Pucker Factor 10

Memoir of a US Army Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam

By: James Joyce

Narrated by: Traber Burns

“In 1963...there was no way I could have known, sitting in a classroom on that beautiful campus in Ohio, that by raising my hand I would be going to war in Vietnam and that I would see things, hear things, and do things that most people cannot imagine.” (James Joyce)

The author was drawn into the United States Army through ROTC, and he went through training to fly helicopters in combat over Vietnam. His experiences are notable because he flew both Huey “Slicks” and Huey “Gunships”: the former on defense as he flew troops into battle, and the latter on offense as he took the battle to the enemy. Through this book, the author relives his experiences flying and fighting, with special attention given to his and other pilots’ day-to-day lives - such as the smoke bombing of Disneyland, the nickname given to a United States Army-sponsored compound for prostitution. Some of the pilots Joyce served with survived the war and went on to have careers with commercial airlines, and many were killed.

©2003 James Joyce (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Great story good for both pilots and non-pilots.

Well read and interesting story from a pilots point of view. The author explains his experiences in a manner that is not too in-depth for non-pilots, but is accurate and technical enough for pilots.

Excellent

Excellent. Normal life on the Frontline said as it is. Definitely worth the read and the narrator makes it easy to listen to.

An excellent reading of a great story

First of all, this is an excellent, down to earth, first hand account of life as a Huey pilot in Vietnam. And the narrator of this audible version really captures the feel of the story’s author and his way of doing things. I haven’t enjoyed an audible book this much in a long time.

A+

Captain Joyce does a phenomenal job recounting his time in Vietnam,, what led up to it, and what followed. Always interesting, funny, and sad, this thrilling account won't leave you disappointed.

Traber Burns is a joy as always and narrates beatific
beautifully.

gunship crew chief point of view.

the story line ,was ok, I trained with the 1st Air Cav , when it was the 11th air assault proof of concept for the air mobile .
we lost more aircraft during that training than they lost in Vietnam that whole year. mostly pilot error, and trying new things,or just screwing around.
in Vietnam i was crew chief and left door gunner over 630 combat missions.. he stretched the truth some and didnt go far enough explaining what it was like in a heavy fire fight. with so many tracers of all kinds coming up ,the 30 cal stuff we could suppress, 50 or 51 cal was somthing else our guns couldent do anything about ,unless we were at tree top or just feet off the deck and get in close. it was exciting.

over all it put me back in country while listening
the friends you make while in combat are strong, and bbn lastin

I corroborate eveything

as a former helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, I can corroborate everything in this book and more.

Entertaining and honest & free of narrator mispronunciations

Entertaining and honest & free of narrator mispronunciations. The narrator did a 10/10 job which is very rare for a military book. He nails all the voices perfectly to make the story visible in your mind like a real person would react without the common over enunciation and fumbled military words that usually plague any war book. The author tells on himself a bit which makes him accessible, relatable and believable. Nonfiction/autobiographies lose most of its interestingness if the author is untrustworthy and telling a story too heroic to remain believable, where nothing is their fault and everyone else is out to get them or inept.

Touches a lot of the feelings and Experiences I remember from two years later 1968-70

Just a couple inaccuracies like choke on a Cessna 172 type airplane. Also, Huey helicopters are flown from both seats but usually from the right seat. I have flown lot of Huey’s and jet rangers solo on delivery flights from Bell helicopter. Most pilots would want to keep their right hand on the cyclic during flight. The left leg can be used to hold the collective in position if necessary and the left hand could be used to change radio frequencies or hold a map.

A good read/listen.

a real good read/listen. Got a great big lump in my throat and watery eyes at a couple of stories.

I believe

The story gave me chills.
I have never been in combat but I have felt the oneness.
Thank you for sharing your story about that one particular mission.
Peace be with you.