How helicopters fly

[Fox Mike]

"HOW TO OPERATE A HELICOPTER MECHANIC'
."When I was a CE (crew chief) the aircraft was MINE; I just loaned it out to various pilots to abuse."

Quoted for truth!!!!!!!!

I named my bird,, and still remember her tail number; 66-16054

My last two Cobras were "Teacher Pet" and "No Regrets" painted under the Gunners windows

 

[RC44Mag]

Been in a copter three times. The last time was about 7 years ago when we did a ride in Kauai mountains. Where the shot Jurassic Park. Absolutely stunning up there. Anyway a couple years ago there was a helo crash on the island.
Sure enough it was the company who took us up and not 100% sure but I think the pilot of the bird was the guy who took us up. No souls onboard survived. Makes ya think.

 

[dannyd]

My last helicopter flight was from the boat 250 miles off the New Jersey coast in the Atlantic to Norfolk, Va., Beaufort, S. C. and finally Jacksonville, Florida.

Fun times.

 

[Jeepnik]

My first helo flight was from George AFB to Cuddeback Gunnery Range. Why, because it was too darned far to drive for a couple of days work.
My last flight was from Hurlburt Field back to Eglin AFB. Why, because we wanted to.
In between their were two types of flights. Fun ones and business ones. Of course there were business ones that were fun. Others got down right interesting.

 

[caryc]

A buddy of mine is a former Alaskan bush pilot a nd acrobatic flyer in his little hot rod plane. He said he would never fly in a chopper because they are 10,000 bolts and nuts trying to all come loose at once. That said my daughter in law flies Hueys and Ospreys for the A/F and the son in law flies Pavehawks for the Pararescue jumpers and they love flying rotor wing ships.

Yeah, and when the big spinny thing on top comes off, you're going down fast and hard.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Been in a copter three times. The last time was about 7 years ago when we did a ride in Kauai mountains. Where the shot Jurassic Park. Absolutely stunning up there. Anyway a couple years ago there was a helo crash on the island.
Sure enough it was the company who took us up and not 100% sure but I think the pilot of the bird was the guy who took us up. No souls onboard survived. Makes ya think.

I also took the same ride. My Buddy, who is from Kauai, and I were returning from 2 months working in Russia in 1994. The owner Pilot was a friend of his and gave us a free ride in a Hughes 500 that the paying customers do not get. It was great.

I have flown in Helos going to offshore platforms in the Gulf Of Mexico, US West Coast, Russia, and Egypt. Some of the most interesting rides were while in Mobil Oil's base in Nigeria. I rode to the platforms every day in old Hueys flown by Brit pilots and Nigerian Co-pilots. Nothing was ever weighed as in the states. Load up the bird on the platform with Big workers then throw in the tool boxes, sacks of frozen fish and whatever. Now fire that baby up in the 95F heat and dive off the platform to gain altitude for airspeed. Flights back to shore were at max of 500' and a lot of fun. Well landing on a Jack-Up rig with the legs close by not so much.

 

[RC44Mag]

I also took the same ride. My Buddy, who is from Kauai, and I were returning from 2 months working in Russia in 1994. The owner Pilot was a friend of his and gave us a free ride in a Hughes 500 that the paying customers do not get. It was great.

I have flown in Helos going to offshore platforms in the Gulf Of Mexico, US West Coast, Russia, and Egypt. Some of the most interesting rides were while in Mobil Oil's base in Nigeria. I rode to the platforms every day in old Hueys flown by Brit pilots and Nigerian Co-pilots. Nothing was ever weighed as in the states. Load up the bird on the platform with Big workers then throw in the tool boxes, sacks of frozen fish and whatever. Now fire that baby up in the 95F heat and dive off the platform to gain altitude for airspeed. Flights back to shore were at max of 500' and a lot of fun. Well landing on a Jack-Up rig with the legs close by not so much.

Very cool on the rigs. Didn't think about the extra weight of gear, chow and other stuff. Seems like a hairy liftoff or dive off in this case.

 

[Johnny-Baseball]

My first ride was in 1972: in an unmarked Huey [edited - I originally, erroneously said "Blackhawk" because that's what my son flies. Sorry.] piloted by no-insignia Thai military. My friend (the local CIA operative who used our crypto comms) invited me to go with him. "Where?" I asked. "Can't say." he answered.

So we piled into that Blackhawk with two Thai Army generals (with no-insignia uniforms) and flew about 45 minutes due north. We flew over a very thick, 200-foot-canapy jungle highland. We landed at a small village (maybe 50 people). My friend introduced me to a local woman and told me she'd sell me jade or jade jewelry if I could negotiate with her. So I did - out of a plastic bag full of plastic jade chips, I selected one piece of beautiful, no-cracks-in-it polished jade the size of my thumbnail for $20 (US currency). And a gold bracelet with football-shaped jade pieces in it - also for $20. The lady later complained that I took her best piece of jade, and offered to sell me the whole bag of chips for $200. Clueless about what I'd just purchased, I passed.

We got back into the helicopter and flew back to Chiang Mai.

When we landed, my friend told me:
1. Congratulations. You just went to Communist China.
2. My friend and the Thai generals were responsible for coordinating shipments of opium from China to Burma (where it was processed into heroin and shipped to Bangkok, for ultimate shipment to the middle east and, occasionally, the US west coast).
3. The "locals" were KMT (Kuo Min Tang - remnants of Chiang Kai Shek's Nationalist Chinese Army who were pushed out of China after they lost to Mao S'Tung's communists for control of the government.
4. The CIA allowed the KMT to market the opium since the sales proceeds financed the KMT's continuing border wars with China. The CIA believed (this was their thesis) that KMT border wars with the Chinese would distract the Chinese so they wouldn't participate in the Viet Nam war. [The CIA's beliefs were wrong. Turns out the Viet Nam peoples viewed all Chinese as enemies - a cultural warfare that had gone on for millennia.]
5. Our 45-minute one-way flight would have taken two full days on foot. And the path hacked through the jungle during that trip would have been completely overgrown before the return trip.

After I was discharged, I attended college in Austin, TX (UT). I went to a jeweler on the Drag (main street west of campus) owned by Charlie Leutweiler, and asked him to check out my jade pieces. WELL...turns out Charlie served with Merrill's Marauders during WW II and spent well over a year in Burma/Thailand. So he REALLY KNEW JADE.

Charlie told me, "I don't know how much you paid for the jade chip, but I'll give you $800 for it right now. And the gold bracelet I'll buy for $400. Turns out the bracelet was 220 carat gold, and the jade chips were all "Imperial Grade" Jadite.

I've often wondered how much I could have made by buying, then selling that plastic bag full of jade chips.

And that was my first helo ride.

Coda: My CIA friend became one of the very first DEA agents in that newly formed organization and was responsible for detection of all SEA drug trafficking. About 7 years later, he was found shot to death in Bangkok. The DEA's official obituary reports that Bob died of an accidental gunshot would while cleaning his pistol. But I knew better - Robert (Bob) Lightfoot was a former Ranger and expert marksman. I suspect he either "went to the dark side and was eliminated by the DEA" or was killed by someone because Bob was doing his job too well. [Last comment: Bob graduated from Tulane University. He was a blond-headed, Adonis-built All-American tennis player and competed against Arthur Ash. He also chased (and caught) more skirt than one could imagine - both local and also American ex-pat.]

 

[Jeepnik]

We had Blackhawks in 1972. They were still testing airframes in Eglin AFB's hanger in 1977.

 

[Johnny-Baseball]

We had Blackhawks in 1972. They were still testing airframes in Eglin AFB's hanger in 1977.

I corrected my post. I flew in a Huey. I didn't fly in a Blackhawk until 30 years later.

Thanks for "politely" bringing that to my attention.

 

[dannyd]

This is the Greatest Helicopter Pilot I ever saw fly, rode in the back with or worked for. He was truly a great man and ever though I worked Thousands of hours to get him in the air, it was well worth it.

https://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/capt-larrie-gene-cable-usn-ret-biography/

 

[dannyd]

To be far Best Commanding Office I ever had and he was also a very good pilot too.

https://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/indexphp/capt-michael-b-oconnor-jr-usn-ret-biography/

 

[turd]

Well, I don't know much about helicopters. I've only been up in one once, while I was a rookie LA at a nationally known engineering firm in Minneapolis. Management wanted some aerial pictures of freeway interchanges the firm had designed to use in a presentation for a big project opportunity, and I was the best photographer in the office, so I got selected. Awesome experience. We flew from a small airport in the metro, and through the headphones I got to listen to the pilot speaking with main airport flight controllers so everyone would know where we were, where we were going, etc. Was up for a couple of hours is a small 2 person unit. Towards the end of the flight, we were back within 10 miles of Flying Cloud Airport taking some pictures of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for future use when a dense fog started moving in fast. The pilot didn't think we had time to make it back to the airport, so we landed at the Arboretum. I had done some work there and knew the administrator who was quite surprised when I entered his office and told him there was a helicopter on the grounds and it would likely be there overnight. Quite an experience.

The flight was smooth and a lot of fun, always wanted to go up again, but wifey won't go so that is it for me.

 

[Fox Mike]

We had Blackhawks in 1972. They were still testing airframes in Eglin AFB's hanger in 1977.

They didn't enter active service til 1978. I was at Aviation Safety School, across the street, at Ft Rucker whey they were 'presented' to the Army. The 'presentation' aircraft was parts from three different air-frames to have a 'flyable bird'. At that time they were still called "Lawn darts"

 

[caryc]

My first ride was in 1972: in an unmarked Huey [edited - I originally, erroneously said "Blackhawk" because that's what my son flies. Sorry.] piloted by no-insignia Thai military. My friend (the local CIA operative who used our crypto comms) invited me to go with him. "Where?" I asked. "Can't say." he answered.

So we piled into that Blackhawk with two Thai Army generals (with no-insignia uniforms) and flew about 45 minutes due north. We flew over a very thick, 200-foot-canapy jungle highland. We landed at a small village (maybe 50 people). My friend introduced me to a local woman and told me she'd sell me jade or jade jewelry if I could negotiate with her. So I did - out of a plastic bag full of plastic jade chips, I selected one piece of beautiful, no-cracks-in-it polished jade the size of my thumbnail for $20 (US currency). And a gold bracelet with football-shaped jade pieces in it - also for $20. The lady later complained that I took her best piece of jade, and offered to sell me the whole bag of chips for $200. Clueless about what I'd just purchased, I passed.

We got back into the helicopter and flew back to Chiang Mai.

When we landed, my friend told me:
1. Congratulations. You just went to Communist China.
2. My friend and the Thai generals were responsible for coordinating shipments of opium from China to Burma (where it was processed into heroin and shipped to Bangkok, for ultimate shipment to the middle east and, occasionally, the US west coast).
3. The "locals" were KMT (Kuo Min Tang - remnants of Chiang Kai Shek's Nationalist Chinese Army who were pushed out of China after they lost to Mao S'Tung's communists for control of the government.
4. The CIA allowed the KMT to market the opium since the sales proceeds financed the KMT's continuing border wars with China. The CIA believed (this was their thesis) that KMT border wars with the Chinese would distract the Chinese so they wouldn't participate in the Viet Nam war. [The CIA's beliefs were wrong. Turns out the Viet Nam peoples viewed all Chinese as enemies - a cultural warfare that had gone on for millennia.]
5. Our 45-minute one-way flight would have taken two full days on foot. And the path hacked through the jungle during that trip would have been completely overgrown before the return trip.

After I was discharged, I attended college in Austin, TX (UT). I went to a jeweler on the Drag (main street west of campus) owned by Charlie Leutweiler, and asked him to check out my jade pieces. WELL...turns out Charlie served with Merrill's Marauders during WW II and spent well over a year in Burma/Thailand. So he REALLY KNEW JADE.

Charlie told me, "I don't know how much you paid for the jade chip, but I'll give you $800 for it right now. And the gold bracelet I'll buy for $400. Turns out the bracelet was 220 carat gold, and the jade chips were all "Imperial Grade" Jadite.

I've often wondered how much I could have made by buying, then selling that plastic bag full of jade chips.

And that was my first helo ride.

Coda: My CIA friend became one of the very first DEA agents in that newly formed organization and was responsible for detection of all SEA drug trafficking. About 7 years later, he was found shot to death in Bangkok. The DEA's official obituary reports that Bob died of an accidental gunshot would while cleaning his pistol. But I knew better - Robert (Bob) Lightfoot was a former Ranger and expert marksman. I suspect he either "went to the dark side and was eliminated by the DEA" or was killed by someone because Bob was doing his job too well. [Last comment: Bob graduated from Tulane University. He was a blond-headed, Adonis-built All-American tennis player and competed against Arthur Ash. He also chased (and caught) more skirt than one could imagine - both local and also American ex-pat.]

Sounds like quite an adventure. But, I do have to point out one thing. There is no such thing as 220 carat gold.
The way gold is measured for jewelry, 24 carat indicates the purest form of gold. Most sought after jewelry is 18 carat gold. 24 carat gold would be too soft for jewelry.

 

[Johnny-Baseball]

22 carat. Better?

 

[caryc]

22 carat. Better?

Yes, that would be the best form of gold jewelry. You did great. When I was in Thailand in about 1967 I purchased a beautiful gold ring with a black star sapphire in it for about $20.

 

[dannyd]

The SH-60B entered service in January 1983, NAS North Island, San Diego, California.

 

[dannyd]

But, Sikorsky gave the Navy the Bird on August 27, 1980. The only difference between that helicopter and a 1970's American made car was it was bigger, something was always broke everyday.

 

[Jeepnik]

They didn't enter active service til 1978. I was at Aviation Safety School, across the street, at Ft Rucker whey they were 'presented' to the Army. The 'presentation' aircraft was parts from three different air-frames to have a 'flyable bird'. At that time they were still called "Lawn darts"

I could be wrong, but I think they were also testing Apache airframes in Eglin's climatic hanger around the same time. Having watched Cobras it seemed sort of clunky looking. As it turns out looks are sometimes very deceiving.