Lovely Weather

submitted by: Alva Leon Matheson

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I flew an ARMY infiltration mission into the west side of the mountain near Khe Sanh and had to abort due to weather. “GRAY OVERCAST.”
The Army sent a Lieutenant Colonel to fly with me and verify the weather on the next attempt. It was the exact same mission and planned into the same landing zone. I first asked him to shed all but one camera and the tripod was definitely out as well. We VR’d the general area, picked up the choppers and a pair of Hobos and started down through a hole in the overcast. The O-2 was vertical with a max pullout just above the trees. The Colonel remarked on the cloud penetration and the approach and I asked him to verify the GRAY OVERCAST on film just as the light stuff (anti aircraft fire) filled the windscreen. I said, “Make your decision quickly because we have to climb up to spot the LZ and then cover for the insertion; and please stop puking in my airplane.”
He aborted the mission due to weather. Photos don’t lie. He got his flight pay for the month and I was out that evening to do it again.
I loved the weather?