Question about Cobras...

[Fetter]

If NFOs are only in F/A-18s and EA-6Bs, who is manning the front seat in the AH-1 Cobras?

Can't find the answer anywhere...

 

[MasterBates]

Another pilot.

 

[Fetter]

Oh snap! So not only do you have to be on your toes to get selected for cobras, you gotta be even better to beat the other guy out of the "pilot" seat. That is rough.

Or are there dual controls and they switch off when the other gets hungry and wants a snack?

 

[Flugelman]

Cobra Tales

Story from a guy I used to work with... He was a Vietnam era Army Cobra pilot. On one mission he's in the front seat, loses his hard cigarette pack holder which winds up binding the rearward movement of the front seat cyclic. They had to do a run-on landing due to loss of control authority.

 

[HH-60H]

Oh snap! So not only do you have to be on your toes to get selected for cobras, you gotta be even better to beat the other guy out of the "pilot" seat. That is rough.

Or are there dual controls and they switch off when the other gets hungry and wants a snack?

No, once you are a Cobra pilot you learn how to fly in both seats.

 

[phrogdriver]

Just like any other 2 seat platform, one guy is the aircraft commander, the other is the copilot. The more experienced guy is usually the aircraft commander. Seat assignment will vary with the training being conducted, but usually the copilot is in front.

 

[Carno]

The copilot logs SIC time, right?

 

[gtxc2001]

Both pilots can log first pilot and second pilot time based on how the flight was split up. If you are in the front, but on the controls, you'll log first pilot for the amount of time you were manipulating the controls. I think I've only been on two flights where I didn't log any first pilot time, a functional check flight and a front seat tactics flight. As far as logging time as the aircraft commander, only the signer for the aircraft gets that in his logbook.

 

[Fetter]

"It's like if the ice cream man served death instead of ice cream."
thanks for the chuckle MMX1

What are those things on top of the wings while we're talking about the aircraft? Flare pod? IR jammer? That is my guess.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

Those are seats for the crewchief

 

[Flash]

"It's like if the ice cream man served death instead of ice cream."
thanks for the chuckle MMX1

What are those things on top of the wings while we're talking about the aircraft? Flare pod? IR jammer? That is my guess.

Flare/Chaff buckets:

http://www.aircav.com/cobra/ahgal15/ah1w-062.html

 

[Want2flyNow]

Can the weapons systems be operated from the back seat???

 

[skidkid]

Rockets, the Gun, Hellfire and Sidewinder can all be fired from the back. TOW and the laser are front seat only.

 

[Gatordev]

Both pilots can log first pilot and second pilot time based on how the flight was split up. If you are in the front, but on the controls, you'll log first pilot for the amount of time you were manipulating the controls. I think I've only been on two flights where I didn't log any first pilot time, a functional check flight and a front seat tactics flight. As far as logging time as the aircraft commander, only the signer for the aircraft gets that in his logbook.

Don't know how it's done in the HMLAs, but most (non-anal) fleet guys I flew with just split the FPT w/ the copilot rather than trying to figure out who did what. The only real time that was not doable was taking several guys to the boat to bounce and you had to keep track of times for the inevitable NALCOMIS pen-in-eye experience when you got back trying to make all the times add up.

 

[Harrier Dude]

What difference does it make? First and second pilot time aren't tracked by anybody but us are they? As a RAG IP (the only time this ever mattered for me) I would just have my student give me a .2 or so. Whatever. Do airlines or the FAA care?