Jeepnik
Hawkeye
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2005
- Messages
- 5,229
Long ago and far away The crew of an HH43B Husky got drunk. Not unusual, but it had been a less than perfect day. While drinking we were lamenting the limitations of the Husky. That spread to the Huey and even the Super Jolly. Alcohol fuel lamentation led to the design of something better. After all the Osprey was another 16 years out.
Yesterday I got together with the Husky's crew chief. And while some alcohol was consumed neither of us reached the exalted state of our youth. That conversation about the improved air rescue helo came back up. And as we sat there, and with the knowledge of how aircraft design had progressed in 40 years we looked at what was available today. Pretty much the Blackhawk and the Osprey
The Blackhawk while light years ahead of the Husky still suffered from a typical helo configuration. The Osprey itself getting long in the tooth and really just too big and slow.
What we came up with was something about as long as a Blackhawk, but without a tail rotor so the entire length could be cabin. Instead of big ole rotors like the Osprey which makes it wide it would have jet engines. It would keep the pivoting engine nacelle but the wingtip would be able to fold inward once you transitioned to vertical flight narrowing the aircraft for use in smaller LZ's.
That wing, heck the entire aircraft would be composite the fuselage somewhat streamlined and heck since we were dreaming have the ability to fly supersonic.
Imagine flying at high speed to a downed aircrew. Transitioning and landing in a place just big enough to fit. Then once the crew was recovered take off in pure VTOL and once clear transition back to horizontal flight at that same high speed.
Older helos and even the Blackhawk aren't really true VTOL aircraft. Lift is limited. You may have seen footage of a Huey circling an LZ flying in ground effect as it gained enough speed to get the lift to clear the LZ. And doing this while folks were shooting at you.
But since we were updating our dream aircraft we gave it a three person flight crew (cabin crew would still be tailored to the mission) Why three? Well, pilot, co pilot, and weapon systems operator. That's right weapons. Real ones.
Things like effective air defense capability including countermeasures. And ground attack in the form of a chaingun and some good old 2.75 rockets (hey we're old remember and they work). Imagine coming into a hot LZ and being able to help soften it up before landing.
This led to the idea of two ship elements to soften the LZ and while one landed the second continue to provide cover.
Well like I said, the thoughts of a couple of old Airedales who remember the times something better would have been nice to have.
Yesterday I got together with the Husky's crew chief. And while some alcohol was consumed neither of us reached the exalted state of our youth. That conversation about the improved air rescue helo came back up. And as we sat there, and with the knowledge of how aircraft design had progressed in 40 years we looked at what was available today. Pretty much the Blackhawk and the Osprey
The Blackhawk while light years ahead of the Husky still suffered from a typical helo configuration. The Osprey itself getting long in the tooth and really just too big and slow.
What we came up with was something about as long as a Blackhawk, but without a tail rotor so the entire length could be cabin. Instead of big ole rotors like the Osprey which makes it wide it would have jet engines. It would keep the pivoting engine nacelle but the wingtip would be able to fold inward once you transitioned to vertical flight narrowing the aircraft for use in smaller LZ's.
That wing, heck the entire aircraft would be composite the fuselage somewhat streamlined and heck since we were dreaming have the ability to fly supersonic.
Imagine flying at high speed to a downed aircrew. Transitioning and landing in a place just big enough to fit. Then once the crew was recovered take off in pure VTOL and once clear transition back to horizontal flight at that same high speed.
Older helos and even the Blackhawk aren't really true VTOL aircraft. Lift is limited. You may have seen footage of a Huey circling an LZ flying in ground effect as it gained enough speed to get the lift to clear the LZ. And doing this while folks were shooting at you.
But since we were updating our dream aircraft we gave it a three person flight crew (cabin crew would still be tailored to the mission) Why three? Well, pilot, co pilot, and weapon systems operator. That's right weapons. Real ones.
Things like effective air defense capability including countermeasures. And ground attack in the form of a chaingun and some good old 2.75 rockets (hey we're old remember and they work). Imagine coming into a hot LZ and being able to help soften it up before landing.
This led to the idea of two ship elements to soften the LZ and while one landed the second continue to provide cover.
Well like I said, the thoughts of a couple of old Airedales who remember the times something better would have been nice to have.
