Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “Dabbs: My Time in the U.S. Army Rotary-Wing Flight School” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/u-s-army-rotary-wing-flight-school/.
Dabbs: My Time in the U.S. Army Rotary-Wing Flight School
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
belladonna
Hellcat
Great article Mike! One thing that stuck out to me was when the author said that he told the Army that he would fly anything except the Chinook. Well, yeah...he was young. Too young to know that you don't tell the military what you DON'T want to do...because that's what you'll definitely be doing. I had some experience with that.
FNFAN
Elite
Great article! I was honored to have been able to pin my Son's wings on at Ft. Rucker. He was 3rd in his class and got his pick of birds and went with the Apache. He did 6 deployments 3 on the ground in infantry and 3 flying in Afghanistan. He also was picked for a TDY to HI, where they were trying to test feasibility of flying Apache's off of ships.
N
NMEDGE
Guest
I never flew helicopters. I rode in them, they dropped us off and quickly departed. The best part was seeing them come back to pick you up and bring you back! After 3 years I transferred to a gentler branch of the military--the Air Force.
Wiregrass_Kid
Alpha
I grew up in Troy, north of Ft. Rucker, and went to/worked at the Boy Scout Camp AlaFlo right outside Enterprise. As you say, the air was always filled with helicopters working training flights up over Troy and Pike County. The 'whop whop' of low-flying Hueys was not even noticeable to residents unless they were low enough to rattle house windows, which did happen.
I'd like to share an incorrect rumor that floated around us nearby townies who didn't know the details of the activity. The rumor was that the orange doors were not for all trainees, but instead for Bundeswehr pilots to warn other copters of pilots who spoke only German, not English. Orange = keep greater distance as they might not understand commands or flight direction in English. Silly, of course, but that was the 1970s.
When I was at the Boy Scout camp, at night we often heard the brrrrrrt of mini-guns at night. We assumed those were Cobras practicing night missions against imaginary Warsaw Pact opfors. The brrrrrt-RIP sound was fantastic to hear in the woods from the safety of Camp AlaFlo.
Lastly, I was in Army ROTC at the high school in Troy. Each year, the Army brought up a Huey from Rucker to give short local rides to all six class periods of ROTC students. They flew into and out of the marching band's practice field, with the nose-down takeoff going out through a notch in a nearby grove of pine trees. Quite the thrill for a teen!
Thank you for writing and sharing this article, it was nice to go back to my youth filled with the summertime smells of fresh-cut pine and creosote along with the thrum of cicadas and ever-present helicopter activity. Long live Ft. Rucker!
I'd like to share an incorrect rumor that floated around us nearby townies who didn't know the details of the activity. The rumor was that the orange doors were not for all trainees, but instead for Bundeswehr pilots to warn other copters of pilots who spoke only German, not English. Orange = keep greater distance as they might not understand commands or flight direction in English. Silly, of course, but that was the 1970s.
When I was at the Boy Scout camp, at night we often heard the brrrrrrt of mini-guns at night. We assumed those were Cobras practicing night missions against imaginary Warsaw Pact opfors. The brrrrrt-RIP sound was fantastic to hear in the woods from the safety of Camp AlaFlo.
Lastly, I was in Army ROTC at the high school in Troy. Each year, the Army brought up a Huey from Rucker to give short local rides to all six class periods of ROTC students. They flew into and out of the marching band's practice field, with the nose-down takeoff going out through a notch in a nearby grove of pine trees. Quite the thrill for a teen!
Thank you for writing and sharing this article, it was nice to go back to my youth filled with the summertime smells of fresh-cut pine and creosote along with the thrum of cicadas and ever-present helicopter activity. Long live Ft. Rucker!
belladonna
Hellcat
That "brrrrrt" always reminds me of A-10s 
. I know what you mean about not hearing aircraft until they're on top of your house I spent the better half of my childhood living about 15 miles from Griffiss AFB. We didn't hear the B-52s much...we just quit talking until they went over. We really noticed the sonic booms though.
Welcome to the forum! We have quite a cool bunch here.
. I know what you mean about not hearing aircraft until they're on top of your house I spent the better half of my childhood living about 15 miles from Griffiss AFB. We didn't hear the B-52s much...we just quit talking until they went over. We really noticed the sonic booms though.Welcome to the forum! We have quite a cool bunch here.
KillerFord1977
SAINT
I lived on the final approach path to “Boring Loring” in the early ‘80s of the B-52’s going to base. Never got tired of seeing the smoke trails coming and going as a kidThat "brrrrrt" always reminds me of A-10s
Welcome to the forum! We have quite a cool bunch here.