I did a lot of trips to FAA sites when I was up there, and we sometimes flew with an ERA helicopter pilot that was in Vietnam. I remember him saying he was shot down on his first mission, but said he must have learned something from it as he made it the rest of his tour without getting shot down again. You could definitely tell who had military training, as on take off, they would barely get off the ground and they would pitch the nose down and you'd swear the blades of the rotor were going to hit the concrete. The ones civilian trained would raise up gently and slowly roll the nose down.
Summer of '81, I worked on a ranch that summer which was used for a base camp for 300 BLM firefighters, dozens of trucks, and two Bell Jet Rangers used to transport hot shot crews and do water drops.
I had the privilege of watching two damned fine Viet Vet Pilots perform their jobs for four days, and eventually I was offered an hour long ride, which I eagerly accepted.
Rather than nose down, these two men swept their birds sideways at takeoff. Yes to the point the rotor tips barely cleared the ground. I thought it self explanatory that it was an ingrained habit to avoid enemy fire.
That ride is one of the most memorable events in my life. The pilot might have been trying to see if he could make me squeal. He dropped off of a steep sided 1000 foot high bluff at about 15 feet AGL. It WAS a thrill.
I turned 18 just after the Fall of Saigon. But I knew a few guys that were older and did serve in that conflict.
All who went THERE and did THAT have this man's utmost respect and gratitude.
