Crew Chief


Book Description

Fast paced action that never stops in this spellbinding but honest look at Vietnam through the eyes of an all-combat assault helicopter crew chief. With 24 pictures that relate to the account being narrated, the Vietnam War comes sharply to life.




Helicopter Crew Chief


Book Description

Learn what it takes to become a helicopter crew chief in the U.S. military.







Black Hawk


Book Description

Leoni, the man considered to be the "father" of the Black Hawk, explains how Sikorsky Aircraft used innovative designs with the right advanced technologies to meet the Armys stringent specifications for aircraft performance, survivability, and reliability.




The Longest Rescue


Book Description

While serving as a crew chief aboard a U.S. Air Force Rescue helicopter, Airman First Class William A. Robinson was shot down and captured in Ha Tinh Province, North Vietnam, on September 20, 1965. After a brief stint at the "Hanoi Hilton," Robinson endured 2,703 days in multiple North Vietnamese prison camps, including the notorious Briarpatch and various compounds at Cu Loc, known by the inmates as the Zoo. No enlisted man in American military history has been held as a prisoner of war longer than Robinson. For seven and a half years, he faced daily privations and endured the full range of North Vietnam's torture program. In The Longest Rescue: The Life and Legacy of Vietnam POW William A. Robinson, Glenn Robins tells Robinson's story using an array of sources, including declassified U.S. military documents, translated Vietnamese documents, and interviews from the National Prisoner of War Museum. Unlike many other POW accounts, this comprehensive biography explores Robinson's life before and after his capture, particularly his estranged relationship with his father, enabling a better understanding of the difficult transition POWs face upon returning home and the toll exacted on their families. Robins's powerful narrative not only demonstrates how Robinson and his fellow prisoners embodied the dedication and sacrifice of America's enlisted men but also explores their place in history and memory.




Stingers


Book Description

The author presents this book based on his personal experiences in the Vietnam War. His intent is to portray his perspective as an 18-year-old Stinger Gunship Crew Chief/Door Gunner. He wants the reader to experience what it is like to kill dozens of enemy combatants and collateral, non-combatants. How to live with the frequent near-death experiences and the constant high probability of being killed. Endure the frequent loss of fellow soldiers in combat. Witness a young soldier losing all sense of humanity as he transforms into a warrior that thrives on killing. The real life incidents portray a platoon of Huey UH-1C gunships, called the "Stingers" and its elite, motivated crews.As a component of U.S. Army assault helicopter companies, the "guns" protected the Huey "slicks" as they inserted or extracted infantry troops from landing and extraction zones. The gunships regularly conducted "search and kill" missions. They were often scrambled to provide lifesaving protection for infantry units threatened by enemy forces. Gunship crews were among the most lethal pilots, crew chiefs and door gunners in Army aviation. Some gunship crew chiefs had over 400 hundred personal kills.An intense warrior mentality was crucial to mission success and survival. Killing was a way of life in the guns.One of the most decorated and experienced aviation combat units in the Vietnam War was the Stingers' parent, the 116th Assault Helicopter Company, known as the "Hornets".Follow the operational strategy as Army Command reassigns the Hornets from III Corps, near Saigon to Chu Lai in I Corps under the command of the 23rd Infantry Division, known as "Americal".Experience the rapid increase of lethal enemy encounters. Americal imposed severe constraints on the Stingers in the aftermath of the My Lai massacre. The Stingers and slick platoons of the 116th fight on. The young combat veteran becomes "short" with just a few months left in his tour of duty. Americal reassigns the 116th to Quang Tri, one of the most dangerous places in Vietnam. War news headlines are articulated in real-time to frame the author's story.




Making a Night Stalker


Book Description

David Burnett takes readers into a unique world of the 160th Special Operations Aviation regiment. His journey starts in a conventional Army unit where he doesn't feel fulfilled in his duties and obligations. This lack of responsibility drives David to pursue the dream of becoming an MH-47G Chinook helicopter crew chief in the most secretive and elite aviation unit in the world. David is met with constant hurdles and set backs trying to achieve his ultimate goal but he is more determined than ever. After graduating from the units five week selection process he is thrown into school after school and non stop training before being able to step foot on the aircraft he so desperately dreams of crewing on. After almost a year in the Special Operations unit he is trained and ready to deploy with 160th, and it is nothing short of intense. He learns quickly that his new units mission op tempo is exactly what he had hoped. He is eager to prove himself among the ranks and continues to hone his craft over the next four years. After five deployments with the unit as a crew chief he is discharged from the military. After leaving the fast paced world of the SOF community he falls into a deep depression. Alcohol becomes the new most important thing, and he finds himself in a new and reckless battlefield. He never saw this coming.




U.S. Army Helicopter Names in Vietnam


Book Description

The personal naming of military aircraft in the Vietnam War is not unique in American history. What is unique is the near total lack of documentation of the existence of those names on in-country Army helicopters during the 1961-'73 conflict in S. E. Asia. This book remedies that once and for all! -Over 3,000 Army copter names cross-referenced by Unit -Details on Origin, Time Period, Location, Function, Type, Serial Number, Artist, Crew and more -More than 2,000 contributor names listed and cross-referenced -Perfect for veterans, hobbyists, historical researchers, KIA families, sociologists, aviation enthusiasts and students of Americana-just to name a few -Includes 40 rare photographs U.S. Army Helicopter Names in Vietnam provides an essential and heretofore missing puzzle piece in helping to identify and better understand our warrior brothers, fathers, uncles, sons and friends who manned these incredible flying machines in the skies of Vietnam.




Mended Wings


Book Description




Technical Rescue Operations, Volume II


Book Description

App. 13 : Tribute to a helicopter rescue pioneer. -- App. 14 : Two-pointer tether with life float. -- App. 15 : Two-pointer tether for lowhead dam rescue. -- App. 16 : Two-pointer tether for foot entrapment rescue. -- App. 17 : Filling 2 1/1 in. fire hose with hose rescue device. -- App. 18 : Lowhead dam rescue with hose rescue device. -- App. 19 : Bridge-based rescue using life float. -- App. 20 : Single-line self-rescue system. -- App. 21 : Double-line self-rescue system. -- App. 22 : Tripod method for shallow-water crossing. -- App. 23 : Static line or belay for shallow-water crossing. -- App. 24 : Line astern method for shallow-water crossing. -- App. 25 : Line abreast method for shallow-water crossing. -- App. 26 : Circle of support for shallow-water crossing. -- App. 27 : Shallow-water crossing with victim on backboard. -- App. 28 : Continuous-loop rescue system.