UP !  UP!  UP!

Submitted by: The Skyeye

Place: III Corps, RVN
Time: early 1969

   I was basically an REMF, but being young, dumb and seeing the
opportunity to earn $50.00 per month flight pay, I also flew some Low
Level Hand Held photo recon jobs.  On the day in question, I was en
route in a Huey to another location when two Vietnamese officers got on
at a stop.  It was usual to hitch-hike via chopper so the pilot agreed
to take them along.  Normally, choppers cruised at about 3,000 ft. AGL
to avoid small arms fire.  All well and good.

   However, for some reason, the Vietnamese wanted to fly at some
higher altitude, maybe for a better view.  They started hitting the
pilot on the shoulder and demanding to go UP!  UP! UP! (with appropriate
gestures).  Now Warrant Officer Pilots aren't particularly noted for
their helpful dispositions, and some foreign officers telling him how to
fly probably pissed him off.

   After several exchanges between the Vietnamese and pilot we began
climbing, and climbing, and climbing.  Pretty soon we were higher than
I’ve ever been in a chopper and it was getting downright cold.  I guess
the Vietnamese had never been so cold and began demanding (with
appropriate gestures) DOWN!  DOWN!.

Which is where the fun began.

   All of a sudden it got real quiet and we began losing altitude at an
alarming rate.  A very alarming rate. Kinda like that first drop on a
big roller coaster.  Frankly I was a tad concerned till I saw the gunner
laughing his ass off.  Since I didn’t have a flight helmet, I wasn’t in
on the joke but caught on quick.  We continued to "plunge to a certain
death" into whatever was below.

   That’s when the Vietnamese began shouting UP!  UP!  UP! (with
appropriate gestures).  Their eyes were the size of saucers and they
were looking mighty pale.  We went back into powered flight at a couple
hundred feet, much to the relief and then consternation of the Vietnamese.

Moral: Never mess with a Warrant Officer Pilot In Command.