TELL US WHAT “SLOW & LOW” MEANS TO YOU, IN THE WORLD OF FLYING...
In the military aviation community, fighters are called “Fast Movers”, Cargo aircraft and Bombers are called “Heavies” and helicopters are referred to as “Slow and Lows” or “Slow Movers”. It’s the perfect name for us.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE FUNCTIONS OF THE HELICOPTER COMMUNITY WITHIN THE MILITARY?
There are several functions depending on the service. In the US Navy, they use helicopters for Search and Rescue, Vertical Replenishment and Special Operations missions. In the Coast Guard, they use them for Search and Rescue primarily. In the USAF, they use them for Combat Search and Rescue, Missile Field support, VIP transport and Special Operations Missions. In the US Army, by far the largest user of helicopters, they are used for attack missions, scout and reconnaissance missions, cargo movement, and Special Operations missions. This list is not all inclusive, but covers the main uses.
SLOW & LOW HAS A FANBASE FOR ALL TYPES OF MOTO ENTHUSIASTS... FROM MOTOCROSS TO CHOPPERS TO LOW RIDERS... AND NOW... APACHE CHOPPERS!! TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR RIDE, THE BELL B206B3 AIRCRAFT...
Brunner Aerospace specifically uses the Bell B206B3 as a primary trainer for various Department of Defense customers. It is a great trainer, essentially a smaller version of the UH-1 Huey of Vietnam legend, which is why the US Army and US Navy used them for years. Helicopters, specifically military helicopters, are incredible machines, unique in their capabilities, as are the people that fly and crew them.
HOW DID YOU COME ACROSS SLOW & LOW ROCK AND RYE...
That’s an interesting story. Several years ago I was looking for something specific to use for the USAF helicopter community, like “Jeremiah Weed” was to the USAF fast mover community. Now Jeremiah Weed has a reputation for being, as the song says... ”a cross between Lysol, alcohol, and a touch of gasoline”. I was looking for something along that line, but better tasting. I was in Las Cruces, NM at a small grocery store near New Mexico State University looking for a specific bottle of spirits I couldn’t find in Texas, when I saw a bottle of Slow and Low on the bottom shelf. The name immediately caught my eye, so I picked it up to look it over. When I saw the label said “Served Straight Up in Pharmacies and Saloons since the late 1800’s”, I bought the three bottles they had. Once I sat down and tasted it, that was it. I had my helicopter whiskey and the rest is history! That was almost three years ago and it is firmly embedded in the USAF community now.
HOW DOES A BOTTLE OF SLOW & LOW HELP WITH THE MORALE OF YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM?
This has taken on a life of it’s own. Each class of students is introduced to it by word of mouth, primarily by me as the course director. I have made sure that the new students embrace the idea and why it is important to have something unique to build morale. The name “Slow and Low” has now worked it’s way onto patches, in pictures on the walls of squadron bars and ready rooms all over and I even receive pictures from overseas where former students are deployed with a bottle of “Slow and “Low” in the picture.
CAN YOU NAME THREE SONGS THAT CREATE A PLAYLIST FOR YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM?
That’s difficult, but here are my top three...
“It’s a long way to the top (If you wanna Rock and Roll!) by AC/DC
"Low Rider" by War
"Dangerous" by The Doobie Brothers
WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE WHISKEY DRINKING SONG?
“One bourbon, one scotch and one beer” – George Thorogood and the Destroyers
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO DRINK SLOW & LOW?
Slowly, over a giant ice cube in a crystal glass.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE SLOW & LOW AUDIENCE ABOUT YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM OR SUPPORTING OUR MILITARY GRADUATES?
Military Aviation is one of the most difficult professions there are. In the helicopter communities specifically, we fly incredibly complex combat aircraft such as the HH-60W and the AH-64E. Helicopters can do things in the air that no other aircraft can do, and that makes them very special. The wartime missions are very risky, as is the peace time training for that, but everyone involved is there by choice. Part of the combat helicopter ethos is a common love of the missions and the people involved, the helicopter as a machine and the fact that all of us regardless of service are brothers and sisters. It is a very special group of people and “Slow and Low” gives us the additional morale of having something else that is uniquely ours. When the hardest missions on earth are flown, helicopters are always involved and usually save the day.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW SKIP AND HIS ADVENTURES @BRUNNERAEROSPACE AND BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SPECIAL COLLAB BOTTLES OF SLOW & LOW ROCK AND RYE AT THE LOCAL STORES IN GEORGETOWN, TX.
