(TT2022) A real time maching for me part 3

This is a continuation from www.abovetopsecret.com... which was the first entry and www.abovetopsecret.com... which is part two...This will be part 3 with more to come...But thank goodness I am getting to the end !

The last day of Cambodia

These were but 'back of the mind fleeting thoughts' as Sky preflighted 915 that warm muggy morning. Sky had just come down from preflighting the rotor system when Bob arrived sporting a new strap on chicken plate and looking for all the world like a spit shined, just issued, new army CW1 Aviator.

“Good morning Bobby, (Sky seldom used FNG when addressing someone) where did you get that new strap on Chicken Plate” ?

Bobby replied, “ The corporal in the supply hooch said they just received some new ones; if you want me to I can go back and get you one too”.

“Well thanks Bob but I prefer to just lean a loose chicken plate against me when we are in the thick of stuff. Those things weigh over 20 pounds without the straps and if we crash the extra weight will either break your back or your body will compress and the top of the plate will crush your windpipe. With a loose plate I can just throw it off me before we hit the ground”.

Bobby looked at Sky and seemed to be thinking about removing his nice new strap-on chicken plate but the thought was interrupted as a company Slick hovered by and blew dust everywhere.

*CHICKEN PLATE* Was around an inch thick piece of armored ceramic and aluminum that could be worn over one's upper body. They say on a good day the chicken plate could stop a non-armor piercing 51 Cal. round. Even so Sky surmised the concussion of that large of a round would squash you between the seat back and the chicken plate like a bug under a combat boot, Survivable, but anyone that did survive would probably have bug eyes for a long time afterward.

Sky was not a control freak. He certainly wanted flying things done right, but was just as likely to say something once to a New Guy as to be on him constantly. There were enough control freaks in the Army without Sky adding his two cents worth. He would tell a New Guy something and if his advice was taken then all well and good, if not, something or someone else would show the FNG the errors of their ways.

Bobby was a good New Guy, very professional, and at this stage almost ready for his Aircraft Commander check ride. He had been flying with Sky for the last week everyday , usually in the left seat. However today as Bob looked inside 915's cockpit he could see Sky's helmet in the left seat. He knew it would be a right seat day for him and it made him feel a bit insecure. Did he mess something up yesterday...Was Sky pissed about something...or had they changed their minds about checking him out as an Aircraft Commander ?

His dark thoughts were interrupted when Sky said, “Bobby this is the last day of Cambodia. We will be doing troop extractions all day with Killer Spade running the show. If you do not mind I will fly left seat for the first mission and see how it goes with the Spade's lead”.

Bobby had already flown as a right seater with some Killer Spade led flights and was well aware with them in the lead, anything could happen. Survival chances would be enhanced if Sky were in the left seat; Bobby as well as Sky anticipated this was going to be a no kidding war day for everyone.

They departed Phuc Vhin and and met up with the Killer Spade Yellow one at Bu Dop. They then proceeded to an L.Z. in Cambodia where they were to pick up some of the last troops remaining in Cambodia when the flight started taking fire. They had approached the L.Z. From North to South with 8 Slicks and two Snakes and as they cleared the trees someone on the ground started shooting at them .The L.Z. Was big enough to probably hold 50 Slicks except for the clear water (deep) in the middle and tall elephant grass that grew in places next to the tree line. The flight had been in a formation of sections left; when they completed their approach, the flight came to a hover in the middle of the L.Z.

Yellow One was making pedal turns in the L.Z. looking for the troops the flight was supposed to airlift out,,,, the flight just sat there, a big fat target holding position at a hover with all heads trying to locate the troops .

Someone said, “One we are taking fire !”

A few seconds later then in a more persistent voice, “One we are taking fire!”

A short time later one octave higher and louder, “ ONE WE ARE TAKING FIRE !”

One continued to do pedal turns to the left as Sky finally came up on VHF and said, “One lets get out of here !“

Yellow One finally pulled pitch and the flight departed for L.Z. Bronco for the first time that day where they ended up being mortared. The flight then waited on the ground at Bu Dop while someone someplace talked to the troops that were supposed to be extracted. It had been the second time they had gone into the Cambodian L.Z. That Yellow Four was hit and came down on fire next to Sky's Yellow three bird .

As the flight sat at Bu Dop, Bobby walked down to the vicinity of where Yellow Two was parked wondering what had finally finally been done to the FNG that took off from Bronco without his Aircraft Commander. He was still smiling as he returned to 915.

“Well I found out what happened to Yellow Two's new guy,” he said as Sky was just starting to lay down in the cargo hold.

“What happened?”

“Well, the Killer Spade birds have swapped New Guys and the Yellow Two Aircraft Commander has promised he would not kill his now “X” FNG until they get back to Tay Ninh.”

“That poor FNG probably thought he was being a hero by saving the aircraft and two crew members, maybe he was ?......... He might have been a hero in some outfit like the Screaming Chickens, however, the Yellow Two A. C. obviously had different feelings on the matter,” replied Sky.

“What side would you come down on,” asked Bobby ?

“I dunno, it's a hard call. You ever hear about how in 1968 the First Cav lost 33 aircraft in the Ah Shaw Valley all within one day ?”

“No $hit 33 all in one day,” Bobby exclaimed !

“Bob I was not there and other than hooch talk that is the story that is repeated; the story goes the lead bird got hit and crashed into some little four or five ship L.Z. The bird that went down had a crew of 4 and six grunts on board. All the remaining slicks tried to reinforce the ten guys stuck in the hot L.Z. I do not know the real sequence or how they managed to go full FUBAR but when the dust settled the Cav had lost 33 aircraft damaged or destroyed. People can shake their heads and marvel at the stupidity of war but let me say this, (Sky paused for dramatic effect) if you go down and can get a Mayday out or we see you go down, we will try everything to get you out. That's the difference between the CAV and some other girl scout outfit. We don't leave our people behind.”

Bobby smiled and said, “ Rude, Crude, unsophisticated, but we always have your back.”

Sky had just pulled his hat brim over his eyes thinking he might get some sleep before the flight had to go back and get the last troops out of Cambodia when another Ghost Rider aircraft landed next to 915 blowing dirt and debris all over Sky's staked out sleeping area. As the dust settled, almost like a fog of red dirt a dim figure came walking toward 915 hunched over with both hands in his trouser pockets. Sky recognized the dust devil as none other than 'Cherry' Rich who was the only old guy in their unit that had not been shot down or crashed during his present tour in Vietnam. Sky had flown with Cherry Rich many times as a new guy right seater when he first arrived in country. Rich was the kind of guy who could be in a four ship formation that got blown away yet Cherry Rich would come through without a scratch. He actually had some eight millimeter film of a flight he was in that was laced by a 51 Cal. One bird was shot down immediately and another caught on fire. In the film of the burning bird you could see the Crew Chief and Door gunner walking out on the skids trying to avoid the flames while their Aircraft Commander tried in vain to find a clear area in the triple canopy jungle to put the burning ship down. The Chief and gunner jumped to their death from 200 feet and 110 knots as the heat and smoke were just to much for them to remain with the aircraft; their bodies were found two days later. The burning ship was able to make it to the edge of a clearing just as the tail boom decided to melt off the helicopter. In the film you could see the aircraft spin ass backwards and impact upon what was left of the tail section. There was a large black and Grey cloud of smoke on impact which caused anyone watching to say, “Well that's it, they didn't make it.” That thought had barely passed when out of the smoke and flames came two Warrant Officers running away from the crash site faster than the speed of heat. They both made it to fly and fight another day.

Cherry Rich approached 915 with a devilish grin and said, “ I guess you guys know you are going to get you $hit blown away when you go back to that L.Z. For the troops”

Sky looked up and asked, “You got your camera and tape recorder?”

“$hit, today you guys are in a real shooting war... You are going to get you $hit blown away I guarantee it and I forgot my damn camera !”

“What makes you so bullet proof today Cherry,” asked Sky ?

With a supreme look of satisfaction Cherry explained he was flying the Charley Charley bird (command and control aircraft) and was only in danger of getting to cold at the high altitude he was flying.

“Who is your New Guy today,” asked Sky?

“Lidio, he is shutting the bird down while I get a good look at someone who is going to get their $HIT BLOWN AWAY”!!!

“ I can't believe you forgot your camera Cherry for such an action filled last day of Cambodia..... and by the way F U too, a$$hole,” replied Sky as he lay back to continue his interrupted nap. They both laughed as Cherry Rich walked off down the flight line to spread his humor with the rest of the flight.

As Sky lay there he thought of Cherry's new guy. Lidio had already survived 5 crashes and shoot downs as a new guy. It did not matter what the mission was or what went on in the world in general, if an aircraft crashed or was blown away you could bet that Magnet a$$ Lidio would come crawling out of the mangled wreckage to stand and look in amazement how once again he had defied death or dismemberment. Lidio was starting to get the shakes after the 4th crash and by the 5th he was beginning to wonder whether some malevolent spirit was really trying to piss him off. Everyone liked Lidio and always tried to console him that the last crash had to have been the final one by just figuring the odds. It was a well know fact that everyone in the unit either crashed or was shot down twice during their tour except for Cherry Rich.

Sure enough, just about the time Sky's thoughts were drifting into the blackness of sleep Lidio came up to 915 and started talking to Bobby Bad Back about his new strap on Chicken plate. They were laughing and cutting up as the Chief started opening access panels on 915 for inspection while the Door Gunner thought it was time to clean and inspect the side mounted machine guns once again. The noise did not even register as Sky slipped into a dreamless 20 minute power nap. Sky was averaging 235 flight hours in a 30 day period; the Army said 90 hours was the max you should fly for a 30 day total so he was not just tired but had given up almost all thoughts of leaving Vietnam in one piece. Sky like many others, figured he was almost dead already so nothing much bothered him. Some called that the 1000 yard stare.. Once any soldier reaches that stage they become a very effect warrior as fear seems to be left behind.

It had been Sky's first mission in country when he realized he just might not make it out of Vietnam alive. The Ghost Riders had a gaggle of 18 slicks on a combat assault when the flight had been laced by small arms fire and a very accurate big caliber gook gun. They had only lost two birds down that day but the noise and mayhem of battle made a long lasting impression on Sky. No one could live through this stuff day in and day out , which was true. It was also true that the $hit did not hit the fan every mission as you might go weeks or months without contact and just about the time you started to relax the $hit would be everywhere and upon you. If the great ticket puncher in the sky punched your ticket then you were gone, if not you would get your normal two shoot downs/crashes out of the way and go home a Combat Aviator.

When Sky had been a New guy of maybe two months in country he had rode aircraft 803 down from 2500 feet when a fire started. This event had not made him happy about the situation in the least. They had been rescued after approximately 20 minutes on the ground but Sky the new guy had not liked the fear of burning to death. The whole event had shaken his mental picture of himself as a true cool combat Aviator; able to control fear with the best of them while spitting in death's eye. Since the time of the fire he had experienced a few hydraulic failures, been shot at, became a hero at Shakey's Hill (according to the award ceremony) and had gotten his butt chewed out after he became Aircraft Commander for having a tailrotor failure and landing the aircraft back at the company without even declaring an emergency. It was just the solenoid wafer valve in the tail rotor servo that had locked up preventing him from moving the pedals. The pedals were locked like they had been welded in place. On this day Sky was smart enough not to kick a pedal trying to free them because that could have caused either a full left or right pedal input which would have been a totally different circumstance as far as control-ability of the aircraft. He had brought the crippled bird into Furgussion heli Pad at Phuc Vhin using manual throttle and collective pitch control. He was even able to ground taxi the bird towards the maintenance tent with that technique. Furgussion heli pad was not so much a pad but a cleared out area where you could fit 8 birds noes to tail with no problem. Phuc Vhin had a nice long Airforce runway where Sky could have declared an emergency and stopped all the flight operations until he was down and they were able to clear his aircraft from the runway. That would have taken time and Sky still had one more unit to resupply before darkness, which he did not have to do as there were no more birds to be had in the unit.

That night the New Company Commander and the Maintenance Officer made a special effort to inform Sky that from now on he was to declare an emergency, get the fire trucks out and land on the main runway at Phuc Vhin; not some half acre helicopter landing zone called Fergussion Pad !

At the time Sky had said, “Yes sir, will do sir,” but the voice in his head had thought the Major and the Maintenance Officer were nothing more than FNGs telling him how to run his bird. “F*ckem !”(A few years later Sky on second thought, decided they were probably correct; screw the Airforce operations and declare an emergency could have been the safest course of action and besides, it might have pissed the Airforce dweebs off who lived in air conditioned hooches and had a real officer's club instead of a self made bunker bar. )

Sky awoke to to Cherry's voice as he was walking by 915 commenting on how it would be good to get a new aircraft for Charley Company after 915 was blown away. 915 was was getting old and tired looking just like its' FNG Aircraft Commander !

Sky didn't even miss a beat . He was asleep one moment and saying “ F*ck you new guy,” to Cherry Rich even before his eyes were fully opened. As Rich walked back to his Charley Charley bird the two old friends gave each other the one finger salute as a final parting gesture.

Well that did it ! Sky was awake now so he decided to get out of the oven that 915 had become in the last 40 minutes and walk the flight line. He was thinking he might see someone else he might know or failing that look at the shot up birds in the flight.

He had not gone 30 feet from 915 when someone shouted his name. He turned in the direction of the voice and beheld an old flight school buddy called Weaver he had not seen for almost a year. They shook hands exchanging rude crude pleasantries while they looked for some shade to get caught up on what had been happening since flight school.

Sky's flight school buddy had been flying the flare bird at L.Z. Moe the night it had almost gotten overrun. The weather had been bad that night with low ceilings so Weaver had elected to fly the flare bird from the right seat (better instruments for flying in the clouds) than from the left seat. So, there they were in and out of the clouds at 3000 feet dropping flares around L.Z. Moe as many bad guys tried to overrun the fire support base. One of his dropped flares popped prematurely which jettisoned the chute early which got caught on the aircraft's skid. This caused many big problems ! The crew thought the flare was going to flop around and burn through their helicopter while Weaver who was flying was blinded by what seemed to be the ten billion million trillion candle watt power of the flare.

The bad guys looked up and decided even they could shoot such a well lighted target as Old Flight School Buddy Weaver's bird.

Beautiful green arcs of light danced toward Weaver's aircraft and where they touched the fragile bird, sparks flew and metal screamed in the agony as there were holes being punched where none were needed or wanted. It sounded like a popcorn machine as much as anything with the Ping, Ping, thump, Ping, Ping, Whack, as the engine quits and a moment later another big whack as the transmission is hit and starts to pump all its' life's blood of transmission fluid out the hell hole in the bottom of the aircraft. Without fluid the transmission can and will seize and as the rotor blades stop turning your bird turns into a falling brick of metal.

Weaver is in deep $hit and he knows it. He had entered an autorotation when the engine quit out of pure reaction and training. He was trying to find and land as close to L.Z Moe as possible but was having a difficult time seeing anything until his crew finally cut away the hanging flare. As the zillion watt brightness of the flare fizzled and fell away from the aircraft Weaver was once again almost totally blind because his night vision had been destroyed. They say blind people have heightened other senses and this was evidently the case as Weaver swore he could hear the helicopter transmission making terrible grinding sounds that did not bode well for a successful termination of this autorotation. Weaver was trying to make himself as small as possible while the bad guys continued to put large quantities of lead into the air and through his crippled flying machine. He turned on his landing lights hoping to see something but nothing happened as they had both been shot out. His vision had improved enough that he could detect the tracer rounds coming off of L.Z. Moe so he headed that way. Except for the tracers the ground was pitch black but he could barely make out the trees in the treeline surrounding Moe which he figured were around 100 feet tall. As the bird descended rapidly below the perceived treeline Weaver waited the brief second while he estimated he was around 75 feet above the invisible ground so he could start to flare and slow his forward momentum down. His airspeed indicator was still working so he watched his airspeed decrease and when everything seemed about right after guesstimating his height above the 'still no can see ground' he made his initial pitch pull to slow and break his decent. He leveled the aircraft and continued to cushion the aircraft onto the landing area by applying more pitch with the collective. At the very time Weaver thought he should be touching down he reached Max collective and or pitch which should have resulted in a perfect autorotation to a gentile touchdown...except there was no ground! The first thought was, “On $hit!”

Still no ground and another, “Oh $hit!”

He tried to sit straighter to protect his back forgetting the small arms fire that still punched many holes in his aircraft's skin.

“OH #!!!!!” And then the bird impacted in a level attitude with a force that buckled and broke the skids off the airframe as the bird came to rest on its' belly; which was not to bad considering it was a three “Oh $hit “ landing.

I guess I need to go to part one and two and read them before jumping into this. I am totally lost, I don't know what this is about. Glad that these early versions were listed so I can go read them. Just commenting so I can find this and the early ones in my comment section, It is too late to start reading a lot right now, I am tired.