Playing with helicopters

Grant Lamontagne · **on:** April 19, 2012, 04:07:39 PM

This is my job for today, and probably tomorrow as well- hanging out while a bunch of techs ready these old helicopters for transport. We'll be hauling the masts out later with a crane then lifting the whole thing onto a flatbed for the rest of their trip across the country.

Pretty cool stuff so far. These are pretty nose heavy so it's neat to see them tip forward when the crane lifts them.

Def

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Mike, Lord of the Spammers! · **Reply #1 on:** April 19, 2012, 09:28:34 PM

Are they Puma's

Makes a change from cars at least

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #2 on:** April 19, 2012, 10:02:59 PM

Why does everyone think all I do is cars? I do any and all cargo, and I only do cars about once a week.

Def

derekmac · **Reply #3 on:** April 20, 2012, 01:50:47 AM

Helicopters are pretty cool! Have you ever had a chance to go up in one? I got to fly in a Cormorant once and it was fantastic.

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Chain Gang · **Reply #4 on:** April 20, 2012, 04:08:08 AM

I haven't been in a helicopter since Viet Nam.No real desire to get in another one.When I was Director of Ops at an airport a Russian Hind D assault helicopter landed and I thought,"WTF".It turned out to be a captured helo that the Army was using for war games.Still had all the Russian markings and the red stars.Even the instruments was still in Russian.They put tape with the translation above every instrument.That was super cool.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #5 on:** April 20, 2012, 04:10:14 AM

Yes I have, but not for many years.

One of the places I lived while growing up was a small air force pilot training base in Manitoba called CFB Southport. Each year they had quite the airshow, which was amazing considering the base only had about 300 families on it. Anyways, each year they gave rides in small Beechcraft (which we called Sundowners) and Jet Rangers (which we called Dragonflies) to the families of military personnel.

I've never flown in anything like the helicopters I was working on today.

Quote from: Mike, Lord of the Spammers! on April 19, 2012, 09:28:34 PM

Are they Puma's

Makes a change from cars at least

Super Puma actually.

Def

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #6 on:** April 20, 2012, 05:13:06 AM

I've loved helicopters since I was tiny. Even now, they are one of the few pieces of technology that truly amaze me. I spent 6 years active duty Air Force and never got to go up in one stinkin' AF aircraft.

However, stationed on Scott AFB, I did get to see a lot of corn. $:-\$

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #7 on:** April 21, 2012, 03:25:07 AM

We have three loaded now, two more to go, but the last ones won't even arrive here until Monday.

It's one of those jobs that are kind of neat- these were built for the French Air Force, bought by a charter company in the UK where they served most of their time, then were bought by a US based company and imported to Canada to be retrofitted before being leased to another company in the Middle East.

Plus at this point in their journey they have come off a ship and are being transported across the country by truck. The issue is that they are overheight on the trailers, so the masts had to be removed to drop them under the 14 foot max. I've never seen a mast and transmission pulled from a Super Puma, and now not only have I seen it done three times in two days, I'll be seeing it done at least two more times.

Quote from: Chain Gang on April 20, 2012, 04:08:08 AM

I haven't been in a helicopter since Viet Nam.No real desire to get in another one.When I was Director of Ops at an airport a Russian Hind D assault helicopter landed and I thought,"WTF".It turned out to be a captured helo that the Army was using for war games.Still had all the Russian markings and the red stars.Even the instruments was still in Russian.They put tape with the translation above every instrument.That was super cool.

I'd love to go up in a Hind. That's one of those "WTF were they thinking?" type designs that the Russians are so famous for.

Just as much offensive power as an Apache gunship, plus a team of Spetznaz in the back!

Def

Chain Gang · **Reply #8 on:** April 21, 2012, 06:23:17 AM

Rambo and the kids in Red Dawn were always getting chased by the Hind.

nuphoria · **Reply #9 on:** April 21, 2012, 03:11:12 PM

How exciting

I'd love to go up in one even though I am mildly terrified by the idea

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #10 on:** April 21, 2012, 05:06:45 PM

Helicopters and bumblebees disprove physics every day!

They say you are safer in a helicopter than in a fixed wing craft. If the engine dies in a fixed wing craft the momentum carries you for a bit, and hopefully you have a chance to slow that momentum down smoothly. Even so, you are riding in a torpedo. In a helicopter the rotor blades Contra rotate and spin so fast on the way down that they create a cushion of air to land on. Also not pleasant, but quite survivable.

Def

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