Bob Hesselbein in the Front Seat of a Cobra
Photograph courtesy of Bob Hesselbein

This is the last picture for the day, but I couldn't resist, since it's a picture of your's truly in the front seat of a cobra. Taken at the hotpit refueling pad at Kontum, it shows me enjoying the cool airconditioning while the backseat pilot stands outside and refuels the aircraft, engine running.

A true story. One day we were refueling at Kontum when we started getting rocketed from the traditional locations east of the city. The random rockets were starting to hit close, so I cranked to operating RPM and lifted off the minute the backseater, WO1 Jim Jackson, dived into the cockpit. He went in face first, and struggled with his seating and straps while I departed straight north from the POL pad.

The good news is that "Jet" and I remain good friends to this day, and still laugh about that particular event.

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