That's my seat there in the back, facing outward.
Some nightmares never end. That's what I love about America! Never admit a mistake! As we here in the loser 21st century reap what we've sown in the 20th century I take a step back in time to board the legendary Huey helicopter. After all, aren't our wars of today merely an extension of the Vietnam war, one where we're fighting ghosts of our own imagination?
Nothing new under the sun, eh? In Vietnam movies, the Huey helicopter is a must-have staple as gun ship, troop transport and a host of other duties. It's what the Jeep was to WWII. They have entered into war mythology and as a fan of mythology I climbed aboard to see if real life matches the mystique. Let's just say my camera was not so steady as Coppola's.
In a Huey there's no place to hang on in the back. Won't see any grab handles or bars to cling to. Basically, all I had was a strap around the waist and my white knuckled non-camera hand clutching to the edge of the seat as I peered downward to the ground below me on every sharp turn left.
Looking out over the Tyler airport
The Collings Foundation is an aircraft preservation society who take their planes across the country. Some are to view only, on some you can purchase a flight. My last chance at a Huey was three years ago and I missed it thinking I'd get it next year but the Huey did not return. So after this long drought I jumped at the chance. I highly recommend this rare experience to taste what our fighting soldiers endured in the past.
Each ride has to be full before it will take flight
The seats look more dangerous than they are. It seems you could fall out if the chopper takes a dip to your side but the centrifugal forces keep you in place. However, without time to acclimatize to this it makes facing the ground during a turn no less disconcerting! By the end of the flight I was just ready to kiss the sweet ground.
Below is the video of my flight. I intentionally did not film any of the others passengers or anyone else without their consent except for the pilot. He lost my sympathy anyway after that first gut wrenching turn to the left after take off. Had I to do it again I could do a much better job knowing what to expect but here it is nerves and all my first time through:
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