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Offline Flyin6

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Offline cudakidd53

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2015, 10:51:35 AM »
Cool footage!  How many gallons do they drop from those buckets?  Are those monitors in the cockpit GPS maps or video below the helio or both?
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2015, 11:22:57 AM »
Cool footage!  How many gallons do they drop from those buckets?  Are those monitors in the cockpit GPS maps or video below the helio or both?
That bucket is 1750 gallons I think with various holes to control total gallons to I would suspect 1500. I used a "Bambi" hard bucket more often that the fabric buckets so I am no expert. To me it looked like their drop altitude was a bit too high. Optimum is 150 feet @ 50 KIAS. I put out a decent sized fire in Kentucky with just our aircraft, with maybe 5 drops and some creative stuff which got me in some trouble.

A section of fire broke free and was going up the side of a hill.

The down wash from the rotors is around 100 mph. So I started directly overhead the fire, then descended lower and lower and eventually was blowing the fire back down hill with hurricane winds. It did the trick, putting it out and leaving a good burn back.

The safety Nazi of course said I placed the aircraft in danger. I pointed out flying a Chinook is perpetual jeopardy!

Cockpit: Duplicated on each side. Moving map and other things and a flight instrument display. Center would be system instruments and other things (Classified)
« Last Edit: August 23, 2015, 11:23:53 AM by Flyin6 »
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Offline Wilbur

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2015, 12:35:42 PM »
Really great footage!

Is that 1500-1750 considered maximum safe payload because it's on a long tether? Don't Chinook's have much higher payload capacity typically? (IIRC in the 25K lbs+ range?)

A friend of mine was in a hot shot crew in CO...said he preferred getting hit by water drops than the red retardant drops. But both sucked in his mind. Ha.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2015, 12:36:15 PM by Wilbur »

Offline Flyin6

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2015, 01:14:10 PM »
1750 gallons
1 gal = 8 lbs
1750 X 8 = 14000
Weight of bucket = maybe 1000-1500
Total external load = 15,000 give or take
Weight of aircraft = 30,000 lbs
Weight of fuel = 6000 plus or minus
Total weight then equals 51,000 lbs
Max GWT of a D and F model is 50,000 lbs
So those aircraft are right there

And to hover OGE (Out of ground effect) Requires an extraordinary amount of power. Hovering with that bucket at 150 feet puts those guys right there in the danger area of what we call the "Height/velocity curve. That means should an engine failure occur, well, maybe they can, and maybe they can't.

I wouldn't know first hand, but that load of water dropped on, say, a herd of cows, will wash them away like a tsunami wave.
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Offline Nate

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2015, 02:47:54 PM »
can you honestly feel the weight when you go from a slack sling to a taught sling while in the driver seat?
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2015, 03:32:44 PM »
can you honestly feel the weight when you go from a slack sling to a taught sling while in the driver seat?
OOOHHHHH YEAAAAAAA

That hook is a freakin monster when you power it up!

Where most helicopters hover at 70%-80% of their power, a hook hovers at around 40%. You never get to pull in max power unless you are hooked onto, say North Dakota. But when those slings come tight, and you're hooked to a JD550 bull Dozer and the chief says, slings tight, load is light load off one, two five, Load stable at ten." Well that's when you know what hook flying is all about.

Now if you ever do any elevator work (Taking Halo jumpers up to 14,000 feet. Then you can have some fun. You MUST have everyone seated. Without moving forward just bring in the power, say to 80%. That will generate 3000-5000 ft/min climb straight up. It just smashes you down into the seat...all power!

Then when everyone is getting used to it, bring it up to 100%. Then ask folks to lift their 150 pound legs off the floor!

The bubbas had their AOD (Automatic opening devices) set for 5,000. I could get from sitting on the ground to 5K in 1 minute, and pass through 10,000 in maybe 2.5 minutes. Thinking about it, I don't know if that jet I flew could do that!

I guess I'm telling stories...but once I was sitting on the ground when a Casa 212 with jumpers took off. One of the bubbas came over and said they wanted a jump, so I climbed in, fired it up and took off. We passed that Casa going through 10,000...got to 14,000 minutes before him!

And on goggles it's amazing to see from behind

As the aircraft in front of you brings in the power to lift the load, the engines go from a dull glow to screaming white with flames pouring 30 or more feet out the back. Heck a heat seeking rock could find us at a hover!
« Last Edit: August 23, 2015, 08:03:21 PM by Flyin6 »
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Offline Nate

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2015, 03:46:28 PM »
its not like you really need to convince me to like the hook, when I have openly stated that the hook is the only AC that I truly feel comfortable to fall asleep on besides the C130.

honestly I asked the question because I didn't know if it was like drivin the max without a load and then hookin a load to it.  I understand that you have to put more stick into liftin but I didn't know if you could "really feel it sittin in the chair"?
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Offline Wilbur

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2015, 04:14:20 PM »
Thanks for the math Don....I was ignoring fuel etc. Which is why I'm sitting here in THIS chair and not the chair you were in.  :o

Offline Flyin6

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Re: Chinooks fighting the fires in Cali...
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2015, 08:04:42 PM »
Thanks for the math Don....I was ignoring fuel etc. Which is why I'm sitting here in THIS chair and not the chair you were in.  :o
No worries
I didn't figure fuel either sometimes!
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