John, during my days on the S-70 I was tasked to lift a generator in the aftermath of a typhoon, which had caused a major landslide and the loss of a road and the mains electricity cables below it. The generator weighed a fraction under 9,000 lbs. Our aircraft had the 9,000 lb hook, so I agreed. Although I’d lifted many lighter loads before, as we lifted to the hover to pick it up and took the strain there was absolutely no mistaking where that load was sitting on the ground. All I had to do was keep pulling power and the aircraft and load just lined themselves up!
The task was to position the generator on a narrow path on a steep hillside. Unfortunately, that meant approaching in an adverse wind. The aircraft did the job with some power to spare.
Bizarrely, believe it or not, that was how I helped save the life of a killer whale.
If I had to go to war in any helicopter, I’d prefer to do it in that type.