Hey BWB....

"Yosimite Sam" wrote in message news:k_uZb.354881$I06.3754781@attbi_s01...
Thanks for taking the time to write this story...What an incredible
guy....probably saved his own life by taking control of the situation. What
year did this happen?

Howard

I believe it was 1978 or 79. I could be wrong,though.

Ed Randolph

(Badwater Bill) wrote in message .. .

Maybe Fred Stewart,or Bill can tell more details of anything I
forgot.

Ed Randolph #0005

Nah...you did a great job Ed. Thanks for telling it the way it
happened. As I read your post it all came back but I'd forgotten most
of it. I appreciate your input. Does Allen's wife have that
unpublished manuscript that Allen wrote about it? It might be worth
publishing.

BWB

Yo,Bill;
Never did hear any more after Allen flew west. I think maybe brother
Rich may have been working w/ Allen on the book. Of course you knew
Rich has now flown west. I'll try emailing Larry at FAA & see if he
has any info.

Sad end to an exciting,interesting man. VM Cobra pilot ,shot down 5
times,& he buys the farm doing what he loved best. Gotta Love the
guy!!!

I would love to read about some of his other stunts - planned or
other wise!!
What was funny,Allen said was: When the boss arrived at the prison &
looked the helicopter over. He was more worried about the strain
straps on the blades than all the bullet holes in the body of the
chopper. One slug had just missed the fuel tank & another one bounced
off the main gear box. Talk about **Luck**!! Everything important
checked out so he jumped in ,fired her up,& flew her home .

Ed Randolph #0005

wrote in message . com...
Howard , Hope BWB doesn't mind my stepping in here !

As you probably know Allen flew traffic copter reports in
St.Louis,Mo. & owned a Mini 500 copter.
Another pilot was supposed to take this chartered flight but, got
tied up on previous flight,so Allen volunteered to take this ***
supposed *** real estate developer *had brief case maps -the whole
works* on an overflight survey near Cape Girardu(sp) Mo.. When they
started to get in the chopper(Jet Ranger ,I believe),Allen told her
she could see better in the front seat (as she started to get in
back). She told him she would decide where to sit & for him to just
fly like she told him. Allen said he could tell this was going to be a
fun flight!!!! They loaded up & lifted off,she told him to fly along
the Mississippi river until she told him to turn north. He suggested
to her that in would save time (money) to go direct. He said she told
him in no uncertain terms to do what she told him to do. No
problem,your money,he said(he still figured he could make it back in
time for traffic reporting). Near Cape Gir. she told him to turn north
& fly for (I believe)15 miles,make a 180* turn,then she would tell him
where to land.
He knew almost instantly that that flight path would take them over
the federal prison in the area.(a definate no,no=no fly zone)Said he
turned
his head to tell her they couldn't do that & he was looking down the
barrel of a 9mm pistol. She told him to do as told or else. He said as
he flew over the prison area,he tried to avoid the prison as much as
possible when going north. All the time trying to figure out what to
do. Made his 180* turn,headed south. She told him he was to land in
the prison exercise yard & pick up 2 passengers. He told her ,there is
no way they are going to let us land & take off in the yard,they will
shoot us out of the sky. Again she told him to do as he was told.
He decided if he could talk her into opening the side door,maybe it
would distract(he figured the sudden rush of air would surprise her)
her enough so he could do something to get the gun. He told her by
opening the door in advance the passengers could get in quick & maybe
they could make it out of the yard without getting shot. She agreed.
So when he reached back to unlatch the door,he gave it a shove. As he
let go of the door,he grabbed her hand w/ the gun,then gabbed on w/
the other hand. After wrestling the gun from her hand(helicoper flying
it self)he turned & saw her reaching for another gun on the floor(she
told him,that's ok ,I have another one). So he said he just started
firing away over his shoulder. After the gun was empty ,he couldn't
see her anymore. About this time he looked back up front & realised he
was in a 90* vertical dive headed for mother earth. Said he pulled up
on col.& cranked in all of throttle,just got the ship level before it
hit the ground.
Shut down the engine, climbed out,looked in the back. His lady
friend wasn't moving. Said he turned & noticed a gate in the fence & a
little room inside the fence. (he had landed in the cleared area
between the prison fence & a wooded area) He took off running to the
gate,entered as it was unlock as was the door into the room. There was
a phone in the room but, he couldn't get it to work. He then tought of
the radio in his A/C. Took off running toward the A/C. All of a sudden
he realised there are guards up in the towers w/ guns & he could be
shot. Said,he stopped ,put his hands in the air,turned & looked up to
the towers & waved his hand, one of the guards waved back while
looking down the barrel of his gun pointed at Allen. I guess about
this time people stared coming out of the prison to see what was going
on. Allen slowly walked back to his A/C. Turned on his Radios & made a
call to their base on the river barge they used for a heliport. He
said the owner has radio at home to monitor what's going on. Owner's
wife answered Allen's call & started to laugh,She replied to Allen
that this was his best stunt yet,like it really happened: Yeah,
right,you have killed your lady passenger,you've shot up the
helicopter & crashed the helicopter at a federal prison & you need
help!!!( From what I have been told Allen was good at pratical jokes).
Finally the boss & the other pilot( that was supposed to take this
charter) came up on the radio. The boss told him they would fly out
there but , if this was a stunt,first he was going to kick Allen's
tail,then fire him.
I'm posting this as best I remember it as told by Allen. Allen was
in the process of writing a book about this event when he was killed
in his Mini 500. I wonder if it was ever finished. Would love to read
it for more details.
The lady Allen shot,had a daugther try to break out the same guy
from prison a couple of years later. The police believe she was going
to steal a Saber Liner (as there is a Saber Liner repair facility near
by)& fly them out of the country. Allen said he believed that was the
first lady's plan. They tought because he knew how to fly jet
helicopters that he could fly F/W jets. You know one jet is just like
any other jet,yeah,right!!!

Maybe Fred Stewart,or Bill can tell more details of anything I
forgot.

Ed Randolph #0005
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks Ed. Enjoyed it. Reminds me of the movie Breakout with Charles
Bronsen. That movie was based on a true story about "Red" Dodge who
was recruited by the CIA to airlift an operative out of a mexican
prison. Red was a Capt at Western who suddenly quit flying trips to
mexico after the event happened. Shortly after that the mexican gov
tried to exrtadite him. He wound up with a bunch of huge hangars in
Wash state with unlimited gov leases.

pacplyer

Thanks Ed. Enjoyed it. Reminds me of the movie Breakout with Charles
Bronsen. That movie was based on a true story about "Red" Dodge who
was recruited by the CIA to airlift an operative out of a mexican
prison. Red was a Capt at Western who suddenly quit flying trips to
mexico after the event happened. Shortly after that the mexican gov
tried to exrtadite him. He wound up with a bunch of huge hangars in
Wash state with unlimited gov leases.

pacplyer

Yep. There are a ton of characters who really still live and some of
them even post here from time to time...that is until the illiterate
annonymous cowards of the usegroup peck at them until they just say
"**** it. This **** ain't worth it." Then they leave.

If you could sit O'ring down or Bourbon, Chuck Slusar%$*&#ck, Ray
Jarvis, Pink Ass, Walt Troyer, Vicki Cruse pluse some...and get them
to open up, this would be the most entertaining ng on the web. But
the old timers get challenged by the Sydney's and the Moon Men of the
group who couldn't build **** from shinola and have the equivalent
experience of a student pilot. But they have big insulting
know-nothing mouths who have to make their mark by challenging the
ones who have done it and who, once in awhile feel like writing about
it and sharing it with the rest of us who have done it too.

I'd like to buy these pricks for what I think they are worth and sell
them for what they think they are worth.

And, you too Pac. I won't blow your cover because you chose to remain
annonyomous for employment and other reasons that I understand. You
have a lot to say and a lot to share as a DC-10 captain. Screw the
****-bags. Say what you want to say and forget the 200 hour ****s of
the group.

Have a nice day

BWB

(Badwater Bill) wrote

Yep. There are a ton of characters who really still live and some of
them even post here from time to time...that is until the illiterate
annonymous cowards of the usegroup peck at them until they just say
"**** it. This **** ain't worth it." Then they leave.

If you could sit O'ring down or Bourbon, Chuck Slusar%$*&#ck, Ray
Jarvis, Pink Ass, Walt Troyer, Vicki Cruse pluse some...and get them
to open up, this would be the most entertaining ng on the web.

Yeah Dr. Strangewater, I agree.

That's what I'm hoping will happen more and more around here. That's
what kept me checking back here from time to time since 95. I'd like
to hear about O-ring's background and flying, Bourbon's crop dusting
(something I always wanted to do, but wasn't sure I was good enough to
survive,) Chuck's early days in the Easy Riser (another part of
aviation that I missed out on,) Walt's brave C-130 flying in Africa
(if it's not all classified,) Nafod40's ballsy military flying, John
O's barnstorming and stuff from all the others I missed. Aviation is
so rich and diversified, I just never get tired of reading about it.
Many of these guys and gals are instructors too. Wet ticket privates,
and even guys sitting in rice paddies should be able to participate
here as well and ask questions without getting shunned.

But
the old timers get challenged by the Sydney's and the Moon Men of the
group who couldn't build **** from shinola and have the equivalent
experience of a student pilot. But they have big insulting
know-nothing mouths who have to make their mark by challenging the
ones who have done it and who, once in awhile feel like writing about
it and sharing it with the rest of us who have done it too.

But in all fairness, they do know how to remove pesky Phillips head
screws from wheelpants! :^D Lol! sorry, I couldn't resist. But it
is really a shame. Being talked down to by a "screw-extractor" has
caused many with interesting backgrounds and flying/building
experience to think twice about posting at RAH. You have the
multiple-personality trolls that post under invented names, then you
have the career competitors who can never let their hair down, then
you have the Super-exaggerators who become vicious when their story
falls apart. And the "off-topic" worms living in the DARPA distant
past. But at the same time, some fascinating people blow in and out
of here, and are able to tell accounts of how it really happened to
them, before they dead-stick outa here. I wouldn't have it any other
way.


I'd like to buy these pricks for what I think they are worth and sell
them for what they think they are worth.

And, you too Pac. I won't blow your cover because you chose to remain
annonyomous for employment and other reasons that I understand. You
have a lot to say and a lot to share as a DC-10 captain. Screw the
****-bags. Say what you want to say and forget the 200 hour ****s of
the group.

Have a nice day

BWB

Thanks Bill. I appreciate that. It might be true that some of my
background in "hauling trash" as the fighter jocks say, for the better
part of 20 yrs is irrelevant to this forum. But if we all had the
same experiences this place would be very dull indeed. It became
terribly dull after Dr. Snow and Bernie the Butt hole tried to run you
off IMHO. It turned RAH into kind of a tea party for the armchair
aviator exclusively. Airmen/women with experience were reluctant to
speak freely, for fear of a lesson in spelling or table manners. I
think the motif of this whole interface should be: We know that you
500hr pilot/builders have just discovered that you're not dead yet.
We know you have it all figured out, and figure you can now proceed
to run off people with experience. But you should realize, though,
statistically, historically, the 500 hr pilot has more fatal accidents
than any other group. More than even the 10hr student or the 78 year
old geezer with 15,000 hours. If loud profanity is the only way to
covey the gravity of your myopia to you, :-) ... then I will sic Bad
Billy on your ass the next time you try to sensor or evict someone in
this forum on the basis of bad table manners alone.

You are dismissed! ;-)

pac "focus on the substance" plyer