Originally Posted by
JohnDixson
Hah! Do I know that IBM was the SH-60B Prime Contractor! We constructed a “ green “ SH-60 in Connecticut, then flew it to Oswego for IBM to install their systems. First time we went up to IBM to ground run the first machine with systems , IBM scheduled a briefing per procedure. Went into their briefing room and there were 60 people in there. Uh-oh. 60 folks for a ground run on an aircraft which we had flown up there carried very bad connotations. IBM never thought to provide any sort of school or operators manual at the time as to how to operate all the bells, whistles etc and I recall taking a look and I couldn’t figure out how to get a comm radio on, much less get any nav equipment functional. It was remindful of the Ben Rich biography of Kelly Johnson and his warnings about NAVAIR.
I have a vague recollection of some oddities with the CH-60S comms systems being a bit strange when one of the early versions of that needed to get flown down to Pax River for some op testing ... and IIRC, the crew in Owego were involved in that as well ... but it was LM at that point. Different people, not doubt, as about 20 years later ...
IBM later did the systems for the MH-60K and MH-47E. That was similarly painful. At one point, IBM called a meeting to be held at Sikorsky, with the Boeing Project Test Pilot Ron Mecklin, Boeing PM, and flight test engineers, as things were not going well. The meeting had just started when the Sr IBM exec got up and accused the Boeing and Sikorsky of “ being in cahoots “ which was amusing as we in fact had not up to then had one conversation.
Heh, not surprised.
FWIW, a few H-2 squadron mates of mine got out of the Navy in the early/mid 80's and headed north to be involved in the IBM FSD efforts.
I'll send you a PM as see if the names ring a bell.