EAGLE on a rock.

[Flying Pig]

EAGLE 1.....Dinkey Creek SAR for a missing swimmer who fell into the creek (RIVER).  Helicopters are so cool.  We flew right down the river and perched on the rock. 

[NIN]

Nice little semi-confined area there.  Great photo. Any chance you have a higher rez available?  My desktop background is feeling mighty rotary-wing deficient at the moment.

[JAFO78]

Eagle on a rock? Looks more like a frog....ribbit, ribbit, ribbit.

[Flying Pig]

^BLASPHEMER!

[Stonewall]

So when you got out to look for the dude did it look something like this?

[Duke Dillio]

^^^  I hear Flight of the Valkyries playing in my head now.....

Duh duh duh duh duh duh......

[Gunner C]

Heck I hope not.  Idiots like him usually got people like us killed.  And trust me, there were/are lots of LTC Kilgores running around in the RM.

Gunner

[Flying Pig]

All kidding aside.  Believe me....no screwin' around allowed.  We are a pretty serious crew when its time to work.
Why do I post the pictures??

#1....I think its pretty freakin awesome.

#2....I think its pretty freakin awesome.

#3....Show the capabilities of some of the units that are out there.  Believe it or not, not all air units do mountain ops or are even capable of it.

This photo was taken at about 7500ft. MSL  The rock you see, is pretty much it.  The pilots, Jim, has been a law enforcement pilot since 1968 and has about 30,000 hours of flight time with a CFI helo and CFI SEL ratings.

On a particular search I was on with CAP, one of the biggest issues I took away was with an IC who told me helicopters were not able to operate where we were searching anymore than an airplane.  I chose to disagree.

So....enjoy.

[Stonewall]

Why do I post the pictures??

#1....I think its pretty freakin awesome.

#2....I think its pretty freakin awesome.

#3....Show the capabilities of some of the units that are out there.  Believe it or not, not all air units do mountain ops or are even capable of it.

#4....Demonstrates to CAP cadets the endless possibilities for their future in aviation, public safety, emergency services, etc....

#5....I think its pretty freakin awesome.

[JAFO78]

Sorry Sir, I have only been on one chopper Huey at GFKAFB.

I wish I was in your shoes. I love seeing the Jet Rangers around here in our area, near WDW. Osceola County Sheriff flies around a lot. I think its pretty freakin awesome.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Gunner C]

Why do I post the pictures??

#1....I think its pretty freakin awesome.

#2....I think its pretty freakin awesome.

#3....Show the capabilities of some of the units that are out there.  Believe it or not, not all air units do mountain ops or are even capable of it.

#4....Demonstrates to CAP cadets the endless possibilities for their future in aviation, public safety, emergency services, etc....

#5....I think its pretty freakin awesome.

Awesome doesn't even scratch the surface.  The ()H-6 and all of its variants is one heck of a helo.  Since they've been up-engined, their capabilities and utility have gone up exponentially.  They had been relegated to the Army NG in the late 1970s when it became apparent that they were the only helos that could

1.  Be transported, several at a time, on a C-141 (I think six) and

2.  Could land in an extremely tight, long, linear LZ in front of a target (foreign ministry in Teheran).

21 OH-6s were taken out of several states and were planned to be used by selected army pilots out of the 101st Airborne Div to rescue three diplomats who were being held in "protective custody" by the Iranian government.  With the old engines, only one pilot and two assaulters were allowed in each aircraft.  The back seats were taken out and there weren't any of the fancy seats that you see nowadays on the MH-6s flown by 160th Aviation Group.

Yep, that little flying egg rocks!

Gunner

[JAFO78]

Your Eagle, aka Hughes 500 ?

Nice little hot rod. Always like choppers. When I went for a ride at GFKAFB I was nervous, but man What a rush of a ride. 

[Flying Pig]

This model of Helicopter has been everything from the Hughes to the McDonnell Douglas.  It is now MDHI.  MD Holdings Inc.   MD no longer stands for McDonnell Douglas.  A little flight line trivia for you.

Our helicopter is an MD500E with an enhanced Allison 250-C20R+.   The military MH-6 is actually the MD530F.  Just a little more power under the hood in the 530.  They also stuck with the rounded nose for the MH6. 
On the 530F the main rotor blades are 6 inches longer and the tailboom is extended 8 inches.   (Aerodynamics note for the cadets....Why is the tailboom longer?)  Without Googling the answer!

Im personally a fan of the MD900 Explorer (NOTAR) NO TAil Rotor......SWEET

http://www.mdhelicopters.com/index.php


As a unit, we are looking to possibly move to the 530F or to the Bell 407.  So we'll see.  Although, Im not complaining.

[Eeyore]

My old Squadron sat next to an Air Ambulance service and they had one of the MD900 NOTARs. Pretty freaking cool to see a helicopter take off and land right next to the building with no tail rotor.

[Gunner C]

This model of Helicopter has been everything from the Hughes to the McDonnell Douglas.  It is now MDHI.  MD Holdings Inc.   MD no longer stands for McDonnell Douglas.  A little flight line trivia for you.

Our helicopter is an MD500E with an enhanced Allison 250-C20R+.   The military MH-6 is actually the MD530F.  Just a little more power under the hood in the 530.  They also stuck with the rounded nose for the MH6. 
On the 530F the main rotor blades are 6 inches longer and the tailboom is extended 8 inches.   (Aerodynamics note for the cadets....Why is the tailboom longer?)  Without Googling the answer!

Im personally a fan of the MD900 Explorer (NOTAR) NO TAil Rotor......SWEET

http://www.mdhelicopters.com/index.php


As a unit, we are looking to possibly move to the 530F or to the Bell 407.  So we'll see.  Although, Im not complaining.

Do you know if they still have a problem with the "Hughes Stall?"  With a slight following wind on landing, the pilot would continue to put pedal inputs until the tail rotor stalls.  The tail boom swings around quickly to the right.  A pilot many times inputs opposite to the yaw.  Since tail rotor effectiveness is zero, the helo spins into the ground.  The only recovery is to input into the spin to regain tail rotor, then correct the spin.  Trust me, when the pilot inputs into the spin, the aircraft boom REALLY comes around fast!  I was in one when it happened.  Was pretty exciting.

Other than that, it was a great aircraft - fast, nimble, and a very small profile. 

Gunner

[Flying Pig]

Oh, boy.....Where do I start.

LTE-Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness.   Its not something inherent only in 500's it can happen in any helicopter.  Thats why downwind landings are discouraged. All of the tests done verify that the tail rotor never stalls during any of these situations.

You have several different causes

Main Rotor Vortex interference

Winds at velocities of about 10 to 30 knots from the left front will cause the main rotor vortex to be blown into the tail rotor by the relative wind. The effect of this main rotor disc vortex is to cause the tail rotor to operate in an extremely turbulent (dirty air) where the thrust of the tailrotor becomes  ineffective to overcome it.

Weathercocking

Tailwinds from 120° to 240°, like left crosswinds, will cause a high pilot workload. The most significant characteristic of tailwinds is that they are a yaw rate accelerator. Winds within this region will attempt to weathervane the nose of the aircraft into the relative wind. This characteristic comes from the fuselage and vertical fin.

Tail Rotor Vortex Ring State

Winds blowing within the region of 210 to 330 degrees off the nose will result in the development of the vortex ring state of the tail rotor. As the inflow passes through the tail rotor, it creates a tail rotor thrust to the left. A left crosswind will oppose this tail rotor thrust. This causes the vortex ring state to form, which causes a nonuniform, unsteady flow back into the tail rotor. The vortex ring state causes tail rotor thrust variations which result in yaw deviations. The effect of the unsteady flow is an oscillation of tail rotor thrust. This is why rapid and continuous pedal movements are necessary when hovering in left crosswind.  In actuality, the pilot is attempting to compensate for the rapid changes in tail rotor thrust. Maintaining a precise heading in this region is difficult. LTE can occur when the pilot overcontrols the aircraft.

Ina addition, you still have high gross weight, high DA, and low airspeeds to contend with where the torque of the main rotor cant be counteracted by the tail rotor resulting in running out of anti-torque pedal movement.
Ahhhhhh....I love it. 

[Gunner C]

Oh, boy.....Where do I start.

LTE-Loss of Tail Rotor Effectiveness.   Its not something inherent only in 500's it can happen in any helicopter.  Thats why downwind landings are discouraged. All of the tests done verify that the tail rotor never stalls during any of these situations.

You have several different causes

Main Rotor Vortex interference

Winds at velocities of about 10 to 30 knots from the left front will cause the main rotor vortex to be blown into the tail rotor by the relative wind. The effect of this main rotor disc vortex is to cause the tail rotor to operate in an extremely turbulent (dirty air) where the thrust of the tailrotor becomes  ineffective to overcome it.

Weathercocking

Tailwinds from 120° to 240°, like left crosswinds, will cause a high pilot workload. The most significant characteristic of tailwinds is that they are a yaw rate accelerator. Winds within this region will attempt to weathervane the nose of the aircraft into the relative wind. This characteristic comes from the fuselage and vertical fin.

Tail Rotor Vortex Ring State

Winds blowing within the region of 210 to 330 degrees off the nose will result in the development of the vortex ring state of the tail rotor. As the inflow passes through the tail rotor, it creates a tail rotor thrust to the left. A left crosswind will oppose this tail rotor thrust. This causes the vortex ring state to form, which causes a nonuniform, unsteady flow back into the tail rotor. The vortex ring state causes tail rotor thrust variations which result in yaw deviations. The effect of the unsteady flow is an oscillation of tail rotor thrust. This is why rapid and continuous pedal movements are necessary when hovering in left crosswind.  In actuality, the pilot is attempting to compensate for the rapid changes in tail rotor thrust. Maintaining a precise heading in this region is difficult. LTE can occur when the pilot overcontrols the aircraft.

Ina addition, you still have high gross weight, high DA, and low airspeeds to contend with where the torque of the main rotor cant be counteracted by the tail rotor resulting in running out of anti-torque pedal movement.
Ahhhhhh....I love it. 

When it happened to us we were on short final for an assault.  It was a night wet dress rehersal (full mission profile, live fire, dark as hell).  My partner and I had just climbed out, I was on the left skid holding on with my right hand - had a submachinegun in the left.  I had started engaging targets on the ground when the tail swung violently clockwise 360 degrees.  The first rotation was fast, the second was quicker, and the third was a blur.  We stopped the spin and began climbing.  My partner and I climbed back in- his eyes were bigger than saucers and I'm sure mine were the same.  I checked my weapon and I'd fired the entire 30 round magazine.  How I missed the two ships behind us I'll never know.  We went around and fell back into the line and hit the target.

That reminds me of something - we practiced climbing out on the skids on the ground.  It wasn't that bad but no one told us that the skids flexed down about a foot after the weight was off them.  Trying to find the skid at 50 knots, 100 feet off the ground was kinda tricky.

Thanks for the explanation.

Gunner