How many pilots were shot down over North Vietnam?

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But like any other aircraft, helicopters were vulnerable to ground fire. According to the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, a total of 11,846 helicopters were shot down or crashed during the war, resulting in nearly 5,000 American pilots and crew killed.

What happens if a pilot ejects?

A pilot usually sustains injury either due to the forces involved in ejecting the aircraft, or due to how he landed. There could be significant pain in the back, particularly with standing or ambulating. If that is the only spine injury, then pain would probably resolve in six weeks.

Who is the mysterious Vietnamese pilot in the Vietnam War?

Tomb was the only Vietnamese pilot named in the game, and I was curious, like many others before and since, to learn more about this mysterious aviator. The top-scoring American pilots in Vietnam, by comparison, had only five kills each. On paper, the air war over Vietnam should have been a grossly one-sided contest.

How was the air war over Vietnam a one-sided contest?

On paper, the air war over Vietnam should have been a grossly one-sided contest. The U.S. Air Force and Navy, the strongest air arms in the world, opposed the jets of the Vietnam People’s Air Force, averaging 70 warplanes in the early years of the air war, and peaking at 200 near the end. It was far from one-sided.

Did any of the Vietnamese pilots ever hear of Col tomb?

None of the Vietnamese pilots had heard of Col. Tomb, and he was not in any of their records. Tomb and “Toon” are not even Vietnamese names. (Some argue the NSA may have misheard the names “Tuan” or “Tonh.”) Most Vietnamese aces flew MiG-21s, not the older MiG-17s, and didn’t switch plane types back and forth.

What were the rules of engagement in Vietnam?

American aviators, in turn, had rules of engagement prohibiting them from firing missiles at unidentified aircraft or attacking enemy airfields. The Vietnamese ultimately lost more aircraft than they shot down in air-to-air combat, but they forced many air raids to abort mission and ditch their bombs.