VIETNAM PILOTS

Question

Does anyone know about the TREE TOP FLIERS in Vietnam? I understand they were pilots & gunners who flew below the radar grazing the treetops. Is this an official term? Did it begin with the Vietnam War?

Comments

Before Vietnam, helicopters were used for transport, evacuations and observations primarily. Probably started in Vietnam given the environment and use as airships and firing platform. It was to Vietnam what the jeep was to WWII- I just rewatched Helicopter hunters-Killer teams of the Vietnam war: OH-6 a one hour you tube doc of Vietnam pilots- no mention of that phrase but, lots of discussion of the topic.

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Thank you, K Smith, for your comment. I have learned that "Tree Top Fliers" is a word was used for helicopter pilots with with gunners who flew below the radar. They did not have to rescue the wounded which kept them out of harms way. The profile that I created for Edgar Nuschke, Nuschke-1 who died in 1967, flew a plane. I'm not sure when the low flying helicopters began in Vietnam, however. Thank you!

I found this article in a military publication about low fliers but it talks about helicopters: https://sandhillssentinel.com/tree-top-flyer/

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I don't know when this tactic began but I saw them in action. We never called them "tree top fliers." The official designation for our purposes was "pink team." This referred to the "white team" (2) Hughes OH-6 Cayuse observation choppers at tree top level and the "red team" (2) Bell AH-1 Cobra gunships which circled overhead. I served as a platoon RTO (radio/telephone operator, carrying a PRC-25 radio on my back) with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam (Mekong Delta) unit called the Mobile Riverine Force during 1968-69. I don't remember the "white teams" being with us in open terrain (like rice paddys) but when there was dense foliage those crazy guys were at tree top level using the prop wash to move brush aside to find hidden opponents. They flew in front of our point man and took enormous risks. When they drew ground fire they would decide whether to return fire or move aside and let helicopter gunships roll in. It was an amazing thing to watch. Often they would throw a smoke grenade to mark bunkers ahead of us. This let us know the exact position, reduced visibility for anyone using the bunker and marked the target if gunships or fighter-bombers were needed. I hope all those people got medals for their service. The ones I witnessed went above and beyond the requirements of their service. 

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Thank you, Larry, for your clear account of what you witnessed. I'm glad you're here to tell us of this heroic effort by these pilots.

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Aircraft are commonly differentiated by wing type, fixed or rotary. A fixed-wing aircraft has rigid wing structures and engines with propellers or jet turbines to generate forward thrust. It is different from rotary-wing aircraft, such as helicopters, that have rotating wings or rotors. I've known two door gunners but never heard them use that term but, their stories would be a perfect description of the term.

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KSmith,

Thank you for the information. It's very helpful.

I wonder if the term was just a clever phrase invented by Steven Stills for the song.

Jane

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WWII gave us outlaw bikers (Hell's Angel) ex- airmen who liked freedom and excitement, Vietnam gave us a new sub culture and new skills. Steve Earl's Copperhead Road was released about the same time. Viet Cong weren't that sophisticated to need to track aircraft so the use of radar probably refers to detection avoidance State side is my guess.

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Thank you, K Smith

Answer 1

The only reference I could find was to a song by Stephen Stills that did refer to a Vietnam pilot.

Comments

Thank you, Lucy. I am aware of the song. I wondered if the pilots used that term for such a manuver, or if they had a special name for this maneuver used by skilled pilots and gunners.

Answer 2

Two comments: 1. Jane Schaefer is right about many types of helicopters flying at tree top level. Many of the pilots were 21 or 22 years old and we know how those folks drive their cars. They didn't fly low in South Vietnam to avoid radar though. They skimmed the tops of coconut trees to give VC or NVA gunners less time to target and fire on them. Over North Vietnam the situation was different. The NVA did have radar and the "Jolly Green Giant" Sikorsky MH-53 rescue choppers flew low with overhead fighter cover when picking up downed pilots.  - 2. I searched my home library for a book about this topic and found: "Aero-Scouts" by Charles Holley (1992). It is interesting reading for anyone curious about this subject.