Iraq War Helicopter

Iraq war helicopter travel is one of the most-used modes of transportation for both military personnel and civilians.

The photo below is the view I saw after taking off on one of many missions from a base in Iraq over the past four years.

The first thing you want to remember is to get yourself some hearing protection--you will need it. It is very loud in a military helicopter.

You have probably watched TV shows showing people carrying on a conversation in the helicopter. This is not so. Believe me, unless you have a headset on, you cannot hear anyone talking, not even yourself...

November 2007

Below is a picture of a Russian Mi8 helicopter. I was going to be taking a ride on this helicopter on Thanksgiving day to go out to the field in Nagahar.

Once the bird lands, the crewman will wave for you to come to the bird. In TV shows, you see people leaning over to enter the helicopter to avoid getting hit by the blades--you do not have to lean over--the blades are not going to get you while you load.

The less luggage you have the better--there is not a lot of room for luggage in a chopper.

If it is wintertime dress warmly. There is little heat since the gunners have their weapons pointed out an open window.

In the summertime, they fly with the doors open--this puts an extreme draft on the people inside. You do not want to have anything that is flapping like your chin strap on your Kevlar helmet--it will beat you to death by the time you land--also make sure you have your sunglasses secured to your face or they will fly off--you will need some sort of glasses to protect your eyes.

November 2007

In the picture below is me flying on the Mi8 helicopter mentioned above. It was Thanksgiving Day 2007. Little did I know that in less than eight hours an incident would happen that would have a profound affect on me and my tour in Afghanistan.

The Iraq war birds will fly fast and low over the landscape--they will have to pull up to avoid electrical lines and so on--and then they swoop back down to low flying.

To this day I do not know of any civilians who were riding to go on R&R or to return home who have been shot down. So sit back and enjoy the ride. I like to sit by the door myself so I can look out.

Relax and enjoy. The pilots know what they are doing. Get used to it if you are going to work in a war zone.

Thank you for your visit.

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