31 December 2005

.38 Special Trivia

Here's the answer to my trivia question:

Our Hueys had ceramic/composite armored seats. These seats weighed 150 pounds each, and protected pilot and copilot from .30 calibre rifle fire approaching from the rear, beneath, and sides of the aircraft.
I also wore what was called a "ballistic" helmet, which was supposed to provide some protection for my noggin.
But we were unprotected from anything fired at us from the front or from above.

Before climbing into the aircraft, I would grab my gun belt and shift it 90 degrees, so the .38 was strategically located to provide a little protection for what I considered a pretty important area at the front of my body!

I never heard of an incident where the pistol actually helped deflect a bullet, therefore insuring a pilot was able to later father a family......but to me, feeling the weight of the revolver there during the flight was reassuring.

I was glad to take comfort anywhere I could find it!

2 comments:

THIRDWAVEDAVE said...

And I thought for sure I had the correct answer. Did you invent that procedure, or did you learn it from hearing about a pilot that took a round? At any rate, it's a good idea.

Greybeard said...

I didn't invent it, Dave.....
All the pilots did it. Having the revolver at your side in that seat would have been uncomfortable, so using it as armor killed two birds.