Customer Reviews

A Hundred Feet Over Hell: Flying With the Men of the 220th Recon Airplane Company Over I Corps and the DMZ, Vietnam 1968-1969

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Jim Hooper's "A Hundred Feet Over Hell" is the story of his brother's Vietnam War experiences flying the O-1 Bird Dog Observation Aircraft. Bill Hooper was a Tactical Air Controller - Airborne, or a TACA. He flew this low-flying, slow-speed aircraft with the 220th Reconnaissance Aircraft Company, a unit known by their call-sign "Catkillers". In the second war of the Jet Age, the Bird Dog was a very unglamorous aircraft, but to the men on the ground, having a Bird Dog overhead was like having your own personal guardian angel. Hooper's book does an outstanding job of documenting the contributions of the Catkillers between 1968 and 1969.

"A Hundred Feet Over Hell" is a very personal story told by the men who lived the war. Hooper does an amazing job telling the story of how these aviators called in airstrikes in support of ground troops. After reading the book, the reader gains a new appreciation for the difficulty of simultaneous flying a plane; describing a target to a jet aircraft traveling four times as fast and 10,000 feet higher than you; and avoiding ground fire. American aviators were the best in this lethal business.

In the chapter "Busy Month of June", Hooper describes a Catkiller attack on a North Vietnamese Truck Convoy. "I started climbing, mentally computing where I wanted to roll in. At about eight hundred feet, I nosed over. Fixed on the windscreen of the lead truck, I armed both outboard tubes. The truck grew larger, and I could see the driver leaning forward to look up. Steaadyyy. Passing through five hundred feet, I squeezed the trigger, holding the dive for the split second it took the rockets to ignite and clear the tubes. In less time than it takes to describe, they hit. What happened next was not part of the plan."

Hooper put together this book by interviewing the men who flew with the Catkillers; and he corroborated these stories by researching various official documents such as radio logs from the various command posts associated with the Catkillers.

A minor annoyance in the book is the non-capitalization of marines, air force, and navy. In modern American military parlance, there is only one Army, one Marine Corps, one Navy, and one Air Force. Therefore, when referring to these specific American military organizations, the term is always capitalized.

Overall, "A Hundred Feet Over Hell" is a fantastic book capturing the experiences of this small set of aviators. 469 TACAs (and Air Force FACAs or Forward Air Controllers) were shot down during the Vietnam War. This book is a fitting tribute to their contributions. I highly recommend this book to any aviation enthusiast.

This was a fantastic read. It pulled me in and didn't let me go until I finished it. The author weaves an incredible tale of young men in small, slow aircraft facing death every day while striving to save the lives of their fellow soldiers. Well researched through interviews with the actual pilots who flew these missions, it is a fascinating story. One page could have me laughing and the next page could fill me with sadness. The writing style is superb.

This terrific book tells the story of a company of Army fixed-wing aviators performing forward air controller duties flying very slow, prop-driven, single engine Cessna aircraft over some of the hottest battlefields of the Vietnam war.

From grunts on the ground wading through the swamps of the Delta or struggling through the jungle highlands, to medical personnel providing care to wounded warriors, to the pilots and crews of helicopters or "fast-mover" jet aircraft, to small Special Forces units patrolling deep in enemy-controlled areas in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos, each veteran saw the war from their individual perspective. In this book, Jim Hooper tells about the Vietnam war from the perspective of his brother Bill and his fellow aviators providing their forward air controller services in support of Marines and Army grunt units on the ground in the northern part of South Vietnam known as I Corp.

As a veteran of the U.S. Army (1967-70), I served both stateside and elsewhere in the Asia during the period covered by this book. Probably because of my service as well as my long-standing fascination with military history, I have read many books about war and I can say that this book ranks right up there with the very best.

As a combat veteran of the 101st Airborne Division in the very same I Corps region as the setting for the book, I thought I was familiar with combat operations. After reading "100 Feet Over Hell", I was able to see the war from a much different perspective. All we knew about Bird Dogs was that they were a radio call sign for artillery. Jim Hooper gives vivid descriptions through the eyes of his brother and fellow Bird Dogs. The absolute hell that the Bird Dogs went through to provide artillery support for us grunts on the ground was something I didn't appreciate until reading this book. "100 Feet Over Hell" is very well written, well presented and well researched. Jim Hooper is a professional writer and his talent shows throughout this book.

If you were in the Viet War, this is a must read book. The boys flying these little, flmsey planes did not get enough credit for saving lives on the ground while risking theirs. A 21 gun salute to all you brave flyers.

On this Memorial Day, I am proud to be counted amoung the few that had the honor of serving our country. I read this book and found the writing to be both engaging and moving. In retrospect, of how these men were seen by "some" people in our nation, it a refreshing to see and "feel" the journey these boys to men accomplished. I believe this book is both moving and remarkable to see all that these men did for every single soldier they protected. I salute all those who served for honor, country and most importantly each other.

I was honestly sad that the book came to an end. This will forever be one of my favorites I've ever read.

Hooper's book is more about the men who fought a thankless war over one of the most hazardous areas in an unarmored, virtually unarmed, and slow airplane (the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog) than about flying the Bird Dog. Men who flew and fought right down in the weeds, typically well within the range of even small arms fire. The men were mostly young, newly minted Army pilots with an abundance of determination, intestinal fortitude, and camaraderie and a limited tolerance for bureaucracy and regulations.

Most of the book is told in their own words, with inputs from several participants alternated as a particular event or story unfolds, all blended with editorial commentary to set the scene and provide a "higher altitude" view of what was going on. This approach provides a thoroughly engaging means of understanding not only what was happening but what those combatants were thinking and how they were handling both the stresses and challenges of combat.

However, Hooper does not just tell one combat story after another. He wisely provides a lot of insights into what they did before and after missions, how they dealt with the constant threat of death, and how they partied to alleviate the tensions of war. Again, most of this is told in the first-person by the men who lived it.

If you're an experienced combat pilot, you'll feel a kinship with the young men in the book. If you're not, you'll come away with a renewed appreciation for their trials, successes, and even failures.

This is a book I highly recommend!

Very few books capture my rapt attention enough to read them through without stopping. A Hundred Feet Over Hell is one of those. Jim Hooper has skillfully crafted the 220th Catkiller story by seasoning first person accounts from those that served as Catkillers with his own third person narrative to add context only when necessary. It's a blend that works and does justice to their incredible story of skill, courage, sacrifice, humor and sadness set in the backdrop of the Vietnamese DMZ during the late sixties.

As a retired military professional and Army aviator of a more recent era, I am simply amazed and deeply impressed at the hair raising feats these Army FACs and their Marine observers accomplished over and across the DMZ on a daily basis with their small and frail O-1 Bird Dogs, a few marking rockets, M-16s, grenades, radios and a map. It's the stuff of legend and a proud legacy for all current and future warriors to be inspired by.

I highly recommend this book for your reading and library collection. You won't be disappointed.

Above the Best!

A Hundred Feet Over Hell, took me back to a time that was always in my mind, but very seldom spoke about. I knew all the great pilots who risked their lives every day they were in the air and at times on the ground during the 1968-1969 period. When you read this outstanding book, you realize these were men who were "just doing their job", but in reality, were hero's. They didn't look for praise, just wanted to do whatever it took to protect their brothers on the ground. If that ment putting their lives in harms way, so be it. I'm proud to have served with these men. Thanks to Jim Hooper for telling such a griping and true account.