Army Aviation Digest - Jan 1966

8/12/2019 Army Aviation Digest - Jan 1966

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u s ARMY AVIATION SCHOOl.FORT RUCKER ALABAMA 6

SOLlTf

VI T

SPECI L V ETN ISSUE


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UNITE

DIRECTOR OF ARMY AVIATION ACSFORDEPARTMENT OF THE ARMYBrig Gen George P. Seneff, Jr.

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COMMANDANT, U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLMaj Gen John J. Tolson, III

ASST COMDT, U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLCol George W. Putnam, Jr.

EDITORIAL STAFFCapt Frank A Mariano Editor in ChiefFred M. Montgomery, EditorRichard K. TierneyWilliam H. SmithDiana G. Williams

GRAPHIC ART SUPPORTH. G. linnH. A. PickelD. l. Crowley

USABAAR EDUCATION AND LITERATURE DIVPierce l. WigginWilliam E. CarterTed KontosCharles Mabius

RMY VI TION1GESJJANUARY 1966 VOLUME 12IntroductionMoonlight Train to Long MyLt Col Rufus L. LegettSteady You re HookedSkyraider Support, Lt David H. PriceMission Rescue, William H. SmithThis Special IssueArmy Aviation in VietnamSearchlight for Helicopters,Col Ben F. HardawayTypical Day Maj Anthony A. BezrehOn Site Oil Cooler SwapCapt Fred R. MichelsonCrash Sense

NUMBER 112

78

12152426

2830

33

The ml Slon of the U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is to provide information of an operationafunctional nature concerning safety and aircraft accident prevention training. maintenance operatiresearch tmd development aviation medicine. and other related data.The DIGE T is an official Department of the Army periodical published monthly under the aupervio thc Commandant. U. S. Army Aviation School. Views expressed herein are not neC t'ssarily thoseDepartment of the Army or the U. S. Army Aviation School. Photos are U. . Army unless otherwpecified. Material Dlay be reprinted provided credit is given to the DIGEST and to the author unotherwise indicated.Articles , photos. and items of intercst on Army Aviation are invited. Direct communication i s authi:ed to: EditorinChief U.s. Army Aviation Digest Fort Rucker Alabama.Use of funds (or printing this J>ubHcation has been approved by Headquarters Department ofArmy , 29 December 1964.Active Army units receive distribution under the pinpoint distribution system as outlined in AR 3120 larch 62, and DA Circular 31057, 14 March 63. Complete DA Form 124 and send directly to AG Publication. Center 2800 Eastern Boulevud Baltimore Md. 21220. For any chaoge in di.triburequirements merely initiate a revised DA Form 124.National Guard and Army Reserve unit8 submit requirements through their state adjntants generalU. S. Army Corps commanders respectively.For those not eligible for official distribution or who desire personal copies of the DIGEST paid sscriptions 4.50 domestic and 5.50 overseas. are available from the Superintendent of Docnments U.

Government Printing Office. Washington D. C. 2CH02


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Mindful of the men in Army Aviation-from their initial contributions onthe sagebrush prairies of Fort Sill to theirgallant service in the jungle mountainsand paddies of Vietnam . . .

N S STRUGGLE for freedom has takenmany forms as he defends his cherishedagainst the forces of darkness. In

last 5 years a sturdy new breed of warriorsjoined the ranks of freedom fighters.

In Vietnam, Army Aviation s warriors have comeAttacking through the air with helicoptersairplanes, they have unveiled a new concept ofthat boasts the speed and power to strike

bolt of fateful lightning at the elusive enemy'sThis issue is dedicated to those who shed their

their blood, their tears-and especially towho have given their lives-for their countrya faraway place called Vietnam.

To call a roll of those who deserve this Nation sbe totally inadequate. For

human mind is prone to error and surely someor some unit would be unintentionally, and

omitted. There are s many-

The aviator as he zips along at treetop levelwith his precious cargo of warriors in the belly ofhis Shawnee or perhaps Chinook.

The maintenance people who throw off themiseries of heat, mud, dust, and lack of sleep tofeverishly work through the night to have theMohawk, Seminole, Beaver, or Bird Dog ready togo at daybreak.

The recovery team, braving the fu sillade ofgunfire at their Mojave or Flying Crane, as theyrescue a downed Sioux or Otter.

The crewchief, riding in his Caribou and withfull confidence in the man flying it into shortestof strips because food, medical supplies, and ammunition are needed NOW.

The controllers, the planners , the medics, thePOL specialists

The gunner ripping the Viet Cong with thegun of a Huey.

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No one is forgotten by true Americans. They arerecognized at places like Do Xa , Tay N inh andPlei Me just as their predecessors on battlegroundslike Yorktown, Iwo, and H ea rtbreak Ridge .


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aboard for imaginaryride on theMoonlightTrain toong y

T IS 0220 hours and not as hotas usual, thanks t a coolingrainshower that passed over the

delta south of Saigon. The cloudsare higher now and a tranquildarkness embraces the rice paddies, canals, and rivers of the vastMekong Delta region.

Long My, a government outpostsouth of Saigon, is not sleeping.The tower sentry and other personnel are watchful and uneasy.Ap Binh Chanh a civil guardmanned outpost on a road 1kilometers farther south, was attacked earlier in the night by theViet Congo Sounds indicative of a

Lieutenant olonel Rufus L Legefierce battle had rumbled throughthe night.The Long My outpost guards amajor road intersection by a largecanal. t is a triangular shapedfort complete with a drawbridgeover a moat filled with sharp bamboo stakes-a holdover from thedays of French influence. Long Myis larger and better fortified thanmost of the delta outposts. t hasradio communication with thechief of Kien Hoa Province, whoin turn is in contact with Saigon.The garrison at Long My consists of infantrymen of the Armyof the Republic of Vietnam

Civil guard m nned outpost under attack y Viet Cong

ARVN) bolstered by a 4.2 mortasection. Both illuminating anHE high explosive) ammunitiois available.

Long My fortifications are constructed of concrete and eartwith several sandbag positionprotecting the mortars and ammunition. Each earthen wall400 feet long by 2 feet high, wita 20 foot concrete sentry towereach corner. Veteran, battle-testeguards man these towers. Thradio is mounted in the norttower, which is the most secustructure and also the commanpost.

After the first sounds of battfrom Ap Binh Chanh were hearthe province chief was alerted anall battle positions at Long M


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were manned. But as the nightwore on no communications werereceived from the embattled outpos t to the sou hoAreas around Long My are infested with thousands of active,hard-core communist guerrillas.Their aggressive tactics haveproved that they are well led, welltrained, and (compared to mostVC units) well equipped. Theyare die-hard communists who useterror tactics to intimidate thepeople of this area. They controland exploit vast areas for taxesCol Legett is chief of Brigade andDivision Branch Advanced Stud-ies Division Combat Develop-ments Command Aviation AgencyFt Rucker Ala.

and supplies to support theiroperations.

The ARVN officer commandingthe Long My outpost expects theViet Cong-exuberant from onesuccess-to momentarily attack hisoutpost. At 0221 hours a listeningpost 300 meters to the southeastsounds an alarm. The mortar sec-tion is ordered to illuminate thearea in front of the listening post,and the ARVN commander reports his actions to the provincechief via radio. Unknown to him,his actions set off a carefullyplanned night counteraction, Op-eration Moonlight Train whichwill deliver the Viet Cong a serious blow and measurably reducetheir heretofore unopposed nightattacks.

It is earlier the same night-2305 hours to be specific-at corpsheadquarters in the delta south ofSaigon. This headquarters has justbeen alerted to the attack on theAp Binh Chanh outpost south ofLong My and is anticipating additional Viet Cong activity. TheVietnamese duty officer at corps isin contact with the staff and theAmerican advisor. All agree thatthis may be the long awaited opportunity to test Operation Moon-light Train.

At 2310 hours the Joint AirOperations Center (JAOC) isalerted to send a flare-equippedC-47 aircraft (code name RedDevil ) to the vicinity of Ap BinhChanh. The Vietnamese Air Forcescrambles two A-IEs to deliverordnance on call from the C-47flare ship.

At 2315 hours a nearby U. SArmy helicopter base is alerted,and troop-carrying UH-ID Hueysare placed on standby along withUR-IB armed escort helicopters.The unit is assigned the codename Wine Tree for this operation.

ARVN troops trained in airmobility tactics are placed on a 15minute alert. Meanwhile the commander and operations officer ofanother nearby Army helicopterunit (code name Blue Boy forTriangular shaped forts with punji trapsdot the landscape of the Republicf Vietnam


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this operation) are meetin:; witha Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF)captain representing JAOC, hisUSAF advisor, and liaison officersfrom other units that will participate in the operation. Personnelfrom two newly arrived units arepresent: An aerial weapons unit composed of UH-IB helicoptersequipped with weapons and afloodlight system especially designed for area fire at night. A unit composed of CH-47smounting powerful searchlights.

The plans of Operation Moonlight Train had been worked outin detail. For this operation WineTree will lift 180 ARVN troopsin UH-IDs escorted by armedUH-IBs. Blue Boy will lift 150troops in UH-IDs and 120 paratroopers in C-123s. They will beaccompanied by UH-IB aerialweapons ships. A CV-2B outfittedas an aerial TOC (Tactical Operations Center) will be positionedover or near the objective area forradio relay, aerial radar controlcapable of identifying and mapping landmarks, and commandpost.Four of the CH-47s are to provide either artificial moonlight ordirect light as needed. AnotherCH-47 will be on standby to re-cover damaged aircraft

or used as needed.

Three of the moonlight shipswill be sited at a hover out ofground effect or in orbital flightpatterns as their huge searchlightsare directed toward the cloudsand artificial moonlight is reflected back to the ground. Thistechnique is not too different fromsuccessful employment of searchlights in WW II and in Korea.t allows aircraft to identify objective areas and flight paths . The

fourth CH-47 (also equipped witha searchlight) will be a spare. tcould be used to pinpoint an areasuch as a canal or roads shouldthe Viet Cong attempt to breakcontact or reinforce. The searchlights on the moonlight ships arecontrolled from the cockpit andcapable of 60 vertical and 35 horizontal movement.All is in readiness for Operation Moonlight Trainl

At 2330 hours the C-47 aircraftRed Devil report s ceilings at2,500 feet with light to moderate

rainshowers northwest of the objective area. A higher layer ofclouds exists at 8,000 to 9,000 feet.

Ten minutes later Red Devilreports low clouds dissipating ormoving west and despite use offlares no lights or movement visible in the objective area.Acting on JAOC orders, RedDevil leaves the area, waits 10minutes, and returns to dropflares a second time wi th a VNAFA-IE orbiting for possiblecall. However,

Red Devil reports no

visible targets or signs of life atthe Ap Binh Chanh outpost.AOC orders Red Devil to returnto Saigon.Corps staff recommends holdinga state of readiness while a C-47drops a reconnaissance pa trol ofparatroopers near Ap Binh Chanhoutpost. Meanwhile, Long Myoutpost is ordered to deal directlywith corps headquarters.

At 0110 hours the reconnaissance patrol is dropped slightlyshort of the intended drop zoneand much closer to the Ap BinvChanh outpost than intended. AI though isolated in a marshy areaacross a canal from the intendeddrop zone, the patrol observesand reports heavy traffic of emptysampans moving east on the canal.It also discovers a concentrationof some Viet Cong in a nearbylateral canal. Some Viet Cong areoverheard discussing a pendingattack, but no locations are mentioned.

0150 The patrol reports heavycanal traffic moving northwest.The commander of Long My out-post is alerted to this movement.

All involved in OperationMoonlight Train are given 10minutes standby orders. Crews arewith the ships. The aerial' command post UH-IB (code nameChoo Choo ) is airborne and

JAOC scrambles Red Devil andtwo A-IE VNAF aircraft to takedirections from Choo Choo.OV l (below) take of to search forenemy activity near the outpost whiletroops board UH ls (left)

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The action that had been reported at 0221 by the ARVNlieutenant commanding the LongMy outpost is reported to thecorps commander aboard ChooChoo at 0230 hours. In consonancewith his senior U. S advisor thecommander orders all OperationMoonlight Train personnel intopreplanned action. Cloud cover isalmost solid at 4 000 to 5 000 feetwith no rain or noticeable wind

Operation MOONLIGHT TR IN stunned theViet ong and opened a new chapter innight counterinsurgency operations

Fifteen minutes later the airdropped reconnaissance patrol reports that Viet Cong units aremoving northwest across the canal.The Long My commander is or-

dered to cease firing illuminationrounds. Troops manning listening posts are ordered back to theoutpost They report some movement and voices in the directionof the canal and a nearby village.

econnaissance patrol discovers and reports V activity near the outpost Choo Choo informs Long Mythat help is on the way and thathelicopters will be used. Long Myis requested to use a burningarrow-shaped pointer and tracersto point the direction of theenemy.0315 the Blue Boy flight oftroop-carrying helicopters is orbiting at the rendezvous point

0321 Long My outpost reportsit is under attack from the east.Automatic weapons and lightmortars are being used against theoutpost

The CH-47 moonlight choppersare ordered to positions selectedby Choo Choo. The fourth moonlight ship is to orbit in a designated area as reserve light source.The radar equipped TOC Caribou is flying a course at 3 500feet and parallel to the canal onwhich the VC are moving. It hasidentified landmarks and is standing by to assist aircraft either introuble or by directing their routeto the landing zone.

Mohawks are ordered to lookfor targets in the vicinity east ofthe canal and southeast of theLong My ou tpost while Red Devildrops flares.

At 0335 Long My reports it isnow also under attack from thevicinity of the canal to the southThe report also advises that a2 000-meter area to the east issui table for helicopter landings.

Meanwhile the Wine Treetroop-carrying he I i cop t e r uni t


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JOlns Blue Boy unit at the rendezvous poin .Heavy tracer fire from Long My

outpost, along with the flamingarrow, point south toward thecanal and southeast toward themain enemy effort. Very little action has developed north of theoutpost.

Choo Choo orders paratroopersdropped from a C-123 in an areanorth of Ap Binh Chanh. TheBlue Boy unit is deployed to coverroads and canals to the west andsouthwest of Long My.

The CH 47s are ordered to provide moonlight on the canaland objective areas. Enemy troopsare caugh t in the canal in boatsand in open areas nearby. Armedhelicopters are requested to approach these targets from west toeast at 500 feet or below. Moonlight aircraft remain at 1,000 to1,500 feet. The flare ship withdraws, but the A-IEs stand by,orbi ting the area.

At 0350 a group of three UH-IB

armed helicopters attacks enemyboats in the canal with machineguns and rockets. They are accompanied by a UH-I mountedwith a cluster of seven lightswhich provide a diffused floodlighting of the target area (seeSearchlight for Helicopters inthis issue). A second group ofthree Hueys (also accompanied bya floodlight mounted UH-I) attack the VC in the open area. Thefirst group of UH-IRs makes anadditional run on the VC in thecanal before withdrawing to refuel. The second flight of UH-IBsattacks a suspected area at theedge of a woods near a bridge bythe Long My ou tpos t.

All heliborne troops move intothe objective area. The Viet Congbegin a withdrawal to the east butare headed off by paratroopersdropped earlier north of Ap BinhChanh.

At 0410 all aircraft except the0-1 command aircraft, one CH-47on station, and the A-IEs are or-

Mopup operations below) following Moonlight Train account for prisoners right)

dered out of the immediate areaOu pos t Long My is ordered tohold fire unless attacked. RedDevil is dropping flares in thevicinity of the outpost at 2 minuteintervals. Five minutes later alsigns of attack have vanished andthe VNAF aircraft are released.

At 0445 ten Viet Cong ask forsafe conduct for others to surrender at Long My outpost. Anhour later first light breaks andall ARVN troops begin mopupoperations in the area west of thecanal and southeast of Long MyThey report heavy Viet Congcasualties-the count is not yecomplete.

0600 All participating units receive this message from the corpscommander:

OPERATION MOONLIGHTTRAIN AN UNPARALLELED SUCCESS. IT OPENS ANEW CHAPTER IN THENIGHT COUNTER-INSURGENCY OPERATIONS.THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN.


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T HE ENGINE comes out in short order. So dorotors and machineguns as the hookup crewis in the last throes of preparing a Huey for re-covery. Soon, the great beast would come in all itscyclonic fury to whisk away the wounded bird. twill soon become the responsibility of the DirectSupport Maintenance Company ready it forcombat another day.

Crack Ping Tiny explosions of machinegun firerain down just as the screaming Mojave enginesecho their arrival over the jagged peaks. Muzzlesbegin to heat as the crew returns fire while clumsilytrying to extract the last piece of equipment.

The armed ship guys spew their covering fires.The giant swoops down over the load, its waistgunners spurting intermittent tracers into sur-rounding brush.

With rifle barrels still blazing hot two men leapatop the now riddled Huey beneath the 100 mile anhour gale created by the mighty Mojave. The deaf-ening noise, the elephant grass blowing wildly asthe entire earth shakes, the incessant wait for thethumbs up sign from the "man over the hole," facedown in the belly of the suspended monster direct-ing the pilot over the load-every muscle strainsuntil hook and clevis meet. "Steady, you're hooked "

Jump down-lie flat-clear. A few utterances,maybe a "choi oi" or two until translational chat-ters. The mighty workhorse staggers off. An eye outnow for the rescuers. What a sight for burning eyes.All aboard. Next stop, Quang Ngai.JANUARY 1966 7


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A1E bombs VC emplacement concealedby heavy jungle Target marked byforward contmller

kyraider upportO NE OF THE most demand-ing combat tasks performedby armed helicopter crews in sup-port of efforts of the Republic ofVietnam is visual reconnaissanceand target destruction missionswithin the communist strongholdsin the forbidding jungles andwastelands. Those armed recon-naissance flights are necessary toprevent the enemy from massing8

Lieutenant avid H Price

his forces in these zones and todeny him the privilege of a safearea. To the fire teams these re-connaissances soon become rou-tine bu t no less hazardous.

Try t imagine yourself in thefire team leader s position as youread this article. This story istrue. Similar events are occurringin the combat experiences ofnearly every armed helicopter

pilot. Teamwork between serviceshas grown from haphazard be-ginnings experienced here to ahighly proficient and effectivefighting team.

Here s the situation. You are anarmed helicopter fire team leaderwhose principal area of operationsis the vi tal III Corps area aroundSaigon. You are familiar wi th thearea in which you are required to

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densest jungle canopy over whichto make your descent to contour.Another check with the fighters.They're orbiting overhead in position to answer your call. The F ACsays he'll keep you in sight.

Hustling down to contour youbegin the planned flight route. Nofire received as yet. But you knowthey're in there. Clearing ahead;you plan to stay at least 50 metersto its edge, not to fly over it. Youremember with a smirk how atFort Rucker you were required tokeep a forced landing area wi thinreach. You just hope and pray youdon't need one, for here you areat contour over two or three layers of jungle canopy. Flying overthe clearing causes your aircraftto closely resemble goldfish in abowl, and the Viet Cong tend totake the actions of a cat.So far so good; nothing unusualin the clearing. You plan to checkit again on your flight out, butfrom a different direction. Gardenarea is next; you check this closely. As you pass close to the gardenyou see a well used bridge, andthe water in the creek has recently

Lt Price s an instructor AviationArmament Division Dept of Tac-tics USAA VNS Ft Rucker Ala.10

been muddied. Someone just leftin a hurry.This calls for another pass-with faster airspeed and more evasive action. You roll in; you're onthe very edge of the clearing. Thedoor gunner probes the oppositetreeline with machinegun fire.Suddenly, Raider 22 receivingauto weapons fire, 3 o'clock, thetreeline " Your wingman has justbeen shot at.Well, now you know. The AirForce jockeys for position. Thewingman has marked the areawi th smoke. You call the F AC andhe approves the use of the fighters.Fixing the target with your machineguns, you issue strike instructions to the fighters simultaneously. You've increased youraltitude slightly. The target areasuddenly erupts with muzzleflashes. There's a .50 caliber inthere You dive for contour coverand report this new developmentto the fighters now inbound. Youget out of the way off to the side,close enough to observe and correct each fighter's pass.You've been jockeying for position to begin poststrike analysisas soon as possible after the lastfighter is off the target. You'recontour again and the last fighteris rolling in. You close with the

A-IE hits V target left)after receiving strikeinstructions from a fireteam of Hueys right)which begins a poststrikerecon

target area. You know you mustget in and out in a hurry and assoon after the last fighter as timewill allow. The bombs go off andyou're over the target; smoke fromthe strikes fills the cockpit. At80-90 knots you feel as if you'reover the target for a lifetime. Boy,you could sure use a Mohawknow. Seems to you it would be anideal ship for poststrike recons.You draw no fire on your reconnaissance and return to altitude for the smoke to clear. Evidently the Viet Cong have beendestroyed or routed. It was abeautiful strike. You make onehigh 1,500 foot pass over the areato observe the craters in the canopy. Hey, there's a hootch downthere and another, and another.This target is far from being developed and des troyed. You descend for a low recon. You're excited but you know that to getahead of yourself can be fatal toyou and your fire team. You remember the cardinal rules ofarmed helicopter employment andall your experiences these pastfew months.You position the fighters andinform them to begin their attackshould they observe white smokethrown from either of the fireteam's aircraft. You know you're



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vulnerable while reconning thesecraters. You re over the targetarea. The area is a complex ofwell constructed storage sheds andwarehouses. This must be one ofthe supply points and the battalionmust have been present when dis-covered by your fire team.

You report all this. On a secondpass you mark the area with col-ored smoke grenades, describingeach individual target to be de-stroyed within the target area.You ask the F AC to analyze thisinformation and determine if thefighters on hand can do this job.You recommend that the FACcontrol the amount of ordnance tobe expended from the fighters, s

it is a critical factor now

Your fireteam s tarts to

wi th such a largedestructionmission.

seal off the area bystrafing the ou tskirts. TheVC are undoubtedly moving bynow, having been discovered andhit hard. The FAC agrees and re-tains control ofthe fighters. Heinforms you that

he will request additional airsupport.

You re low on fuel and returnto the staging area. You feel good.You ve got valuable informationon the enemy and you ve devel-oped a target worthy of additionalair strikes, maybe even a thorough

ground operation to verify the re-sults of the Air Force work.But most of all you ve taken a

giant step in extending your re-connaissance/ destruction capabil-ity. The Army and Air Force havedeveloped and executed an out-standing method of reconnaissanceand instant destruction so vital inthis kind of warfare where theenemy is extremely elusive andsecond to none in the execution ofguerrilla warfare. You ve got to

find him fix him and destroy himimmediately or he will vanish.

The echo of the bombs can stillbe heard to the east as you stepout of your aircraft. It has been agood mibsion; you ve been in-volved in a highly successfulSKUNK HUNT


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E VEN THOUGH many aviators in Vietnam go on twoor three missions a day, desk typeslike me sometimes have troublegetting in as much flying as we'dlike. One way to remedy this is tovolunteer to fly emergency medi-cal evacuation missions.

One morning I was scheduledto go on a medical evacuation toan outpost just north of us. Noth-ing exciting, one of the defendershad a bad tooth that needed tocome out and another had a stubborn case of Vietnamese curse (alocal type of dysentery) andneeded something besides theusual dose of Polmagma to getrid of it.

The rest of the outfit was goingfishing to the south. Some VChad been reported hiding in amangrove swamp, and the commander of a nearby ARVN (Armyof the Republic of Vietnam) unithoped to flush them out.

As I settled for a landing at theoutpost, I heard the report of aweapon of some sort. Before Irealized what was happening I. heard another, and this timecould hear the whine of bulletsover the noise of the chopper. Igot out of there but quick.

As soon as I was ou t of range Icalled the outpost. They said wehad stirred up a mess of VC whowere hiding in a cleverly concealed trench between them andthe river. From my vantage pointI could see the L-shaped trenchabout 150 meters long. They hadapparently dug the trench duringthe night and now had the outpost under heavy fire.

We immediately flew back to thehome field. En rou te I con tactedthe old man and told him aboutbeing fired on. He said he hadheard from the garrison just a fewminutes before and was makingplans to help them. He asked meto come in as soon as possible be-12

ission Rescue

William H Smith

cause he would probably needevery helicopter in the area.When I shut down, the fuel

truck hurried over to service thehelicopter. Other Hueys weregetting ready to take off I intercepted the old man as he walkedto his ship. He said that the fishing expedition was being diverted to relieve the outpost. Hewas taking some gun ships to thearea to keep the battalion sizedenemy force under fire while theEagle Flights (airmobile ARVN)landed.

He questioned me in detailabout the size and location of VCat the outpost, possible landingareas, and type of fire I had received. When he was satisfied hesaid he would like for me t fly inthe radio relay aircraft (O-IF

Bird Dog) so I could see thewhole operation. Then I could report to him any new VC tactics orreinforcements being brought up.He also wanted me to look forany movement that might indicate VC positions we didn t already know about.

On the way back to the outpostI had time to think about my mission. Being able to fly over thearea and see the whole battlefieldspread out like a giant sand tableis a great advantage. But it willbe much better when observationsare made by television camerasand watched by the CO in hisown tent or aerial command post.

We had just taken our positionhigh above the outpost when theold man and his gun ships arrivedto mess up the VC's plans. The

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ships immediately received heavyfire bu t the best I could tell itwas mostly light caliber stuff.The gun ships braved the fire

and went to work. The trenchesmade i t Ii ttle hard bu the pres-sure was taken off the outpost asmore and more VC concentratedtheir efforts against the hatedAmerican helicopters.

In the distance I could see morehelicopters coming in. This wouldbe the first contingent of EagleFlight, about 7 ARVN troops. thad been exactly an hour sincethe VC first attacked, and herewas help already. It would havetaken many hours for these sametroops to come in y land.

Getting the troops into a suit-able landing area was not easy.The helicopters wanted to getclose to the VC since it would re-duce ARVN exposure time to VCfire. But if they came in too close

they would be subjected to heavyfire.The old man made severalpasses and finally settled on acleared area to the right of theVC s L. Between the area and theL was a line of palm trees and low

scrub that would provide a screen.He guided the Eagle Flight intothis area, making sure they camein from the blind side. All thewhile the armed Hueys kept upfire on the VC trenches.

No sooner had the first UH-IBset down than it received fire. TheVC had stationed a few men inthe wooded area. According toradio chatter one aircraft was hitbut not seriously. The others weresaved when ARVN troops jumpedout of the aircraft and ran acrossthe field, forcing the VC to retreat.Once the VC had been drivenout of the woods, the Eagle Flightadvanced on those in the trenches.

Gunships below) keep V pinned down while RVN troops right) jwnp off

t was hard going but they madesteady advances, helped by thegun ships that kept the VC pinneddown.

ARVN troops had advancedabout 700 meters when I noticedthat one by one the armed heli-copters started leaving the area.They had used up their ammunition and were returning for more.Eventually only two Panther (.50caliber) UH-IBs were left. Theyorbited above the operationalarea, attacking specific targets oncall.

With loss of fire support fromthe armed helicopters, ARVNtroops were pinned down by theintense automatic weapons fire.As far away as I was, I could seetha t they were suffering an alarm-ing casualty rate.

Panther UH-IBs are not pri-marily designed for generalground support work. But it was

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boutThis Special ssueT HIS ISSUE of the DIGEST is devoted to Army Aviation's missionin Vietnam. In the group of short articles which follow we triedto include information about as many different operations as possible.Some important activities have been omitted, not because we chose toleave them out but because we lacked coverage.f you are serving in Vietnam, perhaps this issue will help acquaintyou with the activities of other units. f you are expecting orders to

Vietnam, we hope it will help you prepare for service there. Regard-less of the unit to which you are assigned or the job which you do,members of the Army Aviation team in Vietnam will be as professionalin action as they are brave.

rmts newest and first a irmobi le division1st ay in V i e I t ~ ~ ~ ; ; ~

OR 22 years the Ist CavalryDivision has served as anin the Far East.t has a proud heritage to live up

and is doing just that in Viet-As the Army s first TOE Airmo-

in late JulyFort Benning, Ga. A few

and1st Cav (on duty inhad been exchanged with2nd Infantry Division s (see

Ist ~ a v a l r y Division (Airmo-DIGEST, AugustAlthough not

1966

pioneers great sweep westward toCalifornia.Two battalions of the 7th Cav-alry which fought under the lead.ership of Col George A Custer atthe battle of the Little Big Horn

in 1879 are members of today s1st Cavalry Division.The division s first mission wasto patrol the land along the Mexi-

can border. urillg the depressed.~ 8 s the 1st Cav WaJ r e J P n s i ~for training Civilian ConservationCorps youths. In me early 401 itwas preparing for war.

The division was ready whenbombs fell on Pearl Harbor, butits first call to action came in1943 The Army ordered the cav-alrymen to turn in their horsesand sail to Camp Strathpine, Aus-tralia, as a dismouQted uniL In1944 they aShOre Los

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eamwork

oldier looks for airdrop of supplies

oint ffortA UNIQUE resupply programin the Republic of Vietnamhas matched the Army and AirForce in a joint operation whichaccounted for over a millionpounds of cargo moved during thefirst full month of operation.

Located 220 miles northeast ofSaigon on the South China Sea isa detachment of U. S Army andAustralian Caribou that teamwith U. S Air Force C-123 planesto perform this unusual duty.

This joint team resupplies allSpecial Forces camps in an areaover 500 miles long and rangingfrom 50 to 250 miles wide.

Where the Viet Cong are stillactive, Vietnamese Air Force Sky-raider fighters are employed forprotection of delivery aircraft.The Army and Air Force pilotsspeak highly of these men whorendezvous with cargo planes andescort them in for the off-loadingoperation.

One pilot said, It's amazinghow much respect the Viet Conghave for these fighters. Whenthey see them escorting us, theyare very reluctant to break up theshow with ground fire.

Also helping to provide protection in hostile areas are armed. . . and gets them with on the spot delivery

UH-IB helicopters. They provideclose cover when one of the cargoplanes must land, off-load, andtake off. During this period, thechoppers hover close above theairstrip looking for enemy whomight decide to get into the act.

Normal runs for the planes average one long-distance and sev-eral short-haul runs per day.When moving large, heavy loadssuch as ammuni tion, the planeswill operate in a shuttle manner,taking a full load each trip.

For the men in isolated camps,the sight of the cargo planes ispleasant indeed, since for most it'stheir only contact with the outside world. The pilots and crewtherefore, try to bring the latestnews from 'adjacent units.Professionalism and skill of thepilots making these supply runs isunquestioned. They must knowall the factors of each SpecialForces camp, including weatherconditions, runway peculiarities,and all the approaches that can beused in bad weather.

Whether t is an Australianpilot, American Army Aviator orAir Force pilot, they all know thatthese supplies are the backbonefor the Special Forces men inthese camps

U. S ARl\fY AVIATION DIGEST


19/52

F01 crewchief nd gunner it s

Long oursF OOTSTEPS OF the security guard stepping onrocks and sloshing through mud puddles werethe only sounds heard on the airfield. UH-IBs werelined up against the dark grey background of therising sun.

A ghostly figure glides slowly toward the helicopters, pausing only to put out his cigarette. He takesa few more steps and opens the sliding door of oneof the helicopters. A loud thud breaks the silence ashis flak jacket and helmet hit the steel deck.The security guard signifies that everything s allright. As a small light goes on in the helicopter, the

outline of the man becomes clearer. Now it is easilyseen that the helicopter is an armed ship. Its co-axially mounted machineguns glisten in the brightlight.Another man walks to the aircraft, straining un

der a heavy weight in his arms. A loud metallicclank echoes through the air as four machinegunbarrels and two M-60 machineguns are dumped onthe helicopter s deck. The four barrels are insertedinto their receivers while one machinegun is hungon each side of the Huey in the open doorway.

As the sun rises higher on the horizon the aircraftand its guardians are plainly visible. The first mannow climbs slowly up the side of the helicopter andchecks the rotor blade and engine compartment.Satisfied that all is in order, he climbs down andchecks the gauges located along the side.

He walks to the rear and unraveis and releasesthe rotor blade tiedown hook. The heavy blade tipslightly in the early morning breeze as it movesslowly in a circular motion.A jeep pulls up alongside the aircraft and its twopassengers dismount and carry helmets, flak jackets,sidearms, and mapcases into the aircraft. An hourhas gone by since the first man, the aircraft s crewchief, arrived. The gunner has adjusted and checkedthe aircraft s armament system, as well as loaded allweapons for immediate use.

Looking back and nodding his approval to thecrewchief and gunner, the Huey commander startsthe engine for the day s mission. He knows that regardless of the time their mission is completed thisevening the crew chief and gunner will spend anhour or more readying the aircraft for the next day.JANUARY 1966 7


20/52

Praying Manti.

VietnamHeavyweight

HY IT LOOKS like apraying mantis, is theusual exclamation heard when

one sees the CH-54 Flying Cranehelicopter for the first time. tdoes indeed look like a prayingmantis. Despite its ungainly appearance, the Flying Crane hasbecome the heavy workhorse ofthe 1st Air Cavalry Division.

With two 4,000 hp turbine jetengines, the giant can lift some1 tons of rna terial by sling. Useof a winch with a 100-foot extension potential allows the crane tolower its sling load into heavy undergrowth that would defeat an

18

ordinary load-carrying helicopter.In what is known in the division as a people pod, a van-likedevice, the CH-54 can carry 67fully combat loaded troops. An

other use for the pod is as a mobile command post or communications center.But it is preferable not to use

the pods for general utility workbecause the weight of the podmust be subtracted from the totalpayload. The cranes work bestwhen using their sling-loadingcapability.

This unusual looking aircrafthas become the sensation of Vietnam.

People pod

rUH1s of another aviationpany and seven Vietnatnese AirForce VNAF) piloted CH84troop carriers. Meanwhile, sevenarmed UHls were prestriking atthe assault posi tion.N ow the five Americans wentinto action. They were the Pathfinder Team, the men who set upthe landing zones LZ) and pickup zones PZ). The lieutenantin charge pulled the pin of agreen smoke grenade and tossedit high into the air. The emeraldvapor told the pilot of the leadship where to land, all accordingto preflight briefing.A specialist kept up radio C.JD-tact with an 0-1 reconnaissanceplane circling the area. It reported any threatening advance ofViet Cong guerrillas known to bein the area. Standing by the radiowas a liaison officer. Not officiallya member of the team, he was


21/52

time. Vietnamese rmytroops of an airborne brigade ranand boarded the s i p s ~ mentook off with first lift. Withinminutes the UH-ls and the sevenVNAF troop carriers flew up theT.

The first two lifts carried outover 600 men, the third andfourth lift raised the total to approximately 1,100 ARVN troops.

The lieutenant is the onlyqualified Pathfinder in this operation. The rest of the team hasd o ~ e little or none of this typework before. Their work is strtctlyvoluntary; all of these men haveregular jobs.The contribution of these menis vital and worthy of considerable praise. But when it reallymatters, when t really counts, allthe credi t hey need is the confidence of the pilots, and they havethat.

LoW , SloWand eliableU NDER THE malevolent sunin Vietnam, a concrete rectangle rising a foot out of theground beside the door of an aviation company orderly room says,The OTTERS NEST - Wel-come.

We don ' t think our job isglamorous, but a lot of peoplehave that impression about fly-ing, remarked the commandingofficer.Several regions in this countrydepend on us for supply, evacuation of wounded, and courierruns. These hamlets and outpostsin Viet Cong territory are accessible only by air. We have to flyour Otters in. That makes our jobimportant.A rugged-looking aircraft witha sturdy airframe built for battering work, the Otter is not apretty ship. It looks disproportioned with its long wing andwing struts, gangly landing gearand larger wheels, plus its extended chubby fuselage and squat tailassembly.

But the U-IA does the work forwhich it was designed. It flies lowand slow; above all it is reliable.

The company is called out frequently for night medical evacu-

a tions. This work is hazardous because the Otters have to fly intounlighted airstrips, often on the

fringe of thunderstorms and overmountainous country. They havelanded by mortar flare manytimes. Getting shot at by VietCong ground fire is part of thebusiness.

During last February's VietCong mortar attack at Pleiku, twoplanes in the company were calledin to air evacuate casualties. Although it meant flying at nightinto an area still hot with VC,many wounded were flown safelyto medical facili ties.Otters hauled artillery andsmall arms ammuni tion to theoutpost at Dong Xoai when theVC had it under attack. They resupplied it after the fight. Closecalls under fire were common.

The Otter is ideally suited forits mission: support of ArmyAviation in the Republic of Vietnam.

9


22/52

aul e n ~ Machines

Carrying on 2 year tradition ofgiving groun commandersairborne eyes s role of

20

O IFs inVietnam

HAT IS DUTY like witha Caribou Company inVietnam?An average day for the crew

and pilots starts at 0500 and endsat 1900, seven days a week. Predawn hours will find crews busilypreparing aircraft for flightsthroughout the Republic of Vietnam. At dusk crews make finalchecks and bed down for thenight.Army crews of one aVIatIOncompany average eight to tenflights per day. Their total deliveries for a recent month included1,508 tons of cargo and 14,944passengers.

Terrain, enemy situations, andclimatic conditions make flyingsupply missions dangerous. ManyCaribou pilots have made matchbox landings on strips not muchlarger than a football field. Thisfactor increases the dangers ofsupply missions to the manymote compounds throughout theRepublic of Vietnam.

Not only does the Caribou company land supplies at airfields butthey also airdrop a large percentto remote Army Special Forces

A RMY AVIATION'S newestunit insignia on aircraftover the Mekong Delta are crossedshotguns. They belong to an 0-1FBird Dog company.Mission of the Shotguns is toprovide ground commandersthroughout the delta with greatersurveillance and target detectioncapabilities. It also includes suchmissions as artillery adjustment,radio relay, psychological warfareoperations, target marking, flaredrops and aerial resupply.

Their ligh t fixed wing airplanesare able to operate out of relatively unimproved airstrips, and

camps throughout the delta.Ninety-five percent of all dropsare recovered, \Yhich s exceptional even under ideal conditions butextraordinary under combat conditions.

Lolex procedures are in common usage. Lolex drops are madefrom 3 to 15 feet above theground, and supplies can be placedwithin 20 yards of a given area.

Additional missions includesupplying airplanes to an airborneunit for jumps, medical teams forevacuations of U .. S. and Vietnamese personnel, flare drops, andradio relay.Despite the hazardous duty imposed by flying iIi support ofArmy v i a ~ i o n missions, safety ofoperations has not been neglected.One company had flown over13,000 accident free hours during1965. They are confiden t of reaching their 1965 goal of 15,000 ac-cident free hours.

.Professionalism in doing theirjobs, individually and as a team,gives every member of the company assurance that they are onthe right track.are permanently located at suchstrips which offer adequate se-curity.

An a via tor and airplane are as-signed different areas in thedelta and live and operate withU. S. advisors. Each Bird Dog carries a trained Vietnamese observerin addition to the pilot, and eachhas constant commuriications withhis separate operations centers.By keeping on the alert for VietCong movements and buildupsand quickly calling in fire support, Shotguns are rapidly proving to be an invaluable additionto the mission of supporting theRepublic of Vietnam.

U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


23/52

N THEIR FIRST 42 days inVietnam the 1st Air CavalryDivision s helicopter reconnaissance squadron flew 567 combatmissions.We often fly day and night try

ing to locate the n ~ y and we'vehad as many as IS pilots fired onin a single day," one platoon leader said.

Another pilot remarked, Atfirst I used to get a little shookup when the Viet Cong would fireat me, bQt after a ~ h i l you getused to t and it doesn't reallybother you."Flying the OH-13, which has noarmor protection, is like sitting ina fishbowl just waiting to getcracked. Visibility is unlimitedbut the pilot and observer feelkind of naked sitting out there inthe bubble.So far the helicopters have heldup under fire better than the pilots t h o u g ~ t they would.

They're a little slow. They'llonly do about 7 knots, butthey're a small ~ a r g e t , one pilotventured. When we first startedworking with them we thoughtwe'd been assigned to the suicidesquadron. But our experiencewith them has been fine."Usually the Sioux fly in teamsof two, one equipped with 7.62mm machineguns on each side

hinooksccept

hallenge- -,1

JANUARY 1966

Heap BigLittle Scout

and the other carrying eight 2.75inch aerial rockets.On scout missions forward ofthe infantry troops the Sioux tryto get a fix on the enemy. Theirjob is a lot easier when the VietCong fire on them because then

-L IKE ITS World War II nu-merical counterpart the C-47,the CH-47 is proving itself to bethe workhorse of the 1st Air Cavalry Division.Since their arrival in Vietnam,Chinooks have flown night andday carrying loads that vary from1 5 mm howitzers to pigs, chickens, rice, downed helicopters, andmedical evacuees.According to the battalion operations officer, unit Chinooks flyan average of 850 missions per

they can pinpoint the enemy in amatter of seconds and call inarmed Hueys or artillery support.A platoon leader stated, "Everyday we are proving the advantages of an airmobile unit in thiskind of war."

week carrying 550 tons of equip-ment and 1,500 passengers.

With the many hours the Chinooks spend in the air, maintenance can become a real problem.Battalion aircraft repairmen workwi th a real sense of urgency.Sixty percent of the maintenance performed on the aircraftis done by the helicopter's owncrewchief and flight engineer.Most of the men work 14 to 16hours a day to keep their ships intop running order.

21


24/52

e r ForgetMaior Milton P Cherne

T w HEADS are better thanone is an oft-used saying.When both heads appear on thesame object the saying becomesdebatable. Some would say thatyou really have nothing but a twoheaded monster.

Be that as it may, you can addto the problem by making itlook like a common tropical fruit,designing it to operate in thearctic, employing it near theequator, and naming it after agl u tenous animal.

Seemingly, with a beginningsuch as this, it would be improbable that fame and success couldever be achieved. However, theHog-two-one CH-21) not onlytook part in epochal events, butpersonally wrote a few chaptersfor people to ponder. The bananashaped chopper was known andidentified worldwide. Her pictureappeared in print from west toeast and north to south. Printedboldly across her sides in hugeblock letters was U. S ARMY.Newspapers, television, maga-

zines and radio covered her exploits in Vietnam beginning inDecember 1961. Even the VietCong acknowledged her presencewith crude drawings which weredistributed to their better gunnersand regular units.

Some people, unfortunately,never have the opportuni ty toface a moment of truth. Some,unfortunately, have a moment oftruth and find they are not capable of handling the situation.They are not prepared: do nothave the intestinal fortitude tomeasure up to the task at handand must back away from thechallenge. To face such a situationand to surmount all obstacles incumbent with a mission is to experience a unique sense of realaccomplishment and personal satisfaction.

f just one of her heads had amemory, she could remember 22December 1961 when she blazedher way to fame during the irstU. S Army heliborne assault inthe Republic of Vietnam. Shecould recall the steaming junglesand elephant grass; the floodedrice lands of the Vietnamese deltaarea; her personal wounds andthe agony of the wounded soldiersshe evacuated; names like Pleiku,Da Nang, N a Trang, Ap Bac,Soc Trang, My Tho, Cau Mau,and other strange sounding places.

Fame is short lived and successcan only be measured by what remains after you depart. When youare emulated after your departure,or when your accomplishmentsbecome a new set of standards, orwhen your meager successes arebuilding blocks for bigger andbetter things, then you have beensuccessful.

So call her a two-headed monster if you will, or a gas guzzlingHog, but ne'er forget, ole CH-21faced her moment of truth, tastedthe sweet fruit of success, andpaved the way for the future.



25/52

advisor over Warof Saigon.

N A WAR IN which the con-tested territory frequently liesmen's minds, words count heav. High priority has been giventhe Republic of Vietnam to aI ~ < : : t o : : t kind of war. Its weaponsloudspeakers and leaflets; its

program which promises the VietCong complete amnesty if theysurrender to government forces.It asks villagers not to cooperatewith the enemy and warns themto keep clear of target areas during air strikes.

Each speaker ship has eightlarge megaphones mounted onone side. An armed escort fliesnearby, ready to suppress enemyfire. It will attack only on ordersfrom the PSYWAR officer in thespeaker ship. Only he knows thesector well, and the mission mustnot be jeopardized by placing firein a friendly area.

As the helicopter slowly circlesa few square miles of farmland,the two girls take turns at themicrophone. The Philippine PSY-WAR officer drops the leaflets.The VC do not like this brandof war. On each trip the helicopters are fired upon. Sometimescrewmembers are wounded, butPSYWAR is necessary if men'sminds are to be won for freedom's side.

are young Vietnameseand men. Called PSYWAR,. t is proving very effective.

The Vietnamese Information(VIS) broadcasts itsHoi or Open Arms

PSYWAR is not entirely a Vietnamese show. Rather, these operations are those of close cooperation between Americans, Vietnamese, and Third-Country advisors. On a recent mission, aU. S.

Airborne Radio Relay TeamsOW DO commanders at the front of a division assault, which may be as much as 100iles distant, communicate with higher headquarters?

Radios small enough to be carried by airmobiley troops cannot e used effectively at rangesover 30 miles.

The solution worked out by the signal battalionas to establish five airborne radio relay teams,

wo mounted in CV 2B Caribou of the 17th Aviation Company and three in their own UH-ID helicopters.

Nine men from a company ft the b t t l i o ncomprise the division Airborne ladio lay Team.Each of the two Caribou teams e st of threeJANUARY 1966

men, allowing one man to rest while the other twooperate the equipment on flights which may extendup to 12 hours.Each of the Huey teams has one man who mustwork his equ ipment for up to four hours at a time,the maximum cruising period for the helicopter.

During an operation we try to keep at least oneof the Caribou and two of the Hueys airborne atall times, the team leader said.His equipment increases the range of the FMfamily of radios up to 100 miles by retransmittingsignals received on one frequency, amplifying themand transmitting them on another. The team canhandle up to six different transmissions simultaneously on the rigs used in the Caribou, and up tothree in the Hueys.


26/52

rIDy vi tio


27/52

n ietnalll


28/52

26

olonel Ben F Hardaway USAFh i e f ~ dvanced Research Projectsgency Research and DevelopmentField U n i t ~ P O ~ San Francisco 96243

Searchlightfor elicopters

O NE OF THE greatest challenges encountered by counterinsurgency forces is the necessity to find and destroy guerrillasoperating at night The insurgentuses every cover available to him,and night is his natural environmen Passi ve defense measuresare totally inadequate to meet, letalone de eat, aggressive bands operating with full initiative undercover of darkness.

Parachu te-suspended pyrotech-U. S ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


29/52


30/52

eminiscences from Vietnam are pieced together toportray some of the ways in which a flight surgeonspends his time there} perhaps in wh t could beconstrued s a

TypicalDayMajor Anthony A. Bezreh

Chief, Department of Aviation MedicineU S Army Hospital, Fort Rucker, AlabamaY OU'LL LIKE the doc. Weall like him here, said the

CO as we picked our way a ~ r o s sperforated steel plates that weresinking into the mud path heading from the flight line to thecompound. We had just flown inby Otter, or by the grace of God,as the case may be, through amountain pass t h ~ t was obs-curedby overcast. But t h ~ pilotsknew by feel where that pass hadto be, and they were right. Theyhad a r e ~ l quiet audience in thecabin though while we were inthe process of finding this out.Why, we'd never accomplish amission if we turned back everytime we ran into a situation like

that, was the all too true explanation.

Yes, you'll like the doc. Hewas green as they come whenhe first got h e r ~ . You should haveseen the way he had on his uniforml

But, he's a conscientious, hardworker and has picked things upreal fast. We couldn't g ~ t alongwithout him now. He's right withthe program, all the way.A duck up-der a tent flap and wewere in the aviation dispensary.

A gangling doctor in fatigues wasleaning over a patien t on the examining table. Have you everseen a case of dengue? he askedafter some brief introductions. Ithink this pilot has dengue, butI can't be sure. The fever, the rashand the abdominal pain all fit thepicture; so we're going to airevachim out to the field hospital thismorning. The pilot s m i ~ e d weakly, and I thought a little sheepishly, as if he were getting a vacation that wasn't quite sure heneeded.

With this disposition decided,we became buried in the onslaughtof sick call. What seemed like abattalion of athlete's foot, heatrashes, simple diarrheas, runnynoses, and muscular aches andstrains marched through the littletent in relentless p r o c ~ s s i o n toeach of which the doc adeptlyadministered the proper potion.

Pretty routine stuff usuallythis sick call. The hard part comeslater when the guys ani returning rom the mission. Other than thatthe problems are psychologicalstress reactions a n d ~ n occasionalcase of some communicable disease. There is one of the pilots I'm

particularly worried about. He'sbeen in and out of a state of depression for the last couple ofweeks. He's developeg a bad attitude and I'm afraid it might affectthe morale of some of the others.

After inspecting the latrines, weheld a meeting to outline a ratcontrol program since some bigones had been seen around thecompound. Then came the problem of whether to requisitionsome gamma globulin. t seemsthat one of the cooks had justcome down with hepatitis and itwas feared that an p i d e P l i ~ mightbreak out among ~ h e men. Nowwe have got to decide whether weshould watchfully wait to see ifany secondary cases of hepatitisbreak out or whether we shouldgo ahead with the tedious job ofshooting everyone prophy actionally with gamma globulin.

While we were mulling over thepros and cons of this, a call camein from an ARVN company in thearea to pick up some woundedmen in need of emergency medical care. As we ran ou t toward thehelipad, the UH-I was alreadywinding up. It was raining heavilyand visibility was miserable. ~ e

28 U. S ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


31/52

chopper nearly hovered its wayacross the top of the jungle, eventually toward the vague glow ofa flare.As it sat down iil a clearing,some ARVN troops appearedfrom the shadows carrying threewounded men toward the chopper. The injured clambered orwere barely piled aboard beforewe whisked away. By the time theblood soaked pressure dressingswere changed and the injuries as-sessed, the air ambulance hadfound its way to the ARVN hospital. There the patients were absorbed amidst the hurry-scurry ofnurses moving like swift whiteangels in their starched uniforms.We talked for a few momentswith the ARVN doctor beforeleaving. We hardly have anyspace to put these men, he said.We left him to his destiny, not tofeel sorry for ourselves again fora long, long time.

Evening brought fatigue andboredom to most of us in the compound. After chow we watched amovie, but couldn't really get in-terested in it. A mission wasscheduled for tomorrow, whichmean t increased tension to many.

JANUARY 1966

With little left to do most of themen wandered off to hi t the sack.

The doc and I headed towardthe club. On the way we met aman dressed in civilian clothes.He had a pistol in his belt andlooked as if he had been runninga long way. A closer look in themoonlight revealed that he wasthe individual pointed out to meearlier. Doc asked him to come oninto the club with us. We enteredthe bamboo hut together and allsat down facing each other. Someone lit a dim lamp that justseemed to increase the shadows,and we opened sonie cans of beer.Sipping the cold brew we staredat each other's silhouettes.Still obviously wrought up, theaviator suddenly blurted out,Doc, I can't go on that missiontomorrow . . . I'm tired of beingshot at. I just can't take it anymore I'm scared. f I fly tomorrow, i'll get i t for sure; I'mjinxedDoc let him run on un til hequieted down a bIt. Then hecountered, You know you'll haveto go. You're in the same boat aseveryone else. Some of the othersare afraid too, but they go just the

same. We need every man we'vegot. Tell you what, I've got to flytomorrow with someone. It mightjust as well be you. Why don'twe go together? That way I canfind out what this jinx is allabout.

A few minutes later, the aviatorleft, seemingly satisfied with theplans for tomorrow's mission. Docexplained to me that this aviator'sproblems had been compoundedby his love for a local giil and hisapprehensions about having toleave her. Fatigue, personal problems, and stress' of war can sometimes cause the latent fear in eachof us to become temporarily predominant.

The next morning, Doc and theaviator showed up at the flightline together, as if nothing hadever happened. All the aviatorswent out and they all came back.That night Doc went to sleepsmiling to himself over a smalltherapeutic triumph that otherswould never know about. thinkthe pilot slept well that night, too,for he had faced his fears and likethe ghosts they were, they disappeared.

9


32/52

ERE AT Pleiku, like many other installationsin Vietnam, we are a small detachment supporting an Airmobile Light Helicopter Company

and an additional airlift platoon. One phase of ourjob deals with aircraft recovery. Being a third echelon agency we work with our direct support agencyin recovery of aircraft. However, when companysize operations do not necessitate a direct supportrecovery team to be on hand, we must always beready to perform the needed first-aid to get ourdowned bird home again.30

This article tells how aviation personnel are helpingto solve problems with field expedient measures andquick exchange assemblies. Ingenuity and profes-sionalism are evident and unit missions are accom-plished faster7safer.

On SiteOil oolerSwap

aptain Fred R Michelson

Past experience in recovery of downed helicopters in a combat zone can produce quite a stimulusfor devising many timesaving quick change assemblies. We of the 545th Transportation Detachmenthave had quite a few recoveries within the last 60days but of these recoveries we can think of twofor which we wished we d done some earlier engineering and planning.

These two dealt wi th damaged oil coolers. f youare an old UH-IB mechanic or maintenance officerthen you probably know the hours and gymnasticsit takes to pull and install oil cooler assemblies. fyou are not familiar with the system then take myword for i t i t can t be done quickly. Our best timefor pulling and installing an oil cooler and fan issomething like 2 hours and 45 minutes, and wethought we were doing well. However as you knowwhen a bird goes down 2 hours and 45 minutes, itseems more like an agonizing era of unpleasantchance in the Viet Cong infested countryside.

We have in the past devised quick change as-semblies on engines fuel tanks and tail booms bu tCapt Michelson s CO7545 th Transportation Detach-ment Cargo Helicopter Field Maintenance)7 POSan Francisco 96318.



33/52

nothing in the way of changing oil coolers quickly.Thus I hereby convey our new dream come true aQCA oil cooling system.

This new 15-minute installation is made up ofthe following parts:Engine and cooler components1 ea Engine oil cooler assy FSN 1560-737-66052 ea Oil fittings ___ FSN 1560-898-00071 ea Tee fitting _ FSN 4730-278-27791 ea Elbow fitting __ FSN 4730-277-24591 ea Tube reducer fitting _ SN 4730-805-51001 ea Coupler reducer elbow FSN 4730-886-14001 ea Hose assy FSN 4720-738-82841 ea Hose assy PN 60100-12D-12541 ea Coupling half quickdisconnect _ _____ SN 4730-684-7150

Transmission cooler bypassea Hose assy __ _ __ FSN 4720-758-01721 ea Nipple tube FSN 4730-684-69142 ea Coupling half quickdisconnect _ _ .FSN 4730-773-2621The top heater compartment door located on the

right side of the aircraft was manufactured out of. 63 sheet aluminum with an extra layer of .063

aluminum riveted to the inside for reinforcementwhere the cooler is bolted to the door. We alsomanufactured two braces which run from the outside of the cooler to two bolts around the fuel capThis also adds stability to the mounting

Proper procedures for installation of this QCAfollow: Open transmission coupling and remove oilhose from transmission sump to work deck on leftside and cap male quick disconnect. Position oil hose FSN 4720-758-0172 on sump

outlet connection and route around front of transmission sump. Remove female quick disconnect half from

main transmission oil filter inlet hose to sump ou -let hose with hose nipple FSN 4730-684-6914. Cap quick disconnect with female quick disconnect half which has had inside release pin removedand hose connection capped to keep out dirt.

Proper procedures for installation of enginecooler assembly are as follows: Close right engine and transmission couplingand replace upper heater compartment door withnew cooler mounted aluminum door

QCA oil cooler on uey that s ready tor return to base maintenance

JANUARY 1966 31


34/52

Far right: Quick changeassembly shown with Hueytop heater compartmentdoor removedRight Installation withheater compartmentdoor closed

Open left engine coupling and remove hosefrom engine oil pump to work deck. Cap quick disconnect with female quick disconnect which has had inside release pin removedand cap fitted to hose connection to keep dirt out

Position hose PN 60100-12D-1254 from oil cooler inlet to engine oil pump outlet through rightengine coupling fire extinguisher door. Position hose FSN 4720-738-8284 from coolerou tIet to engine oil tank inlet through transmissionfire extinguisher access hole and then cap oil tankinlet tubing to keep out dirt

Tighten all parts fittings and braces and runup aircraft to check for leaks instrument readingsand stability of mount

Data obtained during this test flight were:Outside air 240 C.Engine oil temperature after start 43.Engine oil pressure 75 psi.Transmission oil temperature 53 and slowlyclimbing.Transmission oil pressure 67 psi.All other instruments were reading normalAircraft was then hovered for 5 minutes andchecked again for leaks and instrument readings:Engine oil temperature 60 and rising slowly.Engine oil pressure 70 psi.Transmission oil temperature 68 and risingslowly.Transmission oil pressure 60 psi.All other instruments were reading normal andwell wi thin limits.

32

Our test flight covered a period of 45 minutes.During this time we made three normal takeoffsand landings. The remaining 30 minutes was spent

..at normal crllise power setting. Our altitude indicated 4 000 feet and an outside air temperature of20 C. The following readings were obtainedthroughout the flight:500 engine oil temperature

70 psi oil pressure.60 psi oil pressure.78 transmission oil temperatureAll other readings were normal and well withinlimits.Aircraft was then returned to the airfield and

hovered to parking- wi thou t change of readings.After shutdown the battery switch and inverterswere left in the on position for 10 minutes to obtain

the following readings:Engine oil temperature rose to 68 then startedslowly cooling.Transmission oil steadily cooled.All other readings were normalIn summary the entire flight was made withouta transmission oil cooler and the engine oil rancooler than normal mounted outside the aircraft.

We feel that the contribution and effort of unitmechanics for gathering and constructing this oilcooler QCA was a major boost to efficient future recoveries. f we never have to recover another aircraft with a shot up oil cooler we can at leastbreathe easier knowing we can perform this otherwise time-consuming chore quickly.



35/52

cr sh s ns

new accident preventione v e l o p ~ y the

S nd Aviation Battalion


36/52

E FFECTIVE AIRCRAFT accidentprevention starts at thetop. Nowhere is this better illustrated than withthe SNOWBALL prog;ram recentiy started bythe 52nd Aviation Battalion. Following is a

letter the battalion commander dispatched to allbattalion unit commanders 1 September 1965:

During the past 30 days this battalion has experienced an unacceptably high aircraft accidentrate. Through arious circumstances we, or attachedunits, have totaled four helicopters and one O-IF.One aviator has died, three have been seriously injured, and several other crewmembers have receivedminor injuries.

In conference with most unit commanders,safety and maintenance officers, I have attempted toisolate one or more common factors that may account for these accidents, particularly the problemof engine failures. Thus far, no common factor canbe determined. Therefore, I propose to institutecertain actions designed to: Reemphasize the fundamentals of safe aircraftmaintenance and operation.

Reevaluate our operational procedures to ensure that mission accomplishment does not lead usinto overtaxing men and machines beyond safe tolerances.

Effective upon receipt of this letter, each unitcommander will institute within his organizationthe SNOWBALL concept of daily working accidentprevention procedures. Fundamentally, SNOWBALL is designed to create in the minds of everyaviator, crewchief, and mechanic, as well as operations personnel, air traffic controllers, POL andmunitions handlers, and supervisors, the need forthat extra daily effort necessary to eliminate conditions which contribute to accidents.

At its inception, each unit will set as its goal anaccident free record for the following day. Thisdaily approach will be continued until a week without accidents has been achieved. The unit will thenset its goal for a second accident free week. By thismeans, the days will SNOWBALL into a monthwithout accident in the battalion. We will thensnowball the months until we have set a safetyrecord for all to admire. Specifics of SNOWBALLinclude:

Examination and adjustment, as required, ofall engines so that the NI turbine speed is within4

limi s set by the green run sheet. This will be accomplished by the field maintenance unit with as-sistance of the Lycoming technical representative. A positive and daily reemphasis of safe practices, checks, inspections and training. A programmed, controlled and thoroughly supervised program of inspections of airfield and

stagefield facilities with particular emphasis on airtraffic control, parking procedures, and POL quality controls. Installation of signs reading SNOWBALL inall offices, briefing rooms, messes, latrines, clubs,and living quarters. These signs need not be fancy,merely legible.

Positive and close supervision by commandersof training given to newly arrived aviators to ensure a more than adequate checkout. Close controlby experienced aviators until new personnel havethoroughly mastered the demanding flight techniques required by operations in this area. A continuous search for unsafe conditions orpractices. When detected, appropriate action willbe taken to correct such conditions and an informalreport will be made to this headquarters ATTN:Safety Officer) so that other units may profit. Conditions which cannot be corrected at local level willbe reported to this headquarters so that assistancemay be provided.

Close monitoring of pilot time. An aviatorreaching 90 hours of flying time in anyone monthwill be grounded until examined by a flight surgeon who may release him for up to llO hour:s permonth. This program must be carefully administered, however, since conditions and types of operations vary greatly among units, and tolerancesamong individual aviators likewise vary. Platooncommanders must be particularly alert to the physical limitations of all pilots. It is far better to groundan aircraft than to destroy it and its crew.

In summary, I reemphasize that SNOWBALLis not a gimmick. It is a positive, progressive program, dedicated to creating a daily mental attitudethat will cause crewchiefs and mechanics to devoteextra effort to find and correct the minor deficiencies that cause accidents- that will cause aircraftcommanders and pilotsto make more carefulpreflights, to keep acloser check on their instruments in flight, andto ensure their operatingthe aircraft within mechanical tolerances-that



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will cause tower operators to tighten up their actions for safer flight within the vicinity of our airfields-that will cause POL handlers to be morealert to the problems of con tamination of theproducts they handle.

I do not propose to take refuge behind suchfactors as the high density altitudes we operate inor long periods in which we have operated in thefield away from home base as excuses for accidents.I believe that with the extra alertness, the extraeffort and respect for the limitations of our aircraftwhich SNOWBALL embodies, we can solve thisaccident problem.As an addition to his letter, the CO includedthe following SNOWBALL notes:UHI Engines-Clean inlet screens, inlet guide vanes and firststage compressor blades weekly in-

stead of only at PE.-Install engine inlet and tailpipecovers if the aircraft s not to be used

immediately. (TB Avn 24-9)- During engine shutdown, allowtwo minutes at flight idle for cooling.-Change rotor head and engine oil

when it becomes dirty, not at specifiedintervals. If it becomes dirty after 5 hours operation, change it.-Keep a constant check for fuel contamination

at prestock points. Keep a good lookout during preflight as well.-Keep a continuous check on pilot recorded

EGTs. Compare daily readings for trends pointingto failure.-Leave the engine within green sheet recordings.

Turning the wick up by as little as 1 percent willdecrease life of some of the engine parts by 50percent.

-While cruising or moving normal loads, keepthe engine rpm down to 6600. Use the maximumavailable speed only when required.

-Check the intakes frequently for foreign objectsthat the mechanics may have dropped while making repairs. Report any foreign objects that arefound.

-Pay close attention to fuel quick disconnectfittings. A partial retraction of the prongs will result in fuel starvation when a heavy demand isplaced on the fuel system. The engine can run forhours with the prongs partially retracted if a heavydemand for fuel s not present.

JANUARY 1966

Weight and Balance-Keep weight and balance data current. f weightand balance teams are required, request them.UH.I Flight Control SystemsA closer inspection of the tail rotor system isnecessary. Worn pitch change links and cracks can

not be observed unless you get up with it.-Clean or wipe the servos daily.-Increase pilot preflight emphasis, especially asthe aircraft grow older. Look for cracks, leaks,

proper safety procedures, and security of fittings.UHI AirframesGo slow on violent turns, especially pedal turns.

Perform them only when the tactical situation requires such action.

-Keep a close check on the FM antenna mount.A weakened structure will allow themount to flex into the tail rotor.

-Inspect the cargo door fittings forcondition of the rollers and tracks.Lubricate as required.- When the cargo doors are open ,secure them with the lock and pin.

-Stay within the load and c.g. limitations.

Administration-Increase supervision of crewchiefs as well asservice platoon mechanics.-Running PEs will not be used within the bat

talion.-Use published instructions for maintenance andoperations.Marginal VFR Flight Conditions-Incidents have been cited recently where aviators of this command who are not rotary wing in

strument qualified have entered actual instrument flight conditions in rotary wing aircraft.In most instances the circumstances indicated thatno necessity existed for entering AI conditions. Thispractice endangers the lives of individual aviatorsand passengers and constitutes a flight hazard tolegitimate IFR traffic. Therefore, members of thiscommand will not deliberately engage in this typeof flying.- The weather minimums prescribed by the 52ndAviation Battalion will be adhered to by all aviators of this command. Due to the limited numberof weather forecasting facilities and secure landingareas it may be necessary to make 1800 turns quitefrequently. These 180s will be executed pr or to

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encountering instrumentconditions. Flight commanders leading helicopter formations will notdeliberately 'feel out'marginal weather conditions in an attempt to

_ ' ~ ~ ; reach their destination.f the mission cannot be

conducted under VFR condition5' it will be aborted.A monthly aircraft accident prevention council

meeting was held by the battalion 4 September1965. This meeting was attended by the battalioncommander, executive officer, S-l, S-3 aviation safety officer, maintenance officer, flight surgeon, andstandardization officer. In addition, five companycommanders, two platoon commanders, four company and platoon safety officers, an operations officer, and two other company and platoon representatives were present. The battalion aviation safetyofficer recorded the following items from thismeeting:

Copies of the 52nd Aviation Battalion AircraftAccident Prevention Program were passed out. Itwas explained that this program has now beenadopted by USABAAR as the recommended standard aircraft accident prevention program of theArmy [see Aviation Safety Planning Guide, page36, U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST, September1965]. The contents of the program and their application by the units were discussed. The battalioncommander stated that a concerted effort by theunits would be made to implement the program.

The newly instituted concept of daily aircraftaccident prevention SNOWBALL was discussed. Allunit commanders and safety officers were asked togive the program their full support to get it going.Accidents can be eliminated. Let's work to snowballthe accident free days into an enviable record.

The battalion policy on mixing IFR flying withVFR was emphasized. The battalion commanderstated that aviators would not indulge in IFR flyingunless fully qualified and authorized to do so.When flying on VFR flight plans, a 180 turn willbe made prior to encountering IFR conditions.

Unit safety officers were asked to survey all helipads and fields within their respective areas ofoperation to eliminate safety hazards. Informationconcerning hazards which warrant notification ofall other pilots using the field should be passed tothe battalion aviation safety officer.

In the past month, two UH-l helicopters parked36

near active runways received major damage whenstruck by fixed wing aircraft. Neither of the helicopters was assigned to the 52nd Aviation Battalion.However, it was pointed out that the battalion isnot immune to this type of accident. An accidentinvestigation folder and picture of an incident involving extensive damage to two UH-IBs assignedto the battalion were shown.The damage resulted from a C-47 striking theparked choppers. The occurrence of similar incidents has been averted by alertness of the missionand stagefield commander to parking hazards. Commanders and safety officers were asked to continueto exercise caution when operating out of stagefields. Also, all members were reminded of thehazards involved when fixed wing aircraft attemptto land or take off near helicopters operating nearthe runway.

The battalion commander pointed out the necessity for each individual aviator to be ready to go,day or night, on short notice. Each aviator has aresponsibility for the mutual security and defenseof his unit. He must be able to discharge these responsibilities at all times. To overindulge in alcoholic beverages jeopardizes the security of all.

The subject of accident reports was discussed.The following points were brought out:

-Aircraft accident reports are coming in latefrom the boards. The most common cause of latereports has been the necessity to use aviators engaged in aircraft accident investigation for tacticaloperations. This often disrupts board proceedings

Clean inlet screens inlet guidevans nd first stage compressorblades weekly



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and makes it very difficult to assemble the boardmembers. Commanders were asked t give consideration t the timely completion of accident reports.

I t was recommended that 12th Aviation Groupcoordinate with the 8th Field Hospital to arrangefor initial treatment of aircraft crewmembers involved in aircraft accidents. This would assist flightsurgeons on accident investigation boards in completing their reports, especially in cases where thepatient is immediately evacuated from the accidentscene prior to being treated or interviewed by aflight surgeon.Some of the common errors found in crash factsmessages were discussed:

The message should state who was actually atthe controls of the aircraft.- The 52nd Battalion should be included as anaddressee.

Units were reminded that the crash facts message is due out in 8 hours. A supplemental crashfacts will be sent when complete information is notavailable for the initial message. A dollar estimatewill be included in all incident messages.

An aircraft accident report of a mid-air collisionwas reviewed to impress upon the members of thecouncil the necessity for continuous monitoring ofunit formation flying.

Helicopters will maintain at least the distanceof two rotor discs at all times. Formation flights willnot be made over the field during periods of heavyair traffic and at no time without prior approval ofthe control tower.

Safety officers were asked to check the status ofhydro kits within their units. Each aircraft shouldcarry a kit for the detection of fuel contamination.JANUARY 1966

ay close attention to fuel qui kdisconnect fittings

The kit can be used for JP-4 or 115/145 fuels. ThePOL section has extra kits for issue.A supply of go-no-go cards has been received

from Bell Helicopter Company and is availablefor issue by the maintenance officer. These cards arethe best means available t an aviator for the rapidcalculation of adequate takeoff power under heavyload conditions. Aircraft continue to be seen in allunits without the cards installed. Commanders andsafety officers were asked to see that the cards areinstalled.

It is considered poor technique to use the pitchcontrol in the UH-l helicopter for slowing the rotorblade during shutting down. Invariably mast bumping will be induced as the rotor blade climbs intothe wind. In addition, the turbine engine is notallowed adequate time for cooling.

The battalion maintenance officer reemphasizedthe need for letting the engine run in flight id lefor two minutes before cutting the main fuel off.The battalion maintenance officer discussed

maintenance aspects of the SNOWBALL program.Exhaustive efforts have been made to obtain aweight and balance team to weigh a representativeportion of all type aircraft within the battalion.

The battalion commander summarized the meeting by reiterating that each commander must an alyze the problems inherent to his unit's operation.No attempt will be made to gloss over the facts ortake refuge behind such factors as the high densi tyaltitudes we operate in, or the long periods inwhich we have operated in the field away fromhome base as excuses for accidents. By adhering tobasic fundamentals, the accident problem can bewhipped.

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cr sh sense

CHOPPERTIPSfromVIETN M

urbine blade failure can result from shutting engine down withoutallowing G T to stabilize

Man y UH-I pilots are not allowing the EGTto stabilize before shutting down the engine. Thisresults in excessively rapid cooling of the enginewhich may cause cracked exhaust deflectors. Inaddi tion over an extended period of time it canresult in N 1 and N2 turbine blade failure reducing engine reliability and life. A recent OH-13S engine failure which resultedin a forced landing was caused by a dirty air induction filter. The tech rep recommended this filterbe inspected and cleaned daily by tapping . Whenoperating the aircraft in heavy dust conditions thefilter should be changed every 25 hours. In modera te dust conditions it should be replaced every 50hours. The filter should also be changed any time adecrease in normal operating manifold pressure isnoted. A mid-air collision was narrowly averted during a troop lift when an armed UH-IB escort flewtoward the flight of troop helicopters which werelanding in trail. The second from the last troophelicopter was in a steep approach to short finalwhen the escort flew underneath . The pilot of thelast helicopter transmitted a warning and the de-38

scending troop helicopter made a go-around toavoid descending into the rotors of the armedescort. A UH-ID engine lost power during a maintenance test flight and the pilot autorotated to anairstrip. Loss of power was caused by an improperlyconnected main fuel quick disconnect coupling.The quick disconnect coupling was tight but thepins were not locked and the fuel line vibrated offafter 23 minutes of flight. Recommend all pilotscheck security of coupling and check for extendedprongs during every preflight. A CH-37 lost power from no. 1 engine aftertakeoff and struck wires causing major damage.Twenty spark plugs were found with partial insulation breakdown and one plug had been crossthreaded allowing gas leakage.

After flying for 25 minutes at reduced torqueto keep the engine temperature within limits aUH-I pilot noted decreasing rpm and autorotated.Excessively high EGT burned away N 1 turbineblades. High EGT was caused by hot air leakagefrom compressor to no. 1 bearing due to wornfron t shaft.



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T LESROM

THETROJ N

Following are three articles in keeping withthe Vietnam theme of this issue They werewritten by three graduates of Class 66 1}Army Aviation Safety Course} Aerospace Safe-ty Division} University of Southern Cali-fornia The authors recently returned fromVietnam

ll Out EffortI took an incoming call from an Army air liaison

to a Military Assistant Advisoryearly one evening. He told me that a U-IAoverdue on a return flight from Nha Trang.aircraft had left Nha Trang for Ban Me Thuot1250 hours on a VFR flight plan. On board

of three and five passengers.Telephone checks with Nha Trang and otherin the area failed to locate the aircraft.checks with special forces camps in the area

proved negative.Nha Trang located on the coast of the SouthSea was in the middle of its rainy season.

weather was 3 000 feet overcast visibili ty 4 6with cloud tops about 8 500 feet. Weather in

mountains was unknown. Ban Me Thuot oncentral plains west of the mountains was in

dry season. It had been clear around Ban Meall day typical weather for that time of year.t was 1830 hours and the liaison officer was cer-

that the aircraft was down. Darkness wouldt was necessary to get things moving

He started a search of the local area aroundMe Thuot with the aircraft available to him

hopes of either spotting the aircraft or makingcontact with it. It was well after dark whenlast search plane returned and no contact

been made with the downed aircraft. Thecoordination had been completed and

1966

it was now necessary to initiate a major search andrescue opera tion.

Overall responsibility for search and rescue opera-tions in Vietnam is with the U. S. Air Force 2d AirDivision. They now took over the coordination ofthe search and rescue operation. Ban Me Thuot wasdesignated as the operation center. The Ait Forceofficer at Ban Me Thuot was detailed as the co-ordinating officer and developed a plan for thesearch. He divided the area between Nha Trangand Ban Me Thuot that covered the possible flightpaths into rectangular areas on a map and desig-nated them by code numbers. He requested and gotall available Army aircraft in the area for thesearch. The search aircraft at Nha Trang wereassigned areas that night and would be airbornethe next day as soon as weather permitted. Theother aircraft would report t Ban Me Thuot.

Early the next morning the commanding officerof an Army Aviation battalion arrived at Ban MeThuot with eight UH-lBs. While the aircraft werebeing refueled the pilots were briefed on the mis-sion and as

Army Aviation Digest - Jan 1966

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Transcript of Army Aviation Digest - Jan 1966