Snake Pilot: Flying the Cobra Attack Helicopter in Vietnam

Glossary

257 Glossary AA anti-aircraft. AAFSS (a-fis) advanced aerial fire support system. AC aircraft commander, normally left seat in the UH-1, right seat in the OH-6, and rearseat in the AH-1. ADF automatic direction finder, a navigational aid with an AM radio incorporated into it. AFA aerial field artillery, see ARA. AFVN Armed Forces Viet Nam, Saigon-based military radio station. AI advanced instruments. AK or AK-47 assault rifle used by the enemy. AO area of operations. AR Army Regulation. ARA aerial rocket artillery, AH-1 Cobra in the hog configuration armed with 76 2.75-inch rockets. arc light carpet-bombing raid conducted by B-52s. ArCom Army commendation medal. ARP aero rifle platoon, the Blues. arty artillery. ARVN (Arvin) Army of the Republic of Vietnam, soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army. B-40 rocket-propelled grenade, used by the NVA. Also RPG7. B-52 USAF Stratofortress heavy bomber. base camp a semi-permanent administrative and logistical center for a given unit, usually within the unit’s area of operation. Depending on the unit’s tactical mission it could operate within, outside of, or totally away from the base camp. battalion military unit, in Vietnam could be fixed or flexible. A fixed battalion had assigned lettered companies, usually four or five with a headquarters company. A flexible battalion was in effect only a headquarters detachment that controlled any number of attached separate companies. Fixed battalions usually consisted of between 500 and 920 personnel. A flexible battalion varied greatly in number. BCT basic combat training. BDA bomb damage assessment. BI basic instruments. bingo term used to identify friendly forces when they didn’t want to give their position away by popping a smoke. When an aircraft was directly overhead their position, they would call “bingo” over the radio. bleeding, bled off, or to bleed term used by helicopter pilots to describe when they are losing rotor rpm in the main rotor. blood trail a trail of blood on the ground left by a fleeing person who has been wounded. Blue birds troop UH-1 Huey helicopters. The Blue platoon. blue line (or blue) water feature on a tactical map, i.e., a river, creek, or stream. Blues internal infantry platoon assigned to the Air Cav Troop to conduct ground reconnaissance, downed bird recovery, and evacuation and recovery of downed crews. BOQ bachelor officer quarters. brigade military unit of which divisions are made up. BUFF big ugly fat fuckers, the USAF B-52 Stratofortress bomber. C and C command and control. C’s C rations or combat rations. Canned army meals used in field conditions. CAR 15 Colt automatic rifle; early version of the M-16. Usually carried by Cobra crews due to its shorter length. Cav cavalry, either ground or aerial reconnaissance. Short for 1st Air Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Cayuse Army designation of the Hughes OH-6A light observation helicopter (LOH). CE charlie echo. Phonetic initialing for Chief Engineer, or the crew chief of an aircraft. Charlie Viet Cong. Short form of “Victor Charlie,” the phonetic initialing of VC. chicken plate armored vest worn by pilots and aircrew. Chinook cargo helicopter manufactured by Boeing Aircraft. The CH-47 is a large tandem-rotor helicopter. claymore (mine) remote detonated antipersonnel mine, used in ambushes and on defensive perimeters. click one kilometer, .621 mile. CO commanding officer. Cobra Bell AH-1G Huey Cobra Attack Helicopter—also referred to as the Snake. collective the control stick to the left of the helicopter pilot used to control the “collective ” pitch of the main rotor blades.A twist grip throttle is incorporated into the collective allowing the pilot to control the engine rpm’s. company assigned to a battalion with a lettered designation, or separate with its own numbered sequence. Companies were called batteries by the artillery and troops by the cavalry. concertina wire barbed wire that is rolled out along the ground around perimeters of fire support bases or base camps to delay the enemy in penetrating the defenses. 258 Glossary Glossary 259 COSVN Communist Office of South Vietnam. CSM command sergeant major. cut donuts flying around in circles, what the Cobra did while watching the LOH. CW2 Chief Warrant Officer 2; warrant officer, grade 2. CW3 Chief Warrant Officer 3; warrant officer, grade 3. cyclic the control stick the helicopter pilot holds in his right...