H-1 Helo questions

[coreymiller1]

cobra or huey pilots around?

just wondering if there were any cobra or huey pilots on here. if so do you like/dislike having a crew or not onboard?

 

[skidkid]

yes. dont have a crew onboard-just a copilot, yes I like it,

 

[phrogpilot73]

just wondering if there were any cobra or huey pilots on here. if so do you like/dislike having a crew or not onboard?

I'm neither a Cobra nor a Huey pilot (I like women ), but I think I can sum it up for them:

Cobra pilots like not having a crew onboard (except for their copilot of course).
Huey pilots like having a crew onboard.

Skid, am I close?

 

[coreymiller1]

well i figured thats the answer i would get but i was wondering if there were any out there that were a huey pilot that hated having a crew or vice versa

 

[HueyCobra8151]

It would be pointless to be a Huey driver and dislike having a crew onboard, since just about every mission I can think of requires having someone in the back. Except for the highly-accurate rockets, the crew fires the weapons. The aircrew handle PAX/Medivac/CASEVAC and cargo and provide nearly 360 of vision.

A Cobra's mission does not require crew on board because all the weapons and avionics are operated by the pilots.

Two different aircraft with two different missions that require different things.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Except for the highly-accurate rockets

Tee Hee Hee...

 

[Stearmann4]

I was wondering if there were any out there that were a huey pilot that hated having a crew or vice versa

The quality of your back enders can make or break your flight. Some are so intuitive that every action of the crew is seemless. There others that make it a pain in the ass from start up to shut down. Of course, they probably say the same about us.

 

[coreymiller1]

I understand what you're saying HueyCobra but you're not getting what I'm asking. i understand the helos are for separate missions with separate tasks but i was wondering if there were any pilots out there that maybe piloted a huey but were maybe tired of dealing with a crew or something like that.

 

[phrogpilot73]

i was wondering if there were any pilots out there that maybe piloted a huey but were maybe tired of dealing with a crew or something like that.

I doubt you'll find anyone out there that feels this way. The guys that would get tired of dealing with a crew fly jets and Cobras. Those of us that have always flown with a crew would never look back. It makes the job that much easier and rewarding, and it makes for some good bullshittin' during a long flight.

 

[coreymiller1]

So do yall hang out with your crew or do yall keep it strictly business? and, as Marines, do you have quite a bit of interaction with the other services aviation branches?

 

[phrogpilot73]

So do yall hang out with your crew or do yall keep it strictly business? and, as Marines, do you have quite a bit of interaction with the other services aviation branches?

Yes, yes, some.

Yes - we hang out with our crew, especially during dets and cross country's. Also air shows.
Yes - we keep it professional, it's a balancing act and it always will be.
Some - depends on what you're doing, I've planned alongside the 160th SOAR, and have partied with every service.

 

[coreymiller1]

so your not really goin out to bars with them is what your saying? also i dont know if you have an answer to this but my brother said that the only thing that keeps him sane in iraq is just hanging around with his squad. As a sergeant i'm not sure how much interaction he has with guys under him in regards to hanging out playing cards etc. but how much do officers hang out with each other or subordinate folks during deployments? b/c from what i understand all officers get their own rooms correct?

 

[Oh-58Ddriver]

Wow Corey, you have some catchin up to do. But, you're on here asking questions from the right people, so I will give you some credit for that.

Own room? I think not. In our Squadron of 502 people, 11 people have their own room and there are about 130 officers in the Squadron. Only commanders and field grade officers have their own room (I am on the ground in Iraq). But, we are lucky. A lot of people here in Iraq and especially Kuwait live in large tents with 250 of their best friends, on a cot that is 2 feet from another cot on every side - privates and colonels. I cant say I know all the rules of the Navy, but I do know that a good friend of mine that is an O-4 in the Navy has always had a roommate on deployments on the ships.

As for having a crew: I fly the Kiowa, which is a two-pilot attack-recon helicopter. Everything is a trade off. Sure, we could see a little more if we had people in the back, but then we would have to have a larger helicopter which would mean a larger engine which would mean louder noises - hard to sneak up on the bad guys. But, we dont have seats so its a non-issue. We just have avionics and weapons in the back.

As for the crew chiefs: even attack helos have crew chiefs. I have my crew chief's name on the front of my helicopter. In every type of airframe you interact extensively with the guys and gals that fix the birds, whether they fly with you or not.

As for going out to bars...what an odd question. I am curious why you ask. If you are thinking about joining the Army or Navy as a crew chief to find yourself a hot pilot chick then hey, thats understandable...we're irresistable.

I sum it up like this: I drink with all ranks. I get drunk with officers of the same rank. My career has been safe thus far.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I sum it up like this: I drink with all ranks. I get drunk with officers of the same rank. My career has been safe thus far.

Same here... There is a fine line that you walk, and the minute you start calling them by first name, or they call you by first name, etc... Is when you've crossed it. I've bought many a rounds for my crewchiefs. They always called me Sir. No problems.

And I've never had my own room. Best I had it was 4 to a room in Iraq (and it was about 3 times the size of a stateroom on the boat). Worst I had it was 25 to a very small tent with no floor, and no AC, in Iraq in the summer... Thank god it was just a 2 week det.

 

[coreymiller1]

i guess the question might've sounded odd. i was just trying to get at the brotherhood that the military provides you. It is a fraternity's fraternity, as i have heard it put before, especially the Marine Corps. I dunno where i got the idea that pilots roomed alone, probably heard something somewhere and drew my own (wrong) conclusion. I was just wondering what the interactions were like with pilots and other members. all of my family members are enlisted Marine Corps so i always hear story after story of the things they did with their buddies and what not. Appreciate ya'lls input as most posts of mine are met with sarcastic and disappointing replies