Surprised at Being Alive: An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond
Robert F. Curtis
Jul 2019 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by David Colacci
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12 hr 29 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
Sometimes you do everything right, but it just isn't your day. A part fails and your helicopter comes apart in flight, or, another aircraft runs into you and the pieces of both fall to the ground below, or the enemy gunner pulls the trigger at just the right moment and his rounds find your aircraft in exactly the right spot to take it out of the sky. Whichever way it happens, it wasn't your day. Which is why, after twenty-four years and over 5,000 flight hours with four armed services, Major Robert Curtis was so surprised at being alive when he passed his retirement physical. Starting with enlisting in the Army to fly helicopters during Vietnam, and continuing on through service with the National Guard, Marine Corps, and Royal Navy, he flew eight different helicopters-from the wooden-bladed OH-13E, through the Chinook, SeaKnight, and SeaKing, in war and peace around the world. During that time over fifty of his friends died in crashes, both in combat and in accidents, but somehow his skill, and not an inconsiderable amount of luck and superstition, saw him through.
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Anil Das
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May 23, 2022
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Anil Das
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February 15, 2022
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About the author
Robert F. Curtis served as an aviator in the Army, National Guard, and Marine Corps, and as an exchange officer with the British Royal Navy. His military awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and twenty-three Air Medals.
David Colacci has been an actor and a director for over thirty years, and has worked as a narrator for over fifteen years. He has won AudioFile Earphones Awards, earned Audie nominations, and been included in Best of the Year lists by such publications as Publishers Weekly, AudioFile magazine, and Library Journal.
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