Whilst the Colonel is proceeding to the place where the body was peacefully fixed and waiting for the flight, the commander who was following him, makes all sorts of angry grimaces to his crew with the one massage — to save the situation. The crew have circled the body of the undisciplined pilot and pretended to be applying First Aid.
— Well, well, what do we have here? — the Colonel said, leaning towards the unfavourable pilot… and in this very moment the right pilot-navigator vomited all his consumed brew on the floor. The shocked Colonel tool a back step and was ready to release his anger, when the commander shouted:
— All of us immediately back! He contained krasnuha (see “Terminology and Glossary” — Editor).
The smell of alcohol was very distinctive, but the General, with no doubt, run towards the second helicopter and ordered:
— Start engines immediately! Your comrade needs help!
The pilot-navigator was delivered to Shindand without any troubles in his own machine. Close to the time of landing, the “leader” (see “Terminology and Glossary” — Editor) has heard that the Colonel ordered an ambulance to the airfield landing site.
— What a warm hearted Colonel we have! — the commander commented and edited the order — Listen guys, we will wait for the ambulance in the very end of the 3rd line.
All helicopters landed. The ambulance No.10 was waiting on the very end of line 3 as they were told. Waving to the second pilot to direct their machine with the Colonel on board to the parking lot, the commander approached the doctor from the ambulance. He explained the situation. The doctor smiled and said:
— I got it. We will drive him to the medical module and then kick him out.
The commander taxied his machine to the parking lot, and went to meet the Colonel who was waiting for him to ask about the poor guy’s health:
— Has he received instant help in the hospital?
— Yes, sir.
— Your service is very important for the country. Also it is very dangerous. I would say, it is the service of heroes.
Flights to Chaghcharan, for supporting MI-6, were a complete torture for “Eights”. We had to crawl at the highest altitude, just above rocky pinnacles that were covered with snow, on which we could see not only wild goats, but also groups of armed people. A little below, in the glens, our death — the anti-aircraft DShK’s large-calibre machine-guns — were sheltered. This is why our helicopters had to drag along at the very top.
The most offensive thing was that we had no chance to take any action, even if we do noticed that we have been a target of attention from some jihad’s (see “Terminology and Glossary” — Editor) enthusiasts. Every minute of delay consumed precious litres of fuel. The full refuelling including two additional fuel tanks allowed us to reach Chaghcharan (about 400 km) and return back without extra curriculum activity.
Now, the headwind and a non-stop fuel eating heater forced us to consider refuelling in Chaghcharan to avoid falling down into snowy mountains on the way back. The refuelling means milking the most fuel efficient helicopter. It is a manual procedure, when necessary (300–400 litres) barrels of kerosene will be carried together with pals from MI-6 by hand.
Our sufferings were compensated by pristine mountain snow. We staffed all army thermoses with this snow. So, when we return, making a Ceylon tea or “Bergamot Lipton” with this natural, non-chlorinated, water was a special treat for us.
And, of course, do not forget about huge bags of Yugoslav biscuits and sweets which were dragged into Chagcharan’ little shops and sold there at a high price as a result of peculiarities of the mountain’s market, mainly related to its inaccessibility. As a rule, these goods were not properties of pilots — all goods belong to landsmen (see “Terminology and Glossary” — Editor), who had more opportunity to extract some army supplies for private use. Usually before a trip, landsmen approached pilots and asked them to sell the extracted leftovers at the highest price. There was even a special term for this market activity — “shmekerit” meaning by flying slang “to trade” — a complicated process, which strategies have been understood by the flight engineer F.
After his first flight of two and a half hours of shaking above the frosty rocky peaks, a constant attention to spot DShS and avoid them (last time we spotted them, turned around, but could not find them. It turned out, as we established during the next flights, that DShS points had the rolling back roof ); running back and forward with kerosene buckets. And after all of this, when you got to Duckan, where was a little boy who cheated the flight engineer F. on converting five hundred packets of sweets into currencies. A final piece of strategy was a silence during a return flight when the deep-in — thought flight engineer F. calculated the profit from this trading, holding a piece of a paper with pencil in his hands.
The flight technician was trying to estimate a percent of his earning from that dangerous flight. If one packet of sweets sold for 26 afgashek (see “Terminology and Glossary” — Editor), there would be nothing shameful to say that he sold it for 25. But within half an hour of that flight it became obvious that 24 afgashek is a normal price too. In one hour, after they turned around from the place where they had been shot at — 20 afgashek seemed to be an acceptable price. After their landing with a residual fuel of only 50 litres left an owner of these goods came to collect his money, the flight technician F., stinking of snow and kerosene, gave him a roll, tied up with a pink elastic band, and said:
— Sold it for 17.
And, looking at the trader’s stretched face, added:
— What did you expect? You said to get a maximum, but Mi-6 had already overstocked the whole market and spoiled our market trade opportunity, you know. This is a maximum for today. I wanted to take one afoshka (see “Terminology and Glossary” — Editor)), for my job, but I will not, as I will be embarrassed to rob you.
1st of April, 1987. The MI-8 helicopter, accompanied by MI-24, is coming to the Iranian border, towards an area of salt lakes. Two of them, in the usual military tandem, are flying to a so-called “friendly gang” (see “Terminology and Glossary” — Editor), carrying on board one of them a peculiar evidence of the established “friendship” — a big “Sony” TV. The leader of this group via this “friendship” had already received a diesel generator, a videotape recorder, and a set of video cassettes with Indian movies. The TV set should crown this pyramid of his prosperity. In exchange, the leader obliged by informing us about other hostile gangs, their planning and movements.
The pair of helicopters have passed Herat and turned away from a mountain ridge to the west. “Twenty-fourths” (MI-24), with a lack of fuel, as usual, which did not allow them to fly for long distances, returned back to the Herat airport,wishing us to have a good trip, and promised to meet us on the way back. “Eighths” (MI-8) have lowered the altitude to their minimum — 3 metres--and amused themselves by frightening their land-walking “colleagues” by flying over the road, passing lonely tanks and APCs (see “Terminology and Glossary” — Editor). Those who were sticking out of the hatches or sitting on the APCs”, firstly were hearing only roaring, when suddenly over their heads, a heavy monster, for a moment, covered the sun with kerosene wind, and displaying its brown flashing bottom, and then suddenly disappeared, kindly shaking wings with missile blocks to say good-by.
The tandem of MI-6 and MI-24 turned off the road and was flying along a dusty steppe. Eventually they arrived. The pair of helicopters has been met by a black-bearded crowd of men with guns and rifles on their shoulders. Waiting for the flight engineer F. to go down from the blades, one pilot made a remark: