10K…that’s like teenage years in most helicopters! I’m surprised at how quickly they can shut it all down.
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Random Griz Aviation Musings
- Thread starter Griz882
- Start date
That's a fairly common number. SLEP usually happens around 5K, with an extension to ~8-10K based on periodic inspections. The Block 0 and Block .75 Bravos were extended out to 12K if they still had life in them and anyone wanted them. By the late 2000's as Romeo started coming online, there were a surplus of Block .75s so the only place that still flew the Block 0s was -60 or Pax.
Interestingly, the Block 1s were the ones that were at end-of-life earlier because they were deployed more since they were shooters.
The Block 0 that I took to the Boneyard was in the ~11K range. The airframe was fine, but the only thing on the mission systems that worked was the Tape Handling Package and the MPD.
It would be interesting to know where the weak points are on a -53E. For the -60s, it's the drag beams and the Tranny support beam (my words...I forget the actual thing it was called).
Interestingly, the Block 1s were the ones that were at end-of-life earlier because they were deployed more since they were shooters.
The Block 0 that I took to the Boneyard was in the ~11K range. The airframe was fine, but the only thing on the mission systems that worked was the Tape Handling Package and the MPD.
It would be interesting to know where the weak points are on a -53E. For the -60s, it's the drag beams and the Tranny support beam (my words...I forget the actual thing it was called).
Likely the 308 beam or the bridge, but that changed after the 308 reinforcement around 20 years ago on the S. R probably has different issues. IKE can give a better rundown.
R44 helo vs high radio tower in Houston. Did not go well....
https://www.wfaa.com/.../285-64f2ce28-2eeb-445d-b3cd...
https://www.wfaa.com/.../285-64f2ce28-2eeb-445d-b3cd...
Looks like good, clean fun!
Not sure what the pilot was doing…the tower was lit properly, noted on charts, and all else. I’d be a bit more forgiving had he hit a wire…but he hit the tower head on. I am sorry for those flying as passengers.
This link clearly shows one light working, but another local video shows two lights operational as the helo hits the tower.It looks like the tower's lights weren't working, but it was NOTAM'd.
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Oof. Yeah.
So story time-
Flying FLCPs in the mighty Goshawk at Kingsville, I can remember there was this offshore oil platform that on a dark night might look like your interval, and students would make aggressive moves in the pattern to avoid what they thought was an impending midair. I also remember my buddy trying to merge with the balloon over south Texas on early BFM flights. We'd all get a good laugh, and our IPs would give us the lesson that our brains will lie to us.
I'm not sure what this guy's brain was seeing, but it obviously wasn't registering that he was flying right at a tower. Very sad.
Flying HEMS in the 90's - pre-NVG. Towers were considered a huge threat and we lived by VFR Sectional Maximum Elevation Figure. Saved my bacon on countless dark night ops.
Maybe shooting at the wake while letting the boat turn into them instead of a stern chase? Although I could be wrong, I imagine the coaxial rotor design would make for a very stable gun platform.
Late addition….apparently a KA-29 was also shot down by a USV that day.
Russian Navy Ka-29 Assault Helicopter Downed Amid Massive Ukrainian Drone Attack
The helicopter was shot down as Ukraine sent scores of drones to strike Crimea and Russia's Krasnodar region on targets ranging from oil facilities to an airfield.
www.twz.com
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