HH-60 Smoke in cockpit?

[Fly Navy]

Nothing like coming out of the break in the T-45, getting the gear and flaps down, bringing the power up, and POOF, you're IMC in the cockpit. That ECS will spit out snow and rain and fog like nobody's business. Not the best feeling when it's your first solo in the jet. This will happen with the ECS in midrange too, not full cold.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Apparently the tax payers of this great nation have decided that Cobra pilots are important enough to spend a little more on their comfort than our less gifted rotary wing brothers. Think of it as we drive the coporate BMW while the rest of you drive the delivery trucks.

Who needs a bidet when you have baby wipes at the FARP, that and then some goldbond and life is good, well goodish

Or, the tax payers of this great nation have realized that in order to protect the sanity of the bulk of the pilots in the military, they had to prevent the Cobra pilots from whining. The only way they saw to prevent it was to give them ECU. Little did they know, they'd still complain about how cold it was...

 

[BigIron]

ECU?!? Our ECU is an open window and two big ceiling fans...

At least you can open your window. Our big fan in flight would separate the window from the airframe. We can open a snap vent in the window, and turn on an internal fan/blower switch (which blows hot air on us). We cool down by perspiring.

 

[JIMC5499]

At least you can open your window. Our big fan in flight would separate the window from the airframe. We can open a snap vent in the window, and turn on an internal fan/blower switch (which blows hot air on us). We cool down by perspiring.

That's why I loved that great big cargo door in the back of the Sea King. You just had to be careful where your Pepsi was if they did a sudden right turn. I've lost more than one can that way.

 

[bobbybrock]

No ECU in the Blackhawk. Just like the 46 bubbas our A/C comes from taking of the cockpit doors over here in the sandbox.
We do have a new system in our vest that hooks into an a/c unit in the back of the aircraft. Basically a bladder type vest that has a cool gel pumped through it.
We have a unit here of HH-60's( Army Dust Off). I think they do have some type of eviromental control for the guys in the back.

 

[Brett327]

No ECU in the Blackhawk. Just like the 46 bubbas our A/C comes from taking of the cockpit doors over here in the sandbox.
We do have a new system in our vest that hooks into an a/c unit in the back of the aircraft. Basically a bladder type vest that has a cool gel pumped through it.
We have a unit here of HH-60's( Army Dust Off). I think they do have some type of eviromental control for the guys in the back.

What kind of A-hole builds an aircraft w/o ECS?

Brett

 

[Gatordev]

See, this is what I don't understand. Why is it that Sikorsky can build a Blackhawk in 1979 that has windows that open, but can't build a 1983 Seahawk with the same thing? Those snap vents just don't cut it. And apparently they've done the same thing w/ the -53. The only thing I can figure is to prevent sea water from coming in, but it's not like the big cabin door opening in the back doesn't prevent that. Bizarre.

 

[bobbybrock]

Gartordev,
We actually have the windows with the snap vent in our L models. I was told it makes for better visibility. We have removed most cockpit windows over here in Icrack. The A model guys have the old style windows. They have just been removing the entire cockpit doors.
As far as building an aircraft without some type of enviormental control. The Army would be the answer to that. Their philosophy is "who cares about the crew". You'll find aircraft in the Army fleet with ACS units. These systems are there to keep the exspensive avionics in cool. Not the guys flying the aircraft. When the Mike model comes out it will have an ECS system to keep all the digitil MFD's and such nice and cool.

 

[Gatordev]

Ahh, got it. And in reality, that's all the ECS is for on the Seahawks, as well. Technically we can go Partial Mission Capable if the ECS breaks on the aircraft. It's not that you can't still fly, but just helps get the part quicker.

Having spent several hours in the rescue station seat w/ the cabin door open and wind coming at you, I'm not sure I'd want to fly w/ the doors off. On the one hand it'd be cooler, but on the other, it's noisy and tiring. Then again, maybe it was just sitting in that seat under the transmission, as it makes me instantly sleepy.

 

[bobbybrock]

Gatordev,
Yea, this is the only place I've flown 60's with doors off or windows out. This past summer it would be pushing 130 in the cockpit. Conus we usually file IFR when it is that hot and just file for an altitude that is cool.
Our old EH's had a pretty good ECS but they have been a thing of the past for a while.