Surprised at Being Alive: An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond

by Robert Curtis

Overview

Sometimes you do everything right, but it just isn’t your day. A part fails and your helicopter comes apart in flight, or, another aircraft runs into you and the pieces of both fall to the ground below, or the enemy gunner pulls the trigger at just the right moment and his rounds find your aircraft in exactly the right spot to take it out of the sky. Whichever way it happens, it wasn’t your day.

Which is why, after 24 years and over 5,000 flight hours with four armed services, Major Robert Curtis was so surprised at being alive when he passed his retirement physical. Starting with enlisting in the Army to fly helicopters during Vietnam, and continuing on through service with the National Guard, Marine Corps and Royal Navy, he flew eight different helicopters—from the wooden-bladed flying he OH-13E, through the Chinook, SeaKnight and SeaKing, in war and peace around the world. During that time over 50 of his friends died in crashes, both in combat and in accidents, but somehow his skill, and not an inconsiderable amount of luck and superstition, saw him through.

His flying career began with a misbegotten strategy for beating the draft by enlisting. With the Vietnam War raging full blast in 1968 the draft was inevitable, so he wanted to at least get some small measure of control of his future. Although he had no thought of flying when he walked into the recruiting office, he walked out signed up to be a helicopter pilot. What he did not know was that 43% of all the aircraft sent to Vietnam were destroyed in combat or accidents. Soon he was in the thick of the war, flying Chinooks with the 101st Airborne. After Vietnam he left the Army, but kept flying in the National Guard while going to college. He was accepted at two law schools, but flying is addictive, so he instead enlisted in the USMC to fly some more. Over the next 17 years he would fly around the world off US and British ships from Egypt to Norway and all points in between. His engaging story will be a delight to all aviation enthusiasts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612002750
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	12/30/2014
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	850,247
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Robert Francis Curtis was born in Middletown, Ohio, in 1949, making him exactly the right age to be drafted for the Vietnam War. After dropping out of high school twice, he passed the general educational development exam, giving him enough educational qualifications to gain entry into the Army’s Warrant Officer Candidate program. There he learned to fly, starting him on the path to a military career as an aviator in the Army, National Guard, Marine Corps, and as an exchange officer with the British Royal Navy. After service in Vietnam he attended the University of Kentucky, graduating with honor with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Later, while serving at Naval Air Systems Command in Washington, DC, Robert completed a Master’s Degree in Procurement and Acquisition Management at Webster University. His military awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and 23 Air Medals. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa while at the University of Kentucky. Robert is an FAA certified Commercial Pilot in both helicopters and gyroplanes. He has previously published articles in professional journals including the Marine Corps Gazette, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Aircrewman’s Journal TACAN. Robert and his wife, Mariellen, reside in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Table of Contents

Prologue 9

Introduction: Helicopters 15

Flying Life 1 The Army 1968-1971

1 The Accidental Aviator 23

2 Chasing Buzzards 28

3 Engine Failure 32

4 The Playtex Club 42

5 First Takeoff of the Day 49

6 Luck and Superstition 56

7 Survival Instruments 62

8 Tracers 70

9 Army Night Flight 88

10 Flares 96

11 Napalm 103

12 Last 'Nam' Flight 113

Flying Life 2 The National Guard 1972-1975

13 Truck Strike 125

14 National Guard Night Flight 132

15 Tornados 141

16 National Guard Summers 150

Flying Life 3 The Marine Corps

17 Night Vis ion Goggles 163

18 Marine Corps Night Flight 171

19 Wires 189

20 Externals 200

21 The Ritual 211

22 Special Operations Capable 218

23 Broken on a Moroccan Beach 229

Flying Life 4 The British Royal Navy 1983-1985

24 Sand 239

25 Introducing the Arctic to Captain Curtis 245

26 Royal Navy Night Flight-The Difficult Valley 251

27 Troop Lifting, with Night and Heavy Snow Showers 253

28 Long Flight Home 258

29 Sea Fog 265

30 Day and Night Passengers 271

31 Final Flight with the Royal Navy 278

Epilogue: The Wall, 20 Years After 282

Glossary 293

Acknowledgments 298

Editorial Reviews

"Curtis uses a particular wit and sharp descriptive skills to narrate his extraordinary career. He brings the reader right into the moment, whether in the cockpit of a Chinook in Vietnam, a CH- 46E on a pitching deck at night, or a Sea King navigating the fiords of Norway. Curtis was surprised at being alive when he passed his retirement physical. you will be surprised as well, with this great reading experience."

VHPA Aviator

The author’s time in Vietnam was action packed, flying over the DMZ, the Laotian border and Khe Sanh. During his time there, he heard NVA radar and radio signals, dodged enemy ordnance, and survived an enemy round through the helo windshield. . . . The danger of flying the aerodynamically complex helicopters in all kinds of rapid changing weather conditions and varied topographies required courage and skill. Curtis few training, transportation, supply and combat missions in climate regions from the Southeast Asian tropics to the storms, highlands and ice of the Arctic. . . . In 1992, Major Curtis retired from the military, “…surprised to still be alive.

Naval History Magazine

"Robert Curtis gives us a compelling account of his exemplary service in wartime and beyond. The combat missions he flew out of Phu Bai/Camp Eagle in Vietnam did so much for so many, and remain alive and meaningful for all of us today. "

Gary Matthews

"one of those books that you read that gives you the feeling of Deja Vu, and makes the hairs on the back of your neck rise."

Neall Ellis

"provides a worthwhile journey into history and one man’s multifaceted service. The work is recommended reading for all aviation aficionados."

20th Century Aviation Magazine

"Curtis’ eye for detail puts him in the top rank of my list of Vietnam War autobiographers. The precision of his style creates both the picture and the mood of acts as simple as crawling out of bed and shuffling to the flight line in the middle of the night. Curtis repeatedly refreshed my Vietnam War memories. His highly personalized description of helicopter action during Lam Son 719 is the most straightforward account of that operation I have read. What’s more, Curtis injects historical references without breaking the narrative thread."

The VVA Veteran

Curtis’ eye for detail puts him in the top rank of my list of Vietnam War autobiographers. The precision of his style creates both the picture and the mood of acts as simple as crawling out of bed and shuffling to the flight line in the middle of the night. Curtis repeatedly refreshed my Vietnam War memories. His highly personalized description of helicopter action during Lam Son 719 is the most straightforward account of that operation I have read. What’s more, Curtis injects historical references without breaking the narrative thread.

VVA Veteran