Amazing Amazing Incident - Read This !!!
 

Read this amazing incident British helicopter pilot shot between the eyes but keeps flying to save 20 soldiers | News.com.au where a British Air Force Chinook pilot was shot (yesterday) in the head but manages to take his aircraft back to base.

Well done Flt. Lt. Fortune - you are indeed fortunate!

When I was in the Army I was shot in the leg while flying a Huey and I only had an observer in the left seat and he didn't know how to fly - I felt compelled to get us home safe which we managed to do but ... the head - wow!

That's worth a green endorsement if nothing else - well done!!

phil

Amazingly lucky, and an apt surname! I'm puzzled though - I thought RAF Chinooks were flown two-pilot, so why didn't the co-pilot fly it back?

Who said he didn't? Would the press know the difference?

Taking nothing away from Flt Lt Fortune, he has indeed been incredibly fortunate.
However following up on 212man's comment about the Chinook being 2 pilot etc. Having read to the bottom of the article, there is a link to The Sun, where I understand the article originated. Now we all know The Sun never gets anyrhing wrong!
Maybe a bit of "journalistic licence" has been exercised in the report?

Just another hard headed Wokka driver!:ok:

Hand Salute!::D

I wonder if he gets a new nickname as a result of this?:E

Ha :} yes, or 'Lobo Lid'!

Hats (or helmets) off to the guys putting themselves in harms way.

Great story, and wishing Flt. Lt. Fortune a speedy recovery from what must be a stonking headache!

Not wanting to take anything away from Flt. Lt. Fortune, but the chinook is surely operated two crew?

Folks,

Give it up on the "Two Crew" comments.

The aircraft has a five man crew normally....Pilot, Co-pilot, Flight Engineer, and either a Crewchief/Gunner or two Gunners. The crew can be larger depending upon the mission.

The fact the a wounded pilot continues to fly the machine is not unusual....and relying upon a "news report" as a basis for all of your conjecture is being flat silly.

The actual extent of the man's injuries is not accurately described.

Unless you have been in combat and experienced such an event.....you just do not have any idea of how things go when you happen to be sitting in the seat.

The crew (all of them) worked together to overcome what damage and wounds they had.....and there must have been a fair number of lights flashing and horns blaring while all this was going on. To say there was confusion, anxiety, fear, anger, and a host of other emotions at play is an understatement. I dare say the checklist was way down on the list of priorities if even looked at.

Just accept the fact the guys done good! All of them!

Congratulate them on being alive and applaud their dedication to duty and note your high regard for their courage and performance under very stressful circumstances.

They done us all proud!

What :eek: I would say getting shot in the head was unlucky and incredibly unfortunate. Hope he makes a full recovery.:)

A long, long time ago
 

in an exotic foreign land, one of the pilots in the sortie took one smack in the forehead on first light strike. The Cobra's front seater came on the net, "My pilot's hit!"
"How bad?"
"I can't see him. He won't answer!"
"Head XXX and I'll get somebody medical to meet you."
When I landed, the medics were pulling the pilot out of the Snake's back seat, limp, covered in blood, and dead guy skin color.
My crew chief dashed over, back, and returned to the Snake while I shut down the Slick. As I climbed out, he returned shaking his head and laughing. "He's alive?" I asked.
"He's knocked goofy. An AK round went over the front-seat's head, hit the rocket sight, and busted up. The lead was deflected upward, but the jacket was stuck in his skull, dead above the nose between his eyebrows. Doc pulled it out with my pliers."

A week later, we were on R&R in Hong Kong. Probably not surprising, but the pilot got a lot of drinks outta that story. Army pilots have hard heads.

Crew Composition
 

SASless,

Only 2/5 I'm afraid. The RAF Chinook has a crew of 4: Pilot, Co-pilot and 2 Aircrewmen.

I don't care if Flt Lt Fortune flew it back or not; if he did it was utterly remarkable, if it was his oppo then it was still remarkable to fly the aircraft with an injured mate in the other seat. Well done young man (28!) and I wish you a speedy recovery.

Standing by to be told I'm wrong on the crewing as well!

MTTH

In the relative comfort of home or office it can be hard to perceive anything but a one dimensional view of such events.

SASless touched on some of the emotions which occur at times like these but, as someone who has taken fire (and been hit) I can say (for myself) that no matter how well you've been trained and no matter how long you've spent preparing yourself during the night hours on your cot to deal with danger - when it comes right up in your face the sensation of overwhelming danger and the fragility of one's humanity are intense.

Sincerely speaking, when you are taking hits you tend to feel that doom is imminent and it can be hard to focus on even the most basic tasks while you push back the natural tendancy to escape and instead address what needs to be done.

Perhaps this sounds feeble but that's how I found it.

Being under attack is a horrible experience but ... if you make it through ... there is a feeling of uphoria and gratitude which is equally intense.

I guess every soldier/combat person weighs these things prior to joining the forces.

Well done!:ok:

Well done that man. Good effort. :ok: :eek: