Army Aviation Digest - Oct 1961

8/12/2019 Army Aviation Digest - Oct 1961

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.S. ARMY AVIATION S HOOL MU Ut I----.. ........... FORT RUCKER ALABAMA 6 6

NO SMOKlNWJTHIN 5 FT


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VI TION DIGESTEDITORIAL STAFFCAPT JOSEPH H POOLE DIANA G WILL IAMS OCTOBER 96 1

V OLU ME 7NU M BER 10

FRED M MONTGOM ERY PHYLLIS H W I LLI AM SRICHARD K TIERNEY L INDA K FOLSOM

SGT THO MAS M LANG

COMMAND SAFETY . 1TRAVELER AID , FFS, Lt Thomas R. Curtin , Armor 6T HE ARMY FLY ING HOUR PROGRAM, Victor J. Schulte, JrARMY AI RCRAFT, AN ENGINEE RI G T OOL, Capt Ralph L. Trew , CE 10THE MOHAWK' MARTIN- BAK ER EAT, Arthur M. Heiniman 13TWX 1FALCON S NE T 20ROUT INE F LI GHT, Capt Pleasant H. West, CE 21FUEL HANDLING PROBLEMS, Lt Arthur J. Cornell, QM 24P ROGRAM YOUR WORK , WORK YOUR PROGRAM,Capt Harrell N. Gillis, TC . 26NE ' V ARMAMENT BR ANC H ADDED BY USAAB,

Maj John R. Ah ern , Arty 29RAS H SEN E 32

'Write'and "Win ' 125.00Cash ,The U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is sponsoring an

n ~ u a l Writing Awards Contest to encourage people interested in the Army Aviation Program to present theirideas or experiences on safety and aircraft accident prevention, training, maintenance, operations, research and .development, aviation medicine and other related data.'While you shouldn t identify actual people, accidents orincidents, it is permissible to use accidents/incidents as abasis for material. Be factual and be sure all material is. unclassified. ,It s E-A-S-Y Just write what you think should orcould be done to help accomplish our mission easier, quicker,more' effectively. Contest is open to anyone, but we wantoriginal material that has not been published or submittedi for publication. Articles . should be approximately 1,500-, .2,000 words in length (about 56 double-spaced typewritten

pages). Entries will not be judged on ' length, . yping, orneatness however. Only published 'articles are eligible forthe CASH awards.The contest started with the July 1961 issue and closeswith the June 1962 issue. You have three chances to winCASH First prize $125, second prize $75, and third prize$50. A ~ i n n e r will be announced each month. From the 12, monthly winners the judges will select the th 'ree winnersof the CASH prizes. .Manuscripts will be judged on accuracy, completeness,originality, readability, reader appeal, soundness, substance,and overall merit. , .Complete contest rules appeared on back cover of theMaY .1961 DIGEST. Send inquiries and entries to Editorin-Chief, U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST, U. S. Army'Aviation School, Fort Rucker, Ala.

U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLMaj Gen Ernest F . Easterbrookmm andan tCol Wa r ren R. W illiams, Jr .A ssistan t CommandantCol Allen M. Burdett, Jr .Deputy A sst Commandant

SCHOOL STAFFL t Col James B. Gregorie, J r .A cting Director ofInstructionLt Col C. E . LawrenceCO US AAVNS R egim entLt Col Morris G. RawlingsCom bat Developments OfficeLt Col Julius E . Clark, J r .Secretary

DEPARTMENTSCol Raymond P. Campbell, Jr.

TacticsLt Col Conway L. EllersAdvanced F ixed W ingLt Col Wayne N. PhillipsRotary W ingLt Col Harry J . KernMa intenanceLt Col John R. RiddlePublicat ions and

N on Resident Inst ructionMaj Roy V. HunterPrimary F ixed W ing

The u S. ARMY AVIA TIO DIG EST isan official publication of t he Depa r tment ofthe Army published monthly under thesuper vision of the Commandant, U. S. ArmyAviation School.The mis ion of the . S. AR MY AV1AT I O DI GE T is to p r ovide info rmation ofan oper ationa l or functional natu r e concerning safety and ai r craft accident pr evention,t rain ing, maintenance , operations. r esearchand deve lopment, aviation medicine andothe r r elated data.Manuscrip t s, photographs, and other illustrations pe r taining to the above subjects ofinte rest to pe r sonnel concer ned wi th Ar myAviation a r e invited. Di r ect commu nicationis autho r ized to: Edito r -in -Chief U. S.ARMY AVIATIO DIGE T, U. . ArmyAvia tion chool, Fo r t Ru c ker , Alabama.Unless otherwise in d icated, material inthe U. S. ARMY AVIATIO DIGE T maybe r eprinted pr ovided credit is given to theU. S . ARMY AVIATIO DIGE T and tothe author.The printing of thi publication ha beenapproved by the Director of the Bureau oft h t Budget, 22 December 195 .View expressed in this magazine are notnece sarily those of the Department of t heArmy or of the U. S. Army Aviation School.Unless spe( ified other wise, all photographsare U. S. Army.Distribution:To be dist ri buted in acco r dance wirequirements staled in DA Form 12 .


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ommand afety

WITHOUT EXPERT LEADERSHIP, bowl-bound football teams. fall apart and sym

phony orchestras sound like aboilermaker s nightmare. Anytime two or more people teamup to perform a task, regardles s of how simple, some oneperson of the group must as-ume command and direct thealents and efforts of theothers if the task is t be accomplished in the most effi

cient manner. With this command go certain rewards. Butcommand is a two-edged sword;when a leader accepts rewardsof prestige and rank, he mustalso accept responsibility forthe success or failure of hisgroup.

Army Aviation, a complicated, often hazardous, and always difficult operation run bytrained and intelligent men, requires thorough supervision toa point far beyond footballteams and symphony orchestras. This is not a revolutionary concept. Every commanderknows that supervision is oneof his maj or functions. Everymature aviator has learnedthat those units which havethe fewest accidents invariablyhave commanders who areware of the importance of a

E xpert lpadeTship

supervision program and knowhow to make it work. Underth s e circumstances, you'dthink Army Avia ion shouldsail smoothly along in its mission, unmolested by accidentswhich sap its strength and undermine its efficiency.The fact is that 373 Armyaircraft accidents during theperiod 1 July 1957-30 April

1961 i n vol v e d supervisorycause factors. These accidentsaccounted for a hardware lossof several million dollars. Itfollows that there must havebeen a breakdown in the supervisory function somewhere.

PTepaTed by the United Stat esTmy B oaTd t T A viation cc i-

dent R eseaTch


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OCTOBER 1961Perhaps all of us, cO mmandersand aviators alike, need to takea hard look at this idea of supervisiO n.PrO per supervisiO n is a re-lentless task, neither automaticnO r easy. Like most otherthings in the Army, it involvesa careful balance between theexercise of responsibility andcontrolled delegation of authority, a team effort insteadof a one-man show.The commander whO conscientiously attempts to devisea well rounded supervision program discovers that his planning must include:

aviators, discipline, education and training, maintenance and facilities.These are as dependent onone another as is a team ofcircus tumblers erecting a h

man pyramid. When one partof the structure is weak, thewh o I e thing can collapseabruptly.VI TORS

First, aviators are humanand the human element in anysituation is invariably thetrickiest to handle. One L-20is much like every other L-20.Any machine has an assignedfunctiO n, known limits of per-formance, and lives up to expectatiO ns if there is fuel inthe tank and the man at thecO ntrols knows what he s doing.

No two aviators are v r thesame. Those in any unit willdiffer considerably in age, experience, disposition, capabilities, bank account level, andall the other variables whichmake each human an individualin his O wn right. Each de-n e L 20 is much like another

No two aviators are ever t e same

mands the treatment bessuited fO r his special needs.The Army commander is notsupposed to be a combinationmaster psychologist, flight sur-geon and chaplain, able to probeinto his aviators psychologicaland physiological ills. Knowingan aviator does not mean thesupervisor need be up on thedate of his birthday, rating asa bridge player, and the wayhe likes his eggs in the mO rn-ing. The commander with aplanned supervision program isable instead, at any time, tomake a fair assessment of hisaviators experience, capabilities, training progress, andgeneral state O f well being -the cO mbined qualit ies whichenable any aviator to do hisjob properly, regardless of howhe likes his eggs.

The commander who wants


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o know his aviators doesn'tlave to prowl around like asuper spy. He can determinethe state of his men's abilitieswithout peering over theirshoulders or hiding behinddoors. Sustained, friendly interest is all that is needed. Oneof the commander's principalallies here can be the flight surgeon. Where the flight surgeonhas been freed for his assignedtask of providing medical supervision for aviators, they areless likely to fly excessive hoursor exceed safe physical limits.Working together, the commander and surgeon know andspot aviators who, for emotional or physical reasons,should be taken out of thegame and put on the bench fora brief rest.No matter how he gets hisinformation, a superVlSlonconscious commander's mentalOle on an aviator adds to ahorough evaluation of what hecan do and what he is likely todo. These are not always thesame. The commander who

knows his man thoroughly canimpress on him full responsibilities and a mature self-appraisal of his abilities to perform any particular task.Young men are naturally notonly impressed by authoritybut eager to please, a combination which can lead them intoplaces where they have no business. Not long ago a younglieutenant took off in a helicop

ter with a nonrated commander, even though visibility inspots along the intended flightroute was as low as 50 feet.The aircraft flew into a powerline, killing the two occupants.The pilot had never developeda mature approach to his profession because he had not beengiven benefit of an adequately-anned and well supervised

training program. No onefresh out of any school - aviation, medical or what haveyou-is either a finished product or has had time to acquirea mature, balanced attitudeabout his work. Most experience comes from training. Thecommander who exercises goodsupervision keeps his aviatorsin training all the time

DIS IPLINEMaj Gen Joseph D SmokeyCaldara, former USAF Deputy

Inspector General for Safetyand one of the most well-knownfigures. in the field of aviationsafety, wrote in the January1960 issue of L Y I N GSAFETY:Safety as it applies to theflying business is like a seamless web. t doesn't stop anywhere. However, it is diligentsupervision that makes safetyprinciples work, else they become just idle concepts andhollow catch phrases. Supervision for safety goes into theservicing of our complex air

craft, the activities of the support area, the handling of missiles and nuclear weapons, inshort, into every corner of ourworld-wide flying operations.There simply isn't time orspace to discuss them all. ButI want to discuss discipline.

It is discipline that givesstructure and strength to allour efforts; without discipline,our problems are compoundedand our best efforts can neversucceed. Let me quote from anarticle by Brig Gen Seth J. McKee, written for SAC s COM-BAT CREW magazine. t istitled Discipline, The Watchword For Safety,' and says, inpart:'To accomplish our mission, - he's talking about theSAC mission - we must have

COMMAND SAFETYsafety, and to obtain it wemust indoctrinate and reindoctrinate our people, old timersand newcomers alike, in thebasic philosophy of discipline.The lack of discipline has manymanifestations - sloppy preflighting, poor record keepingand flight planning, inadequatecrew briefing, incomplete andillegible flight forms, hurriedpostflight inspections a n dwrite-ups, poor communicationtechniques, improper inflightcrew coordination and control,nee d ie s s and unnecessaryweather penetrations, failureto read safety digests and otherpublicat ions - all are evidenceof a poor state of discipline.And gentlemen, never werewords put together better todescribe what I'm talking aboutin discipline. Education, training and the judicious application of discipline are the mosteffective tools the commanderhas for the prevention of accidents. N ow notice that I didnot include directives amongthose tools. Noone can prevent an accident by directive,although many have tried andsome are still trying. Years agowhen I was a pursuit pilot, wehad had four midair collisionsin three days at my field. Ourcommander came out with anorder that there would be nomore midair collisions at thatfield. Did this directive prevent any further midair accidents? We had two the nextday.Myoid commander was justusing the wrong methods because the commander is in aposition to know more aboutsafety than any person withinthe organization. At any levelthe commander sets the pacefor aircraft accident prevention, missile, nuclear, or groundsafety. Not that he is the safe

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OCTOBER 1961ty officer - Heaven fO'rbidWhen I bump into a chap whosays to me, 'Smokey, I'm theNumber One fly safe officer inthe organization,' I get myprayer wheel and start to spinit, because no commander hasthe time to perform that job.Our accidents rarely resultfrom some great, drama iccatastrophe, but from a seriesof piddling coincidences thatsnowball to disastrous propor-tions. It's a case of gettingnibbled to death by ducks.You're not being bitten in halfby an alligator and you've gotto t ink in those terms. Takethe time to kick the ducksaway. That's what flying safety officers should be used forby the commanders. I recommend it strongly.EDUC TION ND TR INING

Boxing champions whO trainon a diet of chocolate malteds,schooners of beer, and night-clubs may get by for a littlewhile. But if they don't wanttheir ears beaten off, they hirea trainer with a program designed to work off blubber, adjust timing and put the snapback in a left hook. Aviationunits become as flabby as dissipated prize fighters if theylack sustained and carefully

supervised training programsof their own. Modern aviationunits require planned trainingprograms to prepare a viatO'rsfor their tasks, and enablethem to spot situations theyare not yet ready to handle.No aviator can ever be fullyexperienced, and the youngerhe is, the more there is tolearn about his trade. Unlessyour man realizes this and ishelped by wise supervision andtraining in the early stages, hemay atte'mpt a hurdle whichlooks easy to him, but is inreality as tough as they come.A commander setting up atraining program should studyit from the standpoint of unitdiscipline, the nature of operations, the need to keep experienced aviatO'rs in shape, andthe necessity for steering thehealthy enthusiasm of youngeraviators in the 200-500-hourclass into proper channels. Hemust eliminate all guessworkand custom fit his, training program to the needs of his unit.He must mO'nitor the trainingprogram to the extent that hekeeps himself informed onwhat the program is designedto accomplish, how its prescribed goals will be reached,and what daily and weeklyprogress is being made.

The good commander hasflexible training program, designed to meet the changingconditions his aviators facefrom one month to anotherWhatever the task, the commander can be confident if hehas, planned carefully, delegated his authority responsiblyand is in constant touch withwhat is going on.

M INTEN NCE NDF CILITIES

Aviators can be honed torazor-edge sharpness, by train-ing and discipline, but per-formance will still suffer ifmaintenance of aircraft and fa-cilities fails to meet requiredstandards. Army commandersknow this; they are solidly opposed to sand in fuel tanks, upside-down replacement partsand holes in the runway. Bumaintenance is as big a job asflying. A systematic supervision program makes i t consierably less trying and far moreeffective.An aviation safety officercan become a strong right armand a joy to have around whenit comes to preserving highstandards of maintenance andfacilities. An aviation safetyofficer with a systematic andpersistent program can alert

Temporary facilities change mplexion overnight


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e unit s personnel and elimiate the dozens of naggingdetails which arise reg

Facilities become particularimportant when units are opthe field in ruggedand from hastily setstrips or pads. Permanentare generally kept

wandering animals vegand sink holes. But infield anything can happenwill happen unless stepstaken to prevent it. A temfacility changes comovernight. One heliunit discovered this last

when it returned to a temfacility it had usedtime before. They hadthe place clean and servbut while they wererain and a hot southernsped the growth of weeds

and vines. A helicopter pilotattempting to take off caughthis skid under a tough vine. Theaircraft struggled vainly to getairborne then flopped backwith its blades beating theground.This accident emphasizedsomething every good supervision program takes into account - the tougher the situation the closer the supervision.Any Army Aviator even theone who hasn t yet had his lastmail forwarded from Ruckerhas enough training, knowledge and sense of responsibility to do a job under normalcircumstances. Put the sameaviator in the field in a tactical situation, and it s a different story. The unit out inthe field using temporary facilities and assigned an exacting mission is usually in a sit-isciplined - effective - r ud

COMMAND SAFETYuation at least some of itspilots haven t run into beforeEven old pros feel the strain.Only the commander with awell rounded supervision program can face rugged field conditions with confidence.

PR V NTIV SUP RVISIONAn effective supervision program contains preventive supervision. This is a well organized aggressive programcovering training, operationsfacilities maintenance and

aviators physical and emotional well being. Put another waya unit s accident rate is a fairindex of its understanding ofthe value of preventive supervision. The unit polished to ahigh gloss by preventive supervision is disciplined effectiveand proud. Its accidents willbe few and far between.


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NOT DRAWN TO SCALE

W ITH THE DEMISE O f Military Flight Service, theed e r a I AviatiO n Agency,alO ng with their Flight ServiceStatiO ns, has becO me more im

PO rtant to the military aviator.TO make flight planning andVFR flying somewhat easier,the FAA recently announced anew service, Flight Following.(See Four Lane Skyways,May 61 DIGEST.)Military aviatO rs are encouraged to use Flight FO I-lO wing when flying under visual flight rules. In using this6

OIR-CAIRNS AAF FT RUCKER, ALA.V NA - V l N N OM N IALD-ALLENDALE OMNIVAN-VANCE OMNIFLO-FLORENCE OMNICAE-COLUMBIA OMNIF B G-S IM M ONS AAF FT BRAGG N. C.

Lieutenant Thomas R Curtin Armor

service variO us PO ints alongthe rO ute of flight are designat-ed befO re takeoff as flight following stations; and they arenotified in advance of the flight.As the aviatO r progresses to -ward his destination, he cO n-tacts these flight watch sta-tiO ns, which are expecting hiscall. They will have a flightcO ndition message prepared fO rbriefing the aviator O n weath-er existing alO ng his rO ute offlight and at destinatiO n.To understand fully the useO f VFR flight fO llO wing service,

we will plan a flight frO mCairns AAF, FO rt Rucker, Ala.to SimmO ns AAF, Fort BraggN. C.In the planning rO O m aCairns AAF, we O verhear thefollO wing cO nversation between Lt Jack Lincoln and LGeO rge Adams.I think we might as wel

Lt Curtin is an instructm in thAcademic and Synthetic TraineDiV1:sion Dept of dv F jW TngUS VNS . He is fixed wingf ated and instrument qualified.


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se flight following, don 't you,leorge? questions Jack.I g u e s s so, answersGeorge. But I don't know anything about it. I've never usedit and I hear it is a lot oftrouble. Anyway our flightshould be VFR all the way; it'sclear as a bell here.I realize it's clear here,George; but you never knowwhat we might encounter enroute. I'll explain how easy itworks.Well, if it isn't going to bevery much trouble and youthink it may do some good, wemigh as well use it.N0 trouble at all, saysJack. Here is how it works.Planning the flight VFR, we'llgo direct as possible, pickingour checkpoints approximatelyevery 60 minutes. These checkpoints will also be used as ourflight watch stations. We mustIe an altitude in accordancerith the semicircular rule.Filing an altitude is importantsince flight watch stations willgive weather for 2,000 feetabove our filed altitude.In the 'remarks' section ofour flight plan we requestflight following and list theflight watch stations along theroute. For our flight we'll useVienna, Allendale, and Florence. Base operat ions trans-

mits this information to thenearest Flight Service Station.They in turn notify the flightwatch stations we have designated, giving them essentialinformation such as route, altitude, true airspeed and destination.Our time en route is computed by each flight watch station, so they will have an estimate of our arrival. Five minutes before our arrival theyprepare a flight condition message for transmission to uswhen we make our position report. I t contains the latestavailable weather along ourroute and at destination, andthe current abbreviated weather of our next reporting station. Weather is gathered byeach station for our route and50 miles on both sides.We must also remember toreport any significant weatherchange that may occur alongour route. PIREPS (pilot reports) are of considerable value to Flight Service Stations.If we are more than 15 minutes late in reporting to a flightwatch station or fail to report,the FSS will notify our nextflight watch of this change inour ETA. A communicationssearch will begin only afterthe aircraft is one hour overdue at the next reporting point.

H ere's hoVJ to get travelers aid en routec. FLIGHT 'UNJU..DtoCAu R ' 18251 . eRA TYrt 1.-2 .0 ; l N ~ AA, r 7 , . f t l C K ~ ; f . ~

ROUTE TO BE FLOWN # M A h 7 . c r-,r,,(JA ACG ;Y.eIFR VFR ALTITUDE ROUTE TO NllUGE .2-0 HAUT. [T O / 3 0 0 ~V S ~ b UTT U[A/S/ J KTS [T [ 3-1-6 (}V 1/ -70 AL.l['HIAT[ U [ TO ALTUINAT[3 f t J D - -V 3 f o ( } V-;.5 7 : : ~ ~ V h . F -04//v .3.s- 0 LOT S LAST NAWE L/ /V CtJL. /VFUEL OH IOARD S Yo .-NSTRUMENT RATING

NAVY / AIR FORo ARMYSKCIA/ l I L O T ~ 'ILOT :JN

r OtlOT r ATING INSf :2 GOAT[ 'S T U [ T CA.D 2 J v A/ 6 /00 f'0II' Y flL.[O AT DATt f iLED,..... -HIGHtsT HI( OM a .AO -

LETDOWN EOUIPMENT ABOARD AIRCRAFT LETDOWN AVAILABLE AT DESTINATION NOTAM$ CHECKED

)(. I 's IXI O. 1(1-' 1'1: ~ [ I I CAN I s I 1_ I I , 1'1CA I : : ~ ~ I I CAH x lvES I 1.0.[ .... /? [ ( ) t IST r : fI6 T nL/OW/Nt; . F / ~ t 1 . T c ' l ~ ~ / l / J ~ A / n ../lILENf).IlLE .,: rLPfi'E/v'CE. , ~ ~ : ; ' ~ _ c ./7 (SIG 1'\)It[ 'IOILOT)

TRAVELERS AID FFS

That's about all there is toit, George. So why don't wegive it a try?Upon receipt of the flightplan, Cairns Operations noti

fied Dothan FSS of the flight,including the request for flightfollowing service. Once airborne Lieutenant Lincoln contracted Dothan, reporting histime off and receiving verification of his flight watch stations. Dothan FSS notified theflight watch stations en route,giving altitude, TAS, type aircraft, and ETE. One hour after takeoff Lieutenant Lincolncontacted Macon Radio, reporting his position over the Vienna Omni. He received hisflight condition message andwas told to contact CharlestonRadio 15 miles southwest ofAllendale. The weather reportindica ed a line of th understorms along his route of flight20 miles northeast of Allendale moving southeast. Maconhad advised the possibility ofa flight plan change to circumnavigate this bad weather. I twas suggested that by goingnorth to, Columbia (V -37) andthen east to Florence (V-56)the bad weather would be skirted and the flight remain VFR.Lieutenant Lincoln reportedas requested and CharlestonRadio advised a new route offlight to avoid the thunderstorms. Lincoln filed as MaconRadio had suggested and alsorequested that Columbia beadded as a flight watch. He wastold to contact Columbia Radio10 miles south of Columbiaand was advised that FortBragg would be notified of hisnew ETA.

Ten miles south of Columbia,Lincoln established con t a c twith Columbia Radio and was

Continued on page 9

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THEARMY

WONDER HOW many ofyou Army Aviators, partic-ularly those holding down positions as operations officers,have heard the old story thatyour aircraft have been re-stricted to only a limited number of flying hours for thismonth, quarter, or year? I'llbet that this tune is quite fa-miliar to a majority. Here youare with missions to be flown,aviators needing time to meettheir minimums, plenty of flyable aircraft, and yet you areinformed that your aircraftare restricted. When you askwhy I am sure the reply iseither Lack of funds forPOL or SB 1-1-1, the FlyingHour Program. Usually theformer is blamed on the latter.Since its bark is worse than itsbite, it may be of interest toall concerned to learn just a little about this monster TheFlying Hour Program. Whyis it required? For what it isused? How is it derived? Howrestrictive is it?First of all, the Flying Hour

8

Victor J Schulte Jr.Program is not a programat all in the traditional Armysense. It is merely a forecastbased on experience, used pri-marily by logisticians and engineers as a guide for spare partssupport and maintenance forecasting. Like all big businessesthe buyer of the merchandisemust have a market analysis todetermine the size of his pur-chase. In Army Aviation thisanalysis is expressed in termsof user demand and forecast onuse r requirements (flyinghours). Therefore, it may besaid that the Flying HourForecast (program) is developed by every user of Armyaircraft worldwide and trans,..mitted to a central controlpoint for compilation and analysis via the DA Form 1352.With the acceptance of air-craft nto the military struc,..ture some method of requirement measurement was neededon which to base logisticalforecasts, operational accomplishments, budgetary ndequipment requirements, etc.

OGRAMFor aircraft, the standard uniof measure has been acceptedas the flying hour; hence, theevolution of the Flying HouProgram.

The basic concepts of tacti-cal employment of the threeservices differ because of operations. Implementation of aFlying Hour Program varieswithin the services, althoughthe usage of the obtained datais similar.Tactical employment of theAir Force and Naval Aviationare expressed in terms of air-craft units; therefore, flyinghours are truly programmedThe accomplishment of theirprogram is enforced by the re-

sponsible commander. Conversely, the tactical employ-Mr. Schulte is Chief of theLogistical Data Research andAnalysis Branch Logistic Opera-tions Plans Division Office ofPlans and Programs U B rmyTransportation Mat eri e l Com-mand St. Louis Mo


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ment of the Army is expressedin terms of armies, divisions,battle gro.ups and troops, placing the aircraft in the role ofa support vehicle. FDr this reaSDn the Army does not in reality program aircraft flyinghDurs. It makes forecasts basedDn experience data.I know yo.U have probablyread or heard sDmewhere thatYDU cannot fly less than 75 percent Dr exceed 125 percent accDmplishment of the SB 1-1 orSB 1-1-1 over a 3-mo.nth periodwitho.Ut approval. But haveyou checked the facts (AR 95-70) ? If sO. you found that approval is not required.

Instead, an advisory letter tothe Chief of Transportation isrequired so. that he can makecorresponding adjustments inhis planning to pro.vide you, theuser, with adequate support.But what about justifyingaircraft presently assigned orproviding justification for additiDnal aircraft? This is basedprimarily on your unit priority.The more you fly the betteryour justification. Aircraft arerarely withdrawn (except bylocal commanders) based solelyDn I W flying hour activity.The basic SDurce for the publication of all flying ho.ur dataContinued 11 om pagegiven his flight condition message. The weather along hisroute would remain VFR withthe sky becDming overcast at6,000 feet at his destinatiDn.He was told to contact MyrtleBeach Radio. over Florence forhis next flight conditiDn report.Halfway between Columbia andFIDrence he nDticed there wasa cloud buildup to the nDrthof the flight rDute. This wasnot reported by Columbia, soLincoln made a PIREP t Co-umbia Radio. After acknDwl-

is the DA FDrm 1352, ArmyAircraft Inventory, Status andFlying Time (RCS TC-153(Rl) ) , covered in AR 710-1500-8, 11 October 1956.t may be said that little, ifany, cDnditioning is applied tothe reported data co.ntained inthis report. LDgically then, theFlying Hour Program (SB1-1-1) is your program. Youfly it; you cause it to. be revised; and you, in fact, controlit. The Transportation Corpsmerely supports it.BefDre any type of statisticalreport is developed, raw datamust be collected from usersources. This is the purpose

of the D A 1352.Upon receipt of the 1352sfrom all using units, worldwide, Transportation MaterielCommand personnel must co m-pile, segregate and validate every entry on each reportagainst known aircraft by tailnumbers. Gains and lossesthro.ugh transfer, crash damage, etc. must be determined sothat no. doubt exists that theinventory is co.rrect. We dohave trDuble keeping track ofaircraft (j ust as Y U may findit difficult keeping track of r-ganizational tools and equipment).

edging this report, Columbiastated that this buildup wouldnDt change the flight conditiDnen route but wDuld result in thelowered ceiling at destination.Over Florence Omni, Lincolnreported to Myrtle Beach radio and was tDld that the ceiling had already lowered to 5,-000 at Fort Bragg, but that theflight should remain VFR. Arriving at Fort Bragg, LincDlnnoticed the ceiling had lowered,but remained VFR. After closing the flight plan with base

FLYING HOUR PROGRAMAfter the status, inventDriesare validated, all reports arecoded fDr unit identificationand processed through Automatic Data Processing (ADP)

where they are co.nverted intospecific TBM print-outs in several fDrmats tailored to the requirements Df COIT, OSIGO,DCSLOG, and Dther higher level agencies. These insignificant fo rms (in a consolidatedand refined state) then fo rmthe basis of logistical and budgetary decisions for the operation, support, and procurementof Y ur aircraft and the develDpment Df future flying hourfDrecasts.

The procurement of repairparts in adequate quantities isindirectly the result of demanddata gathered through ourmarket analysis.In summary, the DA 1352(and resultant Flying HourPrDgram) belong t every commander, Army Aviato.r, mechanic, and clerk invDlved inthe operation and managementof Army aircraft. Treat itwith respect. In turn YDU willreceive more realistic flyinghour fDrecasts, supply support,and additiDnal equipment required to accomplish your mission. D

operations, both pilots agreedthat flight following had helped facilitate a safe flight. DFlight Following Service is still inthe experimental stage; however, itwill greatly enhance a VFR flight i fproperly used.Because FFS places additional workon FSS, Army Aviators are not encouraged t use it on each VFR crosscountry flight. However, when thepilot feels that the safe completion ofhis flight is endangered from marginal weather, he certainly should re quest and use this valuable service.-EDITOR

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. . 'f .

Army Aircraft an ngineering Tool

BATTLING SOME of theworld s worst weather conditions, as well as most ruggedterrain Army Aviation is playing an important role in theconstruction of military andpolice installations in Iran.

The U. S. Army EngineerDistrict Gulf, is responsiblefor building a series O f instal-latiO ns varying in size and complexity from small police sta-tjons to division size camps.Flights carrying technical specialists from headquarters inTehran to remote areas are vital due to a shortage O f civilianaviation and surface modes oftravel. Even where an available railroad goes to the cO n-

10

Captain Ralph L Trew CE

struction site, an average of 14hours is required to travel adistance of 300 miles.Air transportatiO n was firstobtained by contract but laterreplaced with Army aircraft.The aviation branch flew 2,300flying hours and 1,000,000 pas-senger miles during the first 18mO nths O f operatiO n. In anarea O f unusual conditiO ns andflight hazards the unit covered344,000 accident-free miles.Serving an average of fivemilitary constructiO n projectsper week keeps the twO L-23aircraft of the unit active. Theoperational experience O f thisunit emphasizes the importance O f organic aviation as avaluable engineering tool.

The aviatiO n branch consistsof four Army Aviators threeenlisted aircraft mechanics,one Department O f Army civilian clerk-typist, and one IO calNational hired mechanic s helper. Its mission is to providetimely and economical trans-portation fO r the District Engi-neer, his staff and employees.Gravel-surfaced airstrips atthe major sites are 4,000 feetlong and are at an average altitude of 5,000 feet. Predomi-

Capt Trew was chief of theA viation Branch, U. S. rmyE ngineer District, Gulf, whenth is article was written. H e is aSenior rmy Aviator, d twl ratedand instn.lm ent qualified.


13/40

nantly, they are located in small;alleys with approach avenueslimited to one direction. OnlyO ne site has a radiO beacO n,but an instrument approachand letdown using this beaconis impractical due to the highterrain and confined nature ofthe valley. Access to all construction site airstrips is,essentially limited to visual procedures. Landings and takeO ffsare complicated by high tem-peratures and dust in the summer and strong winds duringthe remainder O f the year.

Most O f Iran is a 5,000-foothigh plateau bounded on thenO rth and south by mO untainranges which vary from 12,000to 18,000 feet. IsO lated peaksO n the pla.teau extend up to13,000 feet. This sets the minimum en route altitudes fO r instrument flights at 8,500 to17,000 feet thrO ughO ut mO st O fthe cO untry. The minimum safe

strument flight altitudes be-

ENGINEERING TOOL

A bove : ] haneh, an area typical of the topography and type ofconstruction found throughout Gulf District. Left : erial view ofthe Khaneh area and ai 1 strip. irstrip is gravel s1.lrfaced, 4,000 fee tin length and 5,400 fee t above sea level.

tween Tehran and the majorityof the cO nstruction sites are12,000 to 17,000 feet.Bad we,ather usually occursin Iran between November andFebruary. When instrumentconditions exist, either a mO d-erate to heavy rime or a mixture of rime and glaze icingcan be expected at the altitudesrequired for safe instrumentflight. Moderate icing seriouslyaffects the L-23 s performanceat these altitudes. This, plusthe fact that the minimum enroute altitudes are above theaircraft s single-engine ceiling,prevents extensive instrumentflying.

Night flying also is held to aminimum since the Iran AirTraffic CO ntrol requires themto be under IFR cO nditions.This restriction forces the pilotto fly at 12,000 feet or higherand necessitates using oxygen.Night flight altitudes also exceed the L-23 s single-engineceiling. Aviators obtain theirannual night flight minim urnsby making combination train-ing and administrative flightsto Dharan Air Force Airfield,Saudi Arabia.

Primary navigation facilitiesin the Middle East consist of

nondirectional homing beacons,located about 150 miles apart.In Iran they are usually powered by small electric generators;and beacons can (and do) gooff the air without prior notice.

Such beacons O perate in the200-500 kc band and severe interference is often experienced.All direction indicatiO ns mustcO nstantly be checked againsta map fO r accuracy. A typicalADF apprO ach, such as theone established for Tehran(sketch), may employ fourbeacO ns in the approach pat-tern. The beacon being usedduring an approach must always be monitored to ensuresafety. The unit s two L-23aircraft are equipped with dualAN /ARN 59 AutO matic Direction Finder receivers to copewith these facilities.

CO nventiO nal aircraft VHFand UHF radios, familiar tomost Army Aviators , are notused extensively in the MiddleEast. MO st airport towers andmajor international terminalsuse VHF, but there are veryfew en route airway reportingstations with VHF radiO s. Theprimary air-grO und traffic informatiO n and control stationsuse high frequency radio (HF)


14/40

3

5110


15/40

The Mohawk sMartin Baker Seat

WITH THE ADVENT of theAO-1-AF MOHAWK intothe Army s inventory (DIGEST, Sep 1960), part of itsequipment included the Martin-Baker ejection seat. Theseat s arrival prompted an ambivalent reception. Commentsran good, bad, indifferent, comical, severe, concerned, and,last but not least, unbelieving.This article is devoted to theproponents of the latter.Back in 1944, the British AirMinistry took heed of the increased difficulty experiencedby their pilots in effecting nor-nal over-the-side bailouts from

Arthu r M Heinimanthat era s aircraft. Slipstreamforces and adverse g conditions were growing greaterthan ever before in their Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft.Rapid development in fighteraircraft, especially jets, onlypromised an aggravated situation. Thus, the Ministry invited the Marlin-Baker Aircraft Co Ltd., to investigatethe feasibility of an assistedescape system.An initial design concept wasprepared and a drawing submitted which presented aswinging arm mounted atop anaircraft fuselage (fig. 1). The

aft end of the arm was attached and pivoted just forward ofthe fin and its forward endwas provided with aU-shapedpiece which engaged rings onthe pilot s parachute harness.This swinging arm, actuatedby a powerful spring, was intended to raise the pilot out ofthe cockpit and clear of theaircraft structure. Although

Mr. I I einiman is the Grummanircraft Engineering Corporationservice representative assigned tothe Mohawk program at Fort

Rucker Ala.13


16/40

igure

well received, this theory fellby the wayside when i t became clear that the most at tractive method of emergencyegression would be forced ej ection of the seat with the occupant still sitting in it.The manufacturer began toexplore areas of mechanical design and physiological reactionabout which relatively littlewas known. Thousands ofhours were devoted to development work and subsequentdummy firings on test rigs.Eventually a human spine anda cadaver were acquired formechanical tests in order tomore fully learn the effectejections would have on thespinal region of the body. Conclusions reached were that thehuman body could withstandrelatively high accelerationswithout physical inj ury, providing the spinal vertebraewere square to each other, thatthe peak accelerations werelimited to about 26 g, and thatthe g came on relatively slowly. (These factors have nowbeen universally accepted asdesign criteria for ejectionseats.)

The M a r l i l - ~ a k e r ec- 4

. n was made in Jul 1946 inE.ngla. d. I t was a planned andoompletely successful ejection,executed from a Meteor aircraft at 8,000 feet and 278 kt.American interest was stimulated about this time and a testrig was erected at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. A MartinBaker seat was also installedin the rear cockpit of an A-26.A series of dummy ej ectionsfrom both rig and aircraft culminated in a successful liveej ection in November 1946.Back in Britain the seat wasfurther developed, successfullydemonstrated, and put into production in 1947. The Meteor,Attacker, Wyvern, Canberra,and later the Sea Hawk andVenom aircraft were s uccessfully outfitted.During succeeding years theMartin-Baker seat underwentfurther transformation. Theneed arose for pilot protectionduring high altitude and highg ejections. The seat necessitated lightening for lighter aircraft and demanded a highertraj ectory for higher tail surfaces. It was furlher realizedt h t ej ections around theworld which were made at un-

der 2,000-foot altitudes wereall too unsuccessful. As a result ancillary equipments wereadded and refinements introduced out of which was born anautomatic low - level ejectionseat capable of runway ejections.

In August 1957, an RAFFlying Officer successfullyejected f r o m a GrummanF9F 8T at the Patuxent RiverNaval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Md. The ejectionwas made at 110 KIAS, zerofoot altitude before a largegroup of Naval personnel andp r e s s representatives. Thiswriter witnessed the ejectionand was very favorably impressed. Others were equallyimpressed, for the MarlinBaker representative spent thefollowing days measuring current Naval aircraft for possibleinstallation of his product. (Between spots of tea he depictedthe illustrious tailor as hewent about his work with thetape, pad, pencil, and chalk hehad so thoughtfully broughtalong.)

The Martin-Baker seat hassince been fitted to nearly 20types of American aircraft andis in service with aircraft in35 nations throughout theworld. Just under 400 successful ejections have' been recorded over speed ranges up toMach 1.7 at 40,000 feet and ataltitudes from ground level to56,000 feet.

This article is not intendedas a thesis on Marlin-Bakerseats nor as a supplement forformal indoctrination. However, it is befitting to undertake a cursory description ofthe seat installed in today'sMohawk and its principle ofoperation.As an occupant seats himselfin the Mohawk, he will b


17/40

wearing a B5 quick fit harnessand will place a fabric garteraround the calf of each leg(fig. 2 and 3). The garters willattach to two leg restraintcords by quick release fittings(fig. 2). Similar fittings (fig.3) located about the shoulderswill secure the occupant's quickfit harness to his personnel par-achute and harness inertia reel(fig. 2), which are attached tothe seat. Two vertical supportstraps (fig. 3), sewn to thequick fit harness, will be slipped over the male lap bolt fitting (fig. 3) and the conventional lap belt will be fastened.

With the occupant so restrained, he can lock or unlockhis inertia reel using a lever onthe left side of the seat bucket(fig. 5). His seat can be raisedor lowered by actuating a toggle switch (fig. 4) located onthe right side of the seat buck-] igure

OUICK IIUASI fIniNG

et. Forward of the seat position switch is a yellow andblack stripped knob (figs. 2and 4 manual override lever)which, when moved up and aft,will release the pilot from theseat with his parachute andseat pad. Provided are the usual microphone and oxygenpickups and the traditional"green apple (fig. 4) for actuating the emergency oxygenbottle (fig. 4).A normal ejection is accomplished by pulling the faceblind (fig. 6 and 7) by the han-dle located directly over thepilot's head (fig. 5). An alter-nate or secondary handle (fig.2 and 3) is located between thepilot's legs on the forward portion of the seat pan. This alterna e handle is provided inthe event the occupant cannotraise his arms under excessiveg conditions. Both handles are

-,, - -

J ~ I lILIA$ FtTTlNGS

MARTIN -BAKER SEATyellow and black striped andeach is equipped with a groundsafety lock (fig. 3 and 4) whichis readily accessible to the occupant.Each handle is capable of firing the seat. When either ispulled, a sear is extracted fromthe firing pin for the primarycartridge in the ej ection gun.Once the primary cartridge isfired, the seat starts its ascent.As the seat initially moves upward, two auxiliary cartridgesattached to the side of the ejection gun are uncovered andflame fired, adding to the propellant force. As the seat rises,the occupant's legs are drawnagainst the seat bucket and re-strained by the leg restraintcords to prevent flailing as theseat leaves the aircraft.The trajectory of the occupant will be 60 to 80 feet. I tis likely that the heavier indi-

i igure

:-1.. .

';; v ;

; ; ;1:1i 1Ij

15


18/40

OCTOBER 1961vid ual will experience a lowerapogee.) The average ejectiongun velo.city is appro.ximately83 fps, and the average g forceimposed on the individual isappro.ximately 16 g s. (Thehighest g loading encounteredduring Mo.hawk tests was 21g s. This, was imposed on a 5percentile Qr very light dummy.)

As the seat leaves the aircraft a trip rod will pull a searfrQm a drogue gun (fig. 5) andfrom a time release mechanism(fig. 4) mounted to the seat.The drQgue gun fires Qne halfseco.nd after its sear is extracted and thus pro.pels a piston orslug which withdraws a 22-inch controller chute by meansof a connecting line. The co n-tro.ller chute in turn unfolds a5-foot stabilizer chute whichterminates at a shackle held in

Figure

16

a restraining scissor at the topof the seat. The occupant inhis seat is thus stabilized anddecelerated in preparatio.n forthe deplo.yment o f his perso.nnel parachute and subsequentseparatio.n fro.m the seat.The time release mechanism,triggered at the same time asthe drogue gun, is delayed 11/2seco.nds, at which time themo.vement o f its two plungers-

Allows the dro.gue chutesto extract the 24-foot personnel parachute (fig. 4) by o.pening the scisso.r at the top ofthe seat. Releases the o.ccupant sharness and lap belt fro.mtheir seat attachment points. Frees the leg restraintco.rds frQm their sockets. Releases the face blind,preventing the o.ccupant, who.sehands might be frozen to it,

IIl1ASI I C H N t S M

DIOGUEGUN

IMERGENCY OXYGEN o n u

from dragging the seat behindhim.Tempo.rary restraint fo r theoccupant in the seat is maintained after the harness andlap belt is unlo.cked fro.m theseat by two spring loadedsticker clips. This preventsco.llision with the seat duringthe separatio.n pro.cess, and ensures positive separatio.n of theo.ccupant fro.m the seat whenthe jolt o f the personnel parachute occurs. Once the perso.nnel parachute blosso.ms anda clean separation is madefrom the seat, the rate o fdescent is 23 fps and a no.rmalparachute gro.und co.ntact canbe expected.

In the case of a zero. feet altitude ejectiQn at 100 KIAS,the elapsed time fro.m curtainpull to ground co.ntact is approximately 5 seco.nds.

Figure 5


19/40

FigureIf an ej ection is executed

above 15,000 feet, or when aforce of four g's or more is act-ing upward and parallel to themain vertical axis of the seat,the time release will be delayedallowing the occupant to remain attached to the seat andstalling the deployment of thepersonnel parachute. This willassure a rapid stabilized de-scent to approximately 15,000feet in the event of high alti-tude ejectiO'n and will precludedamage to the personnel parachute and harness should highvelocities be encountered dur-ing ej ection.It is difficult to anticipatequeries regarding the MartinBaker seat, but there is onesubject to which Mohawk pilotsrefer most often. It is that of'iscomfort de'rived during andngering after long flights.

This discomfort appears morepronounced in the lower, for-ward portion of the occupant'spelvic promontory. In defenseof the cushioning of the Martin-Baker seat, if the seat wereany softer it would greatly de-teriorate the chances of anej ectee escaping spinal inj ury.Physiologists have been andare now working towards animprovement in the comfort as-pect of the seat. The introduc-tion of an adj ustable kidneypad (fig. 2) is their latest con-tribution.The betterment of the Mar-tin-Baker seat continues. Thefeasibility of a capabilityis currently being explored inthe form of a rocket equippedejection gun which would ac-cept the present configurationof Martin-Baker seats. SomeAmerican manufactured seats

MARTINBAKER SEAT

Figure 7already employ rocket features,and these seats are constantlybeing improved.

With VTOL aircraft on thehorizon and as nap of the earthtechniques gain proximity tothe earth, more and more Army. Aviators must become keenlyinquisitive about their cockpitenvironments. The improvedmission capability of the Mo-hawk and its successors canonly be enhanced by the survival equipment installed.In closing, we would suggestthat those anticipating flyingin the Mohawk know their seatwell. If you ever have causeto eject, the statistics bear outthat a precise documentationof the ej ection should be com-piled and a thank you notesent to the manufacturer.Most important, both paperswould be autobiographical.

7


20/40

IROQUOIS H-34 CHOCTAWH 13E MAIN ROTOR BLA.DE flexed downwordand struck tail boom. Caused by downwash fromlow approach of H-21 which passed overhead .H-13E was parked with engine shut down andmain rotor still turning . Major damage to mainrotor blade and top left rear longitudinal bar oftail boom .L 19E ENTERED DOWNDRAFT while on searchmission in mountainous terrain. Aircraft wasforced down into canyon, struck powerline andcrashed. Observer sustained minor cuts andbruises. Pilot escaped with no injuries . Aircraftdestroyed .H 34C TAl L ROTOR DAMAGED by socketwrench handle which was left by maintenancepersonnel on top of screen covering tail rotorgear box. Incident dam.age estimated at 1,085 .H 21C ENGINE FAILED in f l ight . Aircraftmade turning autorotation, landed on right maingear and rolled on right side. Major damage.No injuries. Caused by internal failure of un known part or parts. Oil sump contained manymetal particles .H 13E MAIN ROTOR STRUCK POLE while aircraft was being directed into parking area byguide. Major damage to all components. Noinjuries .L 19E CRASHED in a wooded area during ap parent attempted demonstration wingover andletdown for contour approach to strip . Aircraftentered high speed stall during pull-out andmushed into trees. Fuel tanks were rupturedand fire began shortly after impact. Instructorpilot and student pilot sustained fatal injuries .Aircraft destroyed .18

H23 RAVENHU l A CRASHED during night approach toland. Windshield fogged over and pilot was un able to see Ground haze was contributingfactor . Aircraft destroyed . No injuries .H 37B EMITTED SMOKE AND FIRE duringtakeoff . Successful forced landing was madeand f ire extinguished. Fire caused by rag whichwas left on transmission deck under cowling .Transmission oil cooler belt drives burned . Noother damage .H 13 H STRUCK WI RES whi Ie hovering to park ing area . Major damage. No injuries .L 19A STRUCK TREE during landing approach .Incident damage . No injuries.L 20A STRUCK WOODEN PYLON while taxiingto parking area . Incident damage . No injuries .AO l RIGHT TIRE BLOWN during landing roll .Caused by excessive use of brakes. Incidentdamage to right wheel assembly.AO l DEVELOPED HYDRAULIC LEAK betweenbarrel halves on propeller hub of No. 1 engine .Aircraft completed forced landing with no dam age. Hydraulic leak caused by corrosion spotson front and rear of barrel halves . Cause ofcorrosion undetermined. UR was submitted .AO l GE R RETRACTED during touch-and-golanding. Pi lot reached for flap handle aftertouchdown to raise flaps to takeoff position . Heinadvertently grasped the gear handle andraised i t to the up position . Major damage . Noinjuries .H 21 C ENTERED FOG during return f l ight fromsearch mission . Aircraft crashed into trees andhigh ground . Pilot killed . Copilot and crewchieescaped with minor injuries. Major damage.


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L-23 SEMINOLE H-37 MOJAVEH-13G BEGAN TO SETTLE during low-levelflight. Aircraft was landed and i t started slidingbackwards. Pitch and forward cyclic were applied and aircraft veered to left. Main rotorblade struck tree and aircraft rolled on rightside. Gasoline dripped on mufflers and startedfire . Aircraft destroyed. Pilot and passengersescaped with no injuries .H-21 C STRUCK TRE S during shallow approachto landing. Major damage to rotor blades andhorizontal stabilizer. No injuries.H-34C CRASHED in ice and snow shortly aftertakeoff. Engagement of the ASE at altitude of100- 150 feet with ASE motor control overrideswitch in Ieft-forward-down (hard-oved po sition caused aircraft to enter attitude fromwhich pilot could not recover prior to impact .Pilot, copilot, crewchief and three passengerssustained fatal injuries. Aircraft destroyed.HU-1A ENGINE FAILED in flight. Aircraft completed autorotative forced landing with no dam age. Oil line from tank to engine ruptured,causing engine failure .H-34C STRUCK TREE STUMP during approachto confined area. Incident damage. No injuries .H-13E STRUCK WIRES in flight. Flight controlpush-pull rod severed by wire strike. Controlwas lost and aircraft crashed in heavily woodedarea . Pilot and passenger sustained minor in juries. Aircraft destroyed .U-l A ENGINE FAILED shortly after takeoff.Ai rcraft struck telephone pole during forcedlanding. Pilot sustained cut on right heel andcopilot suffered broken leg . No other injuries.Major damage to aircraft. Caused by materielfailure in No . 9 cylinder .

AC-l CARIBOU H-19 CHICKASH-13H STRUCK POWERLINE during takeoff.Aircraft exploded in air and burned. Pilot killed .L-19A STRUCK WIRES during contour f l ightalong riverbed . Aircraft destroyed. Pilot escaped with minor injuries.H-13H ENGINE OVERSPEE occurred duringpower recovery from 1800 practice autorotationwhile aircraft was on test f l ight . Rotor rpm lostand aircraft landed short of intended spot, struckrock, rolled over and burned . No injuries.H-13H STRUCK WIRES during takeoff . Majordamage. No injuries .H-19 STRUCK LIGHT POLE while taxiing totakeoff position. Major damage to main rotorblades, rotor head, transmission and fuselage .No injuries.U-1A STRUCK L-20A while taxiing forward onramp. Incident damage to both aircraft. Noinjuries .H-13H MAIN ROTOR STRUCK TREE duringmessage drop. Major damage to main rotorblades. No injuries .H-37A SETTLE INTO TREES after takeoff dueto power loss. Major damage. No injuries .Cause of power loss undetermined pending investigation.H-23D EXHAUSTED FUEL in f l ight and tailrotor struck ground during flare for autorotationlanding. Major damage. No injuries.H-21C ENGINE FAILED at hover during testflight. Aircraft landed with no damage . Intakevalve failed in No.6 cylinder, damaging piston.Metal particles from piston entered all cylindersthrough impeller and intake system.

9


22/40


23/40

aptain PleasantH West CE

N A ROUTINE MISSION,we filed VFR out of Managua via direct GuatemalaCity (280 miles) with 3 hoursen route and 4 hours fuel onboard our L-20. At this timeour departure, destination, anden route (San Salvador) weath-er was definitely VFR. Climbing on course, we topped a scat-tered cloud condition at 9,500feet. Our first hour's fuel consumption was about 26 gallons(not excessive considering theload and climb to altitude).

About 11 2 hours after take-off we were on course 25 milessoutheast of San Salvador andrealized we were going to haveto let down and circumnavigatethe towering cumulus on ourproposed flight path. We hadcontact with our lAGS radio inGuatemala but was not able toraise any civil radio stations

for weather. A pilot's reportat Guatemala City indicatedVFR conditions with plenty ofblue overhead with the southand east ridges open (our proposed route).Because of the weather outlook between San Salvador andGuatemala, as seen from ourpresent position, I decided toland at San Salvador and refuel. San Salvador had a thun-derstorm with heavy rain inthe vicinity. I spent 10 pre

cious minutes in the area try-ing to make radio contact tono avail. Consequently I wasn'table to obtain the best avenueof approach, and decided tocontinue to Guatemala City. Ifound out later that a politicaldisturbance had just begun andthe field was closed.)

Weather between San Salvador and Guatemala City ap-

peared to be broken to overcast, with visibility about 15miles and cloud bases 1,500 feetand tops up to umpteen thou-sand. I elected to generallyfollow the coastline and ' fly atabout 1,200 feet. Thirty-fivemiles out with 30 gallons offuel aboard, I was homing intoGuatemala City from the SEon ADF. Aviation personnel on the ground at GuatemalaCity informed me that therewas still about 2,000 feet clearance on the southeast ridgeswith blue holes visible about 10miles south. Based on this Idecided to attempt to fly VFRto the city. I was unable to remain under the clouds because

Capt West is a member of the937th Engr Co Avn) lAGS).H e is dual rated and instrumentqualified with approximately 2.000 flight hours.2


24/40

OCTOBER 1961the terrain sloped up to thecloud base. SD I climbed up tosee what altitude would be required to reach the blue holessouth of the city.At 6,000 feet I was 500 feeton top of one layer in a corridor that appeared to lead to thebroken condition south of thecity. I had about 4 miles cloudclearance on each side from thetowering cumulus and rainforming the sides and end fthe corridor. At this time Iould have turned toward the

o s t (known broken conditions with good visibility) andlanded at one of several smalllirstrips, or continued towardGuatemala City and descendthrough the reported holesand gone in under the cloudlayers. I elected to do the latter.My corridor extended an estimated 15 miles and at the endof it was a hole with theground visible. The terrain didnot look familiar but I was sureI was close. I let down to 4,000feet and was about 20 milessouth-southeast of the city instead of my expected 10 miles.At this time I had approximately 22 gallons fuel. I wasunable to continue towards thecity due to low clouds and rainin nearly all directions.

Reversing my course I wentback to look for the holethrough which we had descended. It was gone. We continued1.00 looking for an opening in the

mountain ridge and was justbarely able to remain clear ofthe clouds. At this point I could

have climbed back up IFR intothe clouds and gone to thecoast (MEA 14,500 feet). Butbased on my now limited fuelsupply, higher fuel consumption in a climb, numerous towering cumulus clouds with rainand suspected severe turbulence, and several mountainpeaks up to 12,500 feet in theimmediate area, I decided toremain below and keep looking.

lAGS radio in GuatemalaCity now indicated an estimated 3,000-foot overcast withsmall parts of the ridges stillvisible. I had some ridges from3,000 to, 6,000 feet high tocross and I had to find an opening in the ridge. Continuing ina northerly direction, we pickedup the Guatemala - Salvadorhighway. I could follow this tothe city in almost zero-zeroweather. Following it to thecity was impossible; it wentright into the clouds. We werein a small valley about 2 mileslong, surrounded by low clouds,rain, mountain ridges and withthe highway running throughthe middle.I could have gone IFR forabout 15 minutes and reachedGuatemala City, but there's noapproved letdown and I wasdown to 16 gallons of fuel. HadI any doubts,about a safe landing on the highway, I wouldhave done this, but I was absolutely sure I could m,ake it.Reporting our exact position tothe lAGS radio in GuatemalaCity I informed them we weregoing to land and wait for goodweather.

The section of road I selectedwas about 1,500 feet long, uphill with about a 4 percentgrade. An outcrop of rocks wason each side about one-thirdthe distance up the road fromthe approach end. It was pavedbut very wet. A big stake-bodytruck was parked on the approach end. The weather wasmoderate rain with cloudsabout 200 feet above the road,but down to the ground about300 feet from the approach end.Visibility about 1 mile out ofclouds.I still had sufficient fuel andwas absolute ly confident I couldland safely. As we've all saidbefore, I have landed in worseplaces than this. I decided tomake my touchdown point justpast the rock outcrop, thus cutting my usable strip down toabout 900 feet. Even thoughsure the wings would pass therocks with space' to spare, I didnot want to, take an unnecessary risk. I made three passesand realized that my turn tofinal approach was going to bequite short, but no sweat.During these passes over thearea a big truck was, going upthe road, but I thought it wouldbe over the hill befDre I toucheddown. As I turned final thetruck still had about 100 feetto go. After touchdown andwith all wheels on the ground,I realized the truck had stoppedright at the end of my proposedusable roadway. I probablycould have stopped. Whetheror not I would have hit him willnever be decided. I made a go-

AERODROMES RADIO FACILITIES LEGENDLandplane Seaplane

Military .. ,.Civi l ., . ,;oint Civil and Military .. , .Emergency or no facil iti es .

22

@oRadio Beacon .Direction Finde r Station , . .. . . .. DDirection Finder Stalion at field .. .. '

Eureka Beacon .. , 0Omnirange (VOR) .. .. , .. , ,. 0LF Range .. . .. . .. X

~ } ~Broadcasting Station . ..onsult Rad io Facil ity harts for latest information


25/40

around and set up another approach. It became obvious thatthe truck driver wanted to seethe show.My only alternative was tomove my touchdown point asnear as possible to the truckparked on the approach end.Making a smooth landing I hadall whe'els on the ground about200 feet before the rock outcrop. Apparently I allowed theaircraft tol skid left instead ofstaying in the middle of theroad. I assume I was preoccupied with the truck on theroad in front of me. I hadslowed to about 35 kt when myleft wing struck the rocksabout 3 inches inboard fromthe tip.Things then went from badto worse. The blow on the wingstarted the aircraft into aslight left turn. I applied hardright brake but could not stopthe turn, due t the wet surface. The left wing struck therocks six times, turning a littlemore each time. Skidding offthe road, the right gear sheared and we came to a suddenhalt.

The truck full of peoplepromptly moved out. The showwas over. We were 12 milesfrom Guatemala City.Post-mortem revealed thathad I stayed in the middle ofthe road I would have hadabout 2 feet clearance onthe left wing. I am not surewhat you would consider theprimary contributing factortoward getting intol this predicament. Perhaps overconfidence. I have flown out ofGuatemala City for over 2years and during about 6months out of the year. Aftertwelve o'clock, a mInImumclearance approach to the cityis more the case than the exception. We have made manysuch approaches to the city andwill probably have to, makemore. But I have learned mylesson.Flying in Central Americaunder marginal VFR conditionsis asking for trouble, and whenyou go IFR there you are already in trouble. Weather forecasters are practically nonexistent; many of the NDBsare gasoline operated and of

nd of a routine flight

ROUTINE FLIGHTco u r s e susceptible to impromptu b r e k dow n; theME As look like the nationaldebt; and the distance to alternate airports is normallyprohibitive. For our single-engine aircraft with low serviceceiling and limited oxygen supply, the questionable facilitiesand mountainous terrain makeit unfeasible.Normal VFR flying is nosweat. Most of our charts areof the late 1940 vintage withthe pretty dotted contour lines,and are not at all cluttered upwith names and symbols.

f I sound bitter it is justthat I had an accident. I feelthat it could have been avoidedif I had paid more attention tweather before me and placedless confidence in my ability tosneak around in marginalweather. The net results are: one L-20 that will neverfly again, work delayed on proj ectuntil aircraft can be replaced, self-pride punctured, a tremendous amount ofrespect gained for weather conditions in Central America. D


26/40

HUMAN HAIR EQUALS 1

A MICRON PARTICLE .C N C USE TROUBLEIN N AIRCRAFT.

uel Handling ProblemsAVIATION FUEL has beencalled many things, liquiddynamite, colored firepower,and a necessary evil. However, treated with healthyrespect, common sense andknowledge, your refueling problems can be virtually erased.Commingled or contaminatedfuels is only one of many problems of safety that confrontthe Army's aviation fuel handling personnel.Problems begin as the fuel

WHERE DIDJ PUT THAT

C NDY BAR?

Lieutenant Arthur J Cornell QM

leaves the refinery. Rust, dirt,and water begin to contaminatethe fuel in tankers, barges, andrail cars. These problems aredumped in the tanks of localPOL personnel. Here two safe-guards enter the picture: theQuartermaster Corps laboratory technicians and the micronic filter separators. The labpeople sample and analyze eachincoming batch, testing it forproper components and condition. These specialists assume

the position of an advisor, giving the commander constantguidance in disposition of aviation fuels. The filter-separatorsfilter out the rust and dirt andremove the water. But filterswear out and become clogged.Remember to change them atleast once a year - every 3Lt Cornell was POL OfficerAirfield Command USAAVNS

Fort Rucker before his re erntreturn to civilian life.

NEVER CARRY LOOSE OBJECTS IN YOUR POCKETS


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months if the tanks aren't coated. Effective filtration doesn'tend at the storage tank. Additional 5 micron filters on eachrefueling vehicle ensure the delivery of clean and dry fuel into the aircraft.But Lieutenant, groundingevery aircraft is a waste oftime. A common complaintthat never seems to be adequately answered. Yet, themaj or cause f petroleum firesis static electricity. A majorfire was averted recently whena quick thinking mechanicsmothered a fire started by astatic spark jumping betweenthe man's finger and a leakingdrain valve on an H-37.Fuels, especially JPs, maygenerate their own static electricity as they flow throughlines and fittings. This is whyeach vehicle must be groundedwhen loading Dr unlDading in a

V i v ~YOUR TRU KS TELL

YOU WHAT'S RIGHT-GIVE THEM A CHANCE/ _v------I : . , ; ,o '- ----

storage area. Often, the staticbuildup between an aircraft isdifferent from that of the refueling vehicle r personnel.This charge is equalized bycDntact. Often a spark is discharged when the contact ismade. For this reason, grounding is accomplished prior to theopening O f fuel caps or valves.And regardless of popular opinion, clamping onto a tie-downrope doesn't do the job.Hidden in an Dbscure sectionof the Petroleum Handling Operations for Aviation Fuels,TM 10-1107 is. a reference tono refueling within 300 feet ofground energized radar. Fewpeople realize that this radar ispowerful enough to pop flashbulbs. Just imagine what thismight do to a cDncentration ofgasoline vapors.There is nothing quite so refreshing to some POL han-

dling people as a little gasolinespillage on the hands or armsto cool Dff. The fast evaporation of the gas not only cools,but alsO will remove naturaloils from the skin. This drying may lead to parched, scalyskin, rashes Dr other dermatitis. Aviation gasoline cO n-tains a relatively large amountof tetraethyl lead. This TELmay be breathed or absorbedinto the body through the skin.Large amounts may cause dizz i n e s s , unconsciousness, ordeath.

The rapid advance of ArmyAviation has greatly increasedthe burden of refueling operations. Aviation fuel handling isno longer a job for unit eightballs, but requires trainedpeO ple.Fuel handling can be amazingly safe. Let's keep it thatway. 0

NEVER SMOKE NEARNO CLOSER THAN 5

THE ASH ES ON THE GROUND MAY ef. YQJ. R 0Yllt/


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YOUR WORK WORK YOUR PROGRYEARS AGO with the two-cub section a particularaircraft was assigned to a mechanic for maintenance. Insome instances one mechanicperformed all the requiredwork on that airplane. Standardization present in some degree at time of manufacture,was a minor consideration.Modifications were performedto fit individual requirements,such as the rearrangement of

Captain Harrell N Gillis TCflight instruments, changes incontrols etc. Aircraft maintenance methods have undergonea period of transition in thepast few years.The introduction of all-metalaircraft marked a turning pointin Army aircraft maintenance.The number and complexity ofthe aircraft increased. Aviationcompanies came into being. Aprogram of maintenance also

came into being to meet theproblems engendered by thisincrease in complexity andnumbers of aircraft.No longer could aircraft beflown as necessary and main

tenance done when conven-Capt Gillis is assigned to theDept of Maintenance USAAVNSs supply officer. H e is fixed wing

rated and instrument qualified.TABLE 1 PEACETIME ANNUAL ARMY AIRCRAFT FLYING HOUR FACTORS

ITEMAirplanesL-19AL-19ETL-19DAO lRL-23DRL-26DL-20AL-23DL-23EL-23FL-26BL-26CL-26DU-IAAC lHelicoptersH-13DH-13EH-13GH-13HH-23BH-23CH-23DH-19CH-19DHU-IAH-21CH-34AH-37AHC-l

6

USCONARCACTIVE

3143823793144004004276005695204615175483723601041501372906416225086191240235234186300

RESERVE174235

CLASS II325329342400400451552527

640439232

3212420024519142619504229240163218289

SCHOOL TRAININGWOLTERS RUCKER126382318

558629

502713

604440328500

630809

376

9821112813325108110238475322446220

NATIONALGUARD170206210

281222

913913685109180


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ient. To schedule replacementparts, to provide an orderlyflow of work into. higher echelon maintenance facilities, aflying hDur program was established.Supply Bulletin 1-1, ArmyAircraft Flying Hour Factor,

sets forth the peacetime andmobilizatio.n flying hDur factDrsfor each type, model, and seriesof aircraft. In short, the Department f Army plans backup IDgistical support for eachtype aircraft based on an annual flying hour program. (Seetable 1.

The scheduled flying hourprogram is clo.sely allied withtimely aircraft maintenance.Untimely maintenance causesother aircraft to be Dverflownto meet required missions. Thisincreases unscheduled mainte-nance (maintenance which cannot be predicted), creates maintenance backlogs, upsets thescheduled maintenance program, and in general causes adrop in overall aircraft availability.

Aircraft availability a Isovaries as a result of climaticconditions; adequacy of facilities, tools, spare parts, supplies, and equipment; quantityand skill level of personnel (including supervisory and man-agerial type) ; and the grounding of aircraft for safety offlight measures. The introduction of new types and modelsof aircraft also increases maintenance downtime until experience is gained on the aircraftthroughout its maintenance cycle.Downtime f o r scheduledmaintenance can be predeter-mined with reasonable accuracy (preflight, postflight, periodic, and special inspectio.ns).This scheduled maintenanceIrogram is designed to keep

each aircraft in the air and out~ ilie ~ m ~ ~ ilietime as possible. It ensures thataircraft are in proper operat-ing condition and detects andcorrects conditions likely tocause trouble before they become serious.

Thorough and repetitive inspections are considered abackbone of routine aircraftmaintenance. Irregular, haphazard, or perfunctory inspections result in gradual but certain deterio.ratio.n of aircraft.The Sho p time which musteventually be spent in reconditioning aircraft thus abusedtotals far more than the timesaved in hurrying throughroutine inspectiDns. The objective o f the inspection andmaintenance system is to maintain the end item in a serviceable and operable condition.

Technical publications foreach type of Army aircraftspecify the interval at whichthe vario.us required inspections will be accomplished, usually expressed in terms of air-craft flying hours or calendardays. It follows that the num-ber o f hours an aircraft is flownsignificantly affects the available time for that aircraft. Themajor responsibility for thesafe operation of aviationequipment belongs to the usingactivity; therefore, using activities must be alert in inspection and replacement of equipment. The inspection intervalsgiven in the technical publications are maximum; th yshould never be exceeded.Maintenance scheduling isnecessary for high standardsand efficient flight scheduling.t becomes more importantwhen experienced maintenancepersonnel Dr adequate facilitiesare limited. Administrativeplanning, if conducted pro.per-

PROGRAM YOUR WORK

ly, decidedly imprDves maintenance. t is often impossiblef r the maintenance officer tosecure the desired number oftrained and experienced persDnnel. By placing experiencedpersDnnel in key positions, themaintenance officer can fill inwith on-the-jo.b trainees untilthey beco.me proficient. Theoutput of completed aircraftlargely depends upon thesignment of men to the positions for which they are bestfitted.

Aircraft vary in simplicityor complexity of maintenancefrom the L-19 to the H-37 (seetable 2). The L-19 is relativelyeasy to maintain, because ithas been continuously improved over many years. Onthe other extreme is the verycomplex and expensive H-37.It has many unexpected deficiencies. Some parts wear outsooner than expected, and replacement parts are not immediately available for prestocking. Because of i:he 37's complexity and size, approximately25 manhours of maintenancemust be performed for eachhour the aircraft flies, m-pared to approximately 5 man-hours for the L-19. Flying timeis thus drastically limited forthe H-37.

The operations officer receives, schedules, and directsthe execution of missions re-quired by the supported headquarters and in accordancewith the policies of the unit.Normally he will select thetype of aircraft fo r the mission based upon availability ofaircraft and conditions of landing site, we'athe'r, and econo.my.Specific types of aircraft shouldnot be requested unless definitely needed.The operations officer mustschedule aircraft carefully to

27


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ORGANIZATIONAL FIELDTYPE AIRCRAFTL-19

MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE TOTALL-20L-23U-1AAC-1AO 1

3 57484 1010 2 1214 5 19

4 94 97 167 17I ~ ~ ~ l A 1 ~ 5 ~t : 1 : ' : ' : : : : : : : S : ~ : : : : w . ~ : : : ; ' ; : : : : : ~ : : : : ~ ~ : ~ : : : ~ , , : : : : : : : : : : : : : :obtain the average flying timeneeded each day. Mutual co

ordination between the operations officer and maintenanceofficer must be affected on acontinual basis to provide thenumber of aircraft needed tomeet mission requirements andsimultaneously permit adequate time for maintenance.The backbone of the mainte-nance section is its aircraftstatus board. This board re-flects current operating data.Through the use of this datathe movement of aircraft isscheduled. It reflects majorperiodic inspections aircraftstatus aircraft hours enginehours time till next inspectionand a complete coverage ofspecial equipment and relatedactivities. Table 3 shows a sam-ple board headings.By inspecting his aircraftstatus board the maintenanceofficer can foresee the proba-bility of major inspections becoming due for two or moreaircraft at or near the same

time. When this occurs heshould coordinate flight scheduling with the operations officer to arrange major inspections on a staggered schedule.If this arrangement is inadequate and inspections becomedue at the same time the main-tenance officer must schedulethe inspection of one aircraftbefore the actual time for themajor inspection.The maintenance officer isalso responsible for the scheduling as far in advance as possible of spare parts repairparts and time change components. Careful scheduling willeliminate delays in receipt ofmajor accessories and repairparts.Aircraft are becoming morecommon in Army units as re-organization takes place. Thecommander of an Army unithaving Army Aviation organicor t t c h ~ d to it exercises command over matters concerningthe operation and use of ArmyAviation within his command.

This includes supervision ofaircraft maintenance flight operations and tactical employment in accordance with appropriate Department of the Armyregulations.With the continual expansion of firepower and mobilityin the Army commanders areplacing an increased demand

on Army Aviation to providethe overall mobility and flexibility of our ground troops andequipment. To keep abreast ofthese increased demands theArmy is continuously developing and procuring greater num-bers and types of aircraft andforming aviation organizationsat all levels of command whichwill meet the requirements ofground commanders. t istherefore vital that mainte-nance of Army aircraft be adequately programmed and theprogram followed by all concerned and that all personneldevelop a sound logistical support program for efficient air-craft utilization. 0

TABLE 3. AIRCRAFT STATUS BOARD HEADINGSACFT ACFT ENG NEXT MAJOR W / 0 COMPASS FIRST - -SN STATUS HOURS HOURS INSP PERIODIC NO. REMARKS BA TTERY SWING AID GENERATOR RADIO

8


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New rmament Branch dded y US BHE EMPHASIS b e i n gplaced on helicopter armament in military and industrialcircles has brought about thecreation of a new ArmamentBranch in the Test Division ofthe U. S. Army AviationBoard, Fort Rucker, Ala.

The branch monitors all helicopter armament development. Personnel includes sixofficers, supported by one TCand one Ordnance Corps liaisonofficer, a civilian armamentspecialist, and an enlisted armament repairman.The mission of the AviationBoard Armament Branch is to-monitor all armament developments and select availablehardware for evaluation bythe board;-prepare Military Characteristics for the development ofarmament systems to fulfillArmy requirements;plan for future board testprojects ;-prepare plans of test;--conduct tests of armamentequipment;- review and prepare comments for eng i nee r i n gchange proposals;-monitor development and research relative to all armament hardware and systems.A quick review of armed heli-copter developments in the last

few years might help our read-

Maj hern is former Chief,rmament Branch, U S. rmyviation Board. He is a Seniorrmy viator with approximately3,500 hours in both fixed androtary wing aircraft and is in

strument qualified.

Major John R Ahern Artyers understand the need forsuch a branch.

In 1956 the Aviation Schoolwas assigned a study projectentitled Armed Helicopter -bile Task Forces. An outgrowth of these studies resulted in activating a unitcalled Sky Cav Platoon. twas a reconnaissance type forcecompletely mounted in armedhelicopters. Today this organization is known as the 8305thAerial Combat ReconnaissanceCompany (Experimental) andrepresents the latest thinkingin organization and tacticalemployment of such a unit. Theequipment used by this unit hasmany shortcomings. Helicopters are not optimum in per-

formance, reliability, or ease ofmaintenance. The armamenthas been adapted to the helicopters by impromptu hand design, employing existing weapons largely de s i g ned forground troops.Until recently, there hadbeen no approved requirementfor arming helicopters, and noapproved Military Characteristics. However, the ACR unitproved the feasibility of arming helicopters, and numerous demonstrations impressedupon the imagination of manyhigh ranking officers and civilians the potential and capability available in the airmobileweapons platform. This effortis most commendable and will

Th e H-13 twin 30 caliber machinegun kit was developed at theAViation School. t has been modified at Springfield rmory and ispresently undergoing the final stage>S of engineer testing. The Armament Branch has recommended that this weapon system be typeclassified and put ilnto production as soon as possible.

The rmy recently evaluated the 2.75 inch rocket using the H-21helicopter. The 2.75 was modified to spin upon launch. t 1 ~ 5meters a 40-mil dispersion pattern was reduced to approximately 10mils. Realizing the existing deficit in the rocket delivery capabilitytoday, the rmy is di1 ecting its efforts toward a 2.75 inch rocketlauncher system. TeSting of this system was tentatively scheduledfor September with the hope that an interim system can be sent tothe field as soon as possible.


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go down in Army Aviation history as being responsible forinitiating the helicopter armament program.On 16 May 1960, the firstQualitative Materiel Require

ment for armed helicopterweapons systems was approved.By 12 January 1961 MilitaryCharacteristics were writtenby the Aviation Board whichthen placed these efforts in research and development channels. So actually, it has been buta relatively short time since thedevelopment of requirementsand characteristics. This is whyapproved armament hardwareis still not in the hands oftroops. As of today, only threeitems of armament hardwarehave reached the ArmamentBranch of the Aviation Boardfor testing. These are theTownsend Machinegun i r eSuppression Kit, the SS-llATGM Missile, and the MarkXI , 20mm gun pod.

A problem common to a R D programs plagues thehelicopter armament de'velopment program i.e., too muchtime is required in the development and testing cycles. Whenthese time cycles are shortenedthe new Armament Branch ofthe Aviation Board will be ableto expedite their user tests andearlier production will be realized.Besides the new developments pictured in this article,the Armament Branch is engaged with the following projects:

The 4.5 inch rocket has beendemonstrated at Fort Ruckerand Fort Bragg using the H-34and H-21 as aerial platforms.Although there are' good features about this rocket system ,standardization and logisticalimplications will prevent further development.

Th e E merson fire snpprpssion kit is shown mounted on the H rJ-1helicopter. t employs fm l? 7.62 M-73 machineguns, turret mountedand capable of 70 depression, 12 eleva.tion, and 60 traverse. T hisweapons system is also being tested on an H 34 and //-21 and is presently undergoing engineer testing at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

The XM-75 is a 40mm weapon mounted in the nose of theHU-l helicopter. t is still under development and testing atBurlington, Vermont, under thedirection of Springfield Armory. t is not contemplated thatth is weapons system will beavailable for user tes t until1962.

A new project on the SS-llwire guided missile system ispresently underway which envisions a newly designed rocketsuspension system mounted onan HU-1 helicopter employing ayaw dampener. This should beavailable in October of 1961 forconfirmatory testing at theAviation Board.

MK l 20mm gun l)od mounted on one side of an H -34 wasrecently evaluated by the Aviation B oard. It is a single [fun, twinbarrel weapon with a rate of fire of 4,200 rounds per minute and wasemployed using the MK V III Sight . Th e results of this evaluationindicated that the high rates of fire are desirable and do not effectplatform stability at create unusual sighting pro blems. T he MarineCorps has also evaluated this pod and wish to jointly fund the development of a similar type pod. The gu n pod holds 750 rounds ofamm tt.nition, weighs 1,200 pottnds.


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Flight OperationsSpecialist ourseUnderway at Rucker

The Army's need for a FlightOperations Specialist Course(MOS 907) was filled 16 Augustwhen the first class convened atthe U. S. Army A v i a t ionSchool, Fort Rucker, Ala.

This Army-wide course issimilar to one previously conducted by the Airfield Command, Fort Rucker, to meetlocal needs. (See DIGEST,December 1960.)

The new course is designedto give enlisted p r son n e Ithorough training in academicand tactical subjects; aircraftcharacteristics; weather; basicnavigation; radio navigationand publications; VFR and IFRoperations; rules, regulationsContinued from page 2Currently in preparation arethe Aerial Gunnery Course andthe HC-1 Chinook programs ofinstruction. The Aerial Gunnery Course will feature S8-11firing from the HU-1B helicopter. The HC-1 course willpropose a new approach aimedat future battlefield survivaland mission accomplishment inall-weather conditions.Instruction Division: TheArtillery Committee is currently experimenting with techniques of adjusting artilleryfire from helicopters. The purpose of this research is to support the proposals which havebeen made to integrate instruction of artillery fire adjustmentinto rotary wing programs ofinstruction.The Employment and FieldExercise Branch has just completed teaching its fourth AO-1

and procedures; and relatedfunctions pertaining to airfieldoperations.

The School has scheduled atotal of eight 6-week coursesand 94 students for FY 1962.Personnel desiring to attendmust have at least 9 monthsactive duty remaining uponcompletion of the course. Theyalso must have a score of 100or better on aptitude area GT,normal color perception, goodnear vision, normal use of bothhands, clear speech, and normalauditory acuity. Further in-Mohawk class. All classes havedemonstrated a keen interestin the realistic training atmosphere. The training includesclassroom presentation, tactical navigation, aerial photomissions, and a field exercise.Improvements in techniquesare a continuous process.

The next AO-1 Class, 62-1,will have the AN FPN-33GCA radar) ready to assistin day, night, and all-weatheroperations. t is anticipatedthat the AN MPQ-29 trackingradar will soon be available forall-weather AO-1 aviator training.

The Branch is also integrating a pathfinder team and Army Air Traffic Regulation andIdentification (AATRI) intoits fixed-wing field exerciseproblem. The pathfinder teamwill jump in and set up a

formation can be obtained fromDA Pamphlet 20-21, ArmySchool Catalog Course No. 1-R-907.l.The man whose initiative andforesight led to the establishment of the Flight OperationsSpecialist Course is M/SgtRobert R. Young, Flight Operations Chief, Cairns AAF, FortRucker, Ala., (inset). For hisoutstanding contribution tArmy Aviation he was namedthe Army Aviation Soldier of1960 at t.he annual AAAAmeeting.night landing airfield. TheAATRI will be used as outlinedin FM 1-60, Army AviationAir Traffic Operations, Tactical.

An operation of Flight Co-ordination Center (FCC) froma division aviation companyairfield will be simulated during the conduct of the problem.This FCC will provide VFRregulation, identification, flightfollowing, inflight assistance,and air warnings in the forward area (sub areas I and II)for approximately 30 aircraftflying tactical missions. It willalso maintain a current plotting board on the location ofall aircraft participating in theFEX. Thus, the fixed-wingstudent aviator will have an opportunity t participate in operations involving the pathfinder team and the AATRIsystem. D

3


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PREP RED BY THE UNITED ST TES RMY BO RD FOR VI TION CCIDENT RESE RCH

7 NOVEMBER 19601. IMMEDIATE ACTIONIS REQUIRED ON THE FOLL O W I N G S F E T Y OFFLIGHT ITEM:2 DURING THE PERIOD1 JANUARY 1960 30 SEP-TEMBER 1960, THE ARMY

EXPERIENCED FIVE FIXEDWING AND 23 ROT A R YWING WIRE STRIKE ACCI-

32

WIDENTS AND INCIDENTS.THESE RESULTED IN TWOPERMANENT IN J URI E SAND THREE TEMPORARYINJURIES. THESE ACCIDENTS COS T P PRO XMATELY 300,000.

3 TWO FACTORS MUSTBE APPRECIATED:a. WIRES NOR MAL L YCANNOT BE SEEN FROM AN

AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT.b. LOW - LEVEL TACTICAL FLYING REQUIRES ACCEPTANCE OF THE RISK OFHITTING WIRES.4 EFFORTS MUS T BEDIRECTED, HOWEVER, TOREDUCE WIRE COLLISION

ACCIDENTS TO A MINIMUMCOMMENSURATE W I T HTHE FULL ACCOMPLISH-


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MENT OF THE AVIATIONMISSION SOME SUGGESTED AREAS FOR ATTENTION ARE:

a. TRAINING OF GROUNDPERSONNEL IN KEEPINGWIRES LOW OR AWAYFROM TACTICAL LANDINGA

Army Aviation Digest - Oct 1961

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Transcript of Army Aviation Digest - Oct 1961