Aircraft General Discussion

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

It's Chinooks that pay my mortgage!

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Whichever theory holds good for 'fling wings' committing aviation, it's reassuring that they do!! This one was a bit special – a 'demo' for the Boss herself!

rgds

Bill

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

A group of soldiers once told me they did not like the Chinook, why I asked, because, they replied, its an aircraft that can have an accident with itself, Sir.

John

[Brian HParticipant @brianh50089]

I used to work for a company that produced parts for the Apache and Merlin etc.

One we had a visit from a designer at Westlands and he admitted that "you wouldn't get me up in one of those"!

We were all slightly worried after that and even more careful than usual.

Brian

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

I think helicopters and parachutes are for emergency use only, if you are being flown to hospital in a helicopter then you are already on a bit of a wobbler, if your aeroplane is on fire a parachute is probably better than being barbecued.

Mike

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Posted by John MC on 16/06/2018 07:44:24:

A group of soldiers once told me they did not like the Chinook, why I asked, because, they replied, its an aircraft that can have an accident with itself, Sir.

John

I imagine the hundreds/thousands who have had their lives saved by the Chinook over the years would have a markedly different opinion.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Didn't the original chinook have rotors that would clash if the drive shaft failed but the uk ones will miss each other? I imagine you stil have a problem if the shaft fails as the rotors contra rotate to balance each other's torque but maybe you can glide as long as the rotors are intact, but if they smashed each other then you are going straight to the scene of the crash.

Mike

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

I flew in helicopters to and from work offshore for 40 Years. I hated them most when I was outbound and only hated them slightly less when I was homeward bound. The one time I was flown off sick, to be honest I couldn't have given a damn if we made it back or not I was in so much pain.

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

Chinooks……

1 rotor eh, prob glide like a brick………mmmmmmm

depending which 1 (front or back) make the difference between a left or a right crash………

how many have we got stored with the wrong electronics………

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

My flying was evenly split – 3000 fixed wing, 3000 rotary. Started rotary on the Sycamore and, ultimately flew on all the military types up to the Seaking plus the Kaman Husky (not Merlin or Chinook). Personal favourite was the Whirlwind. Fixed wing Valetta, Beverley and Devon. Our Valettas were grounded at one point 'cos one folded its wings due spar failure. Lost a few mates through the years but that comes with the territory and statistics still tell us that flying is much safer than road travel. Last Sunday I did a 400+ mile round trip to the South and observing the Great British Driving Idiot in action emphasised the truth of that!

rgds

Bill

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

I live quite near to RAF Odiham, the home of the Chinooks, noisy on the outside with all that downwash, but surprisingly quiet on the inside. Ceilings take a lot of hammering. On their regular flight path east as they navigate along the railway towards London.

 

Edited By KWIL on 16/06/2018 15:21:00

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Posted by clogs on 16/06/2018 14:07:35:

Chinooks……

1 rotor eh, prob glide like a brick………mmmmmmm

depending which 1 (front or back) make the difference between a left or a right crash………

how many have we got stored with the wrong electronics………

You are a bit behind the times on that one. All of those were released into mainstream service a while back.

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

thanks Jon L…….afraid I live in the boonies……..

nobody is more happier than me……it's just a shame the suit's couldn't get it right in the first place…….

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Easy to fly as the classic vid shows…

pgk

[Barnaby WildeParticipant @barnabywilde70941]

It's 2018 . . . Where's my flying car?

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

Posted by Jon Lawes on 16/06/2018 12:40:25:

Posted by John MC on 16/06/2018 07:44:24:

A group of soldiers once told me they did not like the Chinook, why I asked, because, they replied, its an aircraft that can have an accident with itself, Sir.

John

I imagine the hundreds/thousands who have had their lives saved by the Chinook over the years would have a markedly different opinion.

Army gallows humour, hope it doesn't offend.

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Posted by John MC on 16/06/2018 18:47:54:

Posted by Jon Lawes on 16/06/2018 12:40:25:

Posted by John MC on 16/06/2018 07:44:24:

A group of soldiers once told me they did not like the Chinook, why I asked, because, they replied, its an aircraft that can have an accident with itself, Sir.

John

I imagine the hundreds/thousands who have had their lives saved by the Chinook over the years would have a markedly different opinion.

Army gallows humour, hope it doesn't offend.

No worries, as always the sort of thing that is said face to face in the pub is a lot easier to judge than things said on a forum with the sterility of an online message! You miss all the nuances of expression and intent. No offence taken, just a knee jerk reply from me.

Jon.

[Dave Smith 14Participant @davesmith14]

'Didn't the original chinook have rotors that would clash if the drive shaft failed but the uk ones will miss each other? I imagine you stil have a problem if the shaft fails as the rotors contra rotate to balance each other's torque but maybe you can as long as the rotors are intact, but if they smashed each other then you are going straight to the scene of the crash.'

Nothing has changed. The chinook design has not fundamentally changed since it was first conceived in the '60's (we are on 'F' models now). The front and rear rotor are still linked by a combining shaft and phased to miss each other very similar to the meshing of gears. If you break the shaft or have a gearbox failure (The reason they were removed from civilian use many moons ago) you loose the phasing on the rotors and they will hit each other. So autorotation is only possible if the rotors are still connected. If a phasing the failure happens above the height where a vertical impact is survivable i.e. just above the ground, the crew are dead, brutal as that. By the way one chief engineer of an operator I worked with refused to fly in any helicopter unless he could see land! In 35 years of working with helicopters I never ever flew in one, perhaps that why I am enjoying retirement now.

Dave

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

That's a bit worrying Dave, I live under the approach path to RAF Benson and Chinooks are regularly over.

Mike

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Flying low and fast in a military Chinook (below tree top height) was fun. I had an M60 machine gun to hold onto and a harness. A bit noisy though.

Just had this flying around the local area for a few days, low enough to rattle the windows it seemed to be undertaking some kind of survey as it had a bit of kit attached to the starboard side.

* Danny M *

[colin wilkinsonParticipant @colinwilkinson75381]

The best book I ever read about Vietnam and helicopters is Chickenhawk by Robert Mason. When I had a motorcycle shop in the 60s, not far from Burtonwood airbase, I became friends with a helicopter pilot and his crew chief who had done three tours in Vietnam. Scary stories. Colin

[Anonymous]

There's been quite a lot of heavy metal activity this weekend. Just seen a Spitfire fly over the bungalow at about a 1000 feet heading north. Pointy wingtips so presumably a later mark. It's just past over again heading the other way, and doing a barrel roll for good measure.

Andrew

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Andrew,

Shuttleworth had an evening airshow so was busy during the afternoon, we had two Spitfires over Bolnhurst Vintage rally one being the museums clipped wing Spitfire over in the afternoon.

Martin P

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

Posted by colin wilkinson on 17/06/2018 06:58:51:

The best book I ever read about Vietnam and helicopters is Chickenhawk by Robert Mason

Fantastic book. So disarmingly honest; utterly engaging.

[Anonymous]

Posted by martin perman on 17/06/2018 21:34:51:

Shuttleworth had an evening airshow so was busy during the afternoon, we had two Spitfires over Bolnhurst Vintage rally one being the museums clipped wing Spitfire over in the afternoon.

Interesting, I saw three more Spitfires this afternoon, at least two of which were different, but heading north rather than west. Plus one Tiger Moth, which was heading west.

Blimey, didn't think Bolnhurst was big enough for a vintage rally, unless it's grown a lot since I was a kid.

Andrew

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