To: Helmet Fire
This is not an attack against what you have posted above and I will admit total ignorance of the complexities of the UH-60 but your statement of flying with the boost off doesn’t sit right due to my past experience on other Sikorsky Helicopters. The Basic design philosophy of Sikorsky regarding helicopters that have a dual hydraulic system is that both systems can’t be shut off at the same time. A long time ago Sikorsky made a major design error on the S-58 in that the solenoid shut off valve connector and the pressure switch connector could be cross-connected on both of the hydraulic systems, as there was no means of telling them apart. Sikorsky eventually wrote a SIC to paint the connectors different colors. On this particular occasion the pilot was doing a ground run test prior to take off. He turned one hydraulic system off and it went off. He turned that system on and turned the other system off and both systems shut down. The cyclic stick started a violent circular path and destroyed that pilot’s ability to procreate. It also seriously injured his legs and that was while he was on the ground. It would seem that the feedback forces in flight would be so severe that nobody let alone a female pilot could maintain control.
[ 12 December 2001: Message edited by: Lu Zuckerman ]