HH-65B/C do they leak?

[Brilliant Stuff]

I am just curious after flying the AS365 for 6 years I got to experience some interesting leaks whilst flying in the rain, though fortunately it never stopped us from flying. Now I know that the U.S. Coastguard's HH-65B/C has a hatch in the roof which they lift for their winching now I would be stunned to learn they are water tight. Anyone got any experience with those?

[Aesir]

I got to experience some interesting leaks whilst flying in the rain,

Hehe, That´s well said :)

Don´t know about HH-65 leaks though! Anyone?

[Um... lifting...]

Flew the HH-65A for a bit over a dozen years and we had the hatch as well (it's not a B/C innovation, it's original circa 1983-ish).

I never heard of it leaking (sliding doors falling off the aircraft due to the tracks not meeting up due to the hatch... well, that certainly happened, and plenty... which was why we affixed floaty chunks of foam to the interior surface of the door with nice strong adhesive, and offered free shipping and a reward for their return, as they were a bit pricey).

Now, I don't say it doesn't leak... only that I never heard of it (of course, the flight mechanic would probably just slide his tracked seat from under it if the thing was dripping on him and wouldn't let out a peep). But, I suspect it probably doesn't. If I recall, the knife-edge sides (oriented transversely) of the hatch mated with a gutter and soft gasket arrangement in the fuselage, much like a lightweight version of a ship's watertight door, and it cinched down tightly using a cam-like arrangement on the closing lever to keep it from flapping about in the slipstream.

The windscreen and overhead console leaked like a sieve... not substantially different from the SA365s I've also flown. Generally dripping on the displays and input buttons for the mission computer led to interesting temporary structures made of paper, handkerchiefs, hats, box lunches, flight gloves, and whatever other material could be brought to bear on the problem.

[oxi]

I know this has nothing to do with leaks or the fact I fly a AS365 N2 as opposed to your HH models, but as you coast guard guys have alot of experience with the product can you shed any light on the autopilot, we are forever having to fly with one of the pitch channels out otherwise the A/P keeps dropping off line.....

I think just about everything has been changed without much success.

[Um... lifting...]

Can't help you, mate. Different autopilot. I don't know what's in the HH-65 these days, but previously it was a 4-axis Collins AFCS system and FD, which very seldom had any problems and was very responsive and predictable in behavior. If it wasn't working, it was pretty unambiguous about it.

I'm flying N2 and N3s now and we have the same problems with the dual-lane system as you're experiencing. It can be anything from the horizons differing to a bad coupler to a hot day, to worn out components, among other things. I gather it's a not very good adaptation of a fixed-wing autopilot to a helicopter. Just yesterday I couldn't get one to behave itself in pitch and the roll channel was causing the cyclic to move back and forth laterally like a metronome over a very small arc (somewhat soothing for the passengers, but unnerving up in the front) :{.

[Brilliant Stuff]

I see.

Our Autopilots used to work fine but I can not tell you which ones they were.

Who put the hatch on the aircraft? I would have thought if it was the French then it would leak.:}:}