The U.S. Army taught Joe "Helicopter Joe" Sulak how to fly choppers, and he ended up serving in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division.

Sulak fought in the battle for "Hamburger Hill" and was later turned into a character in a book about Vietnam helicopter pilots titled "Dear Mom, I'm Alive (letters home from Black Widow 25)," according to Sulak's Web site.

The name "Helicopter Joe" also can be found on Web sites devoted to Vietnam-era helicopter pilots.

Nigel Turner, CEO of Las Vegas-based company Heli USA, would not identify the pilot yesterday but told The Associated Press that he was "very experienced."

The pilot, in fact, had more than 10,000 hours flying the A-Star, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor, which is "an awful lot of experience."

Sulak later settled into life on Kaua'i's North Shore and once listed his phone number as the one used by the Landing Pad, a bar by the Princeville Airport.

"I am a helicopter pilot who flies tours on the beautiful Garden Island of Kauai, Hawaii," Sulak proclaims on his Web site, where he is pictured next to a helicopter.

Two years ago, Sulak developed a line of "Helicopter Joe" T-shirts and camisoles featuring a brightly colored, thickly drawn logo of a helicopter, which he sold at the Heli USA gift shop in the Princeville Airport.

"I wanted a product that was fun, colorful and not too serious," Sulak wrote on his Web site. "I contracted with a professional graphic artist who came up with the beautiful artwork I use on all my products. ... Share the spirit of Kauai with our Hawaiian shirts!!"

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.