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Subject:

Hello there BlueGhost,

Author:
Bert Hampton

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Date Posted: 14:11:21 05/12/01 Sat

I was a pilot with HHC 196th LIB flying all the places you guys flew at about the same time. We had just seven pilots (counting the Brigade Aviation Officer - who only flew occasionally and then only in the Brigade Commander's C & C ship), three UH1s and four OH23s. Obviously there were more than enough ships to go around. Everyone flew every day. There was little attention paid to hours and supposed mandatory down time.
Anyway, late one evening I found myself lifting off LZ Baldy after a very full, tiring day, facing a long flight home in a very slow old OH23. Our Ravens had no attitude indicators. Just air speed, RPM, oil, torque and temp. It was getting dark fast and it was real apparent that my visible horizon was going to disappear at any moment. When you are out in a 23 with no visible horizon you are in deep, deep sh--! Anyway, I was headed south for Chu Lai (Ky Ha) thinking I should turn around and just spend the night at Baldy when I spotted a bunch of BlueGhosts lifting off from the next LZ south of Baldy (Hawk Hill - I think). I contacted the flight and asked if they would mind letting me form up on them so that I could use their nav. lights to make an artificial horizon. They said sure. Only problem was you guys had LOHs and Cobras. With a max air speed of about 86 knots, I soon found it was impossible to keep up. I had to plead with them to slow up. These guys had had a long day and wanted to get back. They only reluctantly slowed down to what must have seemed to them to be an absolute crawl. As we flew south they kept getting a little faster and a little faster until I was just a vague memory. Luckily by the time they got so far out in front I could not use their lights anymore, we came up on Tam Ky, and I gained a usable ground lights horizon. I knew I should be able to get on in on my own. I advised them to go ahead and before I could say thanks - they had all pulled away like rockets.
For years it made a good story, talking about trying to make a 23 keep up with LOHs and Cobras while fearful of losing my horizon at any moment.
Enjoyed your site, see you at the VHPA reunion in July.

Bert Hampton
(Charger 7)

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