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Helo career info

Matty Morocco

Well-Known Member
My question in my head was more "Does the CMV-22B have a tailhook" (despite the fact that the V-22 has enormous rotors and clearly can't land like a plane) but it came out poorly. I had read several of those articles but not the one posted by hscs, but I suppose it's more of an unspoken answer because no article is going to say explicitly, "This plane does not have a tailhook." Anyway, thanks for pointing me in the right direction so eloquently.
 

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
My question in my head was more "Does the CMV-22B have a tailhook" (despite the fact that the V-22 has enormous rotors and clearly can't land like a plane) but it came out poorly. I had read several of those articles but not the one posted by hscs, but I suppose it's more of an unspoken answer because no article is going to say explicitly, "This plane does not have a tailhook." Anyway, thanks for pointing me in the right direction so eloquently.

It does not have a tail hook, but it certainly can land like an airplane, and probably will on a CVN on occasion. The nacelles are just at 75-deg or above.
 

Randy Daytona

Cold War Relic
pilot
Super Moderator

...its power module—at 9,350 pounds when inside a storage container, it is the engine’s heaviest and bulkiest component—is both too heavy for smaller vertical replenishment (VERTREP) platforms such as the MH-60 helicopter, and too large to fit inside the C-2, leaving the only options being a heavy VERTREP with a H-53 or V-22.

The article did leave out civilian vertrep which flies off of the USNS ships.

That weight is at the very top end of the the Eurocopter AS-332L (big brother to the older AS-330J's that are currently doing vertrep.)

Eurocopter_Cougar.jpg


1200px-GFS_Super_Puma_on_USS_Mobile_Bay.jpg


And finally, there is the master of all vertrep, the tandem rotor BV-107. When stripped down by Columbia for logging, it can sling 10,000+ lbs - and that is using 1400 HP engines. The CH-46E's that went to the boneyard have 1800+ HP each.

800px-Boeing-Vertol_BV_107-II_%28Columbia_Helicopters%29_Wellington_%2844%29.jpg


BV107%20Sled%20Tow.jpg


bv107_n6679d.jpg
 

Randy Daytona

Cold War Relic
pilot
Super Moderator
Interesting on the Phrog Photos above - notice the serial numbers on the Columbia helicopter (N6675D) and the Boeing experimental (N6679D) - very close.

And speaking of the Phrog, one of the best helicopter scenes ever in the movies. From You Only Live Twice:

 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
According to the FAA, N6679D is currently registered to Columbia for one of their "107s" (or whatever they call them), so I'm guessing Columbia gathered up a bunch of the Vertol registration numbers for posterity when they STC'ed the airframes.
 

Matty Morocco

Well-Known Member
If anyone is still interested in Helo career info I have a file a 60 pilot gave me regarding just that. It's a couple years old but I can't imagine that much has changed regarding this subject.
 

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ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
According to the FAA, N6679D is currently registered to Columbia for one of their "107s" (or whatever they call them), so I'm guessing Columbia gathered up a bunch of the Vertol registration numbers for posterity when they STC'ed the airframes.
Columbia owns the type certificate for the BV-107 - and manufacture / overhaul components. Same for Boeing 234 Commercial Chinook. It’s a great niche business for them.

Also, aircraft can be remanufactured around nothing more than the data plate - a practice embraced by Jet Ranger and Huey operators for decades ...
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
If anyone is still interested in Helo career info I have a file a 60 pilot gave me regarding just that. It's a couple years old but I can't imagine that much has changed regarding this subject.
I don’t miss the silliness of Detailers and PERS in general -the dumb shit sorting of officers based on some perception of performance.

One of the things I admire about GE is the total elimination of performance reviews, performance ranking, evaluations of all sorts. We recognized the absolute silliness of it all in developing high performing organizations. And both Harvard and Stanford business schools affirmed this fact.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
Also, aircraft can be remanufactured around nothing more than the data plate - a practice embraced by Jet Ranger and Huey operators for decades ...
And the best little secret about it- even the data plate is replaceable!!*



* just as long as it's not at the same time as the rest of the parts
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
And the best little secret about it- even the data plate is replaceable!!*



* just as long as it's not at the same time as the rest of the parts
I hate to say it but that will likely be the TH-57 longevity strategy
 

xcinman

Awaiting my commission in May
This is a thread I started to gain a more sound and structured idea of being a Helo pilot in the military. While I will say I have been relentlessly searching the forum for answers to these questions, I have found very few clear and relevant answers due mostly to the date that the threads were posted. With that being said, my questions are fairly simple. I am currently in a pickle about going Marines or going Navy. If I go Marines, I can start applying now given the chance to attend PLC. If I go Navy I need to wait almost another year to begin the actual application process. To kind of aid in my decision, I have a couple questions that I could some fairly current info on. Yes, these are questions that probably need to be on the back-burner until I get selected, but they are questions in my mind, that I need an answer for before I decide what branch.

1. Given both respective branches for helicopter pilots, I know the respective roles are pretty different, but what is a general timeline for each side in terms of getting flight time and reaching the end of the commitment. If this isn't clear, basically, how many hours in Marines Helo vs Navy helo when the commitment is up. My reason for this question, which definitely shows I am thinking way ahead, is that if I decided to get out after my original commitment, do I or will I have a solid chance at a private sector flying job(not airlines).

2. Given each branch, what are the opportunities like to stay in the cockpit after the initial time commitment? Do you still have a high chance of flying or do they send to a more paper-pushing role?

Thank you for any answers that are provided. These questions are very important in my decision making process, so any help would be much appreciated.
 
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