President’s Message Robert Frost February 2012 • “New Guinea Croc Hunting” Randy Mains • ”Lifetime Memberships” • “CHPA on Face Book” • “Veterans Day Address” Doug Smith and much, much more! Presenting! Well, here it is the middle of winter and the damp cold finally arrived in Dallas in time for the Helicopter Association International Convention and HELI‐EXPO 2012. However, it did not dampen the attendance and enthusiasm of the attendees and exhibitors. I heard estimates of 18,000 attendees. It had been five years since I last attended and the technology of rotary wing flight has continued to advance. Some of the aircraft on display were brand new to the commercial market. Even though this is a non‐military event displaying commercial products, there was a military presence. One of the most popular attractions came from an aviation museum out of Lancaster, Texas. They flew in an old Soviet MI‐24 HIND (one of two flyable ones they own) and what an eye‐opener it was. This helicopter is huge with a gross weight of 27,000 lbs. – of which 7,000 pounds is armor plate. This old war bird was introduced in 1972 by the Soviets as a troop‐carrying gunship. I think it may be the ugliest, most menacing, aircraft I have ever seen. The cockpit had gauges every place available and it was certainly not ergonomically designed. My hat is off to the pilots who flew it. CHPA had an exhibit booth and was well represented by Rusty and Lynn Bourgoyne, Rhea Rippey and his fiancée Marianne Johnson. Marianne was especially effective in introducing CHPA to a number of large helicopter manufacturers, organizations, and civilian law enforcement agencies and associations. We will follow up on those initial introductions and meetings to forge an alliance of mutual benefit. Most of these organizations employ and want to continue recruiting military pilots with combat experience. We can help them with that. In turn, they will promote CHPA and perhaps become corporate sponsors of CHPA. It also could prove to be a fertile recruiting opportunity for us since many of their current pilots are ex‐military with combat experience. Also, two of our board members, Al Major and Randy Zahn made an appearance. In addition, we had several of our members who were attending HELO‐EXPO drop by to renew their membership and visit. Since the show continues as I write this message I don’t know how many new members we recruited, but there will be quite a few new pilot and crewmembers. I would like to thank Mike Sheuerman and our fellow warrior brothers at the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA) for their gracious gesture of promoting CHPA by displaying our literature in their exhibit booth. Based on the success of this HAI Convention, I expect CHPA to
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
is themiddleofwinter and thedamp coldfinally arrived in Dallas in time for theHelicopter Association InternationalConventionandHELI‐EXPO2012.However,it did not dampen the attendance andenthusiasmoftheattendeesandexhibitors.I heard estimates of 18,000 attendees. Ithad been five years since I last attendedandthetechnologyofrotarywingflighthascontinuedtoadvance. Someofthe aircraft on display were brand new to the commercial market. Even
CHPAhadanexhibitboothandwaswellrepresentedbyRustyandLynnBourgoyne,RheaRippeyandhis fiancéeMarianne Johnson. Mariannewasespeciallyeffective in introducingCHPAtoanumberof largehelicopter manufacturers, organizations, and civilian law enforcement agencies and associations. We willfollowuponthose initial introductionsandmeetings to forgeanallianceofmutualbenefit. Mostof theseorganizationsemployandwant tocontinue recruitingmilitarypilotswithcombatexperience. Wecanhelpthemwiththat. Inturn,theywillpromoteCHPAandperhapsbecomecorporatesponsorsofCHPA. Italsocouldprovetobeafertilerecruitingopportunityforussincemanyoftheircurrentpilotsareex‐militarywithcombatexperience.
IwouldliketothankMikeSheuermanandourfellowwarriorbrothersattheVietnamHelicopterPilotsAssociation (VHPA) for their gracious gesture of promotingCHPA by displaying our literature in their exhibit booth.BasedonthesuccessofthisHAIConvention,IexpectCHPAto
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
Aswemoveinto2012,preparationscontinueforourownannualmeeting/conventioninWashington,DCfromNovember13–16,2012.ThisisrightafterVeteransDay,(November11)whichfallsonaSundaythisyear.OurconventionwillrunfromTuesdaytoFriday.Someofyoumaywanttoconsidercominginearlierforthe Veterans Day activities or extending your stay into the following weekend. We are working with ourconventionplannertosecurelodgingatreducedratesforthosechoosingtoextendtheirstay. TheprimaryreasonwearehavingoureventsinthemiddleoftheweekisascheduledprivatetouronWednesdayeveningoftheUSCapitolbyCongressmanLouieGohmert.ItwillbeaninterestingtimetobeinWashington,DCandspecifically intheUSCapitol. Congresswillhave justre‐convenedfortheir first lame‐ducksessionafterthenationalelection.Youwilllearnmoreaboutourannualmeeting/conventioninthenextfewmonthsaswegetourhotel plans, tours and transportationplans finalized. As always,our ExecutiveDirector, JayBrownwillprovideallofthisinformationtoyouontheCHPAwebsite.
I close thismonth’sPresident’sMessagewithabitofhumor that couldonly come fromoneofourown:
CHPA is building quite a collection of patches from our members. These patches are displayed at our booth at HAI, Quad A, and VHPA. Several of you have donated patches, like the one shown here, but we’re always looking for more. They are very eye catching and help us garner attention. So please dig through your old patches and if you have some you’d like to share, send them to us at: CHPA • PO Box 42 • Divide, CO80814‐0042
GOT PATCHES?
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
***During the course ofmy job flying a Jet Ranger doing seismic survey
work out of Turama River, based in the sweltering jungle of Papua NewGuinea,Imetsomerealcharactersworkingthereaslinecutters;guyslikeRussandCookie.Thesetwoguyswerelong‐hairedwildmenwithagoodsenseofhumorandpossessingagreatsenseofadventure.Theywerealsonotbeneathhavingabitoffunwithoneanother.Thetroubleis,whentheyhadfunwithoneanother,someonewasoftencaughtinthemiddle.
I was caught in the middle one day when I landed on one of thewooden helipads. Russ walked over to my running helicopter holding a big burlap sack with somethingobviouslyheavyinside.Writtenonthebagitread,‘ToCookiewithlovefromRuss.’Hethrewthebaginthebackofmyemptyhelicopter thenyelled tomeover thesoundof theengine,“MakesureCookiegets this,OK?”
Igavehimathumbsupsignandmouthed,“OK.”I flewover the jungle, justmeand thatbigburlapbag in thebackofmyhelicopter, for twenty‐five
“Goodthinking,”Mikesaid.“We’vedonethisbefore.”“Wecantell,”Isaid.Tomguided the little boat up river turning right onto a small tributary still stayingupstreamof our
slowtheboatrightdown.Iwillmantheportablesearchlightconnectedtothebatteryundertheseathere.”He gave the battery a little kick. “I’ll squat down in the bow and pan the water with the beam of thesearchlight back and forth, from one side of the bank to the other. Whatwe’re all looking for is the redreflectionofthecrock’seye. Yousee,theysitwiththeirheads justunderthewaterbuttheireyesare justabovethewater. Thereflectionof theireyes looks likea redreflector. Youcanusually tell thesizeof thecrockbythesizeoftheredreflection”
atthebaseofthetail. Thentogetherwe’llhaul it in. WhateverhappensIcan’t letgoofhissnout. Crockshavetremendouspowerclosingtheirmouthbutnostrengthtoopenit.Anyquestions?”
backandforthfrombanktomuddybankastheengineslowlyturned over. We watched and waited and drank Coke andwatchedandwaitedsomemore.
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
5
ContinuedonPage6
We cruised up the tributary for an hour‐and‐a‐half, Russ panning the water with the searchlightwithoutseeinga thing. Russ turnedandsaid,“Tom, let’s turnaround. Maybewe’llhavebetter luckgoingdownriver.”
Thetwomenthrusttheirhandsintothewaterdownonthelittlecrock.Asecondofsplashingensued,thenwe heard Russ let out an almighty “Yeeeeeeooooooowwwww,” then an “AHHHH SHIIIIT” as the littlebeastbitintohisfingerwithrazor‐sharpteeth.
Miketriedtograbthecrock’stailbutmissed.Rossinstinctivelythrewhishandsupintheairtryingtopullhisfingerfreefromthecrock’smouthbutthelittlecrockwasstillattachedtohisfinger.Thecrockletgoinmid‐airwithhis trajectory set. Itwasa gentlearc that landedhimwithadistinct “plonk” into theboatamongstthefourofus.
toand fro. I thought atonepointwemight tipover. Wewereall trying toavoid thewild,probably verypissedoff,crockintheboatwithussomewhereinthedarkbyourfeet.
Finally,Russfoundthebattery,connectedthewiresandthelightcamebackon.Atfirstthebeamwasa wild frenzy of frenetic movement lighting the treesoverheaduntilitsettledontheflooroftheboat.
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
After about twentyminutes, as happens with war stories where they just keep getting better andbetterwitheverytelling,wehadhypedourselvesuptothinkwenowknewwhatweweredoingandcouldreadilyhandleanythingMotherNaturehadtothrowatus.
MikeaskedthequestionthatIhadonmymindtoo,“Howbigdoyouthinkitis,Russ?”“Dunno.Big.Prettybig.”Hekeptthespotlightonit.Twentyyardstogo.Itkeptgettingbiggerandbiggerandbiggerstill.“Howbig?”Mikeaskedweakly.“Twelve,fourteenfeetmaybe.She’sbig,maybetoobig.Probablytoobig.”Tom,starttheengine!”Tomdidn’t need to be asked twice andpulled the starter chord. Pppppphhhwwa. Pppppphhwwa.
himoffandwe’llallbescrewed!”Ten yards now drifting slowly but steadily bearing down on the huge, soon to be very pissed off,
prehistoricbeast.Pppppphhhhwwwaa.Ppppppphhhhwwwaa.Pppppphhhhwwwaa.Pppppphhhwwaa.Tom, pulling on the rope more quickly now. Ppppphhhhwwwaaa Pppppppphhhwwwaa
boat.Ppppphhhhhwwaaa.PpppppphhhhhwwwaaaPppppphhhhhwwwaa.”Russ was trying to keep the light on the huge crock
andbackpedalatthesametime.Oursmallboatwasnowon
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
7
TheSwash!Now, I know there are stories out there yet to be told in this forum. Helicopter
crewmembers lead a most interesting life and stories abound from qualification courses, non-flying assignments, combat missions or just goofing off. Our most entertaining and informative stories come from you, our membership.
So, if you have an idea for an article, or if you have an article you’d like to submit it’s as easy as submitting it to the guy who puts the newsletter together. The story can be about anything from flight school to real life, TINS, or there-I-was stories. We’ve published several stories over the years ranging from tales of flight school a long, long time ago to real life “war stories” that we’re sure most of you can identify with.
Take a moment to lay fingers on keyboard or just put pen to paper and send in those stories. You can email them to [email protected] or through the US Post Office to: CHPA • PO Box 42 • Divide, CO 80814-0042
[CallForArticles]
Please feel free to forward this issue of “The Swash Plate” to your colleagues, potential members and other interested parties!
notraceofusforourrelativestoburyandit’llbeaverynastywaytogo,too.Suddenly Russ exclaimed, “What the bloody hell?” andwe all watched the beam of his searchlight
focus perfectly on thewords Coca Cola and the red Coke can floating harmlessly in the shallows near themuddybankoftheriverinfrontoffourveryrelievedyoungmen.
Tom finally got theengine startedand thatwas that. Weunanimously decided that itwas time toconcludeaveryeventfulnightofcrockhunting.
Please consider sponsoring CHPA’s programs. You may make tax deductible donations to support the Goldie Fund, CHPA’s Scholarship program, the Holiday Boxes for the Troops, T-shirts for Heroes or the Association. For further information please look at Sponsorship at the website, http://www.chpa-us.org.
Sponsorship
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
8
Have you thought about a LifetimeMembership in CHPA but thought it was too expensive, ormaybenotworththecost?Tobreakitdown,duesforaLifetimeMembershipforpilotsis$650;forCrewMembersduesare$425.Whilethatmayseemlikealot,whenyoudothemathitcoversyouforjustashadeovertwentyoneyearsatregularmemberdues.Hasanyoneevermentionedyoudon’tnecessarilyhave to pay the entire amount “up front?” Well, you have the option of enjoying the benefit of notworryingaboutanyrenewalnoticesorwritingayearlycheckbypayingtheduesininstallments.CHPAoffersplanstoallowyoutopayyourLifetimeMembershipduesoverseveralmonths.Youcanalsosetupautomaticdebitstoyourcreditcard.Giveusacallat800•832•5144fordetails
In the past there have been many CHPA pages started on different social networking sites toincludeMySpaceandFaceBook.Sadly,thosepageshavegoneidleasthefolkswhostartedthemmovedontootherendeavors. OurExecutiveDirector,JayBrown,hasstartedan“official”CHPAwebpresenceonFaceBooklocatedathttps://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/196724920353496/.
The page was set up to provide a venue for discussions, sharing of ideas and another way ofgettingthosenaggingquestionsanswered.Joiningthegroupisassimpleasaskingtojoin.Stopin,sayhelloand jointheconversationsorstartyourown. AllCombatHelicopterPilotsAssociationmembers,guestsandthosewhosupportCHPAarewelcome.
LifetimeMemberships
CHPAisonFaceBook
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
9
ReunionsandGatherings
Areyouplanningareunionoreventthatmaybeofinteresttoourmembers?Letushelpyougetthe word out and support veterans groups of all sizes and locations. Just send a message with theinformationtoHQ@chpa‐us.org.Ifyouhavealogo,sendthatalongaswell.Besuretoincludeaccuratecontactandregistrationinformationandwe’lltakecareoftherest.
30thANNIVERSARYOFTHEWALL‐READINGOFTHENAMES
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is hostingthe Reading of the Names of 58,272 service membersinscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial inWashington,DC,aspartof thespecialactivitiesplannedthis November to commemorate The Wall’s 30thAnniversary.
The Reading of the Names will take place at The Wall for 65 hours over a four‐day periodbeginningwithanopeningceremonyonWednesday,November7,2012at3:00pm.Volunteerswillreadnamesforapproximatelyeighthoursfrom4pmonNovember7to12amonNovember8.Participantswillthenreadthenamesfor19hoursdailyfrom5amuntil12amonNovember8,9,and10.
TheReadingoftheNamestookplaceinWashington,DCjustfourothertimesinTheWall’shistory.InNovember1982,thenameswerereadaloudatWashingtonNationalCathedralaspartofaweek‐longNational Salute to VietnamVeterans. The nameswere read at TheWall during the 10th Anniversarycelebration in November 1992, during the 20th Anniversary celebration in 2002 and during the 25thAnniversary celebration in 2007. For more information and to sign up to participate visithttp://www.vvmf.org/ROTN.
VINHLONGOUTLAWSASSOCIATION
Vinh Long Outlaws Association will hold its 2012 reunion in Savannah, GA,September 6 – 10. Calling allmembersof the62ndAvnCo; CoA, 502ndAvnBn;175thAHCandallattachedunits.FormupinSavannah.ContactBobKoonce,(253)537‐4818,[email protected].
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
Since thenwehavebeen inWorldWar II, theKoreanWar,VietnamandpresentlyTheWaronTerrorism.
IntheCivilwarapersonwhohadseencombatwasreferredtoashavingseentheelephant.Aproverb from the countryof India seems relevant to the experiencesofwar. Therewere six
blindmenvisitingazoo,whereupontheymetanelephant.Thefirstwalkedintothesideoftheelephant,extendedhisarmsandproclaimeditwasawall.Thesecondfeltthetrunkandsaiditwasasnake.Thethirdfeltthetailandsaiditwasarope.Thefourthfeltthelegsandsaidtheywereliketreetrunks.Thefifthman felt the two tusksandexplained itwas like two swords. The sixthblindmanasked the zookeeperwhat itwas. Thezookeepersaid,“Youareallcorrect inwhatyouhavesaid;however,onlybysharingwhateachofyouknowcanyouhaveatrueunderstandingoftheelephant.
Irememberflyingoneday,whilelisteningtoseveraldifferentradiofrequencies.OnewasArmedForcesVietnam,theonefromthemovie,“GoodMorning,Vietnam.” Theannouncementwasmadethatmanhadjustlandedonthemoon,July16,1969. I lookeddownatthemenonthegroundandthought“BigDeal.”Theastronautisnotanybraverthanthosemenontheground.
Iwouldliketosharewithyouoneofmywarstories.MyradiocallsignwasGhostRider6.Alocalvillagewasworkingwith theUS forces. One evening aViet Cong threw a hand grenade in the housewherethevillageElderwassleepingwithhiswife.ConsiderabledamagewasdonetotheElder.
A fewdaysafter the incident thebattalionS‐5 (CivilAffairsOfficer),whowasworkingwith thelocalpeople,askedmeifIhadenoughtimeonmyhelicoptertoflyhimandtheElder’swifetothehospitalinSaigon,ashefeltcertaintheElder’swifefeltherhusbandwasdead.
Sincewewerealreadycommitted,coupledwiththe lookofapprehensiononthewife’s face,weboth knew Vung Tau was our next destination. Uponarrivalwegassedup,gotajeepandtaxiedthewifetosee
Volume 8, Issue 2 CHPA • The Swash Plate www.chpa-us.org
herhusbandalive. Additionally,hewouldsurvive. Sincewehadaccomplishedourmission, I tookthewifebacktohervillage,thebattalionS‐5tohisfiresupportbaseandIreturnedtomyhome,DiAn.
IntheUnitedStates,peoplehardlyever,ormorelikelynever,heardaboutwhatIjusttoldyou.Our mission was to win the hearts and minds of the people of Vietnam. It is pretty much
During October 20 – 23 of 2011, Eileen and I attended a Combat Helicopter Pilots AssociationconventionatFortRucker,AL;“TheHomeofArmyAviation.”
While visiting the flight line, a Huey pilot and I climbed into the front seat of a Black hawkhelicopter.Wewereinaweandtotallyconfused.Heck,theycanflythemselves!