To the Limit: An Air Cav Huey Pilot in Vietnam

This is the best Vietnam War era helicopter book I have ever read...and I have read a lot. Yes, Mason's Chickenhawk is a great book (and is one of my favorites - I have re-read it several times) but To The Limit is by far a better read for the following reasons: 1) The writing is very well done. 2) The stories/chapters are laid out well. (I find that even when I sit down to just read for a few minutes, I look up at the clock and realize I have been reading for two hours. The book keeps you captivated.) 3) There are maps! They aren't the best but at least you have a clue what the author is writing about. I cannot believe how many military books have no maps. The authors usually talk about battles without ever giving us a visual of what/where they are writing about. Johnson does a great job of giving you a map of every battle, incident, etc that he writes about. Bravo! 4) There is a glossary. Far too many military books have no glossary. This one is great. 5) There is an appendix (with pictures) explaining how a helicopter flies and is controlled by the pilot. There is only so much that words can do to help explain this odd flying machine and how it is controlled but Johnson's explanation, coupled with drawings, is as good as a beginner's guide to helicopter flying. In fact, that appendix is better than even the Wikipedia explanation of how a pilot controls a helicopter (which is very very different than an airplane.) I have been reading about helicopters for a long time but it wasn't until reading Johnson's book that I fully understand how they work. 6) There are footnotes. Johnson does a great job of filling in the reading at key spots where we are just starting to wonder about something. He also does a great job of letting us know who certain people are, if they survived the war, and if so, what they went to do with their life. It doesn't break up his stories at all but at least gives you a little insight. 7) Most importantly to me - Johnson does a great job of just writing about his experience and leaving out a lot of the emotional stuff concerning the war. I know it was an emotional war and he does a great job of expressing his emotions concerning one on one experiences with his fellow soldiers but other books I have read had way too much about how awful the Vietnamese were, how terrible it was to be there, etc. This book is a great story about what he was going through when he was there, not what he thinks about the war now. (Which as we all now know was a huge waste of life and resources.) I hope Johnson writes more because this is a great book. Thank you Mister Johnson for not only giving us some great insight into your experience as a pilot and soldier but also some incredible insight into how helicopters work. You have inspired me to work towards my pilots license.

I just finished reading this book and I found myself absorbed fully and I couldn't put it down. I was in Vietnam in 1969 to 1970 as an infantry grunt in the 4th Infantry Division and we operated in the Central Highlands in very rugged terrain. We always loved the chopper pilots and marveled at their bravery getting us in and pulling us out of LZ's on our missions. We have a special fondness for Medevac pilots who often came in when called into areas still hot with a battle going on. They often flew in during far less than ideal conditions to extract our wounded and dead during a battle. Tom Johnson did a little of both in his role as a Huey Pilot while in Vietnam and it was interesting to read what he thought during high stress situations as we always thought they were cool as ice in those situations. The role these Huey Pilots played was so important to the life of an infantry combat soldier getting us there, bringing us supplies, and getting us out that it cannot be underplayed in terms of importance. They flew in almost all weather conditions and sometimes that was very dangerous when coming into small Landing Zones (LZ's) in rugged Mountains. They also came to our aid with ammo, water, and food often during the heat of the battle where they were at great risk and if need be they kicked the supplies out while doing a short hover over us. I also enjoyed reading about his emotions as he progressed through his tour and going from a new guy just off of the plane from the USA to a seasoned veteran at the top of his game. This was surprisingly similar to what all soldiers go through especially combat infantry soldiers. He covered all of the fears that we all went through from the fear of failure, the fear of not be accepted by you fellow soldiers, the fear of getting captured or dying and the impact of that would have on our families. The importance of something as simple as us getting mail and getting the occasional care package from home and the impact it had on you. Lastly, I enjoyed how he conveyed the reality that even in the toughest times most Vietnam veterans continued to do their jobs with pride and completed their missions no matter how dangerous or how non important they seemed at the time. There are times when you know you are going to run into a battle and it will be a really bad situation but you go and perform what is expected of you and your training and experience kick in and you do your absolute best. I recommend this book as it is well written by Tom Johnson and it is a very interesting read about an aspect of the Vietnam War that was not understood by many except those of us that were there. Those of that rode into battle on Huey Helicopters understood their role and every combat soldier I know would have volunteered to go to the aid of a down helicopter to try to save its crew. Thank you for writing this great book.

I didn't graduate from high school until June of '68, and had watched the grim newscasts of the war via Cronkite. The battles in early '68 were ferocious and terrifying. I entered the army early in '69, went to Germany first, then to Vietnam in the fall of '70. I spent more than two months living in a tent near Quang Tri, as my unit was in support of the S Vietnamese invasion of Laos in early '71. I made it up to the re-opened Khe Sahn base during that time, via the wonderful Huey --- the sound of which was certainly music to my ears, and still is. I just finished Tom Johnson's book, and truly hope to meet the man some time in the future. I am so amazed that he lived to relate this incredible story of triumph and loss, tragedy multiplied, and such a stark retelling of the times. I was also pleased to see a review by a kid who is currently in high school. I taught history for a time in my past, and would have loved using this book as a true representation of events from that war. Way to go, kid. Your inspiration in that history is not lost on you (most HS kids today have little interest in history), and I appreciate your desire to understand those difficult times. Back to Tom's book, I was greatly moved by his descriptions of wounded and dying young men he risked his life to save, and the interactions with other men who accompanied them. The tears welled easily in my eyes as I read the words of a man who certainly could have lost his own life in those efforts. His ability to fly the Huey made a difference in the lives of so many, and he certainly deserved the accolades received for his skill and daring. His descriptions of flying into tiny LZs lit up by mortar and small arms fire --- in darkness! --- were fascinating and heart stopping. For a man so young at the time, his experience, compassion, and leadership skills were exemplary. His love for his wife was also extraordinary, and I am so glad that he survived the war to go back to her. He will always be a hero to me, and I thank him for his service, and taking the time to write this excellent book. I wish him a long life and happiness. [email protected]

This is a well written book, well worth the money. While reading the book there were times my heart was racing, there were times I laughed out loud and there were times I had to put the book down for awhile because I couldn't see to read it through the tears. I didn't rate it 5 stars because there were so many errors about the flying and flight school. I started flight school 6 months before the author, learned to fly in the same type helicopter, arrived in Viet Nam 6 months earlier, and flew the same "D" model Hueys logging over 1,500 hours in less than a year. He flew as far north as possible as I was flying as far south as posssible. He flew "Lightening Bug" missions while I did the same job in my unit except we called it "Firefly". Many times the author speaks of flying 120 mph while being escorted by Huey gunships. A loaded B model couldn't do much over 80 mph and a C model might do 10 more. The Cobra could go much faster. He speaks of stretching the glide after an engine failure by slowing to 60 knots when in reality you want to accelerate to 96 knots and pull the rotor to the bottom of the green arc to get the most distance for the altitude lost in a Huey. I could cite many more examples but you get the picture. Definitely buy the book but don't believe everything you read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. I found it to be very well written and flowed easily. The author had a great editor (something lacking in many self-published books.) I was a 67N in the Army Guard and have read many books about helicopters pilots in Vietnam and this was one of the better ones. (I was post-Vietnam but when I first started crewing all my pilots had flown in Vietnam.) My only fault with the book was the overuse of exclamation marks. Granted, during combat communication exclamation marks are definitely called for but not during normal conversation. This book is a keeper for my collection. Welcome home Mr. Johnson.

Mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters of Vietnam veterans: This was my first book to read about a soldier's experiences in Vietnam. My dad, who served in the 1st Air Cav, has told me some stories of his experiences as an infrantryman in Vietnam. I searched for a book on Amazon that was written by a veteran who served around the same time my dad served (but was not gruesome) and found Tom A. Johnson's To The Limit. Every minute of the book was captivating! I enjoyed hearing the stories of his experiences, and feeling the triumphs, losses, pride, and pains he felt as he served out his duties as a helicopter pilot for the 1st Cav. I enjoyed it so much that I re-read some chapters to make sure I got every detail of the story. It is easy to read a little at a time, put it down, and pick it back up seamlessly. I wished the story wouldn't have ended, but it ends with a courageous serviceman being able to return home to those who love him. I appreciate Mr. Johnson's service and sacrifice for my freedom. I HIGHLY recommend this to MOTHERS, WIVES, SISTERS, AND DAUGHTERS of Vietnam Veterans who would like to learn, feel, celebrate, mourn, and find humor at times. I am certain you will feel blessed to know Mr. Johnson's story and proud to be an AMERICAN!

Here's the scoop. If you're an aviation nut, you might like the book. If you are any kind of helo pilot, you'll like it. If Bell blood is running thru your veins, you will be amazed at the memories and recall of the author. You can smell the JP, feel the one-on-one, and hear the 'whop' as you decrease the collective (power). Pgs 9/10 of the 1st chapter kind of screw up the start sequence. The -10 states you monitor the battery first when you hit the starter to ensure you have the volts to continue the start. When you light the fire, you monitor the EGT closely to ensure you're not getting a 'hot start'. You do NOT go past the flight idle stop until the start sequence is completed in case you have to abort the start. Also, when you go across the flight idle stop, there are quite a few things in the cockpit left on the check list to accomplish at flight idle before you get up to 6,600 RPM. Radios & nav gear-ON; flight controls-CHECK, etc. The ONLY infinitesimal glitch in the entire book. Lastly, ONLY the Army flies the in-trail formation. In-trail can be the biggest goose chase in your life if flight lead is not totally smooth on the controls and has everything nailed down beforehand. Any goof by lead turning final, setting the approach angle, etc leads to a daisy chain of dominoes that gets really hairy really quick for the rest of the flight. You'd have to be stacked in the middle! of the flight to appreciate how fast the tail rotor of the bird in front on you can fill up your windscreen. Only trail/last in flight has a true out; everyone else is committed one way or the other. Great book. More memories and scares than I have relived in many, many years. Congrats on getting it right! (Reviewer is pilot: UH-B/D/H/N & VH-1N;OH-58A; AH1G & J, USA & USMC) Go 'skid kids'!!!

I'm a newby to Vietnam History and one day I will talk about one of the first books that I read, by Tom Johnson, Air Cav. This is an easy read that keeps you interested and alert. you will be in the seat of a Vietnam era Huey in great detail. If you are a pilot, or have ever taken flying lessons you will immediatly adapt to feeling what Tom was feeling. I like how the charachter is matured and hardened from naive and overwhelmed but always intent on his goals but always doubting accomplishment. To a much older, wiser and only hoping to live to the last day before heading back to the "Real World". You will understand how difficult, even 40plus years later, it is to remember those days that still tear at the men who were there. There are some stories that will make you laugh really hard. And there are a few that will rip your heart out, as to be expected, but Tom puts a lot of happy/or maybe not so, endings in and follow ups with the people in the stories. I truly appreciate this as we can see that a lot of good men did make it out, while not forgetting that a lot did not. If Mr Johnson so decided, he has left enough room and space and references to so much he could write about. This is definately a Veteran I could read more of. Although the living veterans will not accept the label of hero, Mr Johnson was a hero to the men he served with and it is within that context alone, that he truly is an American Hero.

This is an excellent book, told from the point of view of the pilots. The author describes his tour in Vietnam chronologically, but makes great use of flashbacks to improve certain sections. He uses a great mix of description of events, as well as personal impressions, and writes in an engaging style, making it very easy to read and difficult to put down. This book is in the same league as Chickenhawk . I did prefer Mason's book because he spent more time talking about his personal response to the events. Doesn't matter, just read them both, they are excellent.

Nice read. With good first hand account details.

Great read and an insight into just how dangerous it was to be a chopper pilot in Vietnam. The constant mission cycle and losses are astounding. The Air Cav were in the thick of it most of the time and Tom Johnson describes it all in detail and the book is well paced. This and Low Level Hell are two classics on this part of the Vietnam War.

As a helicopter pilot and a bibliophile I've always thought no book about aviation in Vietnam could possibly top Robert Mason's Chickenhawk, but Tom Johnson's To The Limit does just that. He tells a tremendous story of extraordinary courage and magnificent piloting under almost impossible conditions, and 50 years on from the events described one can only stand and wonder that such things could happen. Johnson tells the story with such powerful simplicity that it tests your emotions. A great historic document, wonderfully written, and I'm left wondering why it's not better known in the aviation industry. Best book I've read in years.

Un témoignage percutant sur ces non-héros d'une non-guerre. En plus, c'est extrèmement bien écrit. Bluffant. Et j'avais six ans à l'époque, pas grand-chose ne semble avoir changé.