Blackhawk / CRJ-700 Midair

[JTS11]

One thing I hear on my TeeVee from the punditry class of aviation experts regarding this mishap is that the military and civilians aren't on the same freq (UHF/VHF). They speak as though mil helos can't monitor/talk on VHF. Is this an anachronism (mil only talks on Uniform)? Are there any mil helos that can't dial up a VHF freq? Whether or not they choose to, or are required, is another story.

 

[phrogdriver]

I ALWAYS fly out of IAD. DCA is a shit show getting to/from there, and flying to/from there . . . .

Really? I’ve always preferred being right in DC. Driving to the sticks to fly has never appealed to me.

 

[phrogdriver]

I will say that POTUS has been completely irresponsible and unhelpful in his clueless public speculation, especially in somehow blaming DEI with no evidence.

 

[mmx1]

One thing I hear on my TeeVee from the punditry class of aviation experts regarding this mishap is that the military and civilians aren't on the same freq (UHF/VHF). They speak as though mil helos can't monitor/talk on VHF. Is this an anachronism (mil only talks on Uniform)? Are there any mil helos that can't dial up a VHF freq? Whether or not they choose to, or are required, is another story.

I almost put my foot in my mouth myself but it looks like DCA has a separate UHF tower frequency for helos.

AirNav: KDCA - Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Complete aeronautical information about Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Washington, DC, USA), including location, runways, taxiways, navaids, radio frequencies, FBO information, fuel prices, sunrise and sunset times, aerial photo, airport diagram.

www.airnav.com

This is probably getting conflated with the mil/civil UHF/VHF.

 

[robav8r]

Really? I’ve always preferred being right in DC. Driving to the sticks to fly has never appealed to me.

Well, I live right off the end of runway 30 so I guess I’m already in the “sticks.”

 

[jarhead]

I know that at 500 (consistent) hours one is finally getting comfortable flying a jet and at 1000 (consistent) hours one should be very comfortable at flying it as well as have all of their expected quals. Is 500 hours considered experienced in the military helo world? Would 500 hours make a Marine helo pilot competitive to fly in HMX-1?

I'm genuinely curious and not trying to point fingers.
Thanks
S/F

 

[Doofus]

I know that at 500 (consistent) hours one is finally getting comfortable flying a jet and at 1000 (consistent) hours one should be very comfortable at flying it as well as have all of their expected quals. Is 500 hours considered experienced in the military helo world? Would 500 hours make a Marine helo pilot competitive to fly in HMX-1?

I'm genuinely curious and not trying to point fingers.
Thanks
S/F

Was also a bit surprised by the lack for flight hours for what is a VIP unit. I know the Army culture is different and commissioned O's really don't fly as much but even for the WO IP 1000 hrs doesn't seem like a lot.

 

[Brett327]

Really? I’ve always preferred being right in DC. Driving to the sticks to fly has never appealed to me.

Concur. Getting to DCA on the Metro (or Uber) is super easy... both of which are claimable on DTS

 

[JTS11]

I know that at 500 (consistent) hours one is finally getting comfortable flying a jet and at 1000 (consistent) hours one should be very comfortable at flying it as well as have all of their expected quals. Is 500 hours considered experienced in the military helo world? Would 500 hours make a Marine helo pilot competitive to fly in HMX-1?

I'm genuinely curious and not trying to point fingers.
Thanks
S/F

I'd say no. Unless anything's changed dramatically, 500 hrs is around the time you're making boot aircraft commander with no quals. Definitely not eligible to apply for HMX.

 

[Odominable]

I know that at 500 (consistent) hours one is finally getting comfortable flying a jet and at 1000 (consistent) hours one should be very comfortable at flying it as well as have all of their expected quals. Is 500 hours considered experienced in the military helo world? Would 500 hours make a Marine helo pilot competitive to fly in HMX-1?

I'm genuinely curious and not trying to point fingers.
Thanks
S/F

No, that would be associated with base level fleet quals (AC commander). Typically HMX guys are well over 1-1.5k depending on T/M/S if they’re going there from their first squadron. Additionally, their DHs are typically post-fleet DH (everything in HMX is essentially shifted one pay grade right) so you’re talking in the realm of 2 to well over 3k in some cases.

 

[P3 F0]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Helicopters/s/e6auXgO5oM

TLDR: AD Army helo bubba says what I’m guessing y’all will say if/when a Navy bird goes down and takes something with it: lack of proficiency is to blame, and it’ll happen again.

 

[gparks1989]

TLDR: AD Army helo bubba says what I’m guessing y’all will say if/when a Navy bird goes down and takes something with it: lack of proficiency is to blame, and it’ll happen again.

Most interesting part about that is it that it’s a CW3 posting that. Seems like all services suffer from ground job creep, not just the Navy.

 

[mmx1]

I had some feelings on seeing those flight hour totals. A statement like this from the former CWO of aviation branch and who now seems to be involved in the investigation smells of circling the wagons.

Koziol said that given the short duration of most helicopter flights, the number of hours they had flown showed how experienced they were.

 

[P3 F0]

Yeah, my understanding, after a tour alongside an Army O4 pilot, was that the Warrants got to focus much more on flying. This was 2010, so times must have changed.

 

[klamsy]

I know that at 500 (consistent) hours one is finally getting comfortable flying a jet and at 1000 (consistent) hours one should be very comfortable at flying it as well as have all of their expected quals. Is 500 hours considered experienced in the military helo world? Would 500 hours make a Marine helo pilot competitive to fly in HMX-1?

I'm genuinely curious and not trying to point fingers.
Thanks
S/F

In the Marine Corps, 500 hours is the requirement to make aircraft commander. The "fastest" one could feasibly become an instructor is the 600-ish hour mark. For my community (UH-1) most guys wing with ~200 hours and pick up another 50 or so in the FRS. Most hit the tactical IP quals between 650 and 750 hours if I had to put a number on it? An IP leaving the fleet for their B-Billet will typically have north of 1000 hours.

I was talking to the token Army Guy (CW3 Aviator) I work with today because I was curious about how that compared on their side and some interesting context he gave was (granted, he's been out of flight school for while so stuff may have changed):
-Their flight school grads wing and head out to the Big Army with about 120 total hours. Most training flights are contained within the restricted area and IPs handle the radios. In their instrument phase that changes and students start to handle those responsibilities, but due to the volume of training flights there's only a couple places they go/they don't do the same sort of out-and-in rodeos Navy/Marine studs are used to.
Their flight school introduces and does some "tactical" training, and has much less of an emphasis on FAA procedures and that aspect of aviation.
-200-250 total hours is the standard for getting aircraft commander
-500 hours is where a Warrant will "track" (Safety, "tacops," maintenance, IP). Guys perceived as the best sticks will go Mx or IP.
-Junior Warrants (pre-track) typically have all kinds of nonsense Army jobs like being the unit CBRN guy...so it is not just show up and fly.