Gunship Ace: The Wars Of Neall Ellis, Gunship Pilot And Mercenary

by Al J. Venter

Most chopper losses during operations occurred during landing, while on the ground, or on take-off.

For me, personally, those few moments before take-off are sacrosanct. I actually prefer to be alone and would wander off a short distance to collect my thoughts.

‘In conflict, all else being equal, raw aggression wins, most times anyway.’

war was the greatest game available to mankind: ‘either you kill or, if you are not good at your job, you end up dead.’

Some of the Americans worried Nellis. He felt they were different from the average Europeans. Nellis confided once that he never really knew where he stood with many of them. Most would view the world loftily, with the kind of detached amusement that didn’t warrant close attention. He said that he often had to ask himself what their real agenda was.

he is a typical upper-class Brit, at times very arrogant and not prepared to believe that there are other people in the world who may have a better idea of how things should be.

because, in his opinion, pilots are overpaid for what they do and are not much better than truck drivers. He was forever looking for the cheapest option, even though it might not be the most economical solution … [he was] very tight when it came to money.

My personal philosophy about combat flying in choppers is simple: the pilot should fly profiles that do not put him in danger. Firstly, he needs to keep his speed high for as long as possible. If he is shot at, he should avoid evasive manoeuvres. Such flying tends to rapidly bleed off speed and it is unquestionable that a slow-moving machine presents the enemy with an easier target than a relatively fast one.