Guard pilots credited for good flying job in damaged copter

Two Iowans will be honored for bailing out a bad situation. Chief Warrant officers Christopher Doyle of Cedar Falls and Ronald Johnson of Cedar Rapids will be honored with the U.S. Army Aviation “Broken Wing Award” Saturday at the Army Aviation flight facility in Waterloo. The award’s for showing extraordinary skill, judgement and technique during an in-flight emergency. The 2 were piloting a Cobra helicopter on a routine training mission in August 2001 when it had an engine failure. They were able to land it in a cornfield near Vinton. Though the chopper was damaged and one pilot was hurt, he’s recovered. National Guard Spokesman Colonel Robert King says the skill of the pilots being honored probably can be credited with saving their lives and making the crash less devastating than it might have been.King says despite the failure of the chopper’s engine, the pilots managed to glide to a landing that was more controlled than a crash. The ceremony’s Saturday morning at nine at the Army Aviation Flight Facility in Waterloo, and military members, family and friends, and the general public’s invited.