Originally Posted by
sandiego89
I imagine the prop wash/flow was the main issue for the trailing hoses as well?
My understanding is no. The airflow behind the wing is just too energetic for helicopters because of the shear size and weight of the aircraft. C-17 had the same issue and no props. Airbus's proposed solution is to lengthen the hose to put the helos farther behind the wing. I have my doubts this will work as it did not work on the C-17. And a longer hose will almost certainly create entirely new unforeseen problems. But we won't know until they try it and test the results.