Risk Management Magazine

Just as we crossed the protective barriers — BOOM! — the entire helicopter shook violently. The unsecured crewmember monitoring the load was thrown to the side of the airframe. Our flight engineer shouted, “We’re hit, put it down, put it down,” an intense task for the pilot on the controls given the DZ location.

By today’s technological standards, our antiquated AH-64As were dinosaurs — mostly analog switches, steam gauges and paper maps, baby! The glass cockpit concept (computerized displays with multifunctional screens and buttons) sounded like something from the future to us, but we considered flying these aircraft as a bit of a badge of honor.

Prior to deployment, our unit practiced the power management issues we expected to encounter in Afghanistan. It paid off.