Hot new helicopter/rotorcraft news

[Hotdogs]

For the record, IPs at South Whiting can practice Full Autos



I would beg to differ. I have a number of friends who had to take a full auto after the engine failed to respond after a simulated engine failure at altitude.

Considering the number of hours the combined civilian and military industry puts on that engine annually - I'd consider it a reliable engine. A few isolated training incidents of throttles not responding is not a trend. I have not seen any maintenance directives from Rolls Royce indicating otherwise either. The sheer number of aircraft that use that motor is actually downright impressive, and is akin to the military's reliance on the very reliable T700. Especially in an environment where students are constantly beating up the aircraft in the auto/fam pattern everyday.

 

[ChuckMK23]

I concur with @Hotdogs - my case was a clear maintenance failure not a design or engineering failure. A non-RFI part was installed. 250's are ridiculously reliable when left alone. Keep the filters fresh, fluid levels correct, and leave it alone. Literally good for thousands of hours that way.

 

[rotorhead1871]

Saw that the Army is moving ahead with the transition from the TH-67 trainer to the UH-72 as the primary trainer at Rucker. Big move from a single 420HP turbine, 3200 lb max gross to the EC-145 with twin 738HP Turbomecas and a max gross of 7903 lbs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_UH-72_Lakota

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/land/army-aviation/2015/02/16/221m-lakota-order/23353299/

Any idea what the Navy plans to do?

sounds like a great move....the sooner you get in a real fleet type machine...the better......

 

[rotorhead1871]

With the recent discussion of pulling full autorotation and cutgun training from the Navy's helicopter advanced syllabus alltogether, I seriously hope the ability to perform full autos doesn't become an afterthought in selecting the right trainer.

Call me crazy, but it seems like a multi engined/rigid rotor head and highly advanced intrument/autopilot trainer will just enable CNATRA in the decision to rob rotor-wing aviators of what most of my peer instructors and fleet aviators view as a critical skill set.

I guess I'm in the 407 camp if it means a simple and cost affective trainer that can take a beating and is cheap enough to justify the ocaisional bad day in exchange for highly valuable and potentially life-saving training.

those are important lessons......I would hate to see students not trained in full autos and cutgun....its the only place you will see it...anywhere else.....you got a full blown emergency.

 

[ChuckMK23]

I think the 407GX is an excellent candidate for a one aircraft solution - wondering @Randy Daytona how the full auto profile is?

 

[ChuckMK23]

Industry Day kicks off at NDZ Wednesday 9 MARCH: http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/tra...to-Navy-Trainer-Event_87375.html#.Vt-LXcfharN

 

[squorch2]

Never fails to amaze me how good the birds look after all the years of getting beat up.

 

[rotorhead1871]

wish they could or would have kept the H1's.. they are a lot more helo than the H57....when did they depart the pattern??

 

[ChuckMK23]

wish they could or would have kept the H1's.. they are a lot more helo than the H57....when did they depart the pattern??

The Huey had made it final exit from the training command by the early 80's.

Interestingly though the USAF does all helicopter training in the Huey II - these aircraft are spotless, immaculate, and very high performing trainers - complete LCD based cockpit, full IFR capability, full autos, and tactically capable. The USAF delivers a much more combat ready pilot at the end of training - and this makes sense given that the majority follow on path is HH-60G Pave Hawks or CV-22B AFSOC Ospreys.

Granted it's no 30 GPH fuel sipping TH-57.. but very capable and the AF felt strongly not to train it's pilots on the TH-67 or UH-72 Lakota

 

[mad dog]

The Huey had made it final exit from the training command by the early 80's.

But didn't they keep the Huey sims around for quite a while longer? While I was in VT-2 in 1986/1987...I thought I remember some fellow Q Rats who were in the HT's at that time talking about doing syllabus work in the Huey sims.

 

[ChuckMK23]

@mad dog Yes! I did in fact do my HT BI's as a student in the H-1 sims. Old school analog computer sims.

 

[Pags]

The Huey had made it final exit from the training command by the early 80's.

Interestingly though the USAF does all helicopter training in the Huey II - these aircraft are spotless, immaculate, and very high performing trainers - complete LCD based cockpit, full IFR capability, full autos, and tactically capable. The USAF delivers a much more combat ready pilot at the end of training - and this makes sense given that the majority follow on path is HH-60G Pave Hawks or CV-22B AFSOC Ospreys.

Granted it's no 30 GPH fuel sipping TH-57.. but very capable and the AF felt strongly not to train it's pilots on the TH-67 or UH-72 Lakota

How do you define "tactically capable?"

 

[ChuckMK23]

How do you define "tactically capable?"

Well I am told the AF UPT helo syllabus combines a lot of what we would do at FRS - and combine that with an aircraft that many agencies are using operationally - I think that's what i was trying to get across. They (AF) have been wildly successful with TH-1H Huey II - perhaps @busdriver can comment

 

[Pags]

Ok, makes sense. I wasn't sure if you meant the above or something more along the lines of you could take them to war in a pinch (modern ASE, operational avionics, weapon mounts, etc).

Id guess doing tactics earlier works for the AF because they have such a small/homogeneous RW community. I can't imagine the sea services getting a lot out of more advanced tactics syllabus at the HTs because the follow on warfare areas and tactics vary so wildly between the USN/MC/CG.

I still think you could make a good case for a DoD wide joint H-60 type rating course. Everyone flies trucked 60s to get your NATOPS/whatever qual and then off to community specific systems delta training and tactics training.

 

[Randy Daytona]

I think the 407GX is an excellent candidate for a one aircraft solution - wondering @Randy Daytona how the full auto profile is?

The 407 is a fantastic machine but it is not single pilot IFR capable (yet) - hence does not meet one of the Navy's main requirements. If Bell decided to make a full IFR version, then it would be a serious contender. The 407GXP has superseded the 407GX...

Autorotation characteristics are more realistic to fleet machines (low inertia rotor system). Hydraulic boost off is doable but very stiff due to elastomeric bearings in the rigid rotor system - but the Bell is flyable without hydraulics. The EC-135 has dual hydraulics but if you lose them, you are dead (like any other fleet helicopter.)