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Surprised at Being Alive

An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond

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Surprised at Being Alive

By: Robert F. Curtis
Narrated by: David Colacci
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About this listen

Sometimes you do everything right, but it just isn't your day. A part fails and your helicopter comes apart in flight, or, another aircraft runs into you and the pieces of both fall to the ground below, or the enemy gunner pulls the trigger at just the right moment and his rounds find your aircraft in exactly the right spot to take it out of the sky. Whichever way it happens, it wasn't your day.

Which is why, after 24 years and over 5,000 flight hours with four armed services, Major Robert Curtis was so surprised at being alive when he passed his retirement physical. Starting with enlisting in the Army to fly helicopters during Vietnam, and continuing on through service with the National Guard, Marine Corps, and Royal Navy, he flew eight different helicopters - from the wooden-bladed OH-13E, through the Chinook, SeaKnight, and SeaKing, in war and peace around the world. During that time over 50 of his friends died in crashes, both in combat and in accidents, but somehow his skill, and not an inconsiderable amount of luck and superstition, saw him through.

©2014 Robert F. Curtis (P)2019 Tantor Air Forces Military War Aviation Transportation US Air Force Vietnam War Memoir

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Luck and Superstition

As I am not a rotary wing aviator, or any form of aviation; the journey the story provided was easy to follow and visualise. There are very few that included the exchange postings.

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Excellent memoir told well

This is a book I have listened to several times now anger more from it each time

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