Air America pilot Neil Graham Hansen’s livelihood began in a manner that might portend what the rest of his career would be like. At age 23 he was the a private pilot for Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. When I became apparent that Hoffa would be taking a “Federal Vacation”, Neil began looking for a new job.
He responded to a newspaper ad seeking pilots to fly in Southeast Asia. He submitted an application but was told “we’re not hiring”. He was in a Chicago airport when he was paged to the manager’s office for a phone call. The man on the line asked Neil if he was a good pilot and whether he drank a lot. He was hired after that two question interview. His story is recounted in the book “Flight: An Air America Pilot’s Story of Adventure, Descent and Redemption.”
He was asked to report to his new job in two weeks. Neil suspected something might be up when he went to get a passport and was told it would take 30-45 days. When he informed them he was going to fly for Air America, his passport was ready in 4 days.
He would fly for Air America for more than a decade. Neil had his “golden bb” moment when his aircraft was hit and he and his crew had to bail out. The first rescue helicopter damaged their tail rotor and had to land & shut down. The second rescue helicopter landed several hundred meters away because Neil and his crew were standing in a mine field. They took the wounded told Neil he would have to wait for another bird. The third rescue helicopter ran out of fuel and had to crash land. Neil eventually got to safety.
After the fall of Vietnam, Neil was flying out of Cambodia and was sitting on the ramp when he got word that the Khmer Rouge was taking over the country. Neil decided to fly himself and his crew to Bangkok. He later learned he flew the last plane out of Cambodia. The emotion in his voice is apparent when he recalls those who didn’t get out.
TAKEAWAY: The Mel Gibson film “Air America” is based upon Neil’s story.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:52 — 9.1MB)