In almost any Vietnam style chopper rescue scene on TV or in the movies, there’s a soldier standing on a runner in front of a huge open doorway on the side of the chopper and leaning back against the sole (floor) of the cabin, blasting away with an M16 or equivalent, while the chopper hovers or cruises close to the ground.
Is this for real? Is the cabin interior as well as the soldier suppressing the ground fire, generally allowed to be so exposed ?