André in a Hiller 360 at Helicop-Air, August 1950.
Helicop-Air was the distributor at that time for Hiller
helicopters in France. (Photos: Valérie
André. Used with permission.)
First Air Ambulances Arrive in Vietnam In 1950, English pilot Alan Bristow, who later founded the global helicopter operation that still bears his name, came to Saigon believing that the French government wanted to buy a Hiller as a gift for Vietnam’s on-again, off-again emperor Bao Dai. When that proved not to be the case, Bristow asked the company’s French distributor to ship him one of the innovative Hiller UH-12/360s so he could demonstrate its utility to the French Air Force. Te demon- stration convinced the air force to try the helicopter as an air ambulance because of its ability to land at even the remotest outpost, hours from the nearest airfield or days from the nearest hospital. Te air force initially bought two Hiller 360s, ushering
in the first use of helicopters in Vietnam for medical rescue. André, who was among those who witnessed the demon- stration of the Hiller in Saigon in 1950, immediately lobbied her superiors for a chance to become a rescue pilot. “I had medical training to stabilize the wounded,” she says. “And I weighed less than 45 kilograms [99 lb.], which
meant we could even carry an extra wounded man if necessary.” It wasn’t easy to convince her superiors. André had
already experienced significant prejudice as a woman in the French medical corps: some labeled her a threat to the “prestige of men.” Yet, André persevered, earning respect as a surgeon, and she would do the same as a rescue pilot. Te commanding officer of the nascent helicopter squadron, Alexis Santini, was tough but fair-minded. He told André if she could hold her own with the men, he would put her into service.
Flying into Danger Following helicopter flight training in France and several months of practice, back in Vietnam André flew her first rescue mission on Jan. 22, 1951. Danger stalked her on each of her 129 missions. Flying to reach a far-off French outpost often took more than an hour, and once there, André fre- quently had to be escorted by fighter aircraft strafing surrounding areas with machine-gun fire and dropping
42 ROTOR JUNE 2024
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