Apocalypse Now
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 153
Likes: 5
From: Sydney, Oz.
http://community-2.webtv.net/roybed/.../mailedD11.jpg
Not sure if this is from that tv movie, but it sounded similar.. ie.. H500 chasing cars in a hangar.
edit*
ok, looks like they dont allow links in, but once the url is in the address bar, hit enter and the pic should load.
if not.. go to http://community-2.webtv.net/roybed/HELICOPTERS/ and scroll down
Not sure if this is from that tv movie, but it sounded similar.. ie.. H500 chasing cars in a hangar.
edit*
ok, looks like they dont allow links in, but once the url is in the address bar, hit enter and the pic should load.
if not.. go to http://community-2.webtv.net/roybed/HELICOPTERS/ and scroll down
Last edited by zhishengji751; 16th May 2002 at 15:09.
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Sunny Queensland
For Notarious and the rest of Y'all,
I did a couple of tours in RVN, first one mostly in UH1-B gunships in III Corp., second one in an experimental unit firing TOW Missiles in combat, (Callsign Hawas Claw) again from 2 old UH1-B's. The second tour we were always attached to a Cavalry unit, usually the clostest one to where NVA armor was found after the April '72 invasion. We got to know the Cav really well, and I will always have the upmost respect for all of them, as well as my former Air Assault brothers.
Was very lucky on both tours, but did have a wide range of experience, including 3 months in slicks on the first tour.
When I saw Apocolypse Now for the first time, I completely lost it in the theater! I know there was a bit of license, but God it was bloody exciting when they rolled in on the village!! The hut with a .51 Cal. really was used, as I once had it described by a guy with .51 Cal burns on both shoulders!! Almost cut both his shoulder straps in half, just didn't happen to have the third bullet between his eyes!! His name is Harry Holzman.
Of course the Psyops speakers were used all over the place, so yes, they really did play around with them. When I was not flying the TOW ships, and had a day off, I frequently flew as door gunner in loaches (OH6's), so when the mamasan threw the grenade into the medivac ship-- I jumped up and screamed "Grenade!!!" then the next shot was over the shoulder of the loach door gunner when the 2 females ran like hell. I started yelling "Killem, killem"! It was just so realistic I couldn't help myself! So yes, that happened too. I could understand every word of garble on the radios in the movie, and that just wired me as well. Anyway, that was the only time I lost it, and am quite normal now, but hell, I still like to get a big cigar, my cav hat, a good friend (fellow vets) or two and a bottle of port and put on that movie once in a while and just trip back down a somewhat tiwsted version of memory lane.
Hope that this story along with the excellent stories above have helped you understand things a little clearer!!??
A very old, and not so bold pilot (anymore!)
I did a couple of tours in RVN, first one mostly in UH1-B gunships in III Corp., second one in an experimental unit firing TOW Missiles in combat, (Callsign Hawas Claw) again from 2 old UH1-B's. The second tour we were always attached to a Cavalry unit, usually the clostest one to where NVA armor was found after the April '72 invasion. We got to know the Cav really well, and I will always have the upmost respect for all of them, as well as my former Air Assault brothers.
Was very lucky on both tours, but did have a wide range of experience, including 3 months in slicks on the first tour.
When I saw Apocolypse Now for the first time, I completely lost it in the theater! I know there was a bit of license, but God it was bloody exciting when they rolled in on the village!! The hut with a .51 Cal. really was used, as I once had it described by a guy with .51 Cal burns on both shoulders!! Almost cut both his shoulder straps in half, just didn't happen to have the third bullet between his eyes!! His name is Harry Holzman.
Of course the Psyops speakers were used all over the place, so yes, they really did play around with them. When I was not flying the TOW ships, and had a day off, I frequently flew as door gunner in loaches (OH6's), so when the mamasan threw the grenade into the medivac ship-- I jumped up and screamed "Grenade!!!" then the next shot was over the shoulder of the loach door gunner when the 2 females ran like hell. I started yelling "Killem, killem"! It was just so realistic I couldn't help myself! So yes, that happened too. I could understand every word of garble on the radios in the movie, and that just wired me as well. Anyway, that was the only time I lost it, and am quite normal now, but hell, I still like to get a big cigar, my cav hat, a good friend (fellow vets) or two and a bottle of port and put on that movie once in a while and just trip back down a somewhat tiwsted version of memory lane.
Hope that this story along with the excellent stories above have helped you understand things a little clearer!!??
A very old, and not so bold pilot (anymore!)
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 324
Likes: 0
cooling off your critics
Carrying a heavy load into a confined area in triple canopy jungle, I touched down on about a 14-15 deg slope and sat there while the grunts, gunner and crewman off-loaded the cardboard boxes and stacked them on the upslope side, just outside the rotor disc. They were boxes of C4 plastique used by the troops to blow (implode) CS irrit-gas into an enemy base-camp bunker system so that it would not be re-occupied; a fairly stock-standard practise. I handed over to Marty, the other pilot, for the ride back to the fire support base. He and I were both just starting to get a bit interested in why the UH-1H collective was up so far yet the aircraft wasn't lifting, when the downslope skid broke free from under a root and we started rolling rapidly into the hill-side. Marty and I both slammed the collective into the floor and off we went bouncing sideways down the slope into the underbrush. At the same time I heard a torrent of abuse start over the radio but was far too busy to concentrate on what was being said. We eventually ground to a halt in the undergrowth and looked back up the hill. The rotor had taken the top layer of C4 boxes and slammed them off the pile and there were packets of plastique scattered all over the pad. The grunts had fled to the four winds and a grim-looking Major was striding down the hill abusing us on his radio as he came. Marty and I looked at each other and, in unison, pulled pitch and we shot through.
Late that same afternoon we returned, unfortunately with the same callsign, and tried the same 150ft vertical into the same LZ. We had a full load of 5 gal jerry-cans of water on board. However, as luck would have it, we'd spent the rest of the day in and out of a burnt LZ and picked up lots of ash. The best we could get out of it, fully beeped up, was about 38psi torque (>52 being an overtorque on the L-13). Each night the aircraft were given a bucketful of walnut shells to clean the compressor and recover the power but, at the time, late in every day we had to make do with what we had. Things were looking good until we dropped below the jungle canopy and lost the 12kt headwind. After that we were going down fast with bleeding rotor and audio RPM warning flashing. Luckily the back end crew were on the ball and started kicking the jerrycans. Just as the first ones cleared the aircraft the same company Major started up his torrent of abuse over the radio. However strangely, as quickly as he started, he stopped. After getting rid of half the load the problem was resolved but the crewmen were enjoying themselves and ended up kicking the lot. As we pulled out, deciding to leave the backload for the next day's logistic support crew, the gunner piped up with: "Bulls-eye, that shut him up quick didn't it".
We later heard that the Major wasn't a happy chappie at all. About two weeks later the Intello came and grabbed us and told us that there was a Major who'd just come off ops looking for us both by name. Name-tags came off helmets and flight suit right quick and next day we were Smith and Jones. Some people just have no sense of humour.
Late that same afternoon we returned, unfortunately with the same callsign, and tried the same 150ft vertical into the same LZ. We had a full load of 5 gal jerry-cans of water on board. However, as luck would have it, we'd spent the rest of the day in and out of a burnt LZ and picked up lots of ash. The best we could get out of it, fully beeped up, was about 38psi torque (>52 being an overtorque on the L-13). Each night the aircraft were given a bucketful of walnut shells to clean the compressor and recover the power but, at the time, late in every day we had to make do with what we had. Things were looking good until we dropped below the jungle canopy and lost the 12kt headwind. After that we were going down fast with bleeding rotor and audio RPM warning flashing. Luckily the back end crew were on the ball and started kicking the jerrycans. Just as the first ones cleared the aircraft the same company Major started up his torrent of abuse over the radio. However strangely, as quickly as he started, he stopped. After getting rid of half the load the problem was resolved but the crewmen were enjoying themselves and ended up kicking the lot. As we pulled out, deciding to leave the backload for the next day's logistic support crew, the gunner piped up with: "Bulls-eye, that shut him up quick didn't it".
We later heard that the Major wasn't a happy chappie at all. About two weeks later the Intello came and grabbed us and told us that there was a Major who'd just come off ops looking for us both by name. Name-tags came off helmets and flight suit right quick and next day we were Smith and Jones. Some people just have no sense of humour.
