Sling Load

- Sling Load

Company A

227th Assault Helicopter Battalion

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

Sling Load
CWO James (Jim) Caufman

One day In the summer of '68 I was flying a log mission for one of the Grunt battalions. One of the sorties was to deliver water to a platoon just on the other side of the first north-south ridge line. a little bit north of Camp Evans. The water was in a bunch of donkey dicks.
When we arrived over the grunts we could not see thru the trees to the ground. The India vectored us in from noise the helicopter was making. The kicker dropped the donkey dicks out of the helicopter but everyone hung up in the higher canopy of trees.
After some discussion between the India and the log pad we hatched plan B. We headed back to the log pad at Evans. When we arrived the log boy loaded five gallon jerry cans full of water in the back and we were of to deliver the needed water. Upon arrival the India vectored us a little north to drop the cans. We hovered a little higher and drop the jerry cans. The extra height gave the can more momentum which would take them to the ground. None of the cans made it to the ground. The poor India was starting to sound very disappointed. I told the India I would be back with water.
Back to the log pad we went with no real plan in mind, then my Crew Chief , "Stump" Ken Combs said what about a fifty gallon blivit on a long sling. That was plan C.
We called the log pad and requested fifty gallon blivit with a two hundred (200) foot sling strap. when we got to the log pad we landed and Ken got out to count the twenty foot slings and verify they would not come apart in flight. After he was done he pulled the sling to the helicopter and crawled under and hooked up the sling. He jumped in and said were ready. "Evans Tower Chicken man 22 mike coming out of the log pad with a long sling load".
Cleared as requested. I picked up the helicopter to a hover and then up we went until some where around 125 feet agl. the tower ask us how long the sling was and I replied 200 feet. As we pulled the blivit off the ground it was behaving quite well. Off we went, slowly gaining air speed but climbing faster than normal. at 500 feet I started to increase air speed. At 40 knots we started to pick up a high frequency vibration from air passing threw the sling so I slowed up.
Arriving over the grunts the India vectored us over their position and I started down. No problems were encountered. At tree top level the blivit landed on the ground and I released the sling. On climb out I told the India to cut up the slings and shoot holes in the blivit. "Will do and thank you sir".
The Chicken Man reputation lived on another day. Just another 20 year old W-2 kid flying a Helicopter.
A couple weeks later I meet one of the grunts. He was elated at are success but mad at his one week wonder butter bar platoon leader who made them carry everything out.