She's Old but She Cleans up Nice

In the process of learning about the various systems on the Huey, I'm also getting a history lesson on the way things used to be. This helicopter is nearly an antique.

The Huey was first accepted by the Army in 1956. What were you doing in 1956? I wasn't even a thought at that time.

Smoking was allowed while flying the Huey until the late 80's. It was disbanded because there were too many burn marks on the floors. The Hueys we fly still have ash trays in the dash.

The clock on board must be wound up for power. Needless to say, the only digital item on this helicopter is my wristwatch!

Back to School

Well, I don't have much excitement to pass along. I can pretty much sum it up that I'm back in the classroom.

This past week has been nothing but academics. Academics are synonymous with books and numbers. I'm developing a new vocabulary. Trunnions, bearings, hanger assemblies, fairings, gate valves, solenoids, cams, driveshafts, and tachometers are tossed around in most of my conversation.

I'm not doing any flying yet - not until I memorize a bunch of obscure numbers about the different systems on the aircraft...oil pressure limits, when do certain valves open and close, how much weight can you carry...the list goes on and on.

Even more of a mind boggler is figuring out how the engine produces power. I won't even try to explain it to you. The picture of the 1400 horsepower turboshaft engine above speaks for itself.

Any pilot knows that there are certain situations in which he must be able to react quickly if he intends on living through the experience. In other words, he must be able to recognize that something is going wrong, diagnose what is wrong with his aircraft, and then react appropriately. These actions become even more important when you are low to the ground - a place where helicopters spend most of their time. So not only are we learning a bunch of numbers, but how to react to a bunch of "oh - sh**" scenarios.

Fortunately, our instructors make up for the lack of excitement during the day. Most of them flew in Vietnam. One instructor has been flying over 50 years! That's twice my age. These guys know the Huey like they know the back of their hand. They know my questions before I can ask them - seriously. It sure beats learning from slides on a computer.

The Huey

As I draw closer to hitting the flight line, I should explain to you all what I'll be flying. If you saw my first post, you'd say the UH-1N "Huey." That's close, but I messed up. To be correct, the model is actually the H model rather than the more recent N-version.

Regardless, the Huey has a long standing history of use across all service branches. Most of you will recall its use in the Vietnam War. In fact, some of the birds we're flying here are recycled from Vietnam! Yes, these boys are old. You can supposedly see bullet holes on parts of the skin. Now don't worry about them falling apart. The maintenance shop here meticulously takes care of these fragile birds.

Anyways, it's pretty awesome to know that I'll be flying something that was flown in combat four decades ago by pilots younger than myself. In fact, the Huey is the only trainer in the USAF that is a warbird (i.e. flown in combat). This helicopter is a piece of history . It's legendary. Let's hope that I don't spoil her reputation.

Find lots of pictures and information about the Huey here:

http://www.aircav.com/huey/uhgal01/uhgal01.html

Wait for It...

Some of you may be wondering if I'm ever going to start flying - many of my posts have dealt with nothing related to it. Right now, I have some free time on my hands and have been posting like a madman. However, it's going to come to an abrupt stop very soon. Training starts on the 24th. Once that happens, you might catch a post on the weekends depending on how busy I am.

In the meantime, check out this awesome youtube video to get a taste of what I'll be getting into over the next 6 months:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV84mo-aWbw&feature=related

What's that Sound?

I didn't even need my alarm clock this morning. Helicopters launching on their training sorties took care of that for me a few hours before I was supposed to wake up.

In Oklahoma, I was used to the sound of T-6's buzzing over the base at 500 feet. In Alabama, there's the distant whomp-whomp of helicopters landing and taking off.

Occasionally they'll pass over the house, and that really makes a stirring. Even the squirrels will run and hide. The sound kind of creeps up on you until the chopper is suddenly overhead. You can feel the vibrations in the walls - no kidding.

Most people would find this annoying. I find it exciting. It makes me want to start flying now, but I still have about a week to go before I start class. I guess I should enjoy the last bit of free time that I have left.

Sweet Home Alabama

It's official: I'm no longer living out of a hotel room. After much searching, I found a place on post that's hard to beat. It's fully furnished with a carport, a yard to myself, mail on my front porch, and lots of space. But my personal favorite: the bathroom. I think it speaks for itself.

My roommate is a lieutenant in the Army who is also here for flight school and also from Ohio - Wooster. We'll get along well and I'll learn a thing or two about the Army. Here's a shot of the front of the house as well.

Frame This

I had a bit of free time on my hands so I picked up a new hobby. What do you think of my work? Not bad for an amateur!

If you're thinking I drew that picture, thanks but you're wrong. I bought it. But I did make the frame. It took me 3 and a half hours, but I made it nonetheless. I'm taking orders if any one wants some framing work done.