Nighthawk - this one's for you.

[Heritage Angler]

Eric - You've probably already seen this, but when I saw it for the first time, I thought of you. Crank up the volume and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1cwycSWq0

[ohiofly]

YES!! Two of my favorite things all in one spot AC/DC & 1st. Cav. Now if we could only link this to the navy! I'd be in Heaven

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Sorry, Just didn't do anything for me. Now if it had been a flight of my beloved Hueys with a couple of Snakes rolling in hot, that would have been a different story. I can't help it, I'm a product of my time.

REE

[Lotech]

Ron, I know what you mean about the old Hueys. The wop-wop-wop of the fling wings. And, I just love the smell of JP4 in the morning. However, today's Army is really something. I swear, if I were 20 years old and single, I'd re-up. I'm really proud of today's troops.

[flyfishfairwx]

Man

That should get any young and old males blood pumping, and if you are a or were a troop the the blood pumps, the Butt puckers, and you just get fired up....

do not think I am forgetting the Girls I know lots of Female Troops that rock that stuff, great shots and hard A##ed Soliders... with out a doubt...


Tanks for the Video...

[nighthawk]

Eric - You've probably already seen this, but when I saw it for the first time, I thought of you. Crank up the volume and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1cwycSWq0

Thank you, Sir! GARRYOWEN SIR!

Like the man said, people, crank up the volume:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTpBP...eature=related

And the UNOFFICIAL SONG of the 6th Air Cav Brigade (Air Combat)hung upon us by those !@#$ straight legs in the 1st Cav division band was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8lv9...eature=related

They pulled that surprise on us during a change of command being reviewed by our Post Commander who was a Three Star General! He thought it was quite funny. The song was accompanied by three of our AH-1S Cobra helicopters doing a stunt fly by.

[nighthawk]

Ron and Joe,
I started crewing the OH-58 A and C models. Transitioned to UH-IH Iroquois Huey then the AH-1S Prods and Mods. I was one of the Army's first 8 Enlisted Aerial Observers (A.O./Co-Pilot). I miss the flying but I miss my troopers even more. Here is my last Bird:

OH-58 Charlie model, Scout Leaders Bird for A Troop 1/6 Cv




The 1/6 Squadron Command Huey crewed by my buddy Andre:


My roommate Peterson "Pete"s AH-1S Cobra, "SSSSSS" IS FOR SNAKE:


The powers that be refused to listen when we proved to them that purchasing the all new Apache and Black Hawk platforms was not necessary. The Marine Corps proved that, at a substantial cost savings vs new platforms, The Huey and Cobra platforms could be brought up to a performance level equal to or greater than the new platforms. Mulit blade main rotors, beefed up airframe, more powerful and fuel efficient engines, updated avionics and two combat proven airframe designs add up to HOT PERFORMANCE. The Huey and the Cobra can and do sustain battle damage that will bring the newer platforms down.

The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior is a vastly improved version of the OH-58 platform but here the Army used a tried and proven combat design.

A little diti here sung to the tune of the wheels on the bus go round and round:

Oh the blades of the Huey go
WOP,WOP,WOP,
WOP,WOP, WOP,
Oh the blades of the Huey go,
WOP,WOP,WOP,
Early in the morning

Oh the blades on the Cobra go,
THUMP,THUMP, THUMP
THUMP,THUMP,THUMP,
Oh the blades on the Cobra go,
THUMP,THUMP,THUMP,
Early in the morning

Oh the blades on the Kiowa go,
POP,POP,POP
POP,POP,POP,
Oh the blades on the Kiowa go,
POP,POP,POP,
Early in the morning.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Eric,

I rode in both, Hueys and Blackhawks. Yeah, I was in that long. Heck, three of the Air Force planes I jumped out of are museum pieces.

Anyway, I just didn't trust the Blackhawk. I'm sure it's a fine aircraft, but I trusted my life to the Huey, literally, more times than I care to count. It always got me out of tight spots. No matter what anybody says, the Snake was a first rate smoke bringer.

Getting all misty eyed thinking of the Huey rides, nap of the earth, at 90 knots. tree tops slapping the skids, going into an LZ standing on the skids so when the bird flaired, we were gone. Those were the days.

[nighthawk]

Ron,
I hear you bud. I just cannot describe to people what a rush it is to lean into that bungee harness while standing on the skid of a Huey hammering away with the Delta model M60. those lifesaving nap of the earth L.Z insertions are a thing of the past with the Black Hawk. I used to really love those tail walking n.o.e. quick stop flairs in the Huey and the 58. Look out the windscreen and all you see is sky. Look out the chin bubble and you will see the ground horizon normally seen through the windscreen, HOOAH!. Pull one of those absolutely essential maneuvers in a Black Hawk and now we have a crash because we just tore up that rear horizontal stabilizer. Since we were combat arms and rapid deployment all of our aircraft commanders were Vietnam vets. They could really make a "Slick" dance. Same wtih our guns and scout A.C.'s.

You are so right about the Snakes too. The Snake drivers had a saying, "Don't run, you will only die tired". The Cobra then carried the equivalent firepower of an 18 gun battery of 8 inch howitzers! The Marine Corps newer versions of the Cobra can lift even more than those birds you and I worked with. Stick time in a Snake was a premium so I never got to fly missions in them. My duty was to park my butt in the left seat of the scout, sometimes the Huey too, navigate, run the radios and call in the fire support. I wanted my pilot to concentrate on one thing only, fly the helicopter. If I would have known you back in the day I would have gotten you a front seat ride in a Snake!

In this respect we are alike. Give me my Kiowas, Hueys and Snakes anyday. I want the skilled pilots in those reliable aircraft. Let someone else have the birds with the latest and greatest, sure to malfunction when you need them the most, bells and whistles. Our first Apache's were all weather aircraft that could not fly in the rain or be washed with water. Did Hughes/McDonell douglas forget some weather seals? Sure did. Thankfuly Boeing got hold of these birds and has worked them out of their widow maker status. They still do not hald a candle to the newer Cobras.

By the way, if you jumped out of a Hercules or Star Lifter, or flew in a C-5A, chances are really great that my step mother, my mom, helped to build it. She worked for Lockheed of Georgia in the 1960's.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Eric,

Loved the Hercs. Great jump platform. Leaning out the door to make a Jumpmasters check was a thrill. The 141's were okay, very stable platform, but I missed the roar of the engines and the Jumpmaster check on the 141s were too easy. Just so you know, I started in C-119, Flying Boxcars.

I had a chance to fly in a Huey a few years ago. A bunch of Viet Nam Vets were given the chance and I jumped at it. We were flying along at a prescribed altitude, doors closed, and we all started to complain a bit. Both birds landed at an impromptu LZ, opened the doors, flipped the seats up and got us on the floor like we were supposed to be. All of the guys flying the birds were Nam Vets, so when we took off again it was NOE. A couple Snakes saw us down on the deck and asked what was going on. When they found out there were Nam vets on board they joined us. Two Slicks in trail with two Snakes flying cover. It was great!!!