America's final act in the Vietnam War produced an iconic image - a helicopter perched on a rooftop as a long line of Vietnamese desperately tried to climb aboard. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Stadulis spent a nerve-racking day picking up both Americans and South Vietnamese the day before the North Vietnamese captured Saigon. And they turned all the lights on the carrier, and it lit it up like a Christmas tree. They just did their job. And here's why the details still matter for Stadulis and 500 other former employees of Air America - they've never been recognized as government workers and, therefore, have never received government pensions. Passenger last name , required. Air America pilots forged an altogether different experience of the war in Indochina, even though they encountered the same kinds of danger as the military pilots who ... Phu. Abstract Brian Keigh Johnson was an Assistant Chief Pilot, rotor wing, for Air America in Saigon from March 3, 1966 through October 1, 1974, when he resigned from the company. Maureen Bevans Ebersole, whose late father worked for Air America, puts it this way. Air America Flight Center is a Cessna Pilot Center with newest and most advanced fleet in the Daytona Beach, Florida area - all at the lowest prices! Accuracy and availability may vary. No, that was not... MYRE: Larry Stadulis, one of the American pilots landing on rooftops that day, says that particular chopper was on an apartment building that housed CIA officers. A smaller version of the plaque is also in the CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. They called it CNRRA Air Transport, and they hauled relief supplies throughout the country. USAF = United States Air Force WA = World Airways WAL = Western Airlines As "Hump" pilots are identified, the "H=XXX" is the number of trips that particular pilot flew the "Hump". STADULIS: No, no, that was strictly an Air America aircraft. Pilots hauled relief supplies and evacuated people throughout the country during China's civil war. All rights reserved. Rickenbacker ended the war as America’s “ace of aces” with a total of 26 victories to his name—18 of which came in the span of only 48 days. Brian K. Johnson, a former Air America helicopter pilot and past president of the Air America Association, said flight crews would race to be the first to pick up downed military personnel. In 1968 he joined Air America as a helicopter pilot in Laos and Thailand. They also honored the 242 people who died or disappeared during the secret missions. Says Allen Cates, an Air America pilot who flew one in 1973: “When you saw a person, it was like looking at a photo negative. Last year, a measure was narrowly defeated in the Senate Intelligence Committee. For some involved in the mission, the story isn't over. Most people likely have never heard of Air America®, unless they know the 1990 Mel Gibson movie by the same name. LARRY STADULIS: No, no. MYRE: With just 10 minutes of fuel left, he still couldn't find the carrier. 4 were here. GREG MYRE, BYLINE: To this day, misconceptions surround the chaotic U.S. evacuation from South Vietnam as the North Vietnamese surged in, bringing the long war to an end. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. I was hired as a pilot with Air America, the CIA’s secret airline, working on its clandestine operations in Southeast Asia. By Chris Henry. Aside from the arguably inaccurate chapter dealing with Air America's trafficking of opium, Robbins' research was well received by both former Air America personnel, and eventually, the CIA. I mean, and we were flying on instruments because it was pitch black out, and it was raining. "They're quiet heroes," Hotujec said. During the war in Vietnam, there was an airline that flew some of the most harrowing missions ever taken on by a group of this type, and over hostile territory. Member Commentary - Agency Drops the Ball on Air America® - Again!, by Gary B. Bisson. Morehouse, C.F. MYRE: Congress would have to pass a law to grant Air America pensions. The airline’s schedules and operations were irregular and unknown. Air America’s pilots liked danger—and a bit of fun. He left Air America in 1973, and returned to civilian aviation and service in … This is the Air America Flight Center company profile. So if nobody knew it, how can you have any retirement benefits? Air America’s pilots were shadow people. Brian K. 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