Snake Pilot

Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam

By Randy R. Zahn

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Average Rating: (See all reviews) Format: Hardcover, 282 pages Other Information: Illustrated Published In: United States, September 2003 Flies the reader into combat with the same elite air cavalry unit portrayed in the film "Apocalypse Now" From The Publisher: 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. First deployed in Vietnam in 1967 and loaded with a formidable arsenal of weaponry, the Cobra was the first helicopter designed from inception as an attack aircraft. It dramatically changed the nature of the war in Vietnam by offering the Army, for the first time, its own powerful and highly accurate weapons platform for close-air-support missions. Publisher: Potomac Books ISBN: 1574885650 EAN: 9781574885651 Dimensions: 23.72 x 15.85 x 2.49 centimeters (0.54 kg)

If you are a Vietnam history or a military flight operations buff, you will enjoy this book immensely. Mr Zahn takes you right into the cockpit of the Cobra attack helicopter and you can almost feel the the G's and hear the Whoosh of the rockets as he and his "hunter-killer" helicopter team engage the NVA and VC near and over the border into Cambodia. It's not all guts and glory though as he comes to terms with the loss of buddies, often from senseless operations engendered from a senseless war run by politicians and compromised by the greed and corruption of the CIA installed South Vietnamese government. From enlistment and training to leaving Vietnem as US involvement winds down he keeps you wanting to turn the next page and not put the book down. An excellent read and a "must have" for anyone's Vietnam history library.