Yeah, there is almost zero visual reference from the cockpit for fwd spot VERTREP. It’s sporty in good weather, not for the faint of heart!
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The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery, Troisième partie: la vengeance!
- Thread starter SynixMan
- Start date
A couple of months ago I mentioned doing forward VERTREP on the very ship you were on (it would have been the deployment before you got there, I think). It's not that bad with the launcher gone, you just have to watch the tailwheel and the lifelines. It can still be beneficial if the flight deck is fouled.
hlg6016
A/C Wings Here
Something, Something, Be a good wingman.
As a qualified Deck Safety Officer, I must protest that forward VERTREPs give me the heebie-jeebies. 😬
Honestly, I'm sure it has it's uses but I would say it's something reserved for when you absolutely need it such as the flight deck or hangar bays being on fire like the Sammy B or when doing mass CASEVAC. One thing I always wondered, can you do simultaneous VERTREPs with one helo forward and one back aft?
This was a thing with the old CGNs if memory serves.
Sure. It's no different than two helos doing VERTREP from the same deck. It actually could be easier since there's some separation.
The ship would just need the manning for it (LSE and FD crew).
Went looking to see if there were any pics of VERTREPs to the forward station. Didn't find any but did find this nugget: mockup -60B on OHP's flight deck to test deck handling. I imagine this might have been when it became apparent the aft capstan/cleats would be way too close to the tail rotor for anyone's comfort, thus the "Long Hull" mod.
Here you go…Went looking to see if there were any pics of VERTREPs to the forward station. Didn't find any but did find this nugget: mockup -60B on OHP's flight deck to test deck handling. I imagine this might have been when it became apparent the aft capstan/cleats would be way too close to the tail rotor for anyone's comfort, thus the "Long Hull" mod.
HSC-7 to USS Gettysburg circa 2013.
The long hull mod also allowed for the addition of extra ASW equipment and an aft BDS, IIRC.Went looking to see if there were any pics of VERTREPs to the forward station. Didn't find any but did find this nugget: mockup -60B on OHP's flight deck to test deck handling. I imagine this might have been when it became apparent the aft capstan/cleats would be way too close to the tail rotor for anyone's comfort, thus the "Long Hull" mod.
Sounds right. I cruised on one of the last surviving Short Hull OHPs - it was also the last USN H-2 deployment (HSL-84). The Short Hulls that didn't get the mod were relegated to CrackPacs and the like by the end of the 90s.
Here's a link to one of them.
Looking at your picture, you can see there's not RAST tracks or tail guide wire ports, either. When I look at what they're doing and where they have the bird, it looks like they may be trying to figure out the limit for twisting of the tail. It wasn't uncommon for the tail to hang out over the nets if you ended up in a weird position in the trap.
The short hull FFG-7s originally didn't have RAST, though I think some of them were retrofitted with it later. The one I first cruised on didn't, and didn't have an LSO station either. When I later deployed on SBR, it was interesting noticing all the differences that came with the Long Hull design.