I gave a presentation a few weeks ago to EAA Chapter 818 in Burlington, WA.  It is about my time with Air America, the air arm of the CIA.

Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdaCdJqMEvA&t=5s

 A few weeks ago I got a phone call from a fellow named Tim Hampton, a historian with the USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier Museum in Alameda, CA. 

For those who don't know, during World war Two the U.S.A. launched 16  B-25 Army Air Force bombers off the Hornet near Japan in 1942 not too long after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Doolittle raid, as it became known, was led by Lt.Col. Jimmy Doolittle. It was a success in that we were able to bomb Japan and bring the war home to them. They were shocked that we could retaliate so quickly and bomb their homeland. It changed the Japanese mentality about our capabilities. Lt.Col. Doolittle got a Medal of Honor and a double promotion to Brigadier General for his leadership of the mission. 

 

USS Hornet as it sits at Pier 3 in Alameda, the same pier 

where the original Doolittle Raid departed. 

Here is a link to the museum itself:  

https://uss-hornet.org/visit-hornet/exhibits

Photos by George Retelas

Here is a link to that mission on Youtube:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=youtube+doolittle+raid+on+japan&atb=v314-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtEhFhF-KfY4

That particular ship was sunk by the Japs later in the war, but another carrier was under construction, so the powers that be named the new ship Hornet. The Japanese called it the "Ghost Ship" because they knew the had sunk it, but it seemingly reappeared soon after.

Historian Tim Hampton and his filmmaker, George Retelas, have been doing an exhaustive search of the archives in MD and DC to find every member they can who crewed aboard the Hornet and are doing extensive oral interviews. One day in the MD archives, someone who remains unknown, said to them, "Hey I know of a guy who flew helicopters off the Hornet," and told them my name. Tim found me online, phoned me to ask if they could interview me. He knew by then that I had not actually flown off that carrier, but an H-34 helicopter on board the Hornet is from my squadron in Vietnam, and my log book shows that I flew that one 3-4 times in Vietnam. (BuNo. 150553 for those who care about such things.)

Years ago my daughter did a short film for me  about my rescue of an U S Air Force pilot in Laos while I flew H-34s for Air America. This particular H-34 is featured in that short documentary. See Youtube: "The Rescue of Raven 1-1"

Yesterday, 11/3/2023, we rendezvoused at the Hornet. I brought along one of my best grammar and high school buddies, Gary S. and we met up with Tim and George at the ship. Here is a picture of that H-34 helicopter from near the rear of it:

Here are good buddy Gary and me in front of the H-34. YZ-63.

See our squadron logo, the Lucky Red Lion on the nose art...and on my shirt and on my hat.

(It's on my tee shirt, too!)

I got to climb up into the cockpit and claim the helicopter as my own. Tim directed and George filmed.  I will post the finished version of the interview online soonest. 

George filming me in the cockpit. (Usually the pilot sits on the right side, 

but for this filming, the lighting was better to film with me sitting in the left seat.)

Me sitting inside the H-34 with a pilot's helmet on my leg, and a copy of the 

official flight manual for an H-34, known as a NATOPS book.

After about an hour of filming, we were done, so Gary and I wandered all around the ship, looking at all the displays. (I was working on becoming a docent on the ship in 2008 when we decided to move to Idaho, so I know my way around the ship a bit.)

I kissed the old beastie on the nose.

We wandered around the flight deck and the hangar dec. We saw about a dozen different aircraft in the hangar deck. Up front near the forward elevator I spotted a T-28 like the ones I flew in flight school. 

I walked around it  but it was being repainted ghost white, with no ID numbers visible.

It will soon have a shiny new paint job with bright orange wingtips and tail tip, as they were in the  Naval Air Training Command near Pensacola in 1965. I wondered:  Had I ever flown this one?

We adjourned to a TIKI bar in Alameda for our "After Action" 

debriefing and had fancy drinks with tropical flowers in them.

Tim and George affixed a sticker from my squadron on the overhead beam of our booth in the TIKI bar.

While were were talking, I happened to ask Tim if he knew where I might determine the BuNo of the white T-28 Gary and I saw. He noodled with his phone for a few seconds and provided me with that number. I just happen to have in my phone a screenshot of the list I  made a few months ago of every 

T-28 I have ever flown. We compared numbers, and LO!  I had flow that very T-28 at North Whiting Field in 1965. (Details upcoming.) The two historians sat up straight, their eyes brightened with an amazed look on their faces! In all their research over several years, they had never encountered anyone who had flown TWO of the aircraft on the Hornet. I became their hero right there on the spot.

Tim is a former Marine Corps Corporal, so we hit it off on that level, too. His Grand Uncle flew off the Hornet during WW 2 and was lost at sea while returning from a strike in 1945.  George's Grandfather and Tim's Grand Uncle were friends having served at Guadalcanal in the same squadron, so these two fellow have a close family connection to the ship.

That is all...

until next year when we plan to do another interview about my flying that T-28 in Florida.

Of course I would be remiss if I didn't plug my books:

and...

 

 here is my idea for An actual mechanism to create peace in the world in our time.

Feedback will be greatly appreciated.  at  captwilco@gmail.com

...and much, much more.

Is it not time for we the people to take control of the future of the world and see what 

we can do to stop the war mentality/defense idiocy?

see facebook 1% for Peace for more information.

click on the "about" part to see more

H-34 Charlie transferred to a new post.

With the advent of COVID-19, activities for H-34 Charlie came to a halt.  She sat in her nest at 

Pend Oreille Mechanical (heating and air conditioning company,) watching the flowers grow. 

For nearly two years we were unable to do our usual activities such as the Lost in 50s Old 

Time Car Show and the annual 4th of July Parade, both of which Charlie usually led.

 (See previous posts to learn about these events.)

In the spring of 2021 the forest fire smoke situation in Sandpoint got so bad that my wife, Carlita, and I decided to pull chocks and relocate to the north east corner of the Olympic Peninsula, across the Puget Sound from Seattle, where the air here in Port Townsend is much cleaner and cooler and better for our health. I basically abandoned H-34 Charlie, leaving her all alone and lonely in her nest for months. Nobody else had the desire, energy nor the motivation to care for her. No one would anyone tow her in the parades without my being present to lead the show. Bad weather was a factor, also.

In early July of 2022, with COVID-19 abating, I drove 500 miles to Sandpoint to prepare Charlie for the 4th of July parade. Once again, no one was interested in pulling the beastie in the parade, but I managed to convince my son-in-law, Officer Mike Aerni of the Sandpoint Police Dept., to do so with his red Dodge pickup.Mike did a superb job.  My main motivation for joining the parade this years was that last year, I promised the  daughter of a friend that she could ride in the cockpit during the parade. I felt I had to keep that promise to young Leah. She sat in the cockpit holding her teddy bear, shooting soap bubbles out at the applauding crowd with her bubble gun. She was a superb Pilot-in-Command.

In early August of this year, I saw on Facebook an invitation to a Vietnam Veterans BBQ in Sedro-Wooley, WA, about an hour north of Seattle, sponsored by American Legion Post 43. I called the number on the flyer to talk to Ande Mitchelle, the veteran putting on the BBQ. I asked him if I could attend. He replied, "Of course!" I then asked him if I could sell my (then) two books about flying helicopters. He again said, "Of course!"

After we talked for a while, Ande told me that he owns a 20-acre plot of land just outside Sedro-Woolley that he is parking out and has plans to place into a 501 (C) (3) non-profit park to be held in perpetuity for veterans. He said he has a line on an old F-80 fighter-jet, and maybe the possible acquisition of an Army Huey Cobra. I thought to ask him if he would like to have an H-34. 

"Of Course!" he once again replied. I found Charlie a new home!

Since the BBQ was coming right up, we made a severe effort to get Charlie moved to her new home before the event. Ande hired his friend, Chris Blackburn, with his huge truck and gigantic trailer to come to Sandpoint and bring Charlie to her new home. Once again I made to nearly 1,000 mile round trip to Sandpoint to prepare Charlie for transport. 

(Blackburn Trucking, Sedro-Woolley, should you ever have the need to have something huge moved.)

I rented a big fork lift and used it to remove the forward rotor blade and to lift Charlie up so we could back Chris's big trailer under it.

H-34 Charlie Flies Again!

Here is the crew that helped:

I put out a call for help and we immediately had a crew of five workers.

From left to right:  

Chris Blackburn, Trucking business owner.  

Jeff Dunnum, current President of Vietnam Veterans Chapter 890, Sandpoint.

Behind clam-shell door,  Sandpoint Police Officer Mike Aerni.  

Kneeling in front right, educator extraordinaire Chris Corpus

Right side, former Idaho State VVA President, Russ Fankell.

(Photo by this blogger.)

Here are some more pictures of the preparations:

Truck business owner Chris Blackburn supervises the loading of Charlie:

(Note the clam-shell door off to the right.)

Helicopter safely positioned on trailer, strapped down:

Getting ready to depart:

Helicopter Charlie departs to points west:

Charlie disappearing down the highway:

`

H-34 helicopter Charlie at her new home in Sedro-Woolley, WA, waiting to be put back together.

She sits on her belly, awaiting some love and attention soon.

Advertisement

I have completed my third book about helicopter flying, entitled:

"The Worldwide Adventures of a Helicopter Pilot...the rest of the story."

My new book has only been out for a short while but has 12 reviews, all Five Star. 

This completes my trilogy about my 32 years of helicopter flying all around the world. 

I like to say that I am the world's most experienced helicopter pilot. Driven by a bad case of PTSD from traumatic experiences while flying for the Marine Corps in Vietnam (book one), and flying for the CIA in Laos (book two), I had trouble settling down and committing to any one place, job or relationship. 

I flew 40 different models of helicopters (and some airplanes, too) for 22 different entities in nine  countries. I flew more than 200 individual, different H-34s for more than 4,000 hours. 

I love the old machine, which led to me to adopt Charlie in the first place.

Future posts will cover some of my escapades flying H-34s in many different venues.

My friends and fellow authors tell me that my writing has greatly improved and that this third book is the best of all three. Please consider buying one or all three. If you want signed copies, send $20 each, or $35 for any two, or $50 for all three signed by me, the author. 

Send $5 to cover P&H for one, two or all three books to: 

Captain Bill Collier

P.O. Box 105, 

Port Hadlock, 

WA 98339.

(Be patient about getting them, as I travel a lot and am away from home a lot.)

Thank you. 

My books  are also available on amazon as paperbacks or e-books.

(Audio books under consideration.)

My trilogy of books about flying helicopters:

 I just found this old article about me in the Sandpoint READER a few years back. Flying H-34s for the USMC under most hazardous conditions in Vietnam.

https://sandpointreader.com/vietnam-veterans-sandpoint/

 

In 1976, Carson Helicopters of Perkasie PN got a contract to off-load ships in the harbor at Djeddah, Saudi Arabia. We used Sikorsky S-58Ts.

I was one of the pilots on this caper.  We used 115' long-lines to haul 4400 pound loads of bags of cement from ships to shore so that they could quickly upgrade their infrastructure. It was hard and challenging flying. In the picture above, the cover of an Aramco company magazine, you can see the load, just at the water line, leaving behind a long trail of dust. 

The ships were a mile off shore in the bay, and we got to the point we could make a round trip every three minutes for hours on end.

I will publish more pictures soon.

 H-34 Flying Camper

You can find an interesting video about this on youtube.