October 29, 2019 Colorado Cool-Ade

The Liberty Gazette

October 29, 2019

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: The CH-54 Skycrane is so unique looking, it draws a lot of attention. But sometimes, you might not want as much as you get. Last week, Curtis Laird told part of the story of picking up a cargo pod at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, using the big Crane to carry it to Fort Benning, Georgia. This helicopter can carry about 20,000 pounds. It’s no lightweight.

The first leg of that trip was the adventure he shared last week. Here’s what happened after the fuel stop, on the second leg.

Curtis: We planned our next fuel stop to be an airport in Mississippi. As we landed, we immediately realized this airfield was the headquarters for the Mississippi Highway Patrol Aviation Division.

Now a CH-54 draws about as much attention as a B-52, and it wasn’t long before a bunch of them Mississippi pilots had gathered ‘round to ogle our aircraft. The shut-down procedures take a few minutes to complete, and once we had that done, we got out to stretch our legs just as one of the state troopers walked up and asked to look inside the pod – the cargo we were carrying.

Our quick-thinking crew chief advised the trooper that there was classified material on board and no one was allowed within twenty feet of the aircraft.

We filled up with fuel and got on our way, our last leg of this trip back to Fort Benning. Once we were in the air, I asked the crew chief why he told the trooper there was classified material on board. The last time I had checked, there was nothing there but a tarp with a few pieces of luggage under it.

Then someone on the intercom mentioned that some of the guys at Fort Benning would like to have some “Colorado Cool-Ade” and there were a few cases under that tarp. Of course, they were referring to Coors beer, and figured the fine trooper might be a bit surprised if he saw it.

Mike: From firefights and tarantulas, and John-Wayne-style defense in Vietnam to smuggling coveted brew into Georgia that back then you couldn’t buy east of here, Curtis Laird’s accumulated adventures have turned him into a storyteller. If you run into him in the grocery store, take advantage of the opportunity to hear some more, because, as Harry Reasoner explained, “A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying, immediately and disastrously. There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter. That is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot.”

Indeed, the helicopter pilot is a different breed. They must anticipate trouble, and as a result, they dance to the beat of their own drum.

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