Helicopter Warfare

In the Vietnam War flying into the jungle produces a different kind of hazard In a daring rescue mission a desperate pilot cuts his own landing zone in fortyfoottall bamboo The crew comes under heavy fire as they return again and again to pick up more survivors from the bamboo circle

In the Falklands War a top secret Special Air Service SAS mission to South Georgia involves flying up the sheer face of a glacier and dropping men on an icy plateau riddled with crevasses Two helicopters crash while flying blind in a snowstorm but everyone escapes off the glacier thanks to the remarkable crew flying a helicopter called Humphrey

In Afghanistan the combination of high altitude and dusty conditions make combat flying particularly challenging When a covert US Navy Seal needs to be rescued from a Taliban ambush the crew must fly at night using night vision goggles hugging every contour of the mountain pass Landing on a tiny mountain ledge puts their flying skills to the test

In the Iraq War flying in the desert poses unique difficulties as the open spaces provide few places to hide and dust storms accompany every landing and takeoff When a young Royal Navy pilot comes under fire from a tank he soon finds himself engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse