A crazy helicopter crash, Lands on water then attemps to take off!

I have no idea what you are supposed to do in this situation other than cut the engine and swim.

Super Cool Helicopter Video

Watch these guys flying along the road only a couple of feet off the ground. Music is pretty cool too so turn your speakers up.

This Chinook Pilot Has Some Skills

This Chinook pilot really does have some skills. Pulling wheelies on a motorbike yeah…. but with a Chinook ?

Vietnam – The Helicopter War

In January 1962, US helicopters flew their first combat mission over Saigon. By 1975, some 12,000 others had followed. Vietnam had become the first real helicopter war.

The use of ‘rotor wing’ aircraft in warfare had its origins during the Korean War. However, these were only restricted to search and rescue missions. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that General Hamilton Howze, the Chairman of the Tactical Mobility Requirements Board, recognized ‘air mobility’ and particularly the use of the helicopter in the US Army, as a vital tool for future conflicts. As a result of his recommendations, the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) was formed to examine this revolutionary concept.

The new division was equipped with a larger number of aircraft but reduced in its amount of ground-based vehicles. Its artillery was also lessened in weight so that individual pieces could be carried by helicopter. It was then augmented by 60 armed, fixed-wing reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters. The division subsequently spent the next two years testing before being bestowed full combat status by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

By this time, the US had become heavily engaged in Vietnam and the newly-activated division (re-named 1st Cavalry Division [Airmobile]) was deployed in August 1965. On its arrival in-country, the 1st Cav (as it later became known) was the first division-sized unit to go into combat. On its departure from Vietnam some 2,000 days later, it had become the longest-serving army unit of the entire war.

The mainstay of the 1st Cav’s fleet of helicopters was the Bell UH-1 Iroquois. Primarily designed as a medical evacuation and utility helicopter (hence the designator, ‘UH’), it afforded the division enough firepower thanks to a number of 2.75″ rockets. It also provided tactical mobility and logistical support. Nicknamed ‘Huey’ because of its previous HU-1 designator, around 7,000 would fly almost ten million hours to become an icon of the Vietnam War. But not before it had replaced another utility helicopter.

The H-21 Shawnee was the first US helicopter to undertake a combat role in Vietnam. Nicknamed the ‘Flying Banana’, this odd-looking helicopter was responsible for dropping 1,000 South Vietnamese paratroopers inside a Viet Cong complex on the outskirts of Saigon on January 12th 1962. At the time, members of the Viet Cong would flee at the sight of helicopters. But they soon realized that lightly-armored, cumbersome machines like the Shawnee could be fought against. They changed their tactics and devised specific training methods to countenance the new threat. Nevertheless, the US Army began making massive troop movements, sometimes using up to 100 helicopters at a time.

Vietnam’s mountainous terrain and broad canopy of jungle had made the use of helicopters a necessity. Gone were the days of fighting on vast fronts. In Vietnam, troops would have to be rapidly moved into small pockets of hostile territory, fight and be extracted within hours. But while the Huey was valiantly undertaking these arduous missions, another type of helicopter was needed to protect it.

The Bell AH-1 Cobra was a sleek, heavily-armed helicopter that had morphed from the development of the Huey. Unlike the UH-1 ‘gunships’ that had been modified to carry weapons, however, the Cobra (or ‘Snake’ as it was later nicknamed) was equipped with speed and lethality. Capable of reaching its destination in half the time, and able to ‘loiter’ three times longer than a Huey, the Snake was a fine attack helicopter that is believed (along with the Huey) to have endured more combat time than any other aircraft in the history of warfare.

In all, some 16 types of helicopter were employed during the Vietnam War. Along with ‘utility’ and ‘attack’ types, a number of ‘observation’, ‘cargo’ and ‘heavy’ versions buzzed the Vietnamese skies between the early 1960s and mid-70s. Sadly, nearly 5,000 of them would never return from what became the world’s first helicopter war.

Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion

The largest and heaviest helicopter in the United States military is the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion (Sikorsky S-80E). It was built for the United States Marine Corps by Sikorsky Aircraft.

Sikorsky is currently developing the CH-53K, which will be equipped with 3 – 6,000 shp-class turboshaft engines, new composite rotor blades, and a wider more comfortable cabin.

The helicopter will seat 37 passengers in its normal configuration but has the ability to carry 55 passengers with centerline seats installed. The CH-53E Super Stallion is a shipboard helicopter configured for the lift and movement of cargo and personnel and the external lift of heavy oversized equipment. The CH-53E is the only helicopter capable of lifting some of the new weapon systems in the Marine Corps, including the M-198 Howitzer and the variants of the new Light Armored Vehicle (LAV). This heavy lift helicopter is the largest helicopter in the western world, with a maximum gross weight of 73,500 pounds.

The Sikorsky CH-53E SUPER STALLION is still the largest and most powerful marinized helicopter in the world. The Sikorsky CH-53 is without doubt the most successful and best known heavy transport helicopter of the NATO forces.

Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion Specifications:

Crew: 5: 2 pilots, 1 crew chief/right gunner, 1 left gunner, 1 tail gunner
(combat crew)
Capacity: 37 troops (55 with centerline seats installed)
Payload: internal: 30,000 lb or 13,600 kg (external: 32,000 lb or 14,500 kg)

Length: 99 ft 1/2 in (30.2 m)
Rotor diameter: 79 ft (24 m)
Height: 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)
Disc area: 4,900 ft² (460 m²)
Empty weight: 33,226 lb (15,071 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 73,500 lb (33,300 kg)
Powerplant: 3× General Electric T64-GE-416(A) turboshaft, 4,380 shp (3,270
kW) each
Rotor systems: 7 blades on main rotor

Maximum speed: 170 knots (196 mph, 315 km/h)
Cruise speed: 150 kt (173 mph, 278 km/h)
Range: 540 nmi (621 mi, 1,000 km)
Ferry range: 990 nmi (1,139 mi, 1,833 km)
Service ceiling: 18,500 ft (5,640 m)
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (13 m/s)
Armament

Guns:

2× .50 BMG (12.7 x 99 mm) window-mounted XM218 machine guns
1× .50 BMG (12.7 x 99 mm) ramp mounted weapons system, GAU-21 (M3M mounted
machine gun)
Other: Chaff and flare dispensers

Medical Transport Helicopters: Eurocopter’s EC-145 A Popular Choice

Medical helicopters need to be fast and able to beat heavy traffic in order to improve a patient’s chances for survival. Helicopter travel can cut transport times by about half of what it would take by ambulance. In addition to offering speed, medical aircraft are designed to provide both basic and advanced life support services on board, and therefore, require flexibility in cabin space.

Many Life Flight programs now purchase American Eurocopter’s EC-145 helicopters, which have been used extensively in Europe. The helicopter costs upward of $5 or more, but is considered one of the safest helicopters on the market by aircraft industry experts. This is a key factor when it comes to marketing the EC-145, as safety is the first mission for medical helicopter air ambulance services.

While many of the calls involving emergency flight transport services are responses to accidents, a greater majority of flights involve inter-hospital transports when a patient needs a medical service unavailable at the hospital where he or she is currently being treated. Rapid transport is often needed when specialized medical care is not accessible at a hospital in a patient’s home area.

Helicopters as emergency transport vehicles have the added advantage of being able to respond to accidents and medical emergencies which occur in remote or difficult to access locations. Life flight helicopters must be large enough to carry emergency medical equipment, yet small enough in size to be able to land in confined areas. In most cases, medical transport helicopters carry equipment similar to what you find in an intensive care unit along with specialist flight nurses and doctors, and therefore, require reasonable payload capacity.

The EC-145 helicopter has a Category “A” certification. This means that it can take off from steep terrain with only one engine if necessary. These twin-engine helicopters allow pilots to fly in bad weather, have a cruising speed of 150 mph and engines that can be shut down in 30 seconds. Easy access to the cabin from all sides make this particular class of helicopter well matched for use in emergency transport services. The cabin can be custom designed and can usually fit up to eight passengers.

Initially manufactured as the BK-117, the BK 117-2 eventually became the EC-145 developed in collaboration with Eurocopter and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Some of the major differences from the BK-117 include increased flight range and more cabin space. These improvements make the EC-145 a top choice for a medical transport helicopters for flying patients over long distances as greater range capacity allows the helicopter to stay in flight longer. Another advantage is that either one or two pilots can operate the aircraft, which can be flown at night.

Recently, the EC-145 helicopter was used to test Galileo navigation signals in order to demonstrate the benefits of the system in aiding emergency services. The system would make it possible for rescue helicopters like the EC-145 to land nearby an accident site in adverse weather conditions. Currently, these types of landings are only possible under visual meteorological conditions. The Galileo navigation system is also designed to warn pilots that continuing on with a flight could be unsafe if the navigation being provided is no longer reliable.

Because of its numerous safety features and reputation for dependability, many air medical programs in the U.S. that previously had BK-117 helicopters in service have upgraded to the EC-145. In the past, some hospitals and medical centers had relied on the BK-117 for their Life Flight programs for more than 20 years.

Even so, a larger cabin along with more safety equipment and newer technology makes the EC-145 a more attractive option. According to Larry Roberts, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support for American Eurocopter, the EC-145 helicopter is becoming the aircraft preferred by Emergency Medical Services programs across the nation.

Program directors for Life Flight missions take into account the EC-145s excellent visibility, added safety features, increased cabin size and ability to carry more weight. The large cabin capacity alone is an advantage because it allows for variation in design options. Other state-of-the-art features with which the EC-145 comes equipped include the aircraft’s ability to receive real-time weather data, night vision facility, GPS tracking programs and auto pilot instrument flight capability.

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References:
The MetroWest Daily News: How medical helicopters help save lives
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/homepage/x1538053802

Vanderbilt University Medical Center: LifeFlight adds base, three new helicopters
http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=3163

Defence Talk: EC 145 Helicopter Tests Galileo Navigation Systems
http://www.defencetalk.com/ec145-helicopter-tests-galileo-navigation-signals-25256/

American Eurocopter Corporation: American Eurocopter Delivers EC145 to Trinity Mother Frances Hospital’s Flight For Life Program
http://www.eurocopterusa.com/news_press-release/2009/09-15-09-Trinity-Mother-Frances-Hospital.asp

Geisinger: Helicopters
http://www.geisinger.org/services/lifeflight/helicopters.html

Apaches of the 101st

Lieutenant Colonel William Bryan commanded an AH-64 Apache battalion of the 229th Aviation Regiment, attached to the US Army’s ‘Mist Air Assault Division, during the Gulf War.

“We knew that on G-day, the day the ground war started, the division was going to establish an airhead very deep inside Iraq. So in the week before that my mission was reconnaissance, to check the route into the country, destroy fortifications and clear the zone of enemy forces. The 101st’s sector was 50k wide and 200k deep. On G-day, the division moved along preselected air routes to an operating base 150k into Iraq. We had troops on the ground and the forward base up and running within eight hours.

“When we came across a convoy, I would attack with one of the battalion’s three companies. As the attack progressed I had one company attacking, one about 30k back in a holding area, and one 50k back at the FAARP – the forward area re-arming and refuelling point.

“Companies normally operate in two teams. The light team of two will usually be the first to engage, covered by the heavy team of three or four helicopters. Then the heavy team will take up the fight. In Europe we’re taught to mask, to use the terrain as cover from behind which we launch attacks. In the desert, you couldn’t hide. It should have been extremely dangerous since some of their anti-aircraft missile systems outranged us, but the Iraqis showed little or no desire to fight. They had the equipment but they didn’t have the resolve.

“Had the Iraqis been an Armored force we would have made stand-off attacks, but in this case we shot them with 30-mm cannon fire to get them stopped and the people dismounted. Then we fired three Hellfires, which took out the three lead vehicles. From that point on we were able to finish them off with 30mm and 2.75-in rockets.

“We never got into a real tank battle. On the fourth day of the ground war we did do a classic deep attack moving about 300 kilometres towards Basra and intercepting one of the Republican Guard divisions as it attempted to withdraw north. By that time there were so many oil-well fires and vehicles burning that it was almost dark even though it was mid-afternoon. We had to use our FLIR – forward-looking infra-red – sensors to see the targets, and even those were blanked out by smoke at 3000 metres. We called it `V-IeNk’s half-acre’ . You could only see about 300 metres with the naked eye.

Apaches of the 101st sit on the ground deep inside Iraq. The division’s FAARP – the forward area re-arming and refuelling point – is the helicopter force’s forward operating base, from where they would strike at Iraqi Armor up to 100 kilometres ahead of the division’s ground troops.

There has been a lot of controversy about the . We lived with that aircraft through sandstorms, moisture – we had 10 in of rain in January – and extreme heat, yet the aircraft continued to operate with more than 90 per cent serviceabiliy. There was no other platform in the Gulf that could fly so low, or could enagage such an array of targets with pinpoint accuracy, whatever the weather or the time of day or night. It was one of the few pieces of equipment that could move 300 kilometres in a matter of hours, engage a major enemy force and return. Most important, however, it was manned and maintained by highly motivated and proud people. We’ve come a long way in the 20 years since Vietnam, and the calibre of the American soldier is probably the best we’ve ever had. If you take these type of people and give them this type of high technology equipment, you’re practically unbeatable.

Review Electric Helicopters

If you are searching for a good electric helicopter to fly as a hobbyist, than you will want to review electric helicopter models for amateur use. Some of the things you will want to look for when reading a review electric helicopter are: durability; price; the availability of replacement parts; and of course the size of the aircraft. The reasons these things are important is because every flyer will eventually crash and when you crash your helicopter you will:

• want to be able to easily find replacement parts
• be able to afford those replacement parts
• get your helicopter flying again
• and be able to handle the size of your aircraft more easily

If you are a first-time flyer, than you will want to review electric helicopter models through a variety of websites to choose the one that best suits your interest and experience levels. Here are a few websites to get you started:

• www.electric-rc-helicopter.com
• www.squidoo.com
• www.helicopterreviews.com
• www.rc-copter.com/reviews

Anti-Aircraft Defenses of German U-Boats

In the early years of World War II, Germany’s U-Bootwaffes roamed, almost with impunity, the sea trade routes of the Western Allies, engaging and sinking their extremely vital ships at an alarming rate. It wasn’t until the Allies began to implement a sophisticated system of long rage, air patrols over the Atlantic that the tide of the submarine war finally began to turn in their favor.

Because most of Germany’s U-boat force was incapable of prolonged, submerged patrol times, they became easy targets for praying allied medium and heavy bombers covering the North Atlantic.

Engaging and hitting allied patrol airplanes became the sub’s main objective from late 1943 to the end of the war in May ’45. In an attempt to achieve this task, each boat was fitted with a vast array of defensive weapon systems.

The submarine’s main anti-aircraft weapon was the 2CM Flak Gun. Two basic designs of this uninspired looking but tremendously effective flak system were employed. The first operating 2CM was the No. 30. The thirty was a single barrel weapon with a 360 degree traverse and capable of a two degree depression and 90 degree elevation. It fired a 0.32kg shell capable of reaching distances of up to 12,350 meters. What made this weapon so effective was it impressive cycle rate of 480 rounds per minute.

The second improved version of the 2CM was Flak 38. Similar to the 30 but capable of reaching a cycle rate of 960 rounds per minute, the 38 was arguably the best German, light attack weapon of World War II.

Another light weapon used by U-Boats to fend-off attackers was the 3.7CM M/42 Flak Gun. In the bottom half of the war, most German submarines were fitted with the 42nd platform. It fired a .73Kg shell up to a distance of 15,350m. Maximum firing cycle was 50 rounds per minute.

Those two weapon systems accounted for almost 85 percentage of all hit allied aircraft. Official numbers regarding hit aircraft varies from source to source, but the most reliable figure (coming from British-generated documents released in the mid 1950s) puts the amount at 247 from the spring of 1944 to April 1945.

Although it was not intended as a primary anit-aircraft weapon, the vaunted 8.8CM Schiffskanone Deck Gun was also used in that role, especially towards the end of the war. This remarkable 8.8 gun employed by the German navy was not directly related to the more famous, 8.8 Acht-Acht flack gun utilized by the army as an anti-tank weapon. The CM was purely a naval gun developed in the waning days of World War One.

The gun was mounted on a low box, forward of the conning tower. It could traverse through a field of 360 degrees. Its -4 degrees depressed parameter and 30 degree elevation capacity were two of the most impressive features of this remarkable weapon. The gun fired a 13.7kg high explosive shell at a 700m/sec muzzle velocity. It had a solid impact range of up to 12,350m.

Manned by a three man crew, the CM was a powerful, horizontal weapon that when used against sea-based platforms, it caused heavy damage. As the U-Boats began to sustain alarming losses to Allied preying bombers, German crews commenced utilizing their main armament on incoming enemy aircraft. Although their use on that type of environment wasn’t tested before the war, the gun performed well.

Data on the numbers of downed allied aircraft hit by the 8.8CM is not reliable. But unofficial accounts put the numbers in the low 50s. Much of that amount was accounted for between the autumn of 1944 and the spring of 1945.

Aside from those three defensive weapons, German submarines carried a limited amount of small caliber fire arms including 9mm and 7.62mm hand guns. Nine mm machine guns and some 7.92mm rapid fire rifles. No data on hit aircraft by these weapons are available.

Of course, no weapon can be effective if the enemy isn’t spotted. For long range detection, the U-boats employed the Funkmessorungsgerat (Fu) MO-29 Radar. The MO-29 was used primarily on Type IV boats as well as some Type VIIs. The 29 was simple to utilize thanks to its twin horizontal rows of eight dipoles on the upper front part of the conning tower.

On the top row laid the transmitters and in the lower one, the receivers. An improved version of the 29 was introduced in the summer of 1942. In that version, known as No. 30, the diploes were replaced by a retractable antenna which was housed in a slot in the tower. Although relative powerful for the time, this system barely was able to detect surface vessels because of the low position of it’s mounting in respect to the horizon.

A more complex system, FuMB1 or the ‘Metox’ was introduced in the fall of 1942. This system was utilized in conjunction with a raw, wooden cross antenna strung with copper wire know as the ‘Biscay Cross’. But as with the early Fus platforms, this unit wasn’t that reliable. In fact, a case could be made that their use was highly detrimental to the sub’s survival thanks to the Metox’s volatile emissions which were easily detectable by Allied radars.

By November 1943, the Germans had finally developed what would become the world’s first true, all around naval radar. Born out of desperation, FuMB7 combined Metox and Naxos emissions to give U-boat commanders a first rate, long range detection system. Further enhancements were performed (the FuMB24 and 25) to the base MB7 giving it an extended operational radius.

Aside from the radar, maybe the most ingenious defensive measure used by German submarines was the Focke-Achgelis. The ‘Focke’ was basically a manned rotary glider with a triple blade rotor. It was as simple to operate as it was to assemble. Housed in a storage cylinder on the afterdeck, the Focke was quickly armed and launched. It remained connected to the U-boat by an umbilical cord. From its advantageous position high above the sub (10-12,000 feet), the pilot could spot any target approaching the boat. Unfortunately for the Focke, if the U-boat came under direct attack, there was no time to reel it in, thus the sub cut the cord and left the pilot to defend himself until all was cleared to surface back again.

More effective than the Focke-Achgelis was the Aphrodite. It was a basic devise consisting of a large (one meter diameter) hydrogen-filled balloon from which dangled small strips of metal foil. It was attached to the sub by way of an anchor weight. Its main purpose was to confuse allied aircraft utilizing radar navigational systems.

Lyndon Johnson Helicopter s51

It may not seem odd these days to watch a political candidate whirl into a campaign stop riding a private plane or helicopter, but in 1948 it sure was. Imagine the excitement when the Lyndon Johnson helicopter s51 flew all over Texas, carrying Senate candidate Lyndon Baines Johnson to and from a variety of campaign stops.

With unlimited funds, the wealthy Johnson was able to buy an s51 helicopter to travel the state during the campaign which he ultimately won. He was the first politician to use a helicopter as a transportation devise during a campaign. Here are a few basic facts about the Lyndon Johnson Helicopter s51:

• The s51 helicopter became available for commercial use in 1946. It was only the second commercial helicopter ever sold to the public.
• Lyndon B. Johnson used an s51 helicopter during the spring and summer of 1948 in his campaign for the U.S. Senate in Texas
• The s51 is a twin engine helicopter
• The Lyndon Johnson helicopter s51 was the first ever used in a U.S. political campaign
• The s51 was manufactured by American helicopter company, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Although Lyndon Johnson may have been the first politician to utilize the helicopter for quick entry and exits on his campaign stops, he certainly wasn’t the last. Today, the helicopter is used frequently as an inexpensive form of transportation for politicians and businessmen alike.

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