Thanks Bronx. great shot.

The aircraft will probably never be retired despite several consiencious attempts by the Oz Defence Forces (ADF) - but the role will be retired. There will be no offensive helo now until the Tiger introduction. The minis have found another home in the ADF but the rocket pods will have to find a home on the nearest museum wall.

Hey guys - Heading over to Oakey in the morning to go flying with the Gunships on their rehearsals so if I get some great images will have to post some here. Keep an eye out for them.

Ned

Bronx - Got some awesome shots today of that aircraft you posted above. It was number two in our formation. Once I get home and get them developed will post a few here.

Regards

Ned

P.S. Many thanks to Helmet Fire for setting the visit and flights up. :ok:

P.P.S Channel 7 didnt end up sending their helo, just sent a ground crew. Glad we didnt go with that option.

Ascend Charlie, thanks for the info. Yup that would be a bit breezy!

on tv tonight
 

Seven News is doing a yarn on the retiring Bushrangers TONIGHT at 6pm.

You can see it in Qld & NT.

Well, it's all over now.

The Huey Funship has been retired. I still have a hangover. The retirement night was great. Ascend, Arm OTW, and many others, were missed, but it was hard to catch up with those who did get there.

Of course we solved the world's gunship problems, invented new and diverse roles for the Huey gunship, and began every sentance with "There I was.......".

But I did get to speak at length with Brian Dirou (sp?) who put together the Aussie version of the Huey gunship in Vietnam. It was very intresting to hear so much about the thought processes behind the selection of it's configuration in preference to selection of the G model Cobra, dispelling the old Aussie legend that our Cobra order was cancelled by the Whitlam Government when it came to power.

And of course there was the rugby result to be celebrated. :} :}

A BIG thanks to Autorotate who, at his own cost, siezed the opportunity of photographing the aircraft despite the Defence PR machine not having invited the world's premier helicopter photographer. He flew from NZ to Brisbane in the morning, drove to Oakey (2.5 hours NOT 1.5 hours as I had told him - sorry!) completed the shoot, jumped in the car again and drove back to Brisbane, caught a plane to Sydney, for an overnight, then on to NZ at a sparrow fart on the next day. So when you see those photos, you will know to what lengths he went to in order to help preserve the history of our industry.

THANKS. :ok: :ok: :ok:

Earlier in the posts the EMU's were mentioned and I guess that a lot of you already knew about the RAAF's 9 Squadron involvment in Vietnam but the Royal Australian Navy's 723 Squadron's role with the conflict little is known. So crank up the speakers (and the central heating) and learn a little about the 135th / RAN helicopter flight Veitnam... the EMU's.


http://www.emuinc.org/


also are included are some other links to US Army Flights but the Bushpigs motto has got to be the best one ever..

Great motto alright.

The AFS beer cooler on sale at the retirement had the saying

"Separating people since 1969"

Posted a whole bunch of pics in the Rotorheads at work thread so go visit them.

Autorotate.

great pics Ned.

ya lucky bugger.. it looked like fun :)

Glad you got over here to capture the gunships, the official ADF photos were a little sparse.

Thanks for capturing a piece of our history.
and thanks Helmet Fire for setting it up.

....sorry about the typo.. it should read The Razor Backs of the 120th AHC. Now that you would have to agree is one of the best patches to come out of Veitnam.

http://www.angelfire.com/az3/razorback947/page8.html

Heliport,

I guess what you say makes sense about the pictures. I will try and get them scanned at the weekend and post them on the thread.

Just been soooo busy.

Those pics Autorotate took are the best pics I have ever seen of the Huey Funship. I seriously reckon that Defence PR should buy them from Autorotate for both the Archives and for the sake of the aviation museum.

Absolutely outstanding. Thanks.

Looking for Huey blade video
 

I heard today that the US army (I think) fastned a camera to a Huey hub and videoed the blade in flight showing the amount of bending and flapping that occurs during flight. Has anyone seen it or does anyone know how I could get hold of it at all?

Thanks

Not sure if it's a Huey, but I have the vid - I can email it to you.

flingwing207,

if you have the video post it, if you can't i will post it for you.

i think it was a wessex.:ok:

Westlands also had one looking along a blade on an EH-101 (PP3). You used to be able to select it for viewing on the instrumentation monitor, a bit of a weird thing to watch.

Not sure if anyone ever digitised a recording of it.

History rep[eats itself and it is deja vu all over again.
 

Sikorsky first tried the camera on the rotorhead. The camera was mounted on an S-51 rotorhead, which was attached to a whirl stand. The pictures showed the sinusoidal traveling wave on the blade but it also provided some unexpected data. When they introduced cyclic control they discovered that the advancing blade led and the retreating blade lagged. Up until that time it was assumed the opposite was true.

It is my understanding that when some helicopter pilots saw the film they refused to fly helicopters.

:E :E

I'd be interested in having a look at the video too! Please can someone post it? :ok:

Dunno about Huey or Sikorsky, but here's one with a german commntary on my website:




rotor.avi

Phil