If you don't mind me asking (and if it's OK to share) what was the nature of the problem?Ch-53K was designed to cruise at 150KIAS. So the flight test failure at 1:20 was a bit of a surprise. They found the problem and are rectifying it
I don't know the technical details but it had to do with airflow to engine inlets and it was an airframe vs engine assembly issue. Apparently th kind of issue that engineering test flights are designed to uncover.If you don't mind me asking (and if it's OK to share) what was the nature of the problem?
He did say he was a DH . . . takes one to know one.PHRASING!
I don't know the technical details but it had to do with airflow to engine inlets and it was an airframe vs engine assembly issue. Apparently th kind of issue that engineering test flights are designed to uncover.
Interesting I also learned the Army funded us to demo the GE-38 in the CH-47F and hopefully displace the T-55.
Thanks for the info. A Chinook with those engines will be a monster. How much will the max gross weight go up? If I remember, Chinooks are somewhere north of 55,000 pounds.
Then 60A frankenhawks at HAATS are pretty sweet too. 12.5k with no gas, 701D engines! Hovering at 6500' IGE at 59% with 4 onboard. We never got up to speed because, well...we were at HAATS. 6500' is the lowest place we flew/landed. We spent most of the time between 9500' and 14,000'.Upper 160's in a clean, trucked SH-60F with new engines on a cooler day was doable. Probably because it had no wings, no FLIR, no extended pylons, no tanks, etc. Short of the ~14.9k-lb UH-60Ls at TPS, a trucked Foxtrot is the most fun I've had flying a -60.
Now, the CH-53K is a tech marvel - full fly by wire and autopilot. NO outdated mechanical/hydraulic linkages from cockpit to flight controls. Simply fiber-optic cables.
The CH-47F is a really nice design but has outdated CRAP Allison T55 engines. We are running a demo program to move the CH-47F to the superior GE-381B engines - same as what will power the CH-53K.
Now, the CH-53K is a tech marvel - full fly by wire and autopilot. NO outdated mechanical/hydraulic linkages from cockpit to flight controls. Simply fiber-optic cables. It's a true next gen aircraft in every respect. Will easily be able to compete with the CH-47F in lift. Also the CH-53K will cruise at 170 Kts. Chinook can't match that....