Army Aviation Digest - Jun 1960

8/12/2019 Army Aviation Digest - Jun 1960

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JUN 196


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'tI uteJ Staitu I l ~ H U fAVIA N D1GESr

EDITORIAL STAFFCAPT JOSEPH H . POOLEFRED M. MONTGOMERYRICHARD K . TIERNEYDIANA G . WILL IAMS

RTICLESPROFESSIONALISM, Capt Joseph H. P oole, InfNO HANDS, CWO Geo rge R Co ll inge, TCALPINE HORROR, Capt Walte r F. J ones, Art yFALCON'S NESTIS THERE A DIFFERENCE? Capt Robert W. Koepp, Armor.PARACHUTE DELIVERY OF PERSONNEL

BY ARMY AIRCRAFT, Capt Athol M. Smith, InfTWX .THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE, Capt Thomas F. Har eTHE PROFESSIONAL ARMY AVIATION MECHANIC,Capt Harvey C. Lohr, Inf .GETTING TO KNOW THE IROQUOISTHE NEW ARMY AVIATION EM MO S STRUCTURE ,Capt Edwar d H. Bauerband , Jr ., TC .MAGNETIC BEARING WITH ADF , Maj Ral ph H. Vohs, InfCRASH SENSE .HARD HEAD - OR HARD HAT.Capt Howa rd L. Hudson, MC

The rofessional

JUNE 196VOLUME 6NUMBER 6

15811121518202325283134

Back Cover

Speak of "The Professional" and a different picture appears inthe mind of every person.To some he is a stalwart figure seen at the operations desk ofan Army, Navy, Air Force, or civilian field. He is remembered forhis ease in filling out a complicated flight plan or asking a particularly shrewd question on en route weather. You knew fromhis attitude he was a PROFESSIONAL.Others think of him as a voice heard giving position reports,always made in a calm, assured manner, brief, but clear in answerto a complicated change in clearance. You knew from his voicehe was a PROFESSIONAL.

A number of individuals visualize someone they have flownwith. Some of his methods and practices may remain with them tothis day. His lack of waste motion, easy familiarity with the aircraft and precision flying, even under adverse conditions, markedhim as a PROFESSIONALTo some of you he may be a personal friend and you knowthe many extra hours he puts into maintaining his knowledgeand state of proficiency. These added personal efforts mark thePROFESSIONAL.To others it is a self portrait, for you qualify and areTHE PROFESSIONAL AVIATOR.

U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLMaj Gen Ernest F. EasterbrooCommandantCol Delk M. OdenAssistant Commandant

SCHOOL STAFFCol Robert H. Schu lzDirector of InstructionLt Col J ack BlohmCO, US A A V NS R egimen tLt Col Jo hn W. Oswa ltCombat Development OfficMaj Mark F. FowserActing Secretary

DEPARTMENTSLt Col Ritchie Ga rrison

TacticsLt Col Oliver S. HelmuthR otary W ingLt Col J ames B. Gregorie, JrAdvanced Fixed WingLt Col Harry J . KernMaintenanceLt Col Thomas J. SabistonPnblications andNon Resident 1nst'ructionLt 01 G. Wilfred J aubertPrimary Fixed Wing

Tht' {". : ; , AIDI\" _ \ J . \ ' J ' 1 ( ) ~ 1)[ ( ; I:S'J'all otri c lal pllhli(,ation of the DepartmPlltthp \ rilly ])lIhlishpd lIlonthl} IIlldpr t islIlH'n ision of tl1< Co mmandant . t . : ; rlll.\ I' ia iOll :-;ch oo\. Th(' missioll of tIl(' l ' . H. _ IDlY .\\ -1.' f l()X DIU I:wr to provide IIIformatiolla ll oppra ional or functional nalun ('OIH I' rning sa fpt} alld aircraft a('cidl ' lIt pn\,plltioltruinillg. maillt pn u llcp . opE-rat lOll s. n 's l 'ar (and dp Il ' lopnH'nt . aviation mp(ii illl' anothl ' r rplat('d (lata .:\t alllls('ript,s, J l h o t o g r a I h ~ :l1lA Fo r m 12.


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onfiden e

PROFESSION LISM

Captain Joseph H Poole InfA L TOO OFTEN we hearthe same old answers tothe reasons for a lack of proficiency, knowledge, or judg-ment.Well, you know how busyI've been lately I just don'thave timeThat landing was a lulu,hey? Of course, you realize Ijust don't get out often enought keep up my proficiency.I didn't know an L-20 wasabove normal gross with fourpassengers, full front, center,rear and tiptanks.I shouldn't have tried tmaintain VFR under those conditions, but I didn't want to getinvolved with filing IFR enroute.No, I'd better not take thatflight; I haven't flown a chopper in two months now.Familiar words? Too oftenwe give lip service to a difficult, time-consuming task andfail to use all of our availabletime and talent t be truly professional. A true professional


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JUNE 1960is a real master of the airways,an aviator who is so good otherswant to copy his methods.His knowledge, judgment, andproficiency make him the confident, assured aviator to whomthe spectacular rarely happens.Why? He is up-to-date in theknowledge required to do thejob and currently proficient,with the resultant judgmentand confidence necessary to seethe job through. He knows hisstrengths and weaknesses; andhe s t r i v e s to eliminate hisweaknesses and improve hisstrong points. He's dedicateda true professional.Too often, when the term

professional is used, t h eimage of a weather-beaten oldaviator with thousands of flying hours and years of serviceas a pilot is conj ured up in themind of the reader. Fortunately the professional ranks include a good number of such

highly experienced individuals.Unfortunately, being weatherbeaten, an old aviator, havingthousands of flying hours andyears of experience o notmake a professional.How can this be? Doesn't experience gained from thousandsof hours of flight qualify theindividual to be called a pro?Regrettably, NO. Experiencealone doesn't make a professional. Young aviators withless than a thousand flyinghours and only a few years inthe program can be and areprofessionals.Other aviators think of theprofessional as the individualwho accomplishes a miraculoussave of an aircraft underparticularly hazardous conditions. Although sometimesjustified, this is not usually thecase. A true pro is seldomcaught in the circumstantialweb which would place him inthe predicament in the firstplace. His ability to avoid thesecircumstances is why you seldom read of him in print. He'sthe individual who consistentlyaccomplishes his job with aminimum of effort, wastedtime, and hazard - throughforesight and prior planning.

Why don't we have a moreprofessional approach? Weeither rationalize that I'm asmuch a pro as any other aviatorI know, or else procrastinateby saying to ourselves, Ishould sharpen up, but I justdon't have time for it. Rationalization and procrastinationare our biggest enemies.

Living proof that they canbe defeated is available in everyArmy A viation unit: thoseaviators who are professionalin spite of these obstacles. Howdo they succeed while othersprocrastinate and find excuses? They adopt the positive

approach. They don't reasonI can't do it because butHow can I doHow can the positive approach be put into practiceGet that proficiency time now

answer the question you hadaloft when you land; read youprofessional journals w henthey arrive; talk t the safetyofficer, tech rep, flight commander when the questioarises; write for informatioyou need immediately. f yodo these things before you leanback in your chair or hustle ofto the club, they're done-mission accomplished.What about rationalizationKeep in mind that excusedon't produce results. In factexcuses don't produce anything-except a twinge oconscience or the ire of youCO Given time, an individuacan come up with valid reasonnot to do anything. To ensuch a habit, firmly make uyour mind t quit making excuses and apply the time gaineto accomplish what you shouldo. You'll discover that the jocan be done after all. Self-discipline is the answer.Once we adopt the positivapproach, how do we go abouachieving our goal of professionalism? How can we be anaviator who is so good thaothers want to copy our methods? What are the basic qualities necessary?Confidence and judgment arthe qualities we need. How canthey be obtained? Throughknowledge and proficiencyKnowledge and proficiencbuild confidence and judgmentThe basic building block oprofessionalism is knowledgeAviation knowledge can bbroken down into three generatypes: original, sustaining, andadvance knowledge.


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Original knowledge is thatat flight schO O I andsubsequent CQurses O fQf such cO'urses does nO tthat the aviatQr has perknO'wledge at that time.

perfect student couldmake such a claim. Certainareas always arise inand leave questiDns instudent's mind. Critiques

every written examinaand flight check for thisery reaSQn. Every flight anaviator makes is alsO an examinatiO'n O f his knQwledge O flight and his aircraft. SeldQmwill he make a flight in whichseveral questions dO not arise.Sustaining knowledge is thatrequired as new aircraft areadded to the inventory, newflight techniques and doctrineare evO lved, and new and revised flight rules and regulatiQns are implemented. Keeping a currently posted JeppesenManual is sustaining knQwledge. Any reinforcement QfQriginal knowledge is sustaining knO'wledge, whether gained Qn a rDutine flight, read inan aircraft handbO'ok, Dr discovered on the annual writtenexam.

In studying these aviatiQnpublica iQns and in actualflight, if you discover SQme-thing that needs improvement,dO something about i t as SQQnas you possibly can. DiscussingyQur PO int over a cup of cQffeewith YDur fellow pilots usuallybrings agreement, but dQesn'tbring abQut needed changes.UERs and letters recQmmending changes aren't too difficultto submit if yO U dQn't wait untilto morrow to do them. ImprO'vements of aircraft, its cO m-ponents, tactical dQctrine, empI 0 Ymen t, ATC prQcedures,Civil Air Regulations, etc.,

aren't brQught about withDUtthe need being made known.Individual suggestiQns play amajO'r rO le in exacting necessary changes in the ArmyA viatiO'n prO'gram.AviatQrs whO are quite cO n-tent to let Qthers turn in theUER Qr suggest changes inSOPs, etc., dQn't realize thatprQfessiO'nalism is a 24-hQur aday prO PO sitiO n. If YO U are nO ta full-time participant in thisvital role Qf the professional,start today. The imprQvementyQU suggest may nQt Qnly benefit you, but all fellO w aviators.There's a great deal O f persO'nalsatisfactiO'n awaiting YO U whenyQur pet prO j ect cO mes intOpractice Qr yQur suggestedchange to the SOP is in use.Advance knowledge is thebugabQO fQr a IQt Qf ArmyAviators. TO O many cries Df,Where can I find it? OnlythQse at Fort Rucker knQw,are heard frO m thO'se in thefield. Advance knO'wledge iseasily O'btained by reading prQ-fessiQnal jO'urnals and magazines. The latest wO rds O n current thought in Army AviatiQnmay appear in your branchpublicatiO'n O r in yQur dailynewspaper. Quotes, frO m theSecretary O f Defense, the ArmyChief Qf Staff, and frQm Research and DevelO'pment groupsare Qften fO und first in a newsrelease. Detailed infO'rmatiQnwill fQIIO W in yQur prO'fessionaljQurnals. If your curiO'sity stillisn't satisfied, write them aletter. YQu'll be pleasantly surprised with the attentiO'n yQUreceive. PersQnal cO'ntact withindividuals newly assigned toyO ur unit is alsO a sO'urce O fadvance knowledge. He maywell have been a project officerfQr a new helicO'pter O r helpedto devise new dQctrine and tactics in Qur ever-changing AviatiQn prQgram.

PROFESSIONALISM

Proficiency is a must fQr theprQfessional. The accumulatiO'nof all available aviatiQn knO wl-edge will not make an aviatora professiO'nal withO'ut actualpractice and adeptness on hispart. PrQficiency is obtained byinstructiO'n and maintained bypractice, practice, practice. Agolf prO is a gO od example O fa prO'ficient person. WithO'utCQnstant practice, he loses hisability. He retains the knowledge but cannot consistentlychannel it into perfQrmance.GO'lfing 0 n c e a week won'tmaintain the high standardsnecessary for tO'urnament competitiO'n-the proof O f his ability. He must practice his knO wl-edge and tone up his judgmentby maintaining his proficiency.This proficiency is a booster ofhis confidence', which is necessary to be a constant winner.

Judgment is obtained byh a v i n g thorough up-to-date3


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JUNE 1960knowledge and proficiency. I tis making a decision and takingappropriate action based upon

the decision. There are threeelements in exercising goodjudgment: ability to maketimely decisions, knowledge onwhich to ' base the decision, andthe proficiency to accomplish it .Too often judgment is built upon faulty knowledge and inadequate proficiency. The resultant poor judgment leads to alack of confidence or false confidence on the part of the aviator. Poor judgment is a primecausal factor of pilot error.Judgment b u i I t on sound,thorough knowledge of theprinciples of flight, weather,navigation, his aircraft andstate of proficiency automatically instill the aviatorwith the confidence needed tobe a professional.Confidence cements our basicbuilding blocks of knowledge,proficiency and judgment intoa solid professional structure.With the many pressures placedupon the modern aviator s capabilities, his. toughest job inmaintaining a professional approach is remaining confident

under pressure. Confidence allows a calm assured approachto any situation arising inflight.With the rapid expansion ofArmy Aviation, the need forhigh professional standards is

mandatory. The professionalArmy Aviator must constantlyevaluate his knowledge of allfields of flight and his currentstate of proficiency, and put inextra hours during the weekand time on weekends and holidays, if necessary, to be trulyprofessional.

The versatility required ofan Army Aviator in maintaining both aviation and branchproficiency is a challenge. Canwe be true professionals inboth fields of endeavor? Bykeeping abreast of the rapidpace in th e. modern-day Army,knowing our true capability inrelation to ground and air environment, and through constantly seeking self-improvement, we can maintain the highprofessional s t n d r d s required. Let s be professional

- - - ~ - - - - - - - C o d e of the Professional A v i a t o r ~ ------------- . . . . . . .My aircraft s my life and the lifeof my passenge1s. It serves me onlyas well as I serve it.I know myself, my true knowledgeand proficiency. I will neve'r placemyse1f in a position which e,xceedsthem.I will always base my confidenceon good judgme'nt derived from myknowledge and state of proficiency.I will never allow false p1ide to impair my judgment.

I will always be a student aviator.I will never be too old or experienced to learn.I will strive constantly .to eliminatemy faults and corr,e'ct my weaknesses. I will never lower my personal standards and accept mediocrity.Only through a deep personal prideand constant striving for perfectioncan I be and remain

- - - - - , . . , . . , . . , . . - - - - - - ~ A PROFESSIONAL AVIATOR- -


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RECENTLY ON A low-levelnight cross-country trainingflight, the pilot casually reached down, picked up his tacticalmap, devoted enough time' toascertain his exact position,made necessary corrections,and arrived at all pickup pointswithout navaids. He safely delivered supplies to a recon unit,picked up wounded personnel,and completed a safe air evacmission to the hospital. Uponarrival at his base after the3-hour flight, he looked as ifhe had just come from theearly movie. Why? Because hisH-34 Choctaw was equippedwith one of Army Aviation'sbest pilot aids, automatic stabilization equipment (ASE).

I had heard about ASE andhad a smattering of knowledgeabout its operation from reading tech manuals and aviationjournals. But I wanted to know

CWO George R Collinge TC

more about it. Why equip Armyhelicopters with ASE? Do thebenefits of ASE outweigh thecost of installation, not to mention the time and training inherent in producing pilots proficient in its use? Is an ASEequipped helicopter safer thanone without it?

Today, I hoped to find theanswers to these and otherquestions. I made an appointment with an instructor in theRotary Wing ra n c h, Advanced Maintenance Division,Department of Maintenance,USAA VNS, Fort Rucker. ThenI scheduled an orientation ridein one of the Choctaws equippedwith ASE.Sitting in the office of theWarrant Officer instructor, Istarted the interview with,Does the weight of ASE impede the load or speed factorsof the helicopter?

No, replied my companion,the extra 50 lbs. weight ofASE is no important disadvantage.Is visibility more limitedwith ASE? I asked.No.Do the ASE control paneland switches pose additionalproblems for the pilot?Again he answered in thenegative.Are they easy to reach anduse?

Yes, he replied. Then heanswered my next query bysaying, Either the pilot or copilot can operate the system.My companion stopped theMr, Collinge is an instruct01

in the Rotary Wing Branch,Advanced Maintena;nce Division,Dept of Maintenance, USAAVNSi e has approximately 800 flighthours in rot IrY wing aircraft.


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JUNE 1960questiDn and answer periQd bysaying that he could sDlve many

f my prDblems if we went Dutto. the airfield and tDDk a IDDkat the equipment.On the way to the airfield Iwas infQrmed that ASE servesas a pilot aid during all types fflying-night, day, Qr instrument. It allQws the pilDt to. flyhelicopters in a cDmplete handsoff cQnditiDn. (Like the pilDtmentiDned on the night flightwho. had plenty f time to perf rm all his pilDting and maneuvering.)Arriving at the airfield, Iglanced in every directiDn fDran unusual looking ChDctaw.Surely ASE must make an H-34bulge or prDtrude somewhere.But IDDking at the neat lineDf 34s, I saw nDthing to indicate the presence Df ASE Dnany f them.On the preflight I nDticedthat my pilDt friend did nDtmake any unusual inspectiDns;everything was checked just asDn any Dther H-34. AlthDughASE might seem expensive, theCDSt Df Dne Dr twO. ChDCtawssaved frDm tDtal destructiDn byuse Qf it wDuld pay for modifying all H-34s in Army AviatiQn.

(A I a t e r c he c k w i t h

USABAAR uncQvered no accident attributable to ASE equipped helicDpters.)After the preflight I asked,"Is there any difference inc 0' c k p i t prDcedures betweenASE and nDrmal helicDpters?"

"Yes, there is," came the reply. "ThDugh not numerous,they are very impDrtant."First, make sure the autostabe circuit breaker is DUt until the generatDr is operating.This prevents excessive drainon the battery."Second, the channel engageswitches must be in the Dn position with exceptiDn f the GOVswitch, which is not used DnArmy H-34s."N ext, after the generator isDperating, push in auto-stabecircuit breaker."NQW can I engage theASE?" I asked."N 0, because there is a timedelay of apprDximately 3 minutes to' allQw erection of thegyro. This delay is impDrtantbecause the gyro is the stablereference f r the pitch and rollchannels Df ASE. YDu'll knDwit's erect when the engage buttDn green light comes Dn andstays on."

t didn't seem like 3 minutesH 34 cockpit showing import nt SE controls

had passed when the pilot said,"O.K. The ASE is engaged.There's Dne other precaution.YQU must have the stick trimin the on pDsition. f the sticktrim is. nDt Dn, the pitch androll channels wDuld go 'ape'nDt Dperate). "From this point I cDuld seethat nDrmal takeDff prDcedures

were fDIIDwed. But what'sth is I dDn't have to have myfeet Dn the pedalsAfter reaching a desired altitude (2,000 feet), airspeed, andheading, the pilDt made necessary pDwer correctiDns to. establish his zerO' rate of climb.He released cyclic stick, tookhis feet off pedals, pressed thebar alt button, sat back andlet his cares go. by Dn thepassing wind.

His Dnly comment, "LookMa, no hands "I t was hard to believe-thehands-Dff flying-the relaxedtime DUt for a smoke and to.study navigatiDnal prDblems.All this, and the pilDt neededto. knDw how to Dperate only 2additiDnal buttons for ASE.In the still air I nDticed thatur altitude remained almDstcQnstant. There was none Dfthat DId business f being at1,800 feet one minute and 2,-300 feet the next. ASE wasmaking the necessary correc

tions to maintain altitude so.quickly they were almDst imperceptible. The eCDnomy Dffuel consumptiDn from normalflight is readily apparent. ASEwill perfQrm at any altitudef r m 1,000 feet to 50,000 feet,regardless of the temperatureor density altitude.Any time after the ASE hasbeen engaged, and the pilot desires to, maintain CDnstant altitude during cruising flight, heneed only apply approximately3 lbs. frictiDn to the collective


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pitch and with a zero rate ofclimb push the barometric altitude (bar alt) hold button.Differential collective pitchsignals will then be introducedinto the collective pitch controlsystem to maintain the altitudeat which the altitude mode wasengaged. Since the throttlecompensating linkage takes itssignal after the ASE and pilotcollective pitch input are com ine d, collective correctionsshould not disturb engine rpm.Power will be adj usted as required within the capabilitiesof the throttle synchronizer.There was no tendency toyaw because the H-34 is equipped with the J-2 compass system which provides navigationindication and directional stability reference fQr the ASE.Direction signals are introducedto the ASE from the J -2 gyrowhenever the ASE is engaged.What would happen if something went wrong? The pilotwas secQnd guessing, becausehe broke into my thQughtswith, ASE has only 20 percent authority-moves flightcontrols thrQugh 20 percent oftravel. The yaw channel can,by means of the yaw Qpen loopspring, exert 100 percent or fullrange Qf travel. This provisionallQws large power correctionswhich normally WQuld exceed20 percent of pedal travel, suchas maximum performance takeoff.This leaves the pilot withthe ability to override controlsat any time, under any circumstances. There's no way forASE to get a pilot into. a predicament that he can't overcome. In fact, he might go. tosleep for lack of anything todo Another built-in safety factor is that ASE works only Qnauxiliary hydraulic system;therefQre, the pilot can alwaysturn the hydraulic system Qff.

Also, the ASE works throughan a.c.-d.c. interlock. If powerfails on either circuit, the interlQck opens and autQmatically cuts out ASE.An emergency auto-staberelease button is incorporatedin both the pilot's and copilot'scyclic stick grip. ActuatiQn Qfeither button disengages allmodes and ASE Qperation. Depressing the engage buttonon the ASE cQntrol panelwill re-engage attitude modeoperation.""One more questiQn. Do weh a v e t o disengage and re engage ASE when we changeheadings ?"

No.. YQU see these smallpedal switches. When I makea large heading correction, Istep on anyone of the pedals.This disengages the yaw channel. Then I set up my headingand as soon as I release thepedal switch, the ASE will lockon the new heading.

Man, I cried, this is easyflying ""FQr a small heading correction, say 5 or 10, the pilotcontinued, I turn the yaw trimknob here on the ASE controlpanel in the direction I wish togo, that's all.""Well, here's Hanchey. Before leaving cruising altitude,let's disengage the altitudechannel by pushing the bar altoff button. NQrmallanding procedures will be followed fromhere until we get ready to shutdown.After landing the firstaction is to push the engagestandby button. This allows allservo motors to recenter, andprevents erratic movement thenext time ASE is engaged.Next, push the ASE releasebutton, located on either thepilot or copilot cyclic stick. Thelast thing is to pull the autostabe circuit breaker. This step

NO HANDSis necessary only i we are going t shut down the aircraft.My friend explained thateven if we are go.ing to flywithout ASE the auto-stabecircuit breaker sho.uld be in toprevent damage to our verticalgyro.Sitting in the cockpit, Qneother question c r 0. sse d mymind, What happens to ASEin turbulence?That depends o.n the degreeof turbulence. In light Qr moderate turbulence, I WQuid onlydisengage the altitude channel," he replied. This channelis not sensitive enough tocounteract the updrafts anddowndrafts. In heavy Qr severeturbulence, I'd disengage allASE channels. Since the ASEhas only 20 percent authority,it would be impQssible fo.r itto. make corrections exceedingthis amo.unt."Before leaving the wonderfulnew world of flight with autQmatic stabilization equipment,I asked if there had been a re cent accident which might havebeen prevented if ASE hadbeen installed and Qperating.

Yes, replied my companiQn. Within the past twomonths an HU-1A pilQt smelledsomething burning during aclimbing turn at 200 feet. Hereached and IOQked up to hisleft to turn o.ff the heater. TheIroquois. assumed a nQsedQwnattitude and the pilo.t was unable to recover befQre impact.The pilot suffered a brQkenleg and hand, and lacerationsof the scalp. The aircraft wasdestroyed. It's entirely PQssiblein this instance that if ASEhad been ins aIled and Qperating the pilQt CQuid have let itcontro.l the aircraft while hetook the necessary time tthorQughly check for the fire."

Wouldn't you like to haveASE on your next flight?


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AlpineHorror

Captain Walter F Jones, Arty

SUDDENLY, there was anexplosion in the engine andI tore my eyes from the fallingoil pressure gauge to see adense cloud of black smokepour from under the cowl. Apiston sailed past the windowand disappeared toward thetail. Frantically, I l ook e daround for a forced landingsite. Two thousand feet below,the snow-capped, rocky peaksof the Alps waited. Sheer rockwalls disappeared into the hazebelow at impossible angles.There was no place to go. Iturned around in the seat, released my safety belt and kicked the door open to bail out.

I t began on a cold, dampmorning in Salzburg, Austria.I awoke with the CQ's flashlight blinding me."Lieutenant ie u tenantWake up, sir ""Huh, huh-what the --?I looked at my watch. "It'sonly 3 o'clock ""Sorry, sir. The CO wantsyou right away.""What's up?""Don't know, sir . The CO

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just told me to wake you andsaid he wanted to see' you r ightaway."I threw the covers back, sat

up and groped for the lampswitch. The CQ left as the lightcame on, and I swung my legsover the side of the bed, rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

I dressed hurriedly, dousedmy face with cold water andwalked out into the cold, blacknight. What could it be? Thewar had bee n over for 10months and they didn't jerkyou out of bed in the middle ofthe night except for a realemergency. A hundred possibilities raced through my mindas I walked across the wet fieldto the operations s hac k. Ipushed open the door and stepped into the lighted warmth.An iron stove glowed in thecorner and I smelled the welcome aroma of fresh coffeefrom the blackened pot on its

lid. The captain, seated behindhis desk, looked up as I approached."Morning, Jonesy. Sorry wehad to ge t you out, but there'sbeen an emergency. Two guysturned over in a jeep at theSwiss border and one of themis pretty well banged up. Doccalled and said he needed penicillin right away. The only wayto get it there fast is to fly it in,and you've been elected."

"Whose ship will I use?Mine's grounded for an enginechange."

"We only have one aircraftthat isn't grounded for one reason or another and it hasn'tflown for over 3 weeks. Thesergeant is preflighting it now.Captain Jones a Senior ArmyAviator is ief EngineeringSection nalysis Research Di-vision U. S . rmy Board forAviation Accident Research.


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If I were you, I'd go over i tpretty thoroughly. The penicillin will be here soon and youhave about n hour before day-light. I told Doc you'd be tak-ing off at dawn. How about acup of coffee?I took an enamel cup from thedesk and poured it full of thesteaming co,ffee. The first sipscalded my tongue, so I firedup a cigarette, walked over tothe wall map and waited for thecoffee to cool. The captain cameup behind me and pointed to atiny dot on th e' Swiss border,approximately 200 miles acrossthe Alps."That's the place. Doc saysthere's a pasture just north oftown where you can land.You'll have to climb to 15,000to clear the mountains."Those mountains are rough.Just looking at them on themap made my stomach turnover. Suddenly, I was very anx-ious to start checking that air-craft. I swallowed my coffeedown and hurried outside.A winking light showed mewhere the sergeant was goingthrough the preflight. As Iwalked forward, I could makeout the dark shape of the plane.A great many wild tales of theaerial shennanigans, pulled inL-5s have been told. Most ofthem are true. For my money,it still ranks as one of the bestaircraft I've ever flown. Withits saucy snub nose and stubbyfuselage, it looked like a bulldog ready to pounce. The powerplant was a 6 cylinder, hori-zontally opposed Lycoming, asdependable as any engine couldbe in those days of sketchymaintenance. I'd be dependingon those 185 horses to pull meacross the AlpsThe sergeant had untied herand pulled the canvas coversfrom cowl and windscreen. He

turned as I approached."How's she look, Sarge?""Abou as well as any gal

you pull the covers off befored y i g h t, sir Everythingseems to be in order, but thisis an unassigned aircraft andthe engine has'nt been fired upfor over 3 weeks. Be a goodidea to run her up lean forawhile and burn the plugsclean.O.K., I want to give her agood going over first. Borrowyour flashlight?"

The sarge handed over hisflashligh t. I pulled the formfrom the map case and leafedthrough its pages. Other thanthe usual carry forward items,it seemed to be flyable. Start-ing with the right main gearand wheel, I went through apreflight my instructor backat Sill would have been proudof.The olive drab surface wascovered with a heavy dew, butthe temperature was,well abovefreezing. We'd been havingclear warm weather up in theday, so the moisture should begone by the time I'd climbed toaltitude.I completed the preflight andclimbed aboard. The s a r g estood by the prop, ready topull i t through a few times before I fired up.

"Switch off, sir ""Switch off 1 I answered

and watched him stretch up topull the high blade downward.He pulled it through about 6times, stood clear and called,O.K., Lieutenant, she shouldfire up now."I checked the fuel selector,gave it several shots. of prime,shoved the mixture forward,ran the throttle through itsquadrant and cracked i t open,flipped on the battery switchand touched the startQr. When

ALPINE HORROR2 blades had gone by, I switchedthe mags on and the enginestarted with a cough. I held thestick in my belly, adjusted thethrottle for 1000 rpm andwaited for the engine to warmup. The oil t e rn p e r a t u r etouched the green and I shovedit up to 1500 rpm, eased themixture back until I got a 25drop and let i t run.I "guesstimated" the time itwould take to clear the plugs,pushed the mixture back to fullrich and checked the mags.Despite 3 weeks of idleness,they checked out within limits;an 85 drop on the right magand about 70 on the left. Ishoved the throttle full openand watched the tachometercreep forward to 2100. Satis-fied the engine would see methrough, I throttled back, shutit down and stepped out."I 'm going up to get my mapsand see if that medicine's comeyet. How about topping off thetanks ?

"Yes sir. Captain said toload two 5-gallon cans of gas .Said you might not be able tofind any where you're going."O.K. Make sure they'relashed securely."

As I walked back toward theoperations shack, the first faintstreaks of gray came over themountains to the east. Dawnwould soon be here and I wasanxious to get started. I hur-ried inside, saw the captainrigging a pocket handkerchiefparachute to a small package.A similar package lay on hisdesk."That the medicine, sir?"

"Yes. You'll be taking 2packages. I'm rigging one witha chute so that you can drop i tin cas,e you can't find a landingspot."I helped myself to anothercup of coffee and looked over

9


12/40

JUNE 1960the maps the captain had prepared. As near as I could figure,the rO'und trip would be about400 miles. I t should be nosweat with the extra 10 gallonsof gas.abO'ard, providing I couldfind a place to land and get it inthe tanksI finished the coffee, foldedthe maps, and took my chutefrom its locker. The captaincarried the 2 packages of medicine and we walked out to theplane. It was daylight now andlooked as though it would be aclear day. At least I'd get abreak in the weather. The ser-geant had finished topping thetanks, and the two extra cansof gas were lashed in the rear.I checked to make sure theycouldn't bounce loose, climbedaboard and started her up.The engine ran fine. I wavedthe chocks away, taxied out tothe end of the strip and linedup. I put down takeoff flaps andopened the throttle. The littleStinson leaped forward and thetail rose, giving me an unobstructed view of the strip. Iheld her down a little longerthan usual, lifted off andbrought her to' climb attitude.At 500 feet, I eased into a gent lebank, turned to a heading of250 0 , leveled the wings andclimbed straight ahead.The air was clear. I couldsee the Alps to my left, andsome 80 miles away I wouldhave to cross them. Inside, thecockpit was warm and comfort-able, but the outside tempera-ture gauge showed a steady decline as I climbed higher andhigher.I leveled off at 15,000 feetand looked down at the steadilyworsening terrain. Soon I wasover the first of the really tallmountains and, as usually happens, the engine went into automatic rough. With no possible10

forced landing sites below, Ilistened to each stroke asthough my life depended on it.t didAn hour later, the highestpeaks were behind me and Istarted a de,scent, checking landmarks closely against the lineon the map. I located the smalltown O n the floor of a relativelyeven valley and saw a pasturestrip to the north. I circled thestrip at 1,000 feet, made a highand low recon and came in forthe landing. The grassy sod

gave me a smooth touchdownand I rolled toward a waitingjeep. A medical corpsman cameforward as I shut off the engine. I gave him the packagesand asked him to stay longenough to help me refuel.We took the 5-gallon cans, afunnel and a chamois from thecockpit. I carefully strainedthe fuel, 5 gallons into eachtank. I checked the oil, foundit all right, got back aboard andstarted the engine. I waved tothe jeep, watched it race awaytoward the village. I taxied tothe spot that would give me thelongest takeoff run, loweredflaps, held the brakes andopened the throttle. At 2100rpm, I released the brakes andthe aircraft leaped forward. Iwas airborne and climbing before I reached the halfwaypoint of the pasture.

This leg of the trip promisedto be a little more tedious thanthe outbound leg. This timeI'd have to climb to altitudeover the valley before I couldpoint the nose home. I keptit at maximum power and madelazy circles for some 30 minuteswhile the altimeter needle slowly crept up to 15,000 feet. ThenI leveled the wings on the homeward course.To avoid looking down atthat awesome terrain, I began

to concentrate more and moreon the few instruments thatmade up the L-5 instrumentpanel: altimeter, airspeed indicator, needle and ball, oil temperature and pressure. As Iwatched, the oil pressure needlebegan to drop. Horrified, Iwatched it sink toward the redline. Engine failure here meantone thing: bail out Next theairspeed indicator eg a n tofluctuate, bounced erraticallyand settled at zero. Fifteenminutes later, it happened.Suddenly, there was an explosion in the engine. I toremy eyes from the falling oilpressure gauge to see a densecloud of black smoke pour fromunder the cowl. A pis ton sailedpast the window and disappeared toward the tail. Frantic-ally, I looked around for aforced landing site. Two thousand feet below, the snowcapped rocky peaks of the Alpswaited. Sheer rock walls disappeared into the haze belowat impossible angles. Therewas no place to go. I turnedaround in the seat, released mysafety belt and kicked the dooropen to bailout. The suddenblast of cold air and the sightof those mountains made mehesitate. Jumping into thoserocky crags would mean almostcertain death. I decided I'd better stick with the aircraft aslong as it would fly.To my amazement, the engine continued to run and theprop was turning over at asteady 1850 rpm. How thiscould be, I didn't know. Surelyit would grind itself to piecesin a very few minutes. I foundmyself hunched forward, everymuscle tense, staring at thetachometer. Sweat poured frommy body and soaked my uniform. I wasn't sure it was allsweat


13/40

After what seemed an eternabout 10 minutes,saw the far side of the mounmoving toward me. I heldgripped the controlsprayed the L-5 over the20 miles. At the edge of

mountain, I looked downthat was the mostsight I had ever seen.afraid to move the throtfor fear it would interruptmiracle that kept the enrunning, so I lowered theose and circled down to theat cruising rpm. I spota long level field and set upstraight-in approach. Whenknew I had the field made, I

losed the throttle, glided intouched down. The aircraftolled to a stop, and I tumbledon all fours.When I stopped shaking, Ialked around to the enginend looked at the cowl. Strangely, it was completely intact.here had that piston comehrough? I jerked open theowl and stared at the engineith unbelieving eyes. All 6ylinders were in their accusomed places and there was abolutely nothing wrongOxygen? This is one Armyviator who'll never be caughtabove 10,000 feet without itagain

IT CAN'T HAPPEN?Some 10 years after CaptainJ ones' experience, a Bird Dog

aviator, fiying over the mountainous regions of the westernUnited States learned a morecostly lesson. This aviator sawthe propeller leave the aircraftand spin away below. He bailedout and considered himself verylucky to escape unharmed froman aircraft which was obviouslycoming apart in midair. Imagine his amazement w hensearchers found the L-19 withpropeller still attached

1The United States ArmyAviation School has startedtraining in the AC-1 (Caribou),an STOL, 3 ton, twin-enginetransport.The AC-1 was delivered to

the combined test activities(T ATSA and the U. S. ArmyAviation Board) during October 1959. TATSA has flowntwo AC-1s over 1000 hours eachto determine maintenance support requirements. The Avia

from the

tion Board performed user tests Current items of interest fromon two aircraft, one equipped the U S Army Aviation Schoolwith anti-icing and deicingequipment plus reversible pro- School has resulted in the compellers. Preliminary informa- pletion of the required ATP,tion indicates the tests were ATT, and detailed plan of test.very satisfactory. The 1st Aviation Co will re-On 2 May the USAAVNS receive four AC-1 aircraft withceived one AC-1, which was eight trained crews on 10 Octutilized for instructor standard- 60. On 17 Oct these crews, orization and the training of ganized under TO E, 1-107Tadditional instructors. Effec- will begin pre-troop test traintive 1 8 June two more Cari- ing under the ATP prepared bybou will be turned over to USAAVNS. After three monthsUSAA VNS from the test activ- of training the unit will unities. Starting 20 June, instruc- dergo the Army training testtors and projects personnel will developed by the Aviationparticipate in a five-week tran- School. In mid-February 1960sition course to evaluate the the troop test will begin underprogram of instruction and the direction of the Infantrypilot prerequisites. On 1 Aug- School. Termination of test isust the USAAVNS will receive anticipated in early May 61.the fourth Caribou, and the The crew training conceptfirst class of AC-1 crews will under which selected personnelstart training. will be trained specifies a crewEarly in 1959 the USAAVNS of three: pilot, copilot andreceived the mission of con- flight crew chief. The entireducting initial transition crew crew will attend classes totraining in the AC-1 Caribou. gether and fly t og e t h e rAdditionally, the school was re- throughout the training. Thequired to prepare an ATP, course will be five weeks inATT, and Detail Planning Test length with a total of 34 pilotfor the AC-1 troop test unit. flight hours.The 1st Aviation Co., Ft Ben- The last of the two troop testning, Ga., was designated as transition classes will finishthe troop test unit and the In- training at Ft Rucker on 7 Octfan try School was given the 60 and depart, taking the fourtask of conducting the test. aircraft with them to be utiCoordination e t wee n the lized in the troop test. TheUSAAVNS and the Infantry CO ntinued O n inside b ck

11


14/40

Safety Flight Safety o the Profe'ssional Army Aviator

NOT UNTIL I was assignedFlight Safety Officer did Irealize how very little I knewabout this additional duty.However, lack of knowledge ona subject is always correctable,so I armed myself with thelatest Army Regulations andseveral reams of material fromthe Aviation School. I diligently scanned the many publications and before long, PRESTO I was completely confused.

I've alway been a slowstarter, so I leaned back, closedmy eyes and tried to visualizejust what I should do. Withinminutes my fertile brain hadchurned out such earth-shaking ideas as erecting a special

2

IS THEREDIFFEREN E

Captain Robert W. Koepp, Armor

bulletin board, posting a fewmore NO SMOKING signs, andpassing on any information Imight receive in the mail.While I was at it I decided itmight be wise to acquaint myself with the preaccident planfor the airfield. The ringing ofmy telephone saved me fromfurther labors of the mind.

"Yes, this is the Safety Officer," I replied. "You say thatyour firemen haven ' t had anysort of an aircraft accidentdrill in over 6 months? Well,Chief, I will sure look into it.My hand was still on the receiver when the phone rangagain."Yes indeed, 'tis he. Whatsa-

?matta with the first aid kits?What am I - a medic? Yeahokay, I'll check on it.I don't know why those jokers called me; I'm the FlighSa f e t y Officer. Now wait aminute - that is rather sillyThe job I have now is to prevent, if possible, accidents involving aircraft and pilots. Buif that is true, n the completmeaning of the word, I shoulalso try to prevent accidents topilots even when they are nowhere near an a i r p l a n e

Capt Ko epp is a special staofficer at Davison AAF Fort Belvoir Va . A Senior Army Aviatorhe is dual rated with over 3 00hours flight time.


15/40

SAFETY - is thereThe mission can-

be accomplished if the pilothQspitalized from an automo-accident any mQre than i tif he crashes on takeQff.interesting - is there a

guess there is nobig difference, so let us

go ahead and use the wQrdto. cover all phasesairfield operations. N Wis easily definable. It is awell actually, it is more likeDoggQned, if I'm nQtagain.I guess safety is one Qf the

cQmplex, misunderstQod,cQnfusing facets of the milin ArmyTo. many i t is har-the continual re-to. preflight the air-use a fire guard, andthe weather. Is all thisEvery pilot checksoil prior t flight - mostthe time.SQme aviators view safety as

bulletin bQard, poster, orslogan. They IOQk atPQsted material because itCQlorful and attracts the eye.read the message, chucklet the cleverness of it, anda cigarette in a "Noarea and go aboutbusiness.Safety insults many pilQts.

of the numerQUS re-the pUblicity of stupidthreats of comsome pilots dig in and"Make me " The apprQacho safety that these individualsmay be improper, butattitudes they now possess

much more dangerous.Why doe s an intelligent,individual so. often disdirectives, statistics,

facts, and the countlessto teach the treachery

of everyday situations? Falsepride is the most IQgical answer.Pride in the assumptiQn that:that other fellow was fQolish; Iam too familiar with my job to.get in trouble; I may make anoccasiQnal small error, but cer-tainly not a fatal Qne.

These egotistical and, frank-ly, stupid thoughts belong to.many men who. are nQrmallymQdest individuals. Even thehard facts and figures thatshQW the victim Qf a recentcrash held these same views do.nQt sway the beliefs of the"Proud One.

The perSQns most receptive to.infQrmatiQn on safety, preacci-dent plans, and the latest"word" are those who havebeen invQlved in an accident;the worse the accident, themQre receptive. Even thesepeQple forget, however, andmany return to. the Qverconfident personalities of an earliertime. This leaves them wideQpen to. a million other accidentPQssibilities because Qf their "itcan't happen to me" attitude.

Let's say that Captain BOQbalways struck a match with histhumbnail, until one day apiece of the match caught under his thumbnail and ignited.Boob would most likely strikehis matches in a different man-ner thereafter. Across thecO. un t ry Captain Stupe, ath umbnail match striker fromway back, reads Qf BQQb s misfortune and shakes his head atthe carelessness involved. In-stead of stQPping to realize thatBQQb was just as much of amatch striking expert as he,Stupe will continue with thethumb bit until he tQQ has asimilar accident. How mucheasier (and less painful) i tWQuid be if Stupe acceptedBQQb s experience as a warning,denied his pride of 20 years Qf

Do you pr ctice uns fe habitsmatch scratching withQut er-rQr, and stopped the unsafepractice.

NQW also., we have the halfand half aviatQr. This guy doeseverything exactly right fromthe time he approaches his air-craft until the time he landsand walks back into. o.peratiQns.He is proud of his persQnalflight safety record - 2,500hQurs and no accidents. T h i ssame guy then jumps into. hissPQrts car, gets it up to 55 mphbefQre he is out Qf the parkinglot and considerably higherthan that befQre he reacheshQme. He leaps nimbly over thesharp picket fence, rushes intothe house and finds he is justin time to help his wife replacea burned out light bulb. He'snot tQQ tall, so. he places asmall bQX and several bQQks ona chair, climbs atQP this pre-cariQus perch and quickly finishes the job. Need I go. on?The unsafe practice Qf snap-rolling a helicQpter at 50 feetis so. Qbvious that the recQrdsshow no. accident Qf this type.

13


16/40

. . for how long

But how about the pilot thatflew through just one tiny cloudon his VFR flight?When an airplane is struckby lightning and explodes during a VFR day, 5,000 feet overa desert with no other aircraftin the area, we bow our headsand try to realize that the goodLord had his reasons. Accidents of this strange varietycover 2 percent of the total (aproverbial 2 percent at that),but what about the other 9percent? The responsibility forthe 98 percent breaks down toevery pilot, mechanic, toweroperator, GCA operator, dispatcher, truck driver, and weather observer that cleans paintoff his hands with gasoline,uses a cotter pin instead of

some prescribed safety wire, ofails to heed a yield sign "j usonce.What is safety? Guess we'have to say that we are safetyEvery thought, deed and precautionary measure aimed apreventing an a c c i de n t i ssafety. Analyzing the mistakeof others and learning fromthose errors is safety. Thright man doing the right jowith the right tool is safetyThe absolute - excuse methere's the telephone again.Hello. Oh, hi Stupe How'the old kid? What? Why canwe take that mission? Oh, see. Burned clear through thth umbnail, you say."Now I ask YOU. IS THEREA DIFFERENCE?

Human Bullet to ddress eromedical SymposiumCOLONEL JOHN P. STAPP,Chief of the Air Force'sAerospace Medical Laboratoryand pioneer in the field of crashinj ury survival , will address theArmy-wide Aeromedical Symposium to be held June 7-9 inPensacola, Fla. Sponsored bythe United States Army Boardfor Aviation Accident Research,the symposium is planned toacquaint staff surgeons andhospital commanders with aeromedical factors in aircraft accidents. Approximately 100Army medical officers and anequal number of staff aviatorsare expected to attend. Subject of Colonel Stapp's addresswill be "Human Tolerance toAircraft Crash Forces.

Colonel Stapp will be remem-

14

bered as the volunteer for 29Air Force rocket sled deceleration and windblas t experiments.During 1954, in the last experiment of this series, he attaineda speed of 632 mph (considerably faster than a .45 bullet)and stopped in 1.4 seconds, sustaining decelerations of 25 gaverage and 40 g peaks. Colonel Stapp did not lose consciousness or suffer permanentdisability from any of his rocket sled experiments, althoughhe incurred two wrist fractures, rib fractures, retinalhemorrhages and lesser injuries at various times.

The results of these experiments established the basicknowledge for aircraft and

ground vehicle safety designfor tolerance limits of trajectories of ej ection seats and escape capsules for supersoniand hypersonic aircraft; anbasic data applicable to impacforces expected in space ballistic flight.

During his service careeColonel Stapp has served aGeneral Duty Medical OfficerIndustrial M.edical 0 f f i ce rFlight Surgeon, and ResearcSpecialist in A v i t ion anSpace Medicine. He foundeand organized two laboratoriefor the Air Force: the Aeromedical Facility of EdwardAir Force Base, Calif., and thAeromedical Field Laboratorof Holloman Air Force BaseNew Mexico.


17/40

elivery ofPersonnel y

RMY IRCR FTRMY AVIATION now playsa large part in the tacticalhinking and an ever increasing

the strategic concepts ofmilitary commanders inage of air mobility. Onein this evolution of tacticsaerial delivery of personnel.aircraft are the logicalsystem for special mis- where small groups must

parachuted into an area toa mission.

Capta n Athol M. Smith Inf

This added capability ofArmy aircraft has been greetedwith enthusiasm by the Airborne. The most potent reasonfor Airborne acclaim is simplythis: Army Aviators and aircraft are responsible to theArmy commander.Many studies exist whichfurnish the detailed informa-tion necessary for safely j umping from Army aircraft, including helicopters. This article

therefore, omits the methods ofaffixing anchor lines staticlines methods of jumping, andallied testing.In spite of the opinion ofsome experts that a helicopter scapability precludes having tojump from a helicopter and

Capt Smith is Chief Manage-ment Division Office of the Sec-retary USAAVNS He is pa.ra-chute qualified dual rated andhas over 800 hours of flight time.

5


18/40

JUNE 1960would almost never be requiredextensive jump tests have beenconducted. Some opined thatdense jungle would constitutethe only terrain over which aparatrooper might be requiredto jump from a helicopter. Andin such case they point outfixed wing aircraft would bejust as compatible as helicopters. The enemy normally expecting cargo helicopters tocarry troops or cargo due totheir VTOL capability will notexpect a paradrop. t followsthat counter-intelligence actions could then be used to deceive the enemy as to the exactarea of activity and any mission requiring such secrecycould easily justify helicopters.t also follows that these smalljumps should not be restricted

to anyone aircraft type forcounter-intelligence r e son sthus taking advantage of thefull capability of all fixed androtary wing aircraft.Parachuting personnel fromhelicopter and fixed wing Armyaircraft stems from a specificneed. Many situations will befound on the modern battlefieldin which this parachute capa-

bility may be of inestimablevalue especially when intelligence is skimpy and secrecy isnecessary for mission accomplishment. These may includethe necessity of putting a smallreconnaissance p t r 0 1 intoenemy territory; an Armypathfinder operation a smallraiding party or patrol to capture a key figure or to destroysmall installations bridges andcommunication facilities; quickdelivery of rescue personnel toinaccessible sites; or aid to underground or guerrilla fighters.The list can be endless.Parachutists can also be usedto establish Army airfields. Apathfinder team dropped intoan area at say dawn or duskcan clear trees fill or marklarge holes set up a wind teeand run a small field operationfor either fixed wing or helicopter aircraft which could follow up this pathfinder teamwithin hours.This method is much fasterand safer than a flight of aircraft arriving at an unprepared strip. Without this pathfinder team the flight may bedelayed while a high and low

Door position n Shawnee left; xit position right

recon with detailed ground recon is made by another aircraft. Meanwhile the flighcould be sitting ducks.The pathfinder team can domany of these tasks u n d e rcover of darkness and haveeverything all set up to landany number of aircraft including parking service. Such pathfinder teams delivered byArmy aircraft can greatly assist the Army Aviation unit.

Jumping from Army aircrafis not just a matter of goingup in the air and getting outMany safety factors and speciatechniques are required whichvary according to the type ofairplane just as techniquevaries in different types oftroop-carrier aircraft. The technique of jumping from troopcarrier type aircraft is not aall like jumping from Armyairplanes due to speed andspace limitations. The openingshock of the parachute is normally less when jumping fromArmy aircraft because of theslower forward speed. Whilereduced opening shock mayplease the jumper this type ojump demands that he be morealert. The slower speed lengthens the time it takes his parachute to fully deploy. The 4seconds usually required for thechute to open when flying aspeeds of 100 to 130 knots increases to 5 or 6 seconds whenparachuting from slower Armyaircraft. The jumper must allow for this time difference before making use of his reservechute.Of the Army aircraft testedto date all but the Shawnee require the parachutist to exifrom the craft from a sittingposition. This necessitates sommodification in technique anddoes not appeal to all jumpers

Although the helicopter ca


19/40

hQver withQut fQrward mQtiQn,the parachutist shQuld nQtjump frQm the craft while hovering. DQwnwash frQm therQtO r blades CQuld invert hiscanO PY Qr push him into thestatic line Qr lines Qf precedingtrO Qpers, causing seriQus malfunctiO n Qf the parachute andPO ssible injury Qr death. t isnecessary, therefQre, to prescribe a minimum fQrwardspeed fQr each type Qf helicopter which will neutralize thisdO wnwash hazard. On theShawnee this speed rangedfrom 30 to 70 knO ts. MaximumfQrward speeds must alsO be established for each helicopter.When r 0 t r y wing aircraftreach a certain speed, the bQdyO f the parachutist m y bewhipped into the landing gearO r O ther parts Qf the craft bywind blast Qf the rQtQr blades.This is alsO true O f the Otterand Beaver operating at cruisespeed.

Door position n Otter left; and Chickasaw

Since Qnly a small number QftrQQpers can be drQPped frQmArmy aircraft, there is nO needfQr the large drQP ZQnes nQrmally required for jQint parachute missiQns. Small fieldscan, and nQrmally will, be usedas drQP ZQnes.

Due to the slQW speed QfArmy aircraft, the pattern O fparachutists will be small, evenwith a 2-secQnd interval between jumpers. This cQmpactdrQP pattern greatly increasesspeed Qf assembly fQr the Qverall missiQn Qn the grQund. ThetrQQpers can be out Qf the aircraft, Qn the drQP ZQne, andassembled at a predesignatedPQint in a matter Qf a few minutes.The trQQP-carrying capacitiesQf different Army aircraft varyeven as types vary under climatic cQnditiQns. In temperateclimates, the Beaver can drQPup to 4 paratrQQpers in a singlepass Qver a drQP ZQne withabO ut a 2-secQnd interval be-

Jumper n standing position n Beaver left; xiting right

tween jumpers. In the Arctic,hQwever, twO troopers wearingcQmplete arctic ensemble, minimum survival gear, snQwshQes,weapQns and parachute assembly are crQwded. This arcticIQad brings the Beaver to grQSSQverlQad weight O f 5,100 PQundswhen the 129-PQund wing bundles are alsO carried. TheChickasaw can drQP 5 in a single pass, and the Shawnee candrop 10. Since the Shawneecan lift a tQtal Qf 12 parachutists, it usually will drQP themin twO passes over the drQPZQne. FQr example, twO sticksQf six men each can be carriedin Qne lift, with Qne stick beingjumped Qn each of the twOpasses.

Army AviatiQn parachuteQperatiQns will be restricted tolimited Qbjectives. Mass parachute drQPs and IQng-rangeparachute-trQop QperatiQns, willcontinue to be delivered in AirFQrce troop-carrier aircraft.Parachuting from Army aircraft will be limited to smallscale QperatiQns invQlving delivery Qf squad Qr Army pathfinder teams, platQQn-sized recQnnaissance patrols, and smallraiding fQrces. The Army saircraft are suitable fQr andcapable Qf perfQrming these imPQrtant missiQns.

17


20/40

THEU S ARMY

BOARDFOR

AVIATIONACCIDENT RESEARCH

H-19C ENTERED DOWNDRAFT during pinnacleapproach slid and rolled down side of pinnacle .Crew chief suffered fractured elbow and abra sions. Pilot suffered abrasions. Aircraft de stroyed.L-20A VEERED to right and struck tree duringlanding in 20 -knot crosswind. Right wing de molished; right wing span broken; major damageto all components . No injuries .L-19A RIGHT FLAP retracted during go -around .Aircraft yawed to right and crashed into trees .No injuries. Aircraft destroyed .H-13E CRASHED INTO TREES during attemptedlanding on sloping river bank with gusty quarter ing tail wind . Pilot suffered numerous cuts andbruises and possible fractured foot . Two civilianbystanders suffered cuts and bruises.H-34A ENGINE FAILED during f l ight and air craft struck powerlines during autorotation ap proach . Extensive damage to rotor system andfuselage landing gear and frame . One passenger suffered fractured leg . Cause of enginefailure undetermined pending analysis.H-13E MAIN ROTOR BL DES flexed into tailboom by downwash from passing H -34 . H-13engine was shut down with rotor blades stillturning . f t short shaft sheared; main rotorblades damaged and possible transmission dam age. No injuries .H-19C ENGINE FAILED during pinnacle takeoff .Pilot flared aircraft sharply in attempt to avoidcivilian during autorotation . Main rotor flexeddownward and severed tail boom . No injuriesto crew. Civilian suffered critical multiple in juries. Outboard exhaust portion of number 7cylinder failed .

18

YH-41 CRASHED AND BURNED when tail rotorcontrol was lost in f l ight . Pilot suffered seconddegree burns on legs and arms. Civilian passen ger suffered second degree burns and lacera tions. Aircraft destroyed . Suspect tail rotor mal function .L-19A STALLED after takeoff and cartwheeledto the right buckling right wing and fuselage .No injuries . Weather not a factor .H-21 C ENGI NE FAI LED during instrument train ing mission . Instructor pilot noted partial powerloss followed by loss of oil pressure and thencomplete engine failure . I P autorotated intoopen field with no damage to aircraft . Cause ofengine failure undetermined pending analysis .H-34C ENGINE FAILED during cruise fl ight .Pilot autorotated to safe landing with no damage .Suspect push rod failure .H-23D BLADE TIP damaged by contact withtelephone lines during landing approach . Nonjur s

L-20A LOST OIL PRESSURE during flight. Pilotshut engine down and completed forced landingwith no damage. Oil plug PI N 20126 FSN4730-474 -3072 was not safetied after enginechange .H-13E ENGINE FAILED and pilot autorotatedto safe landing with no damage. Equalizer tubeloose. No significant indications prior to enginefailure .U-l A STALLED 3 feet above runway and landedhard during practice power approaches with aircraft loaded to full gross weight. Skin wrinkledvicinity right main landing gear .


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5 fro m april and mayH-13G TAIL ROTOR BL DE struck tree l imbduring demonstration rehearsal.HU-1A MAIN ROTOR BL DES damaged bycontact with trees while aircraft was beingparked in tactical parking area .L-20A PILOT HEARD BUMP while taxiinglooked out and saw left wheel canted at 45 0angle. Suspect bearing seizure; nut and cotterkey intact .H-21 C LANDED HARD on right main gear dur -ing autorotation demonstration . Major damageto fuselage. No injuries . Autorotation was per-formed in a 6-8 knot downwind due to arrange -ment of personnel viewing demonstration .L-20A VEERED to left and struck obstructionalong runway during landing roll. Right landinggear sheared from fuselage; major damage toright wing engine and fuselage. No injuries.Weather not a factor .H-13E ENGINE SHUT DOWN with blades stillturning. Downwash of another H- 13 causedmain rotor to flex into tail boom damagingmain rotor blade and tail boom . No injuries .H-19D ROLLED INTO TREES as rotor was disengaged during slope landing . Tail boom severedand main rotor damaged . No injuries .H-13H HIT WIRES on approach to river sand -bar. One tail rotor blade lost. No injuries .Approach was made at sunset in haze .L-19A CARTWHEELED following hard landingbounce and loss of directional control. Pilotsuffered numerous contusions and abrasions .Ai rc raft destroyed.

H-21 C RAIN SHIELD assembly flew into rotorsystem during f l ight damaging forward and aftrotor blades forward rotor head. No furtherdamage . No injuries .H-34A ENGINE SURGED to 2750 rpm duringcruise f l ight . Instructor pilot cut engine by pull -ing mixture control to off and autorotated tosafe landing with no damage to aircraft. Enginesurge caused by materiel failure of throttle boxbelt stock number 1630-80826.HU-1A TAIL ROTOR BL DES struck pine treelimbs while aircraft was being parked at nightin tactical area . No injuries.H-21 C ROTOR BL DES damaged by contactwith telephone wire strung across taxiway ofairfield . Aircraft was on ground roll fromlanding .L-19A STRUCK EMBANKMENT at end of stripduring touch-and-go landing . Left and rightwings demolished; fuselage buckled aft of rearseat. No injuries .U-1A LEFT MAIN LANDING GE R buckledwhen aircraft was rounded out high and landedhard . Weather not a factor .L-19A LOST OIL PRESSURE in f l ight and pilotlanded in meadow with no damage to aircraft .Loss of oil pressure caused by worn vacuum pumpdrive gear which allowed oil to drain into vacuumpump pumping i t out the bottom of the aircraft .L-19A ENGINE FAILED after takeoff for testf l ight and aircraft made forced landing in roughfield. Extensive damage to wings landing gearand tail section. No injuries. Suspect engineoil pump failure .

9


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O NE OF THE most frustrating problems facing theArmy Aviator is the difficultyof keeping current his hardearned instrument certificate.By current, I mean not onlypossessing a valid instrumentcard but, more important, possessing the confidence and ability to fly safely and professionally his instrument-equippedaircraft under actual instrument conditions.The former is very tangible.A check ride can be scheduledin time for the aviator to renew his ticket. The latterphase of being current, covering the other 364 days of theyear, is far more important,and more difficult to pin downbecause there is no instrumentexaminer aboard to judge per-formance and instruct if necessary.

The Department of Army s20

- - [ 3 ~ J

OE.PA ATMENT Ofr THe: ARMYINSTRUMENT C RDLAIT NAMI: ST N IE IDDLI : INITIAL SEflIVICt: HU . . .R

( i i i i ;D t r K T r OLOO ICOLOO HAlO IAe ANCN 0 UAVICI , J : u / ; : : , ~ : ; ~ ~ t ~ ~ ; : ~ , ~ ~ . j , ~ : J

in.'rumen' e. ther condlf Oft ao ..n.d yt

Captain Thomas F Haregoal of having all Army A viators instrument qualified posesmany problems. The policy isfine. Every aviator should haveinstrument training and shouldqualify for a Standard ticket ifpossible. This not only increases the all-weather capability of Army Aviation but makesfar better VFR pilots of everyone.What s the outlook today forthe pilot assigned to an aviation company which is organicto the infantry division? Under the newest TOE assignedpilots far outnumber the assigned aircraft. The pilots instrument rated exceed the instrument aircraft by 400 percent. A smaller number offixed wing aircraft is assignedthan rotary wing aircraft forinstrument flying and proficiency; yet there is a fargreater number of fixed wing

instrument cards than rotarywing tickets.Not only must these aircraftbe used for training, they mustalso supply the unit with administrative and t c t i c a Iflights. Combining an instrument training program withadministra ive or tactical missions except for actual instruments and straight and levelhooded flight is usually unsatisfactory. I t is difficult to practice unusual positions partialpanel with a Code 7 in the backseat without his face turningthe color of the combat leadertabs on his shoulder. And youcan t take the time to shoot anapproach at a terminal airfieldwhen the Code 7 is already lateto his meeting. This smallamount of available training is

Capt H are is assigned to the3d A vn Co 3d Infantry DivisionAPO 36 New York N. Y


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JUNE 1960least 4 hQurs per mQnth Qf hoodor actual instruments. TheClass B pilot would still prepare for a check once a year tocoincide with his birthdate.The classification system isnot intended to discriminateagainst pilots or to categQrizethem. The argument will beQffered, I gO out on my ownand stay current by flying Qnweekends and holidays. There-fQre, I should stay in Class Aeven thQugh I fly a desk 2days a week. This is very commendable on the part of the individual, but any time a program must be conducted onone's own time, the standardsvary toO much to give a reliableindication of proficiency.Remember, Qn actual instru-ments you are on crQwded air-ways with airline pilots andother professional aviators whodaily fly instruments. It is unfair to subject a poorly prepared pilQt to an over-crQwded,highly complex syste.m twice orthree times a year.Would a weekend gQlfer takeon a professional for monetarystakes? Our stakes are muchhigher. Let's keep the competition even. Instrument flyingin the Army is a great thing. ItshQuld not be diluted by rusty,unprQfessional methods.

Editor's NQte: For theinformation of Qur readers,par 5 of AR 600-105, dated21 Aug 59, and par 3bQf AR 95-63, dated 18 Feb60 are quoted.AR 600-105:5. Categories of aviation as-signments. a: To facilitate theidentificatiQn Qf the relation

ship Qf aviation background re-quirements for an aviator assignment, four categories ofassignments are es.tablished.(1) Aviation officers will be22

retained on flying statuswhile serving in the fQl-IQwing three categories ofassignments:(a) Category I. Positions

where the primaryduty is pilot, or is thedirect command ofaircraft in a unit below battalion level.(b) Category II. Command and staff positions where flying is aprerequisite skill butnot required as theprimary duty.(c) Category III. Careerdevelopment assignments necessary toimprove the aviator'squalification as anArmy officer, provided such assignments dO nQt exceedtwo cQnsecutive years'duration.(2) Aviators assigned to primary duties other than

those included in categories described in (1) abovewill be placed in CategoryIV and will be indefinitelysuspended from flying sta-tus for the period of suchduties. If such duties ex-.tend for more than 3years, the individual willbe eliminated from theArmy aviation prQgramunder provisiQns of AR600-107.b. All orders changing theprimary duty of an Army aviatQr will include a statement asto the category of the new assignment. Normally, CategoryIII assignments will be madeQnly on Department of theArmy special orders. In cases

where this authority is delegated such assignments will bemade only after branch clearance is obtained from the Officers Assignment Division, Of-

fice of The Adjutant General,Washington 25, D. C. CategoryIV assignments will be madeonly Qn Department of theArmy special orders.AR 95-63:3b. The ultimate objective ofthe Department of the Army isto require instrument qualification of all aviatQrs. Maintenance of instrument qualificationis mandatory fQr all instrumentqualified aviators unless exemptunder one of the fQllQwing circumstances:

1) Aviators who are officially rotated to branchmaterial ground dutyand authorized to maintain flying proficiency.(2) Aviators who are attend-ing a f Qrmal s c h 0 0 Icourse where flight instruction is not the primary objective.(3) Dual instrument qualified (helicopters and air-planes) aviators are required to maintain instrument qualificationsonly in the category(helicQpter or airplane)which is mQst appropriate to his TOE or TDpositiQn.( 4 ) Aviators who are Qnlyi r p I a n e instrumentqualified and who are assigned to a helicopterpilot PQsition need notm a i n t a i n instrumentqualification in airplanes.(5) A viatQrs in a cQmmandor staff PQsition in ;:InaviatiQn unit are re

quired to maintain instrument qualification inonly one category, pref-erably the c t egO' r ywhich predominates inthe unit.(6) Aviators of the Reservecomponents not on activeduty (par. 13).


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everll el/ortmllst be made tostriveforpro-fessiollalism ll all tkillfls J jelleralBrllceelar/(, ePHfHfandinfl (jenera , S e O l V ~ eThe Professionalrmy viation Mechanics THE MECHANIC the forgotten man in your picture

of Army Aviation? Too manypeople visualize aviation interms of the pilot, the dashinginto - the - blue type. But mostArmy Aviators would agreethat the mechanic is the mostimportant man in their professionallives. Without him therewould be no aviation. Yet, howmany of us fully understandand appreciate his efforts? Ordo we simply take his knowledge and skills for granted?Less than half a century agoonly three professions weregenerally recognized: medicine,law, and teaching. Moderntechnology has generated a demand for individuals of diverseknowledge and skills, creatingman y professions. Unfortunately, merely working at aprofession does not make oneprofessional. rm y Aviation, as all other fields, is filledwith both mediocrities and pro-fessionals.

W ha t is a professional?There are many definitions, de-

Captain Harvey C Lohr Inf

pending on the primary pointof emphasis of the definer. Welike this one: the true professional is the individual who isdedicated to the service performed and whose work servesthe fundamental good of society. The good Army Aviation mechanic is a true professional, serving these standards:the conscientious application ofhis skills to the job at hand;careful adherence to the methods, procedures, and techniquesprescribed; and performancewith a sense of responsibilityto himself, his fellow workershis organization, and his country. In few other professionsdoes so much responsibility depend on the individual.

Knowledge craftsmanshipand integrity will always be thefoundation and backbone ofaviation maintenance. The ycomprise its unchanging principle. Anything less-ignorancesloppiness, unreliability - istotally unrelated to the workof the good aviation mechanic.

Craftsmanship is the badge

of the real aviation mechanic.There is silent pride of givingone's best in every job of finemaintenance. Doing the job inthe best way possible adds zestto everyday routine and makesthe mechanic relish new maintenance problems to conquertomorrow. The reward for finecraftsmanship is the continualdevelopment of skill to performmore intricate and exactingtasks.

The reward for integrit y andreliability is still greater trustworthiness. The Army A viation mechanic does not postpone his rewards until afterwork; he experiences throughout each working day the fullsatisfaction of the job at hand.He will continue to give the utmost, even when it seems thathe is unappreciated and takenfor granted. But our Army

Capt Lohr is Assistant Divi-sion Chief Primary Mainte YU1JnceDivision Dept of Maintenance .USAAVNS He is dual ratedwith a;pproximately 1200 flighthours.

3


26/40

JUNE 1960Aviation mechanic should neverneed go without the personalpraise that he deserves.

Personal acknowledgementfor a job well done is food forthe soul of us all. The professional Army Aviator will remember this.

Aircraft maintenance goesbey n d servicing, checking,aligning, adj usting, cleaning,repairing, and replacing. It ismuch more than a matter ofhand and tool; it is a matter ofthe mind. Only through knowledge can aircraft maintenancebe performed adequately. Itis safe only when performedwith understanding and responsibility. Thus, the aviation mechanic must be a man of basicand insatiable knowledge.

Advancing technology seemsto threaten a system of maintenance where the engineer doesall the thinking and the tech-

nician does only what he is told.But automaton will never replace the aviation mechanic because he possesses a curiousmind, a mind that has a genuine interest in what is happening today and what is over thehorizon for tomorrow. He considers the acquisition of knowledge and skill in his professionas a never ending process; heaccepts the responsibility ofstudy, research, and investigation in his field.

The Army Aviation mechanicrecognizes no limit to opportunity in the field of aviation.He knows there exists opportunity to plan, to improve efficiency, to devise better methods and procedures. Instructionis a part of every task; he realizes that he can learn a newfact bo u t aviation maintenance every day, that he canimprove his skill with everyjob.

The aviation mechanic knowsthat aircraft maintenance requires his highest skills, hisfinest craftsmanship, his ultimate integrity. There can neverbe a second best method. Hedoesn't coast along indifferently; he cannot be neutral in hisjob. He is actively for soundmaintenance and safety, and heworks aggressively for them.

The Army Aviation mechanicis a credit to his profession. Heis all these qualities, and more.His loyalty and responsibilityare not limited to his immediate supervisor and organization. His whole support goes toArmy Aviation, with no oneleft out.

He is the best life insuranceany Army Aviator can have.So, get your picture of ArmyAviation into focus - with theaviation mechanic in the prominent spot he deserves.

The Mechanic s CodeAs a maintenance technician, I recognize myobligations:

To discharge these responsibilities:I will perform maintenance of the highestquality to assure the safety of every flight.

4

To the United States Army, who trusts thatI am technically qualified for the tasks expected of me.

To the aircrews and passengers, who trusttheir lives and safety to my mechanicalskills.To my organization, who expects me to be a

professional mechanic as well as a professional soldier.To my fellow mechanics, who as team members must depend upon me for a task completed.To myself for the personal satisfaction of aprofessional job well done.

I will always be sure of my work or when indoubt consult my supervisor.I will strive to improve my professional skillby attention to duty and self-education.I will not allow personal desires or consideration to affect performance of duty.I will never attempt to perform duty when my

mental or physical condition might lead tomaintenance error.I will keep my tools and equipment in firstclass condition to insure a job worthy ofthe professional mechanic that I am.I pledge adherence to these principles to reflect credit to myself, my fellow workersand my profession.

One mark of the professional is a thorough background of the fundamental principles which govern his activity. Conversely, nothing pointsup the amateur as much as a display of ignorance toward these sameprinciples. Brig Gen Clifton von Kann, ODCSOPS


27/40

etting1 ~ o w he IroqlJoi rA POPULAR SONG of a fewyears ago, GETTING TOKNOW YOU, might be aptlyapplied to aviators meeting thenewest member of the Army swhirlybird stable. June 1959marked a major advance inArmy Aviation with additionof the HU-1A to the aircraft inventory. Having just passedthe first anniversary of th isevent, we are able to review 12months of actual operation anddiscuss from a practical viewpoint the successes and problems which have arisen duringthe first year. An outstandingaircraft, the HU-1A forgivesmany pilot shortcomings. Onthe other hand, it is one of thecleanest in the stable and has afew characteristics a pi lo tshould know before attemptingto fly it.

Pilot enthusiasm for the aircraft is a significant factor.Senior pilots have eagerly devoted time to transition and review of fundamental flight theory they had long since mas-

tered and applied to conventional helicopters. The thrill offlying this mac h i n e ha sbrought back a gleam in theireyes. Pilots like it.The Iroquois has proved it self reliable, safe, and adapted

to Army needs. Its most signifiean characteristic is its ease ofhandling. t is so easy to flythat a pilot handling it for thefirst time is, inclined to go overboard and pull out all the stops.One aviator, newly checkedout, got in the aircraft andfired up and too k off. Heclimbed to 1,000 feet and cut

the power to shoot an autorotation. On the way downhe beg a n getting butterfliesand decided to, make a powerrecovery. He applied power butdidn t take into account the 8-10 second delay in power delivery. Luckily, he was a littleabove 200 feet and he got thechoppers chopping just in timeto prevent a smash-up.

This is not a new problem to

aviation. The first jet-poweredaircraft brought on a rash ofaccidents caused by pilots whoinsisted on wheeling around thesky in the s am e old way.Popped rivets were the least ofthe incidents; the more seriousinvolved such things as loss ofwings, etc. The Iroquois inspires that same kind of headyresponse. The pilot feels thepower and maneuverability; heuncorks it and the fireworks begin. Just remember that ordinary maneuvers won t makethe aircraft come unglued. Ittakes a lot of hard work.In view of this feature of theIroquois, the pilot s responsibility must be directed first tohis own personal limitations.All this means is that we rebringing an old problem to anew aircraft. Pilots have beengoing beyond their capabilitiessince Wilbur and r v i e

T h :s article was prepared bythe United States rmy B oardfor viation ccident R esearch

25


28/40

JUNE 1960Wright went teetering over thesand dunes at Kitty Hawk.Chances are they'll continue todo. so fQr as lo.ng as the humanmachine remains unchanged.

Thus far, the features mostliked by pilQts are things yo.Udo.n t have to do.. You dQn thave to. watch yo.ur rpm; it'sbuilt in fQr yQur convenience.And there's power to spareUnder conditio.ns Qf high grossweight (6,300 pounds), highambient temperature, and highdensity altitude, the IroquQis iscapable Qf a zerQ-airspeed climbof 1,000 fpm with a reserve ofpower. Such capability is nonexistent in previous Army helico.pters. This perfQrmance isthe very thing YQu ve got to.watch. It's an invitatio.n to. goout, way Qut, on a limb. Evenolder pilQts are susceptible.

Training accidents have notfurnished any sensatio.nal statistics. MQst Qf these have beenconfined to autorotatio.ns dueto. materiel failure. These autorotatiQns have been acco.mplished without damage to thehelico.pter in all except onecase. The most frequent causeo.f these failures has been thedrive shaft between engine andtransmission.The autorotatio.n whichcaused damage occurred duringa training mission. Normaltakeoff was initiated by thestudent pilo.t. While climbing,at an altitude of abQut 200 feet,a high pitched squeal develo.ped, followed by a vibratio.n.The instructor pilo.t took control and executed a straightahead autorotation. As the helico.pter neared trees, the IP applied cQllective in an attempt tocarry o.ver them. The aircraftyawed to the right and landedupright in a small clearing.There were no. inj uries, but theaircraft sustained major dam-26

age. The cause Qf this accident was failure of the enginedrive shaft assembly. Representatives Qf the manufacturerparticipated in the investiga.tio.n. These experts fo.und thatmalfunctio.ning of the enginedrive shaft was induced by ano.ut-of-alignment cQnditio.n.An autorQtatiQn was successfully accQmplished after afuel line qui c k disconnectparted, causing f u e I systemfailure. This was caused byfailure of maintenance personnel to. pro.perly secure fuel linequick disco.nnect P a r t No..20202-2B).AnQther accident happenedo.n touchdQwn after autorotation. Low main rotor rpm, combined with gus t y wind andpitching actio.n of the aircraft,caused Qne main ro.tQr blade to.strike the tail rQto.r drive shaftho.using. Damage was co.nfinedto the tail rotor drive shaft andbro.ken control cables. The windwas gusting to abQut 15 knotsat the time of the accident.One pilo.t elected to. go. intoauto.rotatiQn when he experienced vibration and lo.SS ofPo.wer. After a safe to.uchdQwnit was fo.und that the tail roto.rcounterweight had flown offand penetrated the engine compartment. There was negligible damage.

High rate descents in theIrQquo.is have been publicized,but shQuld nQt cause undueanxiety. Any helicQpter whichis dived, with. ro.tor rpm andrate o.f descent building, will bedifficult to pull up, especially ina turn. The difference betweenthe Iroquois and conventiQnalhelicopters is all in the powerplant; piston - powered modelscan be flown to the groundwhere power is applied and thereco.very made. The delayedresponse of turbine engines

prevent s u c h hair - splitting.To.o., pilo.ts accustomed to reconnaissance helicopters tendto fo.rget the weight o.f the Iro.quo.is, who. s e normal gross(training configuration) t i p sthe scales at 5,126 PQunds.One Iroquois was destrQyedwhile engaged in a demonstratio.n flight. This accident resulted in the safety o.f flightmessage concerning high rateof descent. The helicopter hadco.mpleted a high - speed runparallel to and in front of thespectators when the pilot initiated a cyclic climb to. approximately 500 feet abo.ve the terrain to begin an auto.ro.tativedescent. Arriving at the desired altitude, he made a 180 turn, reduced power, loweredthe no.se of the aircraft, andentered autorotatio.n. Immediately after starting the maneuver, the pilot nQted an unusually high rate o.f descent. Heleveled the aircraft approximately 200 feet abQve the terrain, applied full power and collective pitch, but was unable todecrease the high rate Qf vertical descent. Realizing a crashwas inevitable, he continuedapplicatio.n o.f power and pitchand succeeded in partially reducing the high sink rate justprio.r to impact.

The aircraft crashed in levelattitude at appro.ximately 40 to50 kno.ts. The tail bo.om beganshearing Io.o.se at impact andto.re completely free as the aircraft rebo.unded nto the air.The helicopter s t r u c k theground twice more, finally CQm-ing to rest about 420 feet frQmthe PQint of initial impact. Theengine tore free during groundcontacts and rolled clear; thecabin doors were torn o.ff, andthe main transmissio.n, mastand ro.tor assembly left the aircraft. The pilot and crew chief,


29/40

F STthe only occupants, survivedthe accident. The pilot suffereda spinal inj ury; the crew chiefonly minor inj uries.

This accident should provideincentive for an experiment.Climb the Iroquois to a safe altitude and enter a power-off autorotation. At a safe altitude,effect a power recovery. Watchyour altimeter and clock fromthe time you apply power untilyou re flying again. Let the results be indelibly printed onyour memory for future refer-ence. This is sound insurancepractice.The record would not be complete without mention of anIroquois that burned. The pilothad shut down following aservice mission when he sawsmoke appear in the front ofthe cockpit ne,ar the base of theconsole. As he yelled for thepassengers to get out, therewas a muffled explosion.Investigation revealed thata grass fire was seen directlyunder the c b i n combustionheater exhaus,t prior to thetime fire was observed on anypart of the aircraft. The esti-mated time until the grass fires t r t ed after the aircraftlanded was approximately 15seconds.This heater exhaust gener-ates a temperature of approxi-

mately 700F. and is n 1 y133 8 inches from the ground attouchdown. The fuel vent, located 38 inches from the heaterexhaust stack, caught fire andflames rapidly spread to thefuel tank, making it impossible for the aviato,r to remountand flyaway from the fire. Inthis particular case, the heaterhad been in use during theflight and was not shut off untilafter landing. The landing areawas covered with dry broom-

R TEstraw.

Until a design fix can beincorporated, it w s recommended that HU-1A aviatorsshut the heater off at a pointd ur i n g the landing patternwhich will allow the heater exhaust time to cool before theaircraft is landed. A few minutes of cold air are well worth

GETTING TO KNOWavoiding the hot foot you mightexperience

Damage to the tail rotordrive shaft of another Iroquoiswas caused by a bucking barleft in the tunnel during maintenance. The damage was notdiscovered until the next dailyinspection after the aircraftwas flown.

The first year of Iroquois operation must reflect the undeniable success accompanyingits introduction to Army Aviation. Command and aviator response have been enthusiasti-cally sustained. There is everyevidence t h t this aircraft,with its power and versatility,is a major step forward in theexpanding abilities of ArmyAviation.

DES ENT7


30/40

The Newrmy viation EMMOS Structure

aptain Edward H. Bauerband Jr., TC

DON T BOTHER TO requisi- Under the old system it wastion that new 673 crew For a quick rundown of the possible for a skill to becomechief. After the 1st of July new numbering system, take a lost to the Army. For example,1960, there won t be any me- look at the following: i a man had been crewing anchanics with that classification 670.0 Aircraft Maintenance L-23 under MOS 671, it wasin the Army. Change 27 of Crewman (Entry Course) possible for him to be shippedAR 611-210, entitled PERSON- 671.1 Aircraft Mechanic to another unit and wind upNEL S E L E C T ION AND L-19 and L-20) crewing an L-19. Of course theCLASSIFICATION, contains a 671.2 Aircraft Mechanic Bird Dog needs proper care, butcompletely new system for clas- (U-IA) the L-23 is just a little moresifying aircraft mechanics. It 672.1 Aircraft Mechanic complex to maintain. Under theis a far superior system to the L-23) new MOS structure this situa-one now in use for acquiring 672.2 Aircraft Mechanic tion will be avoided. In addi-the type of mechanic you ac- AO-1) tion, no MOS was provided fortually need through the sole 672.3 Aircraft Mechanic twin-engine helicopter qualifi-use of a requisition by classifi- (AC-l) cation and requisitioning ancation number. 675.1 Aircraft Mechanic H-37 mechanic by MOS num-

Remember how you used to H-13 and H-23) ber was, impossible.requisition a 671 mechanic for 675.2 Aircraft Mechanic An additional course will beyour L-23? Remember your (HU-l) added in the near future atconsternation when you dis- 675.3 Aircraft Mechanic USAAVNS on the organiza-covered that the young soldier H-19 and H-34) tional maintenance of ASE, Au-had been crewing an L-19 for 676.1 Aircraft Mechanic tomatic Stabilization Eq uip-two years and hadn t been near H-21) ment No MOS will be awardedan L-23 since receiving the one- 677.1 Aircraft Mechanic for this training; however, aweek course of instruction on H-37) record of graduation will be en-the aircraft at the Aviation tered in the student s Form 20.School? your type aircraft, but you are Since this form accompaniesWell, your troubles are over. also assured that he -holds theJust as each of the aircraft in MOS (s) of a lower skill n aviathe inventory has a model num- tion maintenance. If you reber, so each mechanic has an ceive a school trained HU-1 meMOS that tens you his qualifi- chanic, you will know that he iscations. You not only get the also qualified to crew the H-13mechanic who is trained for Sioux and the H-23 Raven.8

Capt Bauerband is the projectofficer for the Operations BranchDept of Maintenarnce USAAVNSi e s dual rated and instrumentqualified with approximately1600 flight hours.

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Army Aviation Digest - Jun 1960

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