

Cory’s experience in the past was that you contacted Flight Ops when you started the aircraft, and then you received a call sign, frequency and location to fly to for your first mission. Also any follow-on missions for the day, such as if you would have a combat assault to fly later with another unit. The mission sheet had the mission number, aircraft tail number, crew’s names, contact information for the unit you would be flying for, and the location to meet those you would be supporting. Stopping by Flight Operations on the way to the aircraft, Sinkey picked up their mission sheet, which had all the information about their mission for the day. Chicken plate was worn over their Nomex two-piece flight suits as that was easier than carrying it. Flight helmet, leather gloves, knee board, maps, sidearm with extra bullets and Ka-Bar knife. “I’m bringing a hood so I can get some instrument time, if that’s okay,” Cory said as he and Sinkey walked out to the aircraft after retrieving their flight gear. “Some things just don’t change,” Cory said as he sipped his coffee. After a minute, everyone got up and finished their breakfast as if nothing had happened.

Then it was all quiet, but no one was moving, waiting for more rounds. Three 122 mm mortar rounds slammed into the company area, throwing dirt and rocks into the sides of buildings but doing little damage except maybe punching a hole in a screen and waking everyone up. “Incoming!” someone shouted, and everyone was throwing themselves on the floor. Tips to Increase Chrome's RAM use efficiency by 30% Before Sinkey could answer, three distinct sounds could be heard in the distance. Can we get a couple in today?” Cory asked Sinkey. Come to think of it, I haven’t done an autorotation in four months. “I haven’t done one of those in four months. Be sure and take a dump before you do,” Sinkey added with a smile. He then does a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree pedal turn, and coming out of the pedal turn, he shoves the nose over into a dive, filling the windshield with Mother Earth to build rotor rpm, and then sets it down like a flight school autorotation.

Get him to show you one of his autorotations where he first gets to one thousand feet at eighty knots, then closes the throttle and zero outs the airspeed. “All he did was scare the living shit out of me. I even taught this guy how to fly,” he said, indicating Sinkey. “I have about two thousand hours in-country and spent eighteen months here in Chicken-man before I went back to the States to attend the Infantry Officers’ Basic Course. How many hours have you got?” Frank asked. “Dan, I heard you were in the unit before.
