average age of vietnam helicopter pilot10 marca 2023
The average age (according to General William C. Westmoreland before the Third Annual Reunion of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) at the Washington, DC Hilton Hotel on July 5th, 1986) was 26 The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. Currently, you are using a shared account. The Weapons Team. We honor the memory of all those who lost their lives in that service. Although I was sworn to secrecy at the time, with the Freedom of Information Act, I believe that I can now break the silence. It is unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity to fulfill their one true mission in life, simply because someone forgot this fact. Book review. Maybe we could have used our survival radio once we were in the water or forced down over the jungle. (Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike, a professor at the University of California, Berkley a renowned expert on the Vietnam War) [Westmoreland] This included Tet 68, which was a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. At the same time, I made flight adjustments according to the guys in the back. Myth: Agent Orange poisoned millions of Vietnam veterans. There, the new guys learned how to apply their recently found skills to combat situations. So, too, can the ones addressed To Whom It May Concern. You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. Larry Clark and Mike Law in 1990. [Parade Magazine]. Hello. We fought to an agreed stalemate. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force. The additional weight of patients on the end of the hoist as they were lifted off the ground further complicated the stability of the aircraft. The others on board simply assumed he was also headed for dinner, but I knew the true meaning of his statement. Topics cover the entire spectrum from Vietnam to . But come look for us, will ya? Obviously, I was wrong, but I did not know it then. Information contained herein shall not be used for commercial Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. That sinister-sounding term was coined after the war) Orange was sprayed at three gallons per acre that was the equivalent of .009 of an ounce per square foot. The pilots who were flying this helicopter, In fact, we all did well. Experienced pilots with proven records of successful, aggressive combat could be invited to join a platoon in a fire team of one or two gunships operating with a scout helicopter and escorting slick assaults. . (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. We will never forget you, or the sound of your rotor blades off in the distance, coming to our aid. They were utterly selfless and courageous warriors on our behalf. It does not have to be war related. In 2009, the US Congress changed the mandatory age of retirement of airline pilots from 60 to 65 in a bid to solve the pilot shortage problem. Although many of them had experience of fixed wing aircraft, very different challenges lay ahead when it came to learning the sophisticated, coordinated control techniques required for rotary wing flying. Epilogue: Most people who see photos of Dustoff Hueys in Vietnam observe only the outside of the aircraft. 2160250. buzz lightyear of star command complete series 4.7 average based on 3 product ratings. The Naval Air Training Command, located at Pensacola, Florida, could not train enough Marine helicopter pilots to bring the units in Vietnam up to strength. . statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. Maturity, self-confident, bravery, willing to take chances, courageous, and yes fun-loving are the attributes that make a great pilot. (One has to realize that there was virtually no protection for the pilots from the front and little from the sides or underneath.) During his two tours in Vietnam, Col. Moore flew 2,752 combat medevac mission and transported 2,952 wounded men back to the medical help they needed. All through flight school, we were taught by gun pilots, slick drivers, scout pilots (although not as many of the scout pilots, they had a high loss ratio), and oh, yes, ONE Dustoff pilot. I found a can of olive drab (OD) spray paint and . Myth: The fighting in Vietnam was not as intense as in World War II. Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. For the latter, a specially equipped H-13 had optional blanked out external vision. Provide food and supplies to veterans at The Veterans Site for free! With the patient finally on board, the Radio Operator with the ground unit Rogered our departure message with a Thanks a HELL of a lot, Dustoff!. Myth: Most Vietnam veterans were drafted. rules. Please call HQ on 800-505-VHPA (8472) to sign up to be a life Dustoff pilots with their unique seating arrangement is where that statement originated. m.. No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you. n.. If you are allergic to lead, it is best to avoid a war zone. The night I was wounded, my new co-pilot Don Study put us right on the deck, but all the while I had visions of my first 30-foot hover when I was a Funny New Guyan FNG. In September of 68 1LT Bruce Huffman had his crew disembark fron his ship and had it loaded with ammo, C-rations and batteries for the radio. It was an average age for most of the other Army helicopter pilots I flew with in the 237th Medical Detachment in northern I Corps near the DMZ. These three represent all of out Vietnam War helicopter pilots. They could rotate around a battle site from above, unleashing punishing weapon support from above. Boeing and Read More, I will say this - and I know a lot of other Navy guys that Read More, The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has not specified whether the weapons are intended for Taiwans Read More, Models of the F-19 Stealth Fighter started to appear in the eighties and were available Read More, The USAF plans to begin production in fiscal 2025, with the first E-7A expected to Read More, UH-1 Huey Gunship Vs NVA/VC Forces Vietnam 1962-75, Boeing, US Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters Achieve 5 Million Flight Hours, Equivalent to Flying nonstop for more than 208,333 Days or 570 Years and Nine Months, Taiwan to get 100 AGM-88B HARM missiles and 200 AIM-120C-8 missiles for its F-16 fleet, USAF awards Boeing E-7A prototype contract: the Wedgetail will replace the E-3 AWACS, US Navy Nuclear Propulsion Plant Operator explains when a submarine reactor can be run at higher than 100% (and why the 105% on the reactor ordered in The Hunt for Red October movie would not be worth any risk to the ship and crew), Former US Navy F/A-18 pilot explains why although during his era the Hornet was the best airplane on the carrier his fun meter was most pegged flying the A-4 Skyhawk, The Stealth Fighter that Never Was: How the Secret Development of the F-117 led to the Birth of the Misleading F-19. That knocked the rotor blades off and the TH-55 went in., Successful candidates then progressed to the Contact Phase at Knox Army Heliport, Fort Rucker, for specific training on the UH-1B, C, and D, followed by the Tactics Phase at nearby Lowe Army Helioport, which prepared them for realistic combat conditions. On the ground, the troops would look up at Hueys flying over. [McCaffrey], Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. It was a well known (and very true) fact that during an emergency exit from an aircraft, if you dont have it strapped to your body, you wont take it with you. Those of us lucky enough to come home learned from the experience and were, without question, changed men, no longer wide-eyed boys. Its just what they do. "The aviation units were the sole combat element of the U.S. Army that did not come. Loud, sudden noises in a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention. z.. Pucker Factor is the formal name of the equation that states the more hairy the situation is, the more of the seat cushion will be sucked up your ass. When I returned to the states later and applied for my military drivers license so I could drive the. Even more demanding was formation flying at night, with navigation lights off, using the glow from the leaders cockpit instruments for station keeping. And the answer is: There IS none! Sure, we had a compass and an Automatic Direction Finder, but in the event of an engine failure on the way to the hospital ship, this would have probably been my emergency call. advertising and other information. No matter what the make up of the team was they flew in helicopters that were made with the intention of dispensing a superior amount of fire power on the enemy. to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. Profit from the additional features of your individual account. By the end of the war half of them had been lost. (So I guess that makes three Young and Stupids. ", Federal Aviation Administration, Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/919100/aviation-industry-average-age-of-active-pilots-in-the-united-states-by-category/ (last visited March 04, 2023), Average age of active pilots in the United States from 2002 to 2020, by category* [Graph], Federal Aviation Administration, May 18, 2021. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. The United States sought to minimize and prevent attacks on civilians while North Vietnam made attacks on civilians a centerpiece of its strategy. The most common ethnicity of helicopter pilots is White (82.0%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (6.8%), Unknown (5.5%) and Asian (2.7%). Chart. It was NOT the U.S. Embassy. Your email address will not be published. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phuc's brothers were killed in this incident. More realities about war: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - it was not invented or unique to Vietnam Veterans. We all volunteered to do something that only a year or two before we could not have even dreamed that we would be doingsomething that only a very few could ever experience; something for which only a very few could even qualify. I think that some of us changed for the better, but some of us did not. Member [3], Battlefield Viet Nam Episode 5 "The Undeclared War", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Chopper_(Vietnam)&oldid=1133354489, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 10:36. was several blocks from the Pittman Apartments. Later, the crew became a two-man pilot team. The biggest responsibility of a helicopter pilot was to fly that helicopter in such a manner as to provide support for the men on the ground. Instead of landing and changing seats he tried to do it in mid air. No Pilot that I know of ever went into a combat situation without both. . ), Once out to sea, landing on the ships was an interesting experience, especially when the decks were bouncing up and down like a fishing bobber with a carp under it. And what was even stupider, I suppose, was the fact that if the doors were closed when we reached the water, we opened them so we could get out easier if we did go down. e.. Cover your Buddy, so he can be around to cover for you. It is a bad thing to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same time. The Vietnam Helicopter Flight Crew Network (VHFCN) is a non profit veterans organization dedicated to the fulfillment of the following purposes: To provide a forum for recreational communications amongst a fraternity of aircrew members who served in Vietnam during the period 1961-75. View complete answer on zippia.com The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam. hostile fire exposure versus battle area exposure. American involvement in February 1973. We are now Older and Wiser, and for that I am very thankful. [People]. My opinion is that he was as afraid that he could not complete the mission, as much as he was afraid to die. . Age 59 and below --$450.00. I asked to take a different test and was able to pass that one! With a hot mike, everything that was said, every noise, every round fired, every grunt and groan was amplified and transmitted into everyones headset without touching any buttons. Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Service. I can tell you what in my opinion made the best pilots. Army Flight School was about 9 months long, this was the shortest calendar time. The DA-4733-DSC should not be confused with the much more common DA-4734-GSTT (Gunship Sized Tiny Testicles), where other pilots made up for their lack of size with big guns and big wrist watches. Age 70 to 74 --------$150.00 [The Wall Street Journal]. Any combination of these can be deadly. The platform is the top of the elevator shaft for the building and was not The UH-1 evolved from a 1955 US Army competition for a new utility helicopter. s.. You were a good friend and much appreciated by my parents. Information contained herein shall not be used for commercial They gave us classes on what altitudes to fly to avoid certain types of enemy fire small arms or 0.51 cal. Recent reports in the news media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect. Another Huey pilot explained, We were expected to perform simulated missions like we were in Vietnam. Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) is a non-profit war veterans organization filed under To all of the brave Pilots and their crews, I can say but three things. There walks a dead man. https://www.vhpa.org. Trainees (known as candidates) then commenced the nine month long US Army Primary Helicopter School course at Fort Wolters, Texas, where they endured some extremely robust Preflight training as potential warrant officers. From 1965, around 99 percent of each completed class of students were sent to Vietnam. The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United States. Every helicopter flying in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. It was a fact that Dustoff crews had three times the casualty rate of other helicopter crews. God bless you all! webmaster@vhpa.org Read more about the planned U.S. Air Force helicopter Vietnam War history sections. The longer you stare at the gauges the less time it takes them to move from green to red. . You need a Statista Account for unlimited access. If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. October 20, 2021. Operation Chopper occurred on 12 January 1962 and was the first time U.S. forces participated in major combat in the Vietnam War. That was probably the lowest point of my Vietnam flying experience, and I never forgot it. Americans who deliberately killed civilians received prison sentences while Communists who did so received commendations. Are you interested in testing our business solutions? We risked much in a totally dark valley that night, and there was no doubt that someone appreciated us. ?any tips. Number of helicopter pilot licenses in China 2014-2019; Global share of pilots whose mental health was affected by the pandemic 2020 ; I never forgot the reverence with which that statement was made, as I began to form a survival plan of action in my mind. 5. rotary wing aircrews that flew in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam Era. It has been said many times by Navy and Marine jet pilots that landing on an aircraft carrier is like landing on a postage stamp. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. average age of vietnam helicopter pilot. At least, I believe that is how I would have felt had it been me. I logged 205 hours in Flight Training. If you have not been there and done that you probably will not understand most of this. The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America's commitment in Vietnam. Based on the data, more than 30% of the current for-hire pilots fall within the age range of 50 to 64. Without the helicopter it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva Accords or 1962 would secure the border) [Westmoreland], Approximately 12,000 helicopters saw action in Vietnam (all services). This freed Marine quotas at Pensacola which could be used to . Back home in the real world, my buddies were at the drive-in, drinking beer and looking for a carload of girls to flirt with, just as I had been doing a year or two before. See an example of our magazine, The I think I can make it back! was his last message as the aircraft caught fire, rolled inverted and crashed in flames, killing all on board. If I had gone down over land, I probably would not have taken my weapon with me. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans' group." This is a true testament for any theater! [CACF] (Combat Area Casualty File) November 1993. He dropped to the deck a couple miles out and then screamed up the hill at 120 knots and tree top level, trying to sneak in past the enemy. Warrant Officer Candidates (WOCs) then progressed to Fort Rucker, Alabama, or, from 1967, Hunter Army Airfield at Fort Stewart, Georgia, for advanced flight training and instrument flight instruction. Steve DaCosta, Cavalier15, June67-June68. Fast Contour flying as close to the ground as possible to avoid ground fire was also mastered. The Vietnam The Army employed it in various roles, including that of an armed escort or attack gunship in Vietnam. Helicopters needed far more hands on piloting than fixed wing types. One guy was 19, while the oldest (not counting our Commanding Officer) was the 28-year-old XO, Army slang for the second in command, Executive Officer.