I survived a hijacking in 1972. The Flydubai crisis proves one brutal truth

The frightening events aboard a recent Flydubai flight in the Middle East brought back memories of an experience I had more than half a century ago — one that began as an ordinary airline flight and ended with a hijacker dead on the tarmac in Saigon.

I survived a hijacking in 1972. The Flydubai crisis proves one brutal truth

TL;DR

  • The author experienced a hijacking more than fifty years ago.
  • The event began as an ordinary airline flight and concluded with a hijacker dead in Saigon.
  • This memory was triggered by a recent frightening event on a Flydubai flight.
  • The author was en route to Vietnam for his second combat tour.
  • He flew 190 combat missions in 184 days, supporting ground forces during the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive.