craino21

Safe & Clear- I'm guessing that you misunderstood the axis I was saying the wing moved in... this picture show's what I'm talking about, the wing does in fact swivel 90 degrees.

The big LIMFAC with pressurization is the wing swiveling mechanism. All the gizmos to get the wing to swivel 90 degrees for ship board ops create a big air leak that was a PITA to pressurize... that was the part that would have been too heavy if it was air tight. And squatch, nobody expects it to carry a dozen abrams tanks, but it would be nice if it could carry ANY SOF vehicles bigger than a quad. I've heard they're looking into buying new vehicles based on the WWII Jeeps (at an asinine cost) because they're narrow enough to fit. That's ridiculous.

I was in Huey's performing a com check with the other A/C in the formation prior to starting engines, while my stick buddy was doing the preflight. I go to transmit on FM and hear the engines start spinning up...??? My stick buddy, on top of the helicopter starts shouting at me as the rotor starts turning. Apparently instead of pulling the radio transmitter (the trigger on the cyclic) I had pulled the engine starter (the trigger on the collective). Fortunately the fuel pumps weren't on and the motor didn't start, it was just spinning thanks to the starter. Needless to say I felt like a jackass and my stickbuddy was not happy. I didn't hook though, my IP thought it was hilarious.

The new office... or at least the MH-47G

Almost 170 since the beginning of August... we've been pretty busy

I'm not too particularly bent out of shape about this... is this the perfect airframe, no, but neither were either of the others. I don't think anyone would argue that the -60 is either, so we'll take the -47 and do a damn good job with it just like we did/do with the -60. I also agree that we'll pick up more spec ops missions with the -47 and like Skids down said sometimes alert needs a little spicing up, I know some of our missions we're flying in afghanistan right now aren't traditional CSAR but it's been nice.

It's official, press release confirms, HH-47...

There has also been talk of replacing the N models w/ a decontented version of CSAR-X, which would streamline training and give CSAR guys a break from deployments w/ a stateside tour... but good luck getting the money for that, and in a lot of cases, particularly the -47 it's probably too much, and too big an aircraft for the job.

Our SQ/CC told us that the CSAR-X will be announced tomorrow, and since there are a number of fellow -60 guys on here figured I'd start a thread about it. General feeling around our squadron is that it will be the -47, which has met with pretty general disapproval.

[ 25. July 2006, 10:13: Message edited by: craino21 ]

I'm trying to think of a Capt that has gotten a Huey and can't... but they definitely don't tell us that they can't get a Huey. I'd say it's still possible, the last few classes have just had Capts that have done well, or were in the Guard and going to -60s anyways.

UH-1H 600 lb/hr, 1400# total

There's also Yokota for Hueys, also flying DV support like Andrews. -60s have Moody, Davis Monthan, Nellis, Kadena, and Keflavik. There are also Guard -60s at Patrick, Moffet, Kulis (moving to Elmendorf per BRAC), and somewhere I don't remember in New York. May have missed a Guard assignment in there.

I'm still at Rucker, and have never flown on a -60 so take this at face value... On our cross country to Moody last week the -60 pilot who gave us a quick walk around said that they could fix their guns forward and fire them from the cockpit with their new mounts. Again, I know I'm telling 60 pilots about their aircraft, just what I was told by another -60 pilot, and maybe it differs from base to base.

Beyond Glory by Larry Smith... basically a collection of interviews with surviving medal of honor winners from WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Damn, those guys are awesome... makes you feel like a peice of crap, no matter what you've done with your life. (of course I'm a peice of crap anyways)