This is the final of the three training aircraft I qualified in to earn my wings. The other two were the T34-C and the Bell Jet Ranger. This aircraft was used extensively in the Viet Nam war and is the common chopper that door gunners fired from. It is normally a utility helicopter, thus, its designation, UH-1. It has a single jet turbine engine.

This is the helicopter I flew as a squadron pilot. It is the AH-1J Cobra Attack Helicopter. Basically, it is a firing platform for gun-podds, smoke and missiles. The cannon on the front of the turret fires 750 rounds per minute. Each projectile can take out personnel in a 5 meter grid square, and is armor piercing. The gun can be fired from a gunner in the front cockpit or from the pilot in command in the back cockpit. We trained to fire from both positions. The pilot in the front can fly the chopper as well. The front-seat pilot has a small cyclic mounted on the right armrest with which to control the pitch and roll of the aircraft, and a collective lever to control the pitch of the main rotor blades.

When the gunner is firing from the front seat, both hands are holding the gun and sight mechanism, while the pilot in the back is flying the aircraft. The advantage of firing from the front seat is that the gun will move in the direction that the gunner aims it (to the left or right, while the helicopter is rolling in a right or left turn, for example). If the pilot in the back seat fires the gun, it is fired from a stowed position. A basic maneuver is the "gun run maneuver." Basically, what you do is to pull the nose up until you slow down to a very slow airspeed (55 knots), kick the rudder in (in the desired direction of turn) while rolling toward the target. Speeds of up to 190 knots can be acquired in the dive while holding the aircraft in position to fire. There is a bit of bouncing and shaking that gives the pilot queues of airspeed and stress on the aircraft, while his or her attention is focused on taking out the target. The pilot must pull up soon enough after engagement of the target so as not to fly into his o her own shrapnel.

 This model has two jet turbine engines.