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The critical approach phase was initiated by all transport helicopters at the same time in an attempt to place all aircraft on the ground simultaneously. This was difficult to accomplish because of the stepped altitude of the formation, the rotor wash encountered during descent, and the difficulty in finding a suitable touchdown spot for each ship. However, it remained a goal. The terrain in the landing zone sometimes slowed the disembarking of troops. In the Delta, water was sometimes chest deep and the ship had to be held with the skids just under the water level or had to maintain a low hover. In jungle areas, grass ten to twelve feet high was often encountered. From the moment the first helicopter touched down until the last ship lifted off, two minutes were considered average unloading time for a twelve-ship formation. This two minutes seems an eternity when one is expecting enemy fire any second.

To lessen the possibility of fire being concentrated on a single ship, all helicopters attempted to depart at the same time. Direction of take off was varied for subsequent flights whenever possible. The armed escorts used the same tactics on the return route with the exception that the ships originally used for the reconnaissance were the last to leave the landing zone and consequently usually brought up the rear. If another lift was required, the formation returned to the loading area for troops and, if necessary, the aircraft were refueled and rearmed.

Perhaps the foregoing planning considerations sound trite to today's informed reader. But one must bear in mind that to the airmobile commander of 1963 they represented the distillations of many hard-earned lessons and the planning procedures were quite sophisticated for the situation. Even then they were being refined.

In an effort to reduce the planning time required for executing an air assault mission, some of the earlier helicopter units developed a task force called an "EAGLE FLIGHT". An "EAGLE FLIGHT" was defined by Headquarters U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, as "a tactical concept involving the employment of a small, self-contained, highly-trained heliborne force. Tactical planning emphasizes the use of this force to locate and engage the enemy or to pursue and attack an enemy fleeing a larger friendly force. As an airmobile force, 'EAGLE' is also prepared to engage an enemy force located or fixed by other friendly forces. The inherent flexibility of the 'EAGLE FLIGHT' as a force ready for immediate com[mitment]