One Lucky Man

This is a true story. It has never been told. Set between Monday, May 10, 1965, and Wednesday, June 2, 1965, it chronicles the events leading up to what would have been the first field tests of a revolutionary new system for measuring the pull of gravity from a helicopter. The project was directed by the Chief of the Gravity Division of the then-Army Map Service (AMS) in Bethesda, Maryland. The events surrounding preparations for the tests, which were to take place in and around Lafayette, Louisiana, are as fresh in my mind today as if they occurred yesterday. Little did I know then what tragedies lay ahead.

Those who played a part in this story, in order of their appearance, are:

Robert “Ivy” Iverson, Chief, Gravity Division, AMS

Theodore “Ted” Cohen, Captain, Corps of Engineers, US Army, AMS

Major Jack A. Thomas, Flight Commander/Pilot, Iowa Army National Guard, Mason City, Iowa

Mary Cunningham, Travel Department, AMS

Elisa Silverman, Secretary to the Commanding Officer, AMS

Colonel Ward H. Van Atta, Commanding Officer, AMS

Date/time stamps are in the following format:

    100917Q MAY65=9:17 a.m. local time on May 10, 1965 (Q for UTC – 4 (EDST))

On phone calls, the distant party’s voice will be shown in italics.

100917Q MAY65; AMS

Ivy: “Ted, do you have a minute?”

Cohen: “Sure, what’s up?”

Ivy: “Could you bring me up to date on the plans for the first tests of the helicopter-borne data acquisition system?”

Cohen: “Not a problem. I spoke with Lucien [Lacoste, co-founder of LaCoste & Romberg] yesterday. He and his team have completed the setup of a gravimeter on a gimbal mount, so they’re ready to install it as soon as our helicopter gets to Lafayette.”

Ivy: “That’s terrific! Good work. And the laser altimeter?”

Cohen: Last I spoke with Paul Jobs at Spectra-Physics in Mountain View, he said they made a few tweaks to the system we tested in Arizonia with Aero Service Corporation earlier this year, and he’ll be sending two engineers to Lafayette with it on June 4th.”

Ivy: “Which only leaves the status of the helicopters in question.”

Cohen: “That I’m scheduled to finalized today. I think I can have two choppers down there—one for backup—by the 5th of June. I’m supposed to finalize that today.”

Ivy: “So, all in all, it looks like everything is falling into place. Good work!”

101458Q MAY65; AMS

Cohen: [places telephone call] “Good afternoon, Major.”

Thomas: “Afternoon, Captain. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Cohen: “Just checking in to see if we can confirm some details regarding the scheduling of the choppers for the tests in Louisiana early next month.”

Thomas: “Absolutely! We’re going to bring down two Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw choppers. We’re pulling full maintenance on mine now, but it should be ready by the time we take off. Regardless, with two, we can be sure the tests won’t be delayed if we have problems with one or the other. These old birds only cruise at 95 to 100 miles per hour and need to be refueled every 200 miles, so I figure we’ll need to stop three times for fuel between Mason City and Lafayette. Now, depending on when we depart on June 3rd, we may run into darkness, and believe me, I don’t like flying at night. If that happens, we’ll put down, perhaps in Oklahoma, and start back up at 0-dark-thirty the next morning. At the latest, we should be in Lafayette midday on the 5th, ready to take the equipment aboard one of the choppers.”

Cohen: “Wow! Sounds like you have everything under control. Ivy will be thrilled! I’m ecstatic!”

Thomas: [laughs] “Anything to keep the Army Map Service happy. We have a great bunch of guys out here, and we’re really looking forward to working with you on this project. Cutting-edge stuff, for sure. By the way, would you like to fly down to Lafayette with us on the 3rd? All you’d have to do is get to Mason City by the 1st. There’s plenty of room aboard.”

Cohen: “You bet. It would be great to fly with you again. Remember that day last March when we were flitting around Iowa, stopping for lunch at that small airport in Newton. Geez, I never tasted such a bad hamburger in all my life!”

Thomas: “Hey, what can I say? But I’ll make it up to you with a good steak dinner, on me, at the best restaurant in Lafayette.”

Cohen: “You’re on! I’ll call Travel and have them book me into Mason City in time to join you for the flight down.”

Thomas: “Terrific. Talk to you latter.”

Cohen: “Bye, Major.”

101515Q MAY65; AMS

Cohen: “Ivy?”

Ivy: “Yes?”

Cohen: “We’re all set with the choppers. We’ll have two Sikorsky H-34 Choctaws arriving no later than June 5th. They’ve invited me to fly down with them, so I’m going to call Travel now and make the arrangements. Will you request the orders I need for the tests?”

Ivy: “Consider it done.”

101537Q MAY65; AMS

Cohen: [places call to Travel] “Mary, could you get me to Mason City, Iowa, on June 1st. I’d like to fly out of National Airport, if possible. If all goes well, I’ll be returning from Layfette, Louisiana, in the middle of the month, but let’s leave that open for now.”

Cunningham: “Sure thing, Captain. I’ll take care of it.”

Cohen: “Oh, and would you get me a rental car in Lafayette starting on June 5th? Anything will do. I’ll have someone take me to pick it up. Make it for two weeks, if you would. Thanks.”

111107Q May65; AMS

Cohen: [picks up telephone handset] “Captain Cohen, Gravity Division.”

Cunningham: “Captain, this is Mary in Travel. I have you itinerary for next month.”

Cohen: “Oh, that’s great!”

Cunningham: “You’ll be flying American from National to O’Hare on the morning of the 1st. Once there, you’ll take an Ozark-operated Douglas DC-3 to Mason City with intermediate stops in Clinton and Cedar Rapids.”

Cohen: [laughs] “Are we also going to dust crops on the way to Mason City?”

Cunningham: [laughs] “Sorry, Captain, it’s the best I could do.”

Cohen: “Ya know, I spent six years in Madison at the University of Wisconsin. I was frequently at Door County airport. In all that time, I saw only ONE Ozark airplane. I think it was their ONLY plane!”

Cunningham: “Well, aren’t you the lucky one. Now you’ll have a chance to fly on it.”

Cohen: [laughs] “You are so good to me. Thanks.”

Cunningham: [laughs] “You’re welcome.”

261558Q MAY65; AMS

Cohen: [picks up telephone handset] “Captain Cohen, Gravity Division.”

Silverman: Captain Cohen, this is Elisa.”

Cohen: “Hi, Elisa. How’s the colonel?”

Silverman: “He’s fine, sir. He asked me to call on a matter of some urgency. He has a presentation to make at the Pentagon on June 3rd, and he’s requested you not only help him prepare, but also, accompany him on that day. And yes, he’s aware you’re supposed to be flying to Iowa on June 1st but believes you still can meet your commitment to the tests in Louisiana by flying there directly after helping him.”

Cohen: “I understand. Please tell the colonel I look forward to working with him and will make the necessary changes to keep the tests on schedule.”

Silverman: “He knew you’d say that.”

Cohen: Thanks, Elisa. Bye.”

Silverman: “Goodbye, Captain.”

270944Q MAY65; AMS

Cohen: [places call to Travel] “Mary, I’m going to have to cancel my travel to Mason City. The colonel needs me to help him on June 3rd. Can you book me into Lafayette from National Airport on the 4th. Might as well let me pick up the car when I land there, as well.

Cunningham: “Sure, Captain. Hold on, let me look at how this might work. . . . Okay, looks like your best bet is to take Eastern Air lines into Atlanta,  then grab another Eastern flight that stops first at Moisant Field in New Orleans before going on to Lafayette.”

Cohen: “Okay, get me out as early as possible. And please don’t forget the rental car.”

Cunningham: “Gotcha covered, Captain. Bye.”

Cohen: “Bye.”

271001Q MAY65; AMS

Cohen: [places telephone call to Major Thomas] “Good morning, Major.”

Thomas: “Top o’ the mornin’ to you, Captain! What’s cookin’?”

Cohen: “I’m afraid I have some bad news, sir. Colonel Van Atta needs help preparing for a presentation he’s giving at the Pentagon on June 3rd, and he’s asked me to assist him. Of course, I can’t say ‘no.’ So, I’ve had to change my plans. As things now stand, I’m going to fly in on the 4th, rent a car, and meet you at the airport in Lafayette when you arrive, whether on the 4th or the 5th.”

Thomas: “I’m sorry to hear that, Captain. I was looking forward to spending some time with you. But I understand. We’re still on track to leave early on the 3rd, so we’ll see you when we get down there.”

Cohen: “You bet. Fly safe!”

Thomas: “Have a safe flight as well.”

21707Q JUNE65; AMS

Cohen: [picks up telephone handset] “Captain Cohen, Gravity Division.”

Silverman: Captain Cohen, this is Elisa. Hold the line for Colonel Van Atta.”

Van Atta: “Captain, are you sitting down?”

Cohen: ‘Yes, sir.”

Van Atta: “I have terrible news. I just received word Major Thomas’s chopper crashed and burned roughly 30 minutes ago in a rural, wooded area near Inola, Oklahoma, somewhere east of Tulsa.”

Cohen: “Oh my God! Did anyone survive?”

Van Atta: “No. The pilot of the second chopper made an emergency landing as close to the crash as possible, but he said the heat was so intense because of the chopper’s magnesium allow skin that it was impossible to get anywhere near the site. According to one report, Thomas’s helicopter suffered structural failure or a catastrophic loss of control due to severe weather conditions. I was told the flight encountered a line rapidly building thunderstorms, which would have been accompanied by high winds, heavy rain, and extreme turbulence.”

Cohen: [Shakes head] “It doesn’t seem possible, sir. I just spoke with him a few days ago. Everything was ready to go. We were on track to get the tests underway with a great team of aviators. And now, we’ll be attending their funerals instead.”

Van Atta: “True that, Captain.

Cohen: Yes, sir.

Van Atta: You’re one lucky man, Ted . . . one lucky man indeed.”