Dave,
I recruited my doorgunner from the mail room of the 119th, he wanted out of there and he asked if he could gun for me. OJT all the way, but an excellent gunner / flight crew member he learned how to shoot through discussions other gunners and through Combat OJT. He was part of the flight crew, had courage, strength, and a big desire to get the job done. We learned from each other, we discussed flight requirements and activities and situations encountered to improve our performance in subsequent activities. We learned each others capabilities and at times we pushed our capabilities to the limits in order to get a job done. TEAMWORK AND CREW SUPPORT within the aircraft was extremely important whether flying or sitting on the ground. Friendship among the crewmembers was most important. Approaching a friend about a problem is easier than approaching an unknown.

In the 119th, the Slick A/C flew in the left seat, but there were no written rules as far as who was assigned to fly where as a general rule. The new pilots were trained to fly in the right seat at Fort Rucker. Like Tom said, the crewchief liked to sit behind the A/C so that they could get a good swing at the A/C's head if he needed to. But to my knowledge there was no rule that specified seating requirements. Tradition and experience generally ruled.

Baby Huey