Air America: A CIA Super Pilot Spills the Beans

by Bill Collier

In this second edition of his memoir, previously titled "CIA Super Pilot Spills the Beans," former H-34 and Bell Huey pilot Capt. Bill Collier tells of his experiences flying helicopters in Laos for Air America, during the CIA's secret war waged into the 1970s. It was the war correspondent Anne Darling who described the pilots of Air America as "CIA Super Pilots," and as Collier tells of flying in challenging weather and combat conditions with his best Vietnam helicopter pilot buddy, Gary, the pair shared enough adventure to make any novel seem lame. Making fabulous money and having airline benefits allowed them to live an exotic lifestyle, to travel the world on their monthly R&Rs, and to chase and catch more than a few stewardesses from several different airlines.Air America operated an entire fleet of aircraft out of the "secret CIA air base" at Long Tieng. For years it ranked as one of the busiest airports in the world as the CIA supported the Laotian Army in its efforts to repel the army of North Vietnam intent on conquering all of Laos.

336 pages, Paperback

Published September 4, 2019

Reviews

[p roper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The events depicted in this book took place, other than Chapter 70, when I was between the ages of 4 and 7 and it isn't one I would have picked up and chosen to read for fun. However, it is an easy read that feels like you are sitting down with the author and he's telling stories of his various experiences. Definitely worth the read, even if not a subject matter you think you aren't interested in.

[Donald N Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, but somewhat wandering collection of stories. Somehow, the "translation" from paper to e book failed miserably. Pagination sucked, the title kept popping up in the middle of sentences, which made it not only annoying, but a little difficult to read.

Despite this, it is an interesting saga. I was a passenger on two Air America jaunts, and respected the courage of the pilots, although the last one was a near crash takeoff.