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Selecting the MH-53
- Thread starter kaiangel
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You can do the math - look at the rather few number of HM squadrons that operate that aircraft - and HC-4 of course.
The MH-53E series is a maintenance intensive aircraft - always has been since day one. When I was an instructor at HT-18, my peers who felew 53's typically had the lowest flight time - The number of squadron pilots to avaoilable/flyable aircraft was high so people were always scrambling to even make their 100 hours/year.
Your best bet is to track towards an H-60 - HC, HS, HSL. HM will go away since the MH-60S will pick up the mine mission and the HC and HS communities will merge with the HSC concept.
If I had it to do over again I'd go HS. All the action is around the carrier - your best bet of seeing combat and tracking career wise is being deployed with a squadron where you can be in contact and visable to your senior leadership. The whole Det concept is really not good for getting ahead IMHO. Also HSL and HC are less likely to be actually deployed in a combat environment.
My two cents...
The MH-53E series is a maintenance intensive aircraft - always has been since day one. When I was an instructor at HT-18, my peers who felew 53's typically had the lowest flight time - The number of squadron pilots to avaoilable/flyable aircraft was high so people were always scrambling to even make their 100 hours/year.
Your best bet is to track towards an H-60 - HC, HS, HSL. HM will go away since the MH-60S will pick up the mine mission and the HC and HS communities will merge with the HSC concept.
If I had it to do over again I'd go HS. All the action is around the carrier - your best bet of seeing combat and tracking career wise is being deployed with a squadron where you can be in contact and visable to your senior leadership. The whole Det concept is really not good for getting ahead IMHO. Also HSL and HC are less likely to be actually deployed in a combat environment.
My two cents...
I am a USMC CH-53E crewchief and have to say that it is the best rotary wing aircraft that we have as of yet. I have taken this aircraft to two different conflicts with little or no problems. I can briefly speak for the MH-53E because I was attached to HMT-302 when the MHs were there and became a MH-53E qualified crew chief. I did many Functional Test Flights (FCF) on them as well as maintenance. I believe that it all comes down to how well your maintenance department is run. As for the aircraft, it is nice to have power. You may find yourself in a situation one day and all that power available will be the only thing that will bring you home to the ship. That is something that our brother and sister aircraft cannot say. I have heard that mine countermeasure can be pretty repetitious but then again so are allot of other things. If you get 53s, don't worry you will be happy. Semper Fi!
Oh, we get deployed in a combat environment....it's just that usually nothing more than that happens.
I don't know if I completely agree w/ your DET concept/getting ahead statement, but you have a good point. The other communities don't quite know what to make of it. As it turns out though, "everyone" will be going that route, since HS and HSL will eventually get merged to HSM, and det out from the carrier, unless you're part of an expeditionary squaddron, in which case you support the gators.
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