Justin increased lift on the rear rotor to compensate.
Now the gamble was on the skill of the Humvee driver. He’d had to race at the vehicle’s top speed to pick it up, not a move that any of them had ever practiced before. And he had to stop before he drove over the two gunners, the two pilots, and, worse, totally overbalanced the nose of the Calamity Jane into the pavement.
Justin was never able to clearly recall the next two seconds of the rescue. When a helicopter took on a three-ton load, it was done carefully, patiently, with strict attention to center of gravity and load-point tie-downs, while sitting parked stably on a solid surface. All three of his crew chiefs were certified MH-47G loadmasters and darned good at what they did.
—and there wasn’t a moment for a single one of thos
