A Special Thanks to the Apache Book

[Shaman]

Totally OT ;)

[Huckle]

Can't believe Chickenhawk didn't get a mention on a heli forum! Best book ever. :thumbup:

 

Yes, Chickenhawk was great. Good eye for the details, enough flying information to keep me happy, and the guy can actually write- this is pretty unusual for accounts of this kind so it really sticks out.

[HellMutt]

I loved Chickenhawk. It was this book that got me interested in helicopters, quite a while back.

[asa1997]

Just out of curiosity...What's the range on an airsoft "sniper rifle"?

mine is 200ft, not much but if you arc it it's alot further

[Deigs]

Some books I've read recently.

 

Apache - Ed Macy. Yeah it was good and all. But not rave worthy.

Apache Dawn - Damien Lewis. I liked this. But yes, Macy's account might be better. But it was a different squadron guys, different missions, and a different author. Both books have their merits.

Nightstalkers - Micheal J Durant. I love history on how things started. Special Operations Aviation (born from the 'Operation Eagle Claw' disaster), and follows some accounts and events the unit has done. Worthy reading. Buy this.

Chickenhawk - Robert Mason. I liked this book. I can understand why it's a classic. Gritty. Informative. A damn good read.

Armed Action - James Newton. It was ok. Not great, but better then a lot of shelf filler out there. Lynx pilot in Basra (some may have seen his account in Helicopter Warfare documentaries that are floating around on the internet).

[petherf]

It's the 1st one you must order!!

 

The Man.The Machine,The Mission

The blazing true story from the heart of Afghanistan

Edited July 8, 2009 by petherf

[bigsarge]

Guys, I see two Ed Macy Apache offerings. "Apache (The Man, The Machine, The Mission)," and "Apache: Inside the Cockpit of the World's Most Deadly Fighting Machine"

 

I assume that you're speaking of the later. I'd like to order a copy. Please advise, if I'm ordering the wrong book.

 

Thanks!

you are right, the second one is the one you want

 

"Apache: Inside the Cockpit of the World's Most Deadly Fighting Machine":thumbup:

[fox_111]

Just out of curiosity...What's the range on an airsoft "sniper rifle"?

 

For a standard, field legal, upgraded rifle it would be about 250ft of effective range. But with proper trainning, upgrade, conditions and ammunitions, you can shoot a little beyond 300fts.

 

That's fairly close considering the real deal shoot at 800m and up. But we typically engage target in wooded erea where 300fts is as far as you can see anyway.

 

But I should say, the majority of target engaged are well inside 200fts.

 

If you have any further questions regarding airsoft, feel free to PM me, as not to cluther this topic hehe.

[PhoenixBvo]

It's the 1st one you must order!!

 

The Man.The Machine,The Mission

The blazing true story from the heart of Afghanistan

 

you are right, the second one is the one you want

 

"Apache: Inside the Cockpit of the World's Most Deadly Fighting Machine":thumbup:

 

:huh:Ok, now you got me really confused: which one is it?

Seriously, aren't they both the same? Amazon lists the same reviews for both titles...

[nemises]

if they are both by Ed Macy, then they are both the same book!

 

Sometimes differnt publishers in differnt countries like to change titles, whether for overlapping copyright, or to appeal to a different market (take the first Harry Potter film...it was called "The Philosophers Stone" in Europe, but "the Sorcerors Stone" in US)

 

Ed is also in the process of writing a new book called "Hellfire" .. hopefully as full of good nerd info as Apache was!

[wickedpenguin]

If you guys haven't read Pak Six then get it because that book was brimming with soul. You just know that it was written by someone who drove F-105 for a living.

 

Have you checked out Thud Ridge by Jack Broughton? It's a great F-105 book as well.

 

One common thread I've found in the Vietnam books is the constant meddling by U.S. government with regards to targets and rules of engagement.

 

A college teacher of mine was a USAF F-4 Phantom II driver in 'nam. He told me about a ship the Chinese had docked in North Vietnamese waters. He and the rest of the pilots called the ship "The Love Boat" because it was lit up like a Christmas tree at night.

 

The U.S. knew the ship was loaded with arms and ammunition that the Chinese were giving to the NVA. But, because it was Chinese-flagged, they wouldn't allow anyone to touch it. And the Chinese knew it, hence the lights. It became a source of great frustration, because here was a vessel who was contributing to the deaths of his fellow countrymen, and they could do nothing about it.

 

One night, he was flying alone over the water. His wingman had gone home due to a mechanical issue. The Love Boat came into view. On his belly were racks of 500 pounders. There was no one in sight, and therefore no witnesses. He and his RIO were |---| close from just flying over it and unloading. No one would have known.

 

As fate had it, at the last moment they were called away on a strike mission. The ship survived, as did my teacher and his RIO's frustration.

 

This guy was awesome, because he was so mild-mannered. He'd talk about dodging SAMs and screaming between trees at maximum afterburner with the same tone most people would use to describe what they had for breakfast.

[C. Patrick]

:huh:Ok, now you got me really confused: which one is it?

Seriously, aren't they both the same? Amazon lists the same reviews for both titles...

 

Yeah... they're the same book. You'll see that "The Man, The Machine, The Mission" is provided through Amazon.uk ($65.51 USD), and the other is provided by Amazon.com ($15 USD).

[nomdeplume]

Regarding the different titles, Dymocks in Australia lists both of them, and says that Apache: The War, The Machine, The Mission is a trade paperback while Apache is simply a paperback. According to some random website, trade paperbacks are of better quality/larger size than the regular paperbacks. So that might be the main difference.

 

Also, I think the cover for the trade paperback version looks better. :)

[fox_111]

If you give me the choice, I'll take the small version with the flexible cover.

 

When I chance choose, I always take the pocket size. Cheaper, same stuff inside and more room to buy more after.

 

My bookshelf is crammed as hell. I need a new house so I can build a library! :smartass:

[PhoenixBvo]

Well, I just got the hard cover edition from amazon.co.uk at 14.81 GBP. The sub title says: the man. the machine. the mission. But I believe the contents are equal to the other editions. Nice quality, sturdy paper, 16 pages of color photographs with really nice details of the mission, the Apache and situation in Afghanistan. Looks good so far! I haven't got time to read it yet, but I'll do that soon :).

[leafer]

Sorry for being OT. Thud Ridge is on my wish list, Penguin. And you should have asked your teacher for some gun footage, I'm sure he kept some. :)

[CE_Mikemonster]

Can't believe Chickenhawk didn't get a mention on a heli forum! Best book ever. :thumbup:

 

Yeah, Chickenhawk has a bit for everyone. I think even my girlfriend would find it interesting. Both an amazing insight into the skill and bravery of Huey pilots in Vietnam and also the psychological effects of 'taking the strain'.

 

It's books like this which make me appreciate the job of anyone in a uniform who is prepared to stand up and be counted and just have the physical and mental strength to keep on going through anything thrown at them.

 

Ed Macy, Robert Mason, the Cpl's and Sgt's back at depot, and about half the guys on this forum.