View Full Version : Heli Expo 2013 snippet : US Army RW training to be twin turbine rumour
chopper2004
8th Mar 2013, 15:22
Was speaking to someone yesterday in the convention about a rumour he heard that the US Army is considering replacing the fleet of TH-67 Creeks with a twin turbine training platform.
Said guy was ex US Army aviator and he was saying that as concern to the average tax payer and in the current sequestration umbrella, that if the DoD went this path then it would a very bad idea.
Had anyone else heard that the US Army were considering this route?
Cheers from VEgas (still!)
chopper2004
25th Jan 2014, 10:08
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/cd482ee4bf70
Hmmmm there is a paragraph that may suggest the assumed reality of what I heard at HAI a year ago?
' The Vietnam War-era Kiowas would be scrapped. The Apaches would go to the Active Army to replace that component’s retired Kiowas. The Lakotas would also transfer to the Active Component, where they would replace old TH-67 copters in the training role.'
SASless
25th Jan 2014, 13:07
If the Kiowa goes....the Army finally has done away with single engine helicopters and one could argue does not need to retain the Jet Rangers at Rucker for training pilots.
That concept doesn't make a lot of sense except for the Instrument Phase of Training....where a fully IFR, twin engined helicopter makes sense.
The counter argument is the Bell 47's, Jet Rangers and Hueys at Rucker performed that role quite well over the years.
The Army seems to be working up a really neat "Shell Game".....shuffling things about to give a false impression.
Lonewolf_50
27th Jan 2014, 19:32
Jet Ranger class aircraft are a pretty inexpensive training platform to introduce one into turbine powered rotary wing aviation. Also pretty forgiving.
Navy has been doing very well with that same model for over three decades.
Why make it more expensive to teach the basics?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Krzesiny_106RB.JPG
gets my vote!! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-2)
Might help here: http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/532797-aac-consider-smaller-surrogate-training-rw-platform.html