Product Description
Based on audiotapes he recorded during the war and sent home to his family, Randy Zahn’s Snake Pilot recounts his experiences flying AH-1 Cobra helicopters during the Vietnam War. Unlike the pilots who flew the fast-moving strike jets, Zahn experienced the war "up close and personal," witnessing the grisly effects of the Cobra’s firepower on enemy soldiers. He does not glorify killing but rather explains in sharp relief the kaleidoscope of emotions associated with combat and displays a sensitivity rarely found in memoirs written by battle-hardened warriors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

A look into Reality
War is NOT a pretty thing.Randy Zahn has captured the essence of what Hunter/Killer (Pink Teams) went through on a daily basis.I flew with Cavalier-24 before he made AC/PIC but I was transfered out of Charly Troop 2 weeks before the 122mm rocket hit the Red Hooch.The shipper of the book packaged the item very well - it arrived in most excellant conditon.Many thanks to the Amazon system that ensures excallance. VHC3

snake pilot:
outfrigginstanding!read this book! ! thanks for your service and sacrifice randy....and for putting your rvn experience on paper...steve heinz...qui nhon...60/70

I got about half way through.
This is a teenagers recollections of the helicopter war in Vietnam.Most of it is reconstructions of letters and tapes he sent home to his folks. I'm trying to think of a kind word to say about it, but I can't.

Randy Zahn flew 'High Bird' while I was on the ground with the 'Blues'
I took a special interest in reading this book because Randy Zahn and I shared many of the same mission experiences.
He flew the 'High Bird ' while I was the radio operator on the ground for the Charlie Troop Blues.
Randy holds back no emotions in his book which he and many others felt while serving in that 'unpopular war'.
By all means A Must Read!



Rob Struck (Blue India) 1970
Charlie Troop 1/9th

Snake Pilot
Excellent reading for a former Cobra Jock. Keep the faith and may see you at VHPA someday ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Review
Aside from the written name on the side, the product was in well maintained and like brand new. The seller informed me of the defects that the book had, fast shipping. I would buy more books from the seller. I highly recommended.

review
this is a great book if you want to understand the basics of how helicopters fly, and a somewhat detailed breakdown of popular aircraft circa 1980. This book may be a little old but a lot of the info is great. If you are starting a carree in this field, especially the militray, this is a good way to gain some prior knowledge on what you will be learning. ... Read more

Product Description
Did you know?

• Freemasonry's first American lodge included a young Benjamin Franklin among its members.

• The Knights Templar began as impoverished warrior monks then evolved into bankers.

• Groom Lake, Dreamland, Homey Airport, Paradise Ranch, The Farm, Watertown Strip, Red Square, “The Box,” are all names for Area 51.

An indispensable guide, Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies connects the dots and sets the record straight on a host of greedy gurus and murderous messiahs, crepuscular cabals and suspicious coincidences. Some topics are familiar—the Kennedy assassinations, the Bilderberg Group, the Illuminati, the People's Temple and Heaven's Gate—and some surprising, like Oulipo, a select group of intellectuals who created wild formulas for creating literary masterpieces, and the Chauffeurs, an eighteenth-century society of French home invaders, who set fire to their victims' feet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Pure Sophistry!
When I first recieved this book I thought that it would be a reliable source of information concerning the powers that are in control of our world today. instead the author has compiled a massive amount of documentation about these organizations only to conclude that none of these threats are real and that any who would take them seriously suffer from paranoia. This book also contains the most shamefully lame rebuttle of the 911 Truth movement I have ever read, mostly consisting of personal opinion, poor analogies, and the defeating of a few straw man arguments. Any objective examination of the facts will reveal far more than the media is telling us ,and certainly more than this book is telling us. It makes you wonder what the authors' motive was to write such an extensive reference book about a subject he deems completely bogus. I think thats a conspiracy worth investigating.

Short answer: Nobody is out to get you.
The middle section on conspiracies was old news because just about any conspiracy theory eventually works it's way up to the Masons, Illuminati, the Jews or all three. But the sections on cults and secret societies were fascinating.

Not a complete waste of time, but almost...
Superficial, smug, and judgmental. This book is a joke. "Look inside" at the table of contents and use the internet (Goldwag's actual source)- you'll learn more and save a tree in the process.

Crazy? It depends ...
This is NOT Hunter Thompson embedding himself in the Hell's Angels. This is a general reference book, and gives the author's opinion as to why people engage and join these groups and ideas. My interest in the subject has mostly to do with the Conspiracists. Goldwag's conclusion supports my own--that Conspiracists are akin to Religious Fundamentalists. In other words, they both seek external causal explanation for events; and justify their actions accordingly. In psychological jargon, an external locus of control. Better understood as "It's not my fault." Goldwag concludes that many conspiracists are paranoid personalities. The DSM IV concurs, as does interpersonal theory about personality disorders. The difference between the two groups is: The religious tend to attribute events to a supernatural struggle between good and evil [(God and the Devil) which is accepted as 'normal':]. Whereas: Conspiracists blame secret societies of power hungry individuals [which is considered by society as abnormal and subversive:]. Unfortunately, there is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy to all of this--and as both extremist views gain popular support--we might just get Armageddon or another Holocaust. This is scary stuff. The behavior and action of the two groups are different. The religious want to convert others, pray, and rejoice in their salvation, i.e. engage others. The Conspiracists want to disengage, isolate, and then do battle. Both want to "save the world." Both deny personal responsibility ... ironic.

Why not just read wikipedia?
To be fair I didn't read the whole book, I only read the first 50 pages. I was expecting a historical or philosophical recounting of the subject matter. Instead this is an alphabetical arranged listing of short description of cults and conspiracies. There don't seem to be any overarching theme or conclusions being drawn. Just know what you're getting into. ... Read more

Product Description
Provided in this text, for both the student and the practicing helicopter aerodynamicist, is the information necessary to analyze the performance of an existing helicopter or to participate in the design of a new helicopter. This information includes the derivation of the theory behind the various methods of analysis, appropriate experimental data to correlate and supplement the theory, and charts that permit rapid analysis. A special attempt is made to relate helicopter aerodynamics to airplane aerodynamics for those who are making the transition. The first six chapters are devoted to the various aspects of helicopter performance. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 cover stability and control. The final chapter presents the tradeoff considerations that the engineer must face during the preliminary design phase to ensure both good performance and good flying qualities. In Appendix A, an "Example Helicopter" is defined and is consistently used throughout the book to illustrate!, by numerical calculations, the application of the analysis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Amazing
This book covers the topic of helicopter stability and control in an excelent manner. It is a very useful reference for aerospace students specialized in rotary-wing design and control like myself.

My favorite book on Helicopters
Well written, complete book on helicopter design, aerodynamics, stability & control, and performance. Includes the overall concepts as well as the detailed equations ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing Budgie, the smallest helicopter at the hangar, who's always given the least important jobs. When a pair of kidnappers disappears into the woods with a little girl, only Budgie is small enough to follow--and the smallest helicopter becomes a hero! Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

If you want to frighten your child...buy this book.
I bought this book because my 2 year old is in love with helicopters.I didn't bother reading past the first couple pages because I figured it had to be tame since the Duchess of York wrote it.I was wrong.The first few pages are fine, and then I found out what the story is about.A little girl is kidnapped and Budgie needs to help rescue her.There is even a picture of two men chasing after a little girl in pigtails.I stopped reading as soon as I realized what the story was about and deposited it straight in the trash.This book is inappropriate for children.Based on the pictures I just can't figure out what age group this would be appropriate for.I personally don't want to send my son to bed with nightmares.

Staple of my childhood
This was the first book I can remember loving.I'm not sure whether I memorised it from hearing it so much and went from there, but Budgie taught me how to read at the age of 3.Sadly I haven't read it since, but I highly recommend it to children as the characters are so easy to love!

Budgie: The Little Helicopter
My Granddaughter received this book for Christmas two years ago when she was two.She still enjoys hearing the stories about Budgie.It is a throughly enjoyable book for children.The video is great too.Wish there were more of them.

Budgie is enlightening
Budgie:The Little Helicopter is wonderfully illustrated and catches the child's eye with all it's bright colors.The story is intriguing and my two children, 5 & 6 at the time (now 7 & 8) were totally absorbedby it.My son slept with the book for weeks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Decent guide to Military Helicopters
This is a good guide to military helicopters of the 80s and before, so its a bit outdated. There are 51 aircraft described. There are many colour photos, not high quality though. Very good descriptions. Some of the types include: Aerospatiale, Bell, Hughes, Mil, Sikorsky ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A bit out dated.
Does a good job of going over the basics of RC helicopters but is a bit out dated for today's standards. When the book was written, the technology found in modern RC electric helicopters did not exist.

Excellent starting point. Great book
I really enjoyed the book.Read it from cover to cover, then again, before making the plunge and buying my first heli.
The book is somewhat outdated on a few things (gyroscope, radio gears), but give the newcomer a good understanding of what it takes to build and fly RC helicopters. As the title says, it only covers the basics, but does a pretty good at that.

I was disappointed with this book
I found this book too basic.Most of the book is about choosing the right equipment.There are only a few chapters on flying.I found alot of this information by searching Deja News and reading rec.models.rc.helicopter.

Great book for beginners!
This book is very well setup and organized for the beginner in mind.It does not assume that you know everything, and by the end of the book, you'll know enough to finally fly a helicoptor.However, the tech info is slightly outdated (1995), but it is still very helpful.I'd stronglyrecommend it.I'd also recommend getting Milt's Helicopter videos too! ... Read more

Product Description
Many Vietnam memoirs have appeared in recent years, but not a single one has the humor, pathos, poignancy, and often sheer hilarity of John J. Gebhart's riveting LBJ'S Hired Gun. As Gebhart tells it, he was a "smart-mouthed college boy" who joined the Marines to see the world and "dust a few black pajamas for Uncle Sam." Two grueling tours of duty later (1965-1967) he returned home as a sergeant after surviving 240 combat missions (12 air medals) and being shot down twice. On his chest was the Navy Commendation Award (with the combat V).

Customer Reviews (7)

Read at your own risk
I had purchased this book with the idea that I would be seeing the war from
a viewpoint not often written about, instead of that I received a book that
I suspect contains a great deal of, well, bunk to be polite as well as one
dimensional characterization, and some of the poorest writing I've ever
encountered.Not to mention that it was badly edited, if at all, with such
examples as explaining that he had been assigned to Marine Air long after
the reader had gone the through the drama of the trip to Okinawa.And
after all that, I still have no idea as to what his initial duties were. Avoid
this book at all costs unless the reader wishes to endure endless tales of
drunkenness, egotism, and how to lie, cheat and steal.

A Different Vietnam
Having read a few of the other reviews I have to say I disagree slightly with some of them.Being a military historian I understand that the Second Indochina War (Vietnam) was several different wars.Many Marine Corps veterans of the first part of the Vietnam War stress the difference between the early years of American involvement and our withdrawl from the country in 1975.Mr. Gebhart's work is a tale of the former, and he is a man who obviously enjoyed his time in combat.His book is an easy, fun read, and it should remind us that we need men like Mr. Gebhart in combat.Mr. Gebhart also illustrates the rising race relation problems in the Corps during that time, as well as the increase in drug use and addiction.Should anyone disbelieve that the Corps suffered a change in the quality of recruits during the Vietnam War (and if they dislike the familiar way in which Mr. Gebhart writes), they would do well to read such works as Son Thang: An American War Crime, by Gary Solis; and Marine Rifleman: 43 Years in the Corps by Col. Wesley Fox, ret.All three of these men (former Marines) offer widely varying, but equally excellent works on the Vietnam War.
Mr. Gebhart's work is a fun and educational read about a man who enjoyed combat, and we should thank him for the enthusiasm with which he went about his business.

LBJ's Hired Gun
I enjoyed the book and especially liked the stories from the author's time off the line.He does an excellant job of describing his time in combat too.I would recommend this book to anyone whether their interest in specific to helicoptor warfare or just general interest.

Was I reading a comic book?
At the risk of being hit with the "you wern't there, so how do you know" crutch, I must say I found this book silly and childish. It makes you wonder how much of these stories are embellished and to what degree. I felt like I was reading a combination of "Full Metal Jacket" and "Heartbreak Ridge" due to all the one-liners that have been used over the years. Can someone really throw dozens of dogs off a naval ship in the middle of the ocean with no repercussions? Can someone strike a naval officer, knocking his cap off without repercussions? Comic book! Don't waste your time and money on this one.

Best Vietnam War book ever, and also the funniest
This book holds nothing back, and it gives you the honest truth of what combat was like in Vietnam, from a Marine who fought as a grunt and ended up a highly decorated aviation warrior. The combat stories are well written and give an excellent first-person account of what really happened, and the non-combat stories about Sgt. Gephardt's adventures In Country are some of the funniest stories that I've ever read.

Previously, my favorite first-person Vietnam War book was "Platoon Leader". This book is ten times better.

Highly recommended!
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

ATTACK!!!!!!!
I really enjoyed this book. I think it is interesting and cool. I think everyone would like to read this book.
They would enjoy this book if they are in to attack helicopters.If you read this book you would say wow!
This book is about the AH-64 Apaches. You would like this book because the authorexplains everything well. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the "3-D Helicopter Flying" Book from Traplet Publications. Author: Russ DeakinFEATURES: Softcover 113 page book Black and white photos You'll find great tips on: - Concept of 3-D aerobatics - Selecting a model helicopter - Construction, maintenance and repair - And much, much more!!INCLUDES: "3-D Helicopter Flying" BookSPECS:Height: 10-5/8" (270mm) Width: 7-1/2" (191mm) Number of Pages: 113 Copyright: 2007tlw 3/25/08 ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the history and development of some of the world's fastest helicopters, describing the specific features and specifications of such aircraft as the SA 360 Dauphin, Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche, AH-64 Apache, and V-22 Osprey. ... Read more

Product Description
The Art and Science of Flying Helicopters covers the fundamentals of helicopter theory, performance, flying, and more advanced aspects of the helicopter itself. Turbine engines, ancillary systems such as hydraulics, and peculiarities of the helicopter are explained in detail with diagrams to aid in comprehension. This manual takes a structured approach to helicopter flying in the areas of aerodynamics, performance, flight techniques, and engine failures, and has both beginners and advanced sections in each of these areas. The division of the book into two parts, for beginners and for advanced pilots, makes it an easy-to-read reference. While performance is covered briefly in the beginners section to permit understanding of how it affects the flight of the machine, it is described in much more detail in the advanced section. Students of both civil and military helicopter flight training and maintenance will benefit from this manual. Numerous examples as well as practical tips for both instructors and students enhance this text and make it a critical addition to any flight training classroom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

It could literally save your life
I used to train people to fly helicopters, now I fly emergency medical rescue helicopters.Chapter 18 alone is worth the price of the book.It details variations on the single most-important emergency flight maneuver - things that you may not learn from the average helicopter instructor.The knowledge in that chapter could make the difference between walking away and being dug out.

The Art and Science of Flying Helicopters
Excellent book for beginners and experts alike, but you might want to think twice before buying this one, as Coyle has just released a vastly expanded edition called "Cyclic & Collective: More Art and Science of Flying Helicopters", published by Helobooks.com

Excellent Explanations
I recently began reading this book, and I find it nothing less than astonishing. Its large amount of tables, figures, and charts help to really explain the text. I am a younger person, and really didnt expect to understand rotary wing flight, but this book has really made it possible for me. This book is a great bok for beginners as well as experienced flyers. Overall I think this book is an excellent buy.

Good book
I am a test engineer who typically works on fixed wind a/c. This gave me a good heads up on the principles of rotary wing flight. Easy reading and informative.

Flying Helos is an Art
Having flown in many Hughes/McDac and Bell helicopters and most recently Aerospatiale Dauphin 2 helicopters for work, this book is one of best books one the subject. In the news, one sees quite a few incidents of inexperienced pilots and celebrity pilots going down in their helos with tragic results.Helicopters because of their complexity require very well trained and experienced pilots. This book is good for anyone interested in helicopters regardless of their experience.I found the Chapters on Balance Forces and Controlling the Helicopter, Advanced Engine Failures and Further Peculiarities of Helicopter Flight quite interesting. ... Read more

Product Description
The Practical Test Standards (PTS) series guides student pilots, flight instructors, and FAA-designated examiners through checkrides, the final test in acquiring a pilot license. Each PTS guide details the skill and knowledge that must be successfully demonstrated before an examiner can issue a certificate or rating. The knowledge requirements detail which subjects will be covered-which weather reports and forecasts candidates will be asked to analyze, which physiological conditions (such as dehydration, spatial disorientation, and hypoxia) candidates will need to discuss, and what kind of flight planning exercises will need to be demonstrated. The skill requirements include what kind of takeoff and landing must be performed, such as crosswind or short-field; how a steep turn should be executed, with specifics that include what bank angle and airspeed to use; and what areas will be tested on a continuous basis, such as the checklist usage, positive exchange of flight controls, and crew resource management. The tolerances are defined so the candidates know what altitude, airspeed, headings, and banks must be maintained to complete each maneuver successfully. Each PTS guide lists the knowledge and experience prerequisites for a particular certificate or rating and provides background information and study and reference materials. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Old reader
The book I have is by Theodore Clymer, published by Ginn and Company, Copyright 1973, and has the ISBN 0-663-25156-7.It is part of the Reading 360 series.This 80 page soft-cover book is an old Level 4 Ginn reader. It introduces 38 new words and all stories use the controlled vocabulary (including old words from the previous books). It's a first grade level. ... Read more

Product Description
Kiss the Sky: Helicopter Tales is a humorous look at flying helicopters. Whether you fly fixed-wing or rotary-wing, or you know someone's second cousin twice removed who flies kites, this collection of short stories will amuse pilots and pilot wannabes of all ages. The book also includes a history of helicopter flight, a look at women in aviation, and a lesson in how to fly a helicopter.

Customer Reviews (1)

Kiss the Sky
Loved it!As an x-Army Huey pilot, this brought back a flood of memories from flight school.This was a well written, yet simple tale about the struggles of getting through Flight School.
Jan Hornung tells a great story.The characters are believable and the plot moves along well.
This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves helicopters or aviation in general. ... Read more

Product Description
Engaging and educational, this book is based on an ongoing segment of the TV show "The Busy World of Richard Scarry". Lowly Worm introduces kids to the how, where, and why of helicopters and other fun things. Full color. ... Read more