Page:Airmobility 1961-1971.pdf/161

[com]pared to a sleek jet aircraft, adds to the conviction that flying one in combat is non-habit forming.

On the plus side, the helicopter is the most agile of all aircraft and has a capability of taking advantage of cover and concealment at extremely low altitudes that would be impossible in a fixed-wing airplane. It was soon proven that the helicopter was remarkably hard to shoot down and the most vulnerable part was the pilot himself. Personnel armor protection and armored seats greatly increased the pilot survivability. The experienced pilot used every unique aspect of the helicopter's flight envelope to his advantage.

Observation from the helicopter is unequaled. The enemy learned that to fire at one was to give up his advantage of cover and concealment and generally bring a devastating return of machine gun fire and rockets. A corollary to the advantage of seeing the enemy was the ability to identify our own troops with precision. Consequently, the armed helicopter pilot could safely place fires within a few meters of our own troops. This became particularly important as the enemy developed the "hugging" tac[tics]