I was talking to an old friend today. I told him about my Vietnam blog and he told me something that gave me an idea. I recently saw a couple of YouTube videos that I really liked that reminded me of one memorable Huey ride I took on my way back to my platoon in the bush.
Vietnam 1969 – I was ready to return to my platoon after a stay in the hospital. One Huey was dispatched to haul me back to my platoon in the bush. When the chopper arrived, I hoped aboard as the runners danced on the ground. As soon as the Huey’s solo passenger was aboard the engine strained under the load of the pitched rotors and we shot skyward and over the trees. We flew low over Camp Eagles bunkered perimeter and were soon swiftly flying low over the Vietnam landscape. The pilot was flying at treetop level, at every rise in the terrain he would pull the Huey up and I would be pressed into the floor. At every drop off of the terrain he would take the pitch out of the rotors and I would float weightless before slamming back to the floor when the helicopter stopped falling. I looked out the open door and watched the landscape fly by. I must say that I was kind of afraid, wondering if the pilots were going to make a mistake and hit the ground. I had never ridden with a treetop flyer before. I pulled my self up to take some pictures of this joy ride! I could see out of the front windscreen and could see the land and water rushing towards us. I brought my camera to my eye and took a picture, advanced the film and took another picture and then another. I wanted to have some pitures of our low level thrill ride.
Treetop flyer over Bo Song river
Treetop flying, pressed into the floor
"Screaming Eagle" pilot of Huey flying on the deck.
I also took a picture out the door of the helicopter of a Vietnamese gathering on the bank of the Song Bo river as we sped by.
Vietnamese gathering on the banks of the Song Bo River
I will never forget that ride with those ”Hotshot” chopper pilots.
I hope you enjoyed the story and I hope you enjoy the videos.
Mark Galloway performs his version of Treetop Flyer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6rYJli8e_Y
A Treetop Flyer flying a river - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o40_MzuKIGA
