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The Official VTOL Threadfest / Helicoters & Tiltrotors
- Thread starter MVI
- Start date
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- bell helicopter helo
Yooper_Bob
Socially Inept
I don't even have an helicopter...
spanky
Well-known member
Many years ago I worked for the Kaman Corporation. Among the products and services they offered was this:
Punkinhead
Well-known member
Watched this guy cropdust a few years ago.
Luftkoph
Active member
I’m not fond of those loud to many moving parts machines, having had to work underneath one in SW Virginia setting 80’ to 100’ poles, not a pleasant experience, especially when the pilot informed us that if his fuel got to a certain level we had 15 seconds to run as fast as we could because he was cutting the load loose, nice fellow, of course these sites where all on the side of a steep hill.
the whirlybird looked something like this old jalopy.
the whirlybird looked something like this old jalopy.
scottcolbath
Member
Actually I was long before flying Helicopters.So, you were a forklift operator?
S.C.
JimVonBaden
Kool Aid!
Old work pics.
Bearcat
Well-known member
Circa 1988, CH-47B heading east back to the barn to be inducted into the CH-47D program.
Circa 1992 -1993. CH-47D, Working with the Coast Guard on Tatoosh & Barrows Islands. The aircraft was too big to fit on the helo pad without hitting the light house! USCG outstanding folks to work with.
Haiti 1995, me a CH-47 flight engineer after a dust landing. We would brown out the entire village, you had one shot to get in! Otherwise spin a few laps and try again in 10 minutes, then there's that fuel critical thing.
My last flight Dec 2020 before retiring. I requested pilots that where former flight engineers, an all FE crew so to speak, my people. They gave me a watercannon salute as we taxied onto the ramp. The guys choked me up with that one. The entire facility was lined up as we taxied in and shut down for the last time. CH-47 Chinook A,B,C,D & F, I was blessed with a great career and was surrounded by the best people you could ask for.
Circa 1992 -1993. CH-47D, Working with the Coast Guard on Tatoosh & Barrows Islands. The aircraft was too big to fit on the helo pad without hitting the light house! USCG outstanding folks to work with.
Haiti 1995, me a CH-47 flight engineer after a dust landing. We would brown out the entire village, you had one shot to get in! Otherwise spin a few laps and try again in 10 minutes, then there's that fuel critical thing.
My last flight Dec 2020 before retiring. I requested pilots that where former flight engineers, an all FE crew so to speak, my people. They gave me a watercannon salute as we taxied onto the ramp. The guys choked me up with that one. The entire facility was lined up as we taxied in and shut down for the last time. CH-47 Chinook A,B,C,D & F, I was blessed with a great career and was surrounded by the best people you could ask for.
Do any flying in southern Afghanland in 2019?Circa 1988, CH-47B heading east back to the barn to be inducted into the CH-47D program.
Circa 1992 -1993. CH-47D, Working with the Coast Guard on Tatoosh & Barrows Islands. The aircraft was too big to fit on the helo pad without hitting the light house! USCG outstanding folks to work with.
Haiti 1995, me a CH-47 flight engineer after a dust landing. We would brown out the entire village, you had one shot to get in! Otherwise spin a few laps and try again in 10 minutes, then there's that fuel critical thing.
My last flight Dec 2020 before retiring. I requested pilots that where former flight engineers, an all FE crew so to speak, my people. They gave me a watercannon salute as we taxied onto the ramp. The guys choked me up with that one. The entire facility was lined up as we taxied in and shut down for the last time. CH-47 Chinook A,B,C,D & F, I was blessed with a great career and was surrounded by the best people you could ask for.
Bearcat
Well-known member
No, but you probably knew some of the younger guys that came from here, small community. By that time I was a DA civilian. I had retired from the Reserves years earlier. I was in Iraq '03-'04 though. I was a former FI and still had my records. The unit was deploying and they had no FE's left to do maintenance & training flights for the aircraft at home station.
A coworker and myself, dinosaurs, volunteered to get pulled out of the bone yard, passed a flight physical, spooled back up on D & F models, took a check ride and were back! Simply amazing, few people get a second chance to relive their youth like that. Plus I got to share some old school techniques to some young soldiers just starting the program.
It was the proudest time of my career, gotta finish strong. We joked about the movie Space Cowboys and how it fit us. There's also a reason you don't see many 55+ year old FE's out there!
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