It's ridiculous that we're having so many helicopter crashes. If they're not being shot down, what's the damn problem? Eight years of no new parts for maintenance during the Clinton abomination?
Bless them.
Air Assault had not been invented when I was in Viet Nam (65-66), or I should say it was being invented while I was there.
While I was in the 101st Airborne, I had made a few jumps from a helicopter, but was never trained in exiting one, especially under fire. Once I got to Viet Nam, there was little time for training, and I can remember the first time I hit a hot LZ and the copter barely slowed down as we began jumping out a few feet above ground, getting our bearings and moving into the tree line.
I understand they have an Air Assault school now where they train for that sort of thing now, but I suspect even with training it is not easy.
Even when everything goes right, people get injured. It is a rough business.
Does anyone still believe that all of these helicopters are just crashing. For goodness sake, if that were true we'd have the worst helicopter pilot corps in the world, and I know that's not the case. The Navy and Marines fly helicopters in my area quite often with nary a problem...then again, nobody's shooting at them here either.
Glad to hear they're all ok (considering the alternative).
