Oh fuck!, I couldn’t get comfortable all the way down to Kampong som, no wonder they call these things workhorses, the MI17 is a multipurpose helicopter, but is as rough as guts to ride in.
Alex always had a tendency to land where he wanted, although I must add this time narrowly missing the cars that were parked in the restaurant car park area.
Hah! thinking back he once landed in the middle of Angkor wat; although no tourist around in 1991 it was still kind of bad karma and frightening as fuck to the Buddhist monks that were last seen running for cover.
Hah! thinking back he once landed in the middle of Angkor wat; although no tourist around in 1991 it was still kind of bad karma and frightening as fuck to the Buddhist monks that were last seen running for cover.
Well back to our lunch and this is a great spot; the restaurant is right on a balmy beach with no frills, cockroaches and a menu to die for.
It wasn’t long before we were all spaced around the table drinking cold beers and devouring crab by the plate full, the sound of cracking crab and the hissing of opening beer tops was only drowned out by the moans of ecstasy as we went for it, the table was literally awash with empty beer bottles and shrapnel’s of crab shell.
It wasn’t long before we were all spaced around the table drinking cold beers and devouring crab by the plate full, the sound of cracking crab and the hissing of opening beer tops was only drowned out by the moans of ecstasy as we went for it, the table was literally awash with empty beer bottles and shrapnel’s of crab shell.
All of a sudden everybody froze, it wasn’t, No! Was that the Helo starting up?
Nigel shouted from the other end of the table and sitting next to any empty stool, Alex’s stool?
Nigel shouted from the other end of the table and sitting next to any empty stool, Alex’s stool?
Fook me Nigel shouted, Alex is going to show us how the Russian pilots flew in Afghanistan and the bugger has been downing some Johnny Walker black, Neat!
With that Nigel waved the half empty bottle up in the air,
Shit Ray said, everybody had no sooner wondered what was going on and sure enough there was Alex heading out to sea at great knots.
In a matter of minutes a white spec was heading in at sea level, the thwap of the engine getting louder and louder until it was upon us, the air cracked the wind blew bottles, crab fragments, paper towels and us in all directions with that instantly the wind changed force and direction and with a deafening thunder the helo quickly pulled up and over the trees and restaurant.
Shit Ray said, everybody had no sooner wondered what was going on and sure enough there was Alex heading out to sea at great knots.
In a matter of minutes a white spec was heading in at sea level, the thwap of the engine getting louder and louder until it was upon us, the air cracked the wind blew bottles, crab fragments, paper towels and us in all directions with that instantly the wind changed force and direction and with a deafening thunder the helo quickly pulled up and over the trees and restaurant.
Heads and bodies slowly rose and others just sat there but everyone was eyeing each other, for that moment we just looked at each other in amazement, then it happened euphoria of laughter came over all of us; no one could say anything. We lay where the downdraft had left us for good two or three minutes, just cracking up with and stuped euphoric laugh.
Ray was the first one up, wiping the sand of himself saying in a still amused voice that’s a story for the grand kids what a fucking nutter, but no shit he can fly that beast; yeah Nigel said holding up the JW bottle and he didn’t even spill a drop in all the turmoil.
Ray Lent across grabbed the bottle of JW took a swig saying "that’s enough duty free for the day I gotta see the missus tonight and I want all my parts intact". Between us we managed to finish off the JW just as Alex came into sight walking briskly and with his chest puffed out towards us occasionally dropping down to the Russian dancing stance with a couple of leg kicks and up with arms crossed and a grin as big as a Cheshire cat
Ray was the first one up, wiping the sand of himself saying in a still amused voice that’s a story for the grand kids what a fucking nutter, but no shit he can fly that beast; yeah Nigel said holding up the JW bottle and he didn’t even spill a drop in all the turmoil.
Ray Lent across grabbed the bottle of JW took a swig saying "that’s enough duty free for the day I gotta see the missus tonight and I want all my parts intact". Between us we managed to finish off the JW just as Alex came into sight walking briskly and with his chest puffed out towards us occasionally dropping down to the Russian dancing stance with a couple of leg kicks and up with arms crossed and a grin as big as a Cheshire cat
"Yes! This fucking Russian pilot has flying in seat of pants Dah, I make this too many time in fighting Afghanistan, what you think of Alex show eh?"
We all looked at each other as Alex sauntered over to the table and grabbed his empty bottle of whiskey looked at it and tossed it to the sea and turned towards us with disbelief, "Fuck I drink all this Ahh! Ok we go back to Phnom Penh..."
I climbed on board and saw we had some extra passengers, a very attractive looking Cambodian girl, she was dressed in the national dress very beautiful colors , lovely hair although tied up in a bun and at a guess probably in her mid twenties, she looked up and smiled and as quickly bowed her head again, I didn’t even have time to smile back. She was obviously with the other hitchhiker a priest or sky pilot we call them, anyway he sat there looking like he'd just sucked a couple of lemons, didn't say much or even gesture a greeting, maybe he had seen the air show and was not amused, perhaps with him on board we might have a gods chance in getting home tonight.
I asked the translator Sergey if I could sit up in the cockpit to give directions, he just laughed and beckoned me into the radio operators seat.
The layout of the MI17 is pilot front left, co pilot right the first middle radio operator and behind him was the engineer so we had the room and three in the cockpit was not a crowd.
It wasn't long before we were climbing and enroute towards the Mekong river, which looking at the map was a little out of our way, but we were heading towards Takeo first parallel to the Vietnamese border, I hope Alex gets his bearings and we don’t end up in Saigon.
Alex broke my thoughts as he nudged my leg and pointed down, it was the Mekong. He indicated to me to put on the headset, I took the set hanging from above and cradled one of the headphones next to my ear, Alex told me to tell the guys in the back were're going surfing on the Mekong and to open the door, and with that he dropped the joystick and the nose took a sharp dive, shit Mekong here we come.
I looked back and saw the faces on the guys, little Hua was just about wetting herself, I shouted; Mekong….open the door.
The layout of the MI17 is pilot front left, co pilot right the first middle radio operator and behind him was the engineer so we had the room and three in the cockpit was not a crowd.
It wasn't long before we were climbing and enroute towards the Mekong river, which looking at the map was a little out of our way, but we were heading towards Takeo first parallel to the Vietnamese border, I hope Alex gets his bearings and we don’t end up in Saigon.
Alex broke my thoughts as he nudged my leg and pointed down, it was the Mekong. He indicated to me to put on the headset, I took the set hanging from above and cradled one of the headphones next to my ear, Alex told me to tell the guys in the back were're going surfing on the Mekong and to open the door, and with that he dropped the joystick and the nose took a sharp dive, shit Mekong here we come.
I looked back and saw the faces on the guys, little Hua was just about wetting herself, I shouted; Mekong….open the door.
I turned back to the cockpit to see we were at water level, I looked at the altimeter and fuck me 45ft, I saw the whites of the fisherman’s eyes as they lept out of their boats, I chuckled to myself turned and saw Per our generator mechanic a trusty Viking from Norway had made it to the door and was seated feet out, he was in his element yipping like a rodeo rider with a can of Heineken in hand and feet skimming the water,
At the back the priest and our little Hua with the church girl were all huddled looking rather pale and slightly airsick I think!.
At the back the priest and our little Hua with the church girl were all huddled looking rather pale and slightly airsick I think!.
Sergey's voice broke over the radio as he shouted gunfire!, Alex’s reactions were immediate pulling the nose hard up the Mekong gully, what dah fuck Sergey shouted, Ok everyone siditz sit sit, Sergey pulled Per backwards into the cabin slamming the door shut, he rolled back as he slid the door closed, the helo was zig zagging, this was fast becoming a roller coaster the apocalypse now of helo rides, Alex pulled the Helo over the top of the tree line then another louder sharper crack bang echoed out, it was instantaneous the cockpit was filling up with pieces of perspex I looked down and saw the gaping hole and saw that the lower mid portion of Perspex had exploded, splatters of blood dotted the remaining jagged pieces of perspex, red tracer bullets darted in and around us as Alex continued his evasive maneuvers away from the line of fire. Alex looked at me and tapped the headset. I grabbed the headset pulling it over my head Alex was talking to the co pilot in Russian and neither sounded too happy. Alex then turned and grinned at me "you cannot fucking believe this fucking place is Khmer rouge not angry fisherman, hah!" he took his bearing again and continued "We saw allot of movement along the river line, and no doubt they are telling other fucking KR about us, this was not a good thing"
I asked Alex what his plan was, after all the captain of the ship and all that.
Alex said still weaving the helo "we land and check helo and if damage is too bad we walk" hah he laughed like we had just had a flat tyre.
I moved back to talk to Ray who was just lighting up,
"Alex said we gotta land somewhere and get the helo checked out, what you reckon about this ride"
"Fuck me that was a wild run, haven’t had as much fun since Nam, yeah I guess we may have taken a few and yeah see the lower perspex in the cockpit has been capped so they gave it their best shot."
John came over and was telling Ray we had taken some rounds in the back by the burgeons, and one just there as he pointed above Rays head laughing, Ray wondered what John was pointing at turned and looked up,
"well I’ll be fucked, you gotta be kidding me." Ray buried his head in his hands with disbelief.
Nigel came across saw the bullet hole, "fuck me Ray that’s about three inches away from yah noggin, that’s one cats life."
Nigel went on "Ok I checked everyone including the vicar who I thought might be having a stroke, he’s calmed down a bit now and little Hua is sitting with him and the church girl so I guess they’re in god’s company; Oh and Pers ok he is having a Heineken, says he’s treating himself for shock too."
We all turned to Per and gave him the thumbs up, He reached into the chill bin and began throwing the beers out.
Per smiled with thumbs up and shouted " This is truly a mission from fooking god! cheers and down the fooking hatch"
The beer didn't touch the sides its was cool and quenching, silence took over just a few seconds silence as to what each of us was thinking is anybodies guess maybe a prayer, we each only understand that moment.
The rotors altered pitch the blades were cracking and thwapping we must be going down, the air started to become humid again as we lost altitude with the tree line slowly coming level with the helo. Looking out the porthole the clearing was a dried up paddy field only a lonely water buffalo was standing lost in its attempt to find any green, but it meant there was a village close by and I hoped not KR or supporters.
The helo settled down with a bang and a grinding sound of shifting cracking dirt at the edge of the paddy field, Sergey slid the door back, with that a storm of dust siphoned through the door coating us all in a light ashen brown dust coughing.
"Fucking brilliant" Ray shouted at Sergey he just laughed and then turned said,
Per smiled with thumbs up and shouted " This is truly a mission from fooking god! cheers and down the fooking hatch"
The beer didn't touch the sides its was cool and quenching, silence took over just a few seconds silence as to what each of us was thinking is anybodies guess maybe a prayer, we each only understand that moment.
The rotors altered pitch the blades were cracking and thwapping we must be going down, the air started to become humid again as we lost altitude with the tree line slowly coming level with the helo. Looking out the porthole the clearing was a dried up paddy field only a lonely water buffalo was standing lost in its attempt to find any green, but it meant there was a village close by and I hoped not KR or supporters.
The helo settled down with a bang and a grinding sound of shifting cracking dirt at the edge of the paddy field, Sergey slid the door back, with that a storm of dust siphoned through the door coating us all in a light ashen brown dust coughing.
"Fucking brilliant" Ray shouted at Sergey he just laughed and then turned said,
“we near to Kampong speu we don’t know if mines or not so everybody will be tip toe and can be careful we looked on map, maybe KR, who knows we try to be quick check, Ok lets go off helicopter if you want”
With that Sergey disappeared down the steps, with the helo shut down Alex and the co pilot followed.
John was first up,
"Ok everyone listen up, when you get out follow the empty beer cans in a line to the embankment, when you get to the bank don’t wander off it, got it?"
John took the lead and was mapping the ground dropping a empty can at one pace intervals with Antonio following with the god squad and Hua in the middle and Nigel at the rear.
John knew his mines and it was good it was the dry season and the soil was parched and cracked which normally exposes the mines, even so John was leading the way and treading very carefully.
John was first up,
"Ok everyone listen up, when you get out follow the empty beer cans in a line to the embankment, when you get to the bank don’t wander off it, got it?"
John took the lead and was mapping the ground dropping a empty can at one pace intervals with Antonio following with the god squad and Hua in the middle and Nigel at the rear.
John knew his mines and it was good it was the dry season and the soil was parched and cracked which normally exposes the mines, even so John was leading the way and treading very carefully.
We sat on the embankment looking over at the Helo for sure it had taken a few hits, looked like a salt shaker.
John stood up stretching and arching his back saying, "Well lads and ladies and god squad, that my dears is 7.62 from the old AK47 popular weapon of the KR and there are some 50 Cal jotted in there for good measure so I reckon it had to be the KR, little fucks you no there's a bounty on UN staff at the moment and wow my lovelies a fuck'n helicopter would really fetch a nice packet so I reckon we had better get the hell out of here quick time."
John went on "Hey Alex what you reckon ok to get the hell out of here"
"Ok" Alex shouted "ten minutes will be ok no big problem too much we checking all, otherwise we drop like space shuttle out of sky"
"Well thats it" Ray said, "lets all get comfy, for fuck sake I got a date tonight" He looked over at Nigel with a grimace, "Nigel throw me another beer, at least we are always prepared."
Ray had no sooner caught the can and sporadic shooting came close too close Oh shit! who the fuck is this lot, you gotta be kidding me the Khmer rouge, there dotted red scarves tied firmly around their tunics, around 50, fuck, came from nowhere, they began shouting and shoving everyone to get in a line and sit down. Serge and Alex were butted with rifles as they too were forced over to join us.
Here we were lined up like a turkey shoot, no one spoke it was only looks between each other and I knew both John and I both had weapons stashed in the back of our pants, both 9mm’s nothing to match their fire power and knew it would be suicidal to attempt to use them.
What had to be the leader pointed at Hua and with that two of his men raced over for Hua, they dragged her to the ground by her hair and with that took out their bayonets....
John stood up stretching and arching his back saying, "Well lads and ladies and god squad, that my dears is 7.62 from the old AK47 popular weapon of the KR and there are some 50 Cal jotted in there for good measure so I reckon it had to be the KR, little fucks you no there's a bounty on UN staff at the moment and wow my lovelies a fuck'n helicopter would really fetch a nice packet so I reckon we had better get the hell out of here quick time."
John went on "Hey Alex what you reckon ok to get the hell out of here"
"Ok" Alex shouted "ten minutes will be ok no big problem too much we checking all, otherwise we drop like space shuttle out of sky"
"Well thats it" Ray said, "lets all get comfy, for fuck sake I got a date tonight" He looked over at Nigel with a grimace, "Nigel throw me another beer, at least we are always prepared."
Ray had no sooner caught the can and sporadic shooting came close too close Oh shit! who the fuck is this lot, you gotta be kidding me the Khmer rouge, there dotted red scarves tied firmly around their tunics, around 50, fuck, came from nowhere, they began shouting and shoving everyone to get in a line and sit down. Serge and Alex were butted with rifles as they too were forced over to join us.
Here we were lined up like a turkey shoot, no one spoke it was only looks between each other and I knew both John and I both had weapons stashed in the back of our pants, both 9mm’s nothing to match their fire power and knew it would be suicidal to attempt to use them.
What had to be the leader pointed at Hua and with that two of his men raced over for Hua, they dragged her to the ground by her hair and with that took out their bayonets....
