charlie Troop 1st Squadron 9th Cavalry 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). or down. As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic. but it cant hurt. I had no idea of the satisfaction, pride, sense of accomplishment, and even elation that I would feel in the next six months. With the front of my Huey still kissing the tree leaves and my crew keeping me posted as to what was going on, I took a quick, curious look out my left window to see where the friendly fire was impacting. Your email address will not be published. But this time he definitely took hits in a .50-caliber crossfire, and as he peeled off from the mountain, fuel was streaming from the aircraft. There were many of the Warrant Officers that were in their 18,19, and 20s. Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. The death squads focused on leaders at the village level and on anyone who improved the lives of the peasants such as medical personnel, social workers, and schoolteachers. Dustoff pilots with their unique seating arrangement is where that statement originated. Learn how your comment data is processed. to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. "We (Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF," according to Lieutenant General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding General of TRAC at that time. It is rules. Myth: The United States lost the war in Vietnam. The Weapons Team. History of the founding of the VHPA written by r.. .j.. If we waited for gunship support, it may be too late for the wounded, so most times we tried to sneak in and sneak out (if thats possible in a clattering helicopter) and complete the rescue before the enemy had TOO much time to shoot us up . I just tapped him gently on the shoulder and whispered, Hey, Buddy, Im as far back in the elevator as I can get now. I knew what he was really saying. As one of those troopers on the ground, I can honestly say how proud I am to have served with Brave men. My father mentioned a pilot and I was curious if this was one of the same. [McCaffrey] Speech by Lt. Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, (reproduced in the Pentagram, June 4, 1993) assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Vietnam veterans and visitors gathered at "The Wall", Memorial Day 1993. [McCaffrey], The oldest man killed was 62 years old (TAYLOR, KENNA CLYDE). [1996 Information Please Almanac], POW-MIA Issue (unaccounted-for versus missing in action), Politics & People, On Vietnam, Clinton Should Follow a Hero's Advice, I never forgot the reverence with which that statement was made, as I began to form a survival plan of action in my mind. We were unarmed, and experience had taught us that, usually, we were better off to quickly fly to the landing zone, get in and get out as fast as possible while avoiding the bad guys, and fly straight back to the hospital. historical reference directories, CD-ROMs and DVDs. Please do not hesitate to contact me. m.. No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you. 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. I have no idea who he was, but we logged his flight time as PP: Patient Protector.. First of all, there was landing on the Navy Hospital ships, USS Repose and USS Sanctuary, in the South China Sea, very near the Demilitarized Zone. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. Its just what they do. On one particularly difficult night MedEvac in the mountains, all our windows fogged up as we dropped from 7,000 feet through a hole in the clouds to pick up a Soldier with a head wound. n.. They could rotate around a battle site from above, unleashing punishing weapon support from above. He flew through the fog and light rain. Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category* [Graph]. While in themselves those landings were not stupid, the way we got there was! The pilots who were flying this helicopter, VHPA Aviator magazine One of those is the missing man table at the banquet at each Tactics such as pinnacle landing on top of steep hills, slopes, and karst outcrops amid destabilizing downdraughts to deliver heavy supplies to US Army firebases and outposts while under enemy fire were also tackled. It was a well known (and very true) fact that during an emergency exit from an aircraft, if you dont have it strapped to your body, you wont take it with you. Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. That was the unforgiving part. Wainwright Station While it may be possible to ward off this natural event some of the time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always be prevented. On what turned out to be his final mission, they were to pick up wounded on a mountain top, but got caught in heavy fire while making their approach. . website may contain information that VHPA considers proprietary and . average age of vietnam helicopter pilot - mail.germenergy.com This freed Marine quotas at Pensacola which could be used to . I graduated from Flight Training 2 day short of a year. The VHPA is a social organization only and aa..Thus the term SHIT! can also be used to denote a situation where high Pucker Factor is being encountered. Did you know the average life expectancy of a US Army Huey pilot in We believe that the Huey along with the Huey Cobra have more combat flight years. ad.. [McCaffrey], 87% of the American people hold Vietnam Vets in high esteem. We were an easier target during the day, but unlike at night when we kept all the lights off, we could see what we were doing! I found a can of olive drab (OD) spray paint and . "Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category*." Register in seconds and access exclusive features. al.. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Read the latest issue of the Friends of the Vietnam Center Newsletter and subscribe to recieve future newsletters. "Pogo" Hunter who died in 1995. We risked much in a totally dark valley that night, and there was no doubt that someone appreciated us. The biggest responsibility of a helicopter pilot was to fly that helicopter in such a manner as to provide support for the men on the ground. [Parade Magazine]. Correspondence relating to commercial purposes or solicitations shall only be (The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, i.e. (EC), [Home] [ReunionInformation] [Donations] [OurLegacy] [MembershipServices] [RelatedWebSites], This We put him in the back of the cargo compartment with his M-16 and a helmet, hooked him up to the intercom, and we were off. Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header. One point I want to make is the the Crew Chiefs and Door Gunners were the and are still the best as well. As soon as he stepped from the left side to the right, the aircraft tipped. The first one you will meet is retired Army Col. Douglas Moore, a medevac pilot in Vietnam. He is the Founder and Editor of The Aviation Geek Club one of the worlds most read military aviation blogs. Those trainers were so small you could lean in them to make the thing turn. The BSR (Bang Stare Red) Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the gauges. (CACF and Westmoreland), Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book "All That We Can Be," said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam "and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. I used to laugh at the occasional Huey slick driver who flew out to let guys from his unit use the shopping facilities on the ships. Over the ten years of the war, Operation Ranch Hand sprayed about eleven million gallons of Agent Orange on the South Vietnamese landscape. Correspondence relating to commercial purposes or solicitations shall only be The Pilots of 1st of the 9th Cav were and yes still are the best. Otherwise, if we got tangled up, it could cause the aircraft to crash. Operation Chopper occurred on 12 January 1962 and was the first time U.S. forces participated in major combat in the Vietnam War. They were heavily armed with mini-guns, machine guns, and various kinds of rockets. There are over 4,945 helicopter pilots currently employed in the United States. Or, to hear veteran helicopter pilots describe their personal experiences in the line of duty, click here. ag.. survive the 365 days in Southeast Asia was to be a gunship pilot, blazing my way back to the states, defending myself with mini-guns, rockets, and grenade launchers. . Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information If the rear echelon troops are really happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they need. it will be forwarded to the appropriate VHPA representative. [Westmoreland] Source: http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html In addition to an annual reunion held around July 4th, members keep in touch informally w.. We thank God for these pilots and crews who fearlessly went into our hell on our behalf day in and day out, during the Vietnam War. theyre on the penetrator . In fact, we all did well. Here are some facts to clear up that poor job of reporting by the news media. . . was typical of the continual commentary from the enlisted crew members. I could not have been more proud of myself and my flight school classmates for having come this far. A little more than 12 days later, Operation Chopper commenced. [Burkett] Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation was Robbed of its Heroes and its History by B.G. Those brief and simple heartfelt words meant more to me that night than anything else ever said to me during my entire tour. [People]. Copyright 1995 - 2018 Gary B. Roush, 242 ASHC Muleskinners, May 1968 - May The domino theory was accurate. u.. Everybodys a hero on the ground in the club after the fourth drink. The ideal entry-level account for individual users. The rest of the mission went as expected with no more surprises. Innocent people get killed. who is now retired in Arizona. I will always thank Warrant Officer Study for his late-night, picture-perfect landing on the round end of the boat. A paid subscription is required for full access. $36/year subscription. How old was the average helicopter pilot in Vietnam? - Quora is passed from outgoing President to incoming President at each reunion. Steve DaCosta, Cavalier15, June67-June68. Business Solutions including all features. Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican . And what was even stupider, I suppose, was the fact that if the doors were closed when we reached the water, we opened them so we could get out easier if we did go down. Whatd he say? Hell, I dont know. XV, Issue VII. And the answer is: There IS none! Sure, we had a compass and an Automatic Direction Finder, but in the event of an engine failure on the way to the hospital ship, this would have probably been my emergency call. The 1990 unsuccessful movie "Air America" helped to establish the myth of a connection between Air America, the CIA, and the Laotian drug trade. We lost a lot of Pilots but we also lost a lot of Crew Chiefs and Door Gunners. $99) To contact the magazine editor aviator@vhpa.org. Five Thousand pilots and crews lost their lives and 3,258 Hueys alone were lost during the war. I dont think so. It turned out to be the best thing that happened to me, even though I was wounded before the year was out and sent home before my tour was over. average age of vietnam helicopter pilot - lebel-minsk.by Vietnam Helicopter Memorial: Veterans Fight Bureaucracy | Time [Nixon], The Vietnam War has been the subject of thousands of newspaper and magazine articles, hundreds of books, and scores of movies and television documentaries. Topics cover the entire spectrum from Vietnam to . Not only were we not found to be lacking as youthful aviators, as a whole we far exceeded the expectations. They explained the trajectory of the weapons fired from an aircraft, especially when firing in a turn., Fort Rucker trained 120 aviators on its gunship aerial weapons course for the UH-1B in 1965. Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only 1/2 of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. "Average Age of Active Pilots in The United States from 2002 to 2020, by Category*. See also The History of the Ranch Hand Epidemiologic Investigation. Although many of them had experience of fixed wing aircraft, very different challenges lay ahead when it came to learning the sophisticated, coordinated control techniques required for rotary wing flying. You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. That sinister-sounding term was coined after the war) Orange was sprayed at three gallons per acre that was the equivalent of .009 of an ounce per square foot. Get full access to all features within our Business Solutions. [VHPA databases], Army AH-1G's totaled more than 1,166,344 flight hours in Vietnam. We sacrificed our youth and innocence; we achieved above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. You were a good friend and much appreciated by my parents. Congress while the North Vietnamese were very well supplied by China and the EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW IN LIFE I LEARNED AS A HELICOPTER PILOT IN VIETNAM. directory for dues current members. While there are still officially more than 2,200 cases, there now are only 55 incidents of American servicemen who were last seen alive but aren't accounted for. No this is Pat Bieneman I am the owner of this site. The Army employed it in various roles, including that of an armed escort or attack gunship in Vietnam. But come look for us, will ya? Thanks for the memories. Helicopters needed far more hands on piloting than fixed wing types. fund has been established at the Vietnam Center and Archives at Texas Tech Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. Most aviators receives about 210 hours of flight time. The South Vietnamese ran out Search: Average Age Of Vietnam Helicopter Pilot. Search: Average Age Of Vietnam Helicopter Pilot. The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. They were immensely important to the troops on the ground as aerial fire power. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. The initial Army designation was HU-1, which led to the common unofficial nickname of Huey.. He dropped to the deck a couple miles out and then screamed up the hill at 120 knots and tree top level, trying to sneak in past the enemy. [People]. Provide food and supplies to veterans at The Veterans Site for free! . [Houk] Testimony by Dr. Houk, Oversight on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 14 July 1988 page 17, Hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs United States Senate one hundredth Congress second session. Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture was Vietnamese. A "DUSTOFF PILOT" - DUSTOFF Association Yet undoubtedly every plane in Laos carried opium at some time, unknown to the pilot and his superiors. But as the Army would have it, during Friday night formation of the middle weekend of gun school, 24 of us, including 12 in the gun school, received orders to attend MedEvac school at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, immediately after graduation. applies to subscribers): Age 80 and above ---$75.00 come left . As mentioned earlier, there was little protection from weapon fire for the pilots, and with body parts exposed on a third seat, we were especially vulnerable. The most common ethnicity of helicopter pilots is White (86.8%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (6.8%) and Unknown (2.4%). Marine Corps could barely maintain Helicopter Pilots Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. We took no hits on that mission, and as we lifted out of the landing zone, the fact that we cheated death again left me with all the exciting feelings I mentioned at the beginning of this article. I suppose we would have survived; we had water wings! He was a Dustoff pilot. This is a true testament for any theater! By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy. How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? Phil Marshall, DMZ Dustoff 711, 237th Medical Detachment (Helicopter Ambulance) Camp Evans and Quang Tri, Vietnam 1969. and flew his bird to the top of Monkey Mountian. I did well enough to make the school, along with about 25 of my classmates. Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. its on the ground . In Vietnam, pilots frequently encountered fog and monsoon rain, which severely tested their blind flying skills. Information contained herein shall not be used for commercial As well as prepping an LZ ahead of the slicks, gunship pilots could also warn crews flying troop carriers of threat areas, and advise them of enemy guns to avoid as they lifted out of the LZ. Book review. In retrospect, I think that is what happened to one of the pilots in our unit a few months after I left. Would love to chat with Bruce Huffman. ", Federal Aviation Administration, Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/919100/aviation-industry-average-age-of-active-pilots-in-the-united-states-by-category/ (last visited March 04, 2023), Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category* [Graph], Federal Aviation Administration, May 18, 2021. Whether their responsibility was to fly the troops into and out of battle, become the Medical Evacuation bird when required, be the forward eyes of the ground troopers or provide them fire support when needed. Myth: The domino theory was proved false. (May 18, 2021). solicitation purposes, or any correspondence related thereto. Burkett and Glenna Whitley, Verity Press, Inc., Dallas, TX, 1998. [Nixon] Atrocities - every war has atrocities. The pilots and crews of these helicopters were heroes, one and all. The Veterans Site honors the helicopter pilots and crews who fought so hard for us on the ground throughout the Vietnam War. 66 founding members. The VC knew the points in an assault where the helicopter was most vulnerable, so thorough prepping by gunships and strike aircraft was essential. To retrieve the data click on 2020 Active Civil Airmen Statistics. Your email address will not be published. During his two tours in Vietnam, Col. Moore flew 2,752 combat medevac mission and transported 2,952 wounded men back to the medical help they needed. I guess that woke him up, as the next thing I heard was his rifle plugging away at a mound of dirt just outside his door and about 30 feet down. [1996 Information Please Almanac], There were almost twice as many casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia) the first two years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 then there were during the ten years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam. Army Flight School was about 9 months long, this was the shortest calendar time. Is that AM or FM? When sprayed on dense jungle foliage, less that 6 percent ever reached the ground. Maturity, self-confident, bravery, willing to take chances, courageous, and yes fun-loving are the attributes that make a great pilot. We still got there in a hurry, but once there, we hovered over the trees like a target at the County Fair 25-cent target-shooting booth. [CACF]. [McCaffrey], Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than our non-vet age group. Scared that maybe, just maybe, youll fail your mission where someone else just like you would have succeeded. [McCaffrey]. on VHFCN (http://www.vhfcn.org) , Heli-Vets and FaceBook also another FaceBook site. So, too, can the ones addressed To Whom It May Concern. reunion. I made a pedal turn (U-turn) about 200 feet in the air, probably over some bad guys, and hovered back in over the trees. Without his heroic actions that day we, the Grunts, would have been in severe situation as we were running out of food, ammo and our radio batteries were almost dead. t.. g.. Can I pick up Armed Forces Radio on it? Published by on October 31, 2021. Myth: Most Vietnam veterans were drafted. The total of non-pilot crewmembers killed was 2,704, according to records of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots' Association. What is important is what you are doing-NOW-to solve our problem. Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Dustoff 7-1-1, were going down over the sea. Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) [People], The evacuees were Vietnamese not American military. In the Vietnam War the helicopter became one of the most important elements in the daily operations of our war fighting successes. Hello, I enjoyed Reading the blog. I have got to pass this on to an Aussie friend of mine, Ian. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. [CACF] (Combat Area Casualty File) November 1993. on 29 April 1975 from UPI's offices on the top floor of the Saigon Hotel which I would NOT fly unarmed helicopters! . Myth: Air America, the airline operated by the CIA in Southeast Asia, and its pilots were involved in drug trafficking. Values are as of December 31 each year. f.. Obviously, I was wrong, but I did not know it then. It would instantly cut the cable should any part of the lift apparatus get snagged in the trees or in any other emergency situation. of fuel, ammunition and other supplies because of a lack of support from In, Federal Aviation Administration.