Read Online Surprised at Being Alive: An Accidental Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam and Beyond by Robert F. Curtis - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robert F. Curtis
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.38 pistol in its cowboy holster moved from your right side to between your legs for a little extra protection, even if it is just psychological. The copilot calls the items on the checklist and you do them and the checklist goes quickly by. The small turbine engine, auxiliary power unit (APU), which drives the flight boosts and powers the electronics when the engines are not running, comes on line and then you are starting the engines. Since there is no rotor brake on a Chinook to hold the rotors still, as you start the engines the noise increases and the aircraft starts rocking unevenly as the big blades, three on the front and three on the back, start to turn slowly. It’s a rhythmic rocking until the blades get into phase (90 degrees apart), and then it smoothes to a steady vibration. Then the blades turn faster and faster. Using the condition levers in the center of the console, you take the engines from the ground position to the fly position and with the increasing whine of the turbines, the individual blades become a solid disk to the eye. As the blades achieve sync, the rocking goes away and the motion becomes a smooth vibration, almost a hum.
Checklist complete, you are ready to taxi and your flight engineer sees you are the first ready out of all the aircraft flying this morning. He stands in front of the aircraft and motions you forward out onto the main taxiway. Before you move, you call Liftmaster tower for taxi clearance and you are cleared into position and hold. Because you were parked in the front row, you get first place in line on the short runway facing east, waiting for takeoff clearance.
There are eight aircraft turning now, though only six are required for missions today. If one of the six breaks on run-up, the AC will unstrap and go to one of the two backups while the original copilot completes the shutdown of the broken bird.
Ground taxiing a Chinook using all four sets of wheels is a two-man operation. The copilot works the thrust and cyclic, while holding the rudders neutral. The AC works the brakes and steers using the power steering knob on the center console. Only the right wheel is power driven, the left just trails along. When you are ready to move, the copilot adds a little thrust and moves the cyclic to two inches aft. The AC releases the brakes and uses the power steering to move the aircraft in the direction he wants to go. With familiar teamwork, the two of you smoothly move the Chinook into takeoff position on the runway.
The Chinook’s familiar roar through your helmet ear pads and vibrations through the seat, floor, and flight controls feel good, feel strong. You are fully awake now and are ready to go, ready to go fly. You are 21 years old and your body is whole and none of your joints hurt and your eyes are clear with 20/10 vision and you command this machine and this crew. The sky is lighter in front of you now and as you wait for takeoff clearance, you get a sense of power that wasn’t there when you were half asleep going through the routine motions of those things that you must do before you fly, satisfying the religious flying rituals. As the sun starts to move above the horizon, takeoff clearance comes from the control tower.
As AC, you always make the first takeoff of the day. An inexperienced copilot might not feel something wrong with the aircraft before it’s too late. You pull the cyclic back two inches with your right hand and add power with your left as you smoothly pull the thrust lever up.
The big helicopter comes off the ground smoothly, front wheels first as the first rim of the sun becomes visible. At 20 feet you hold the aircraft steady in a hover while last minute checks of all the systems are made—“All set in the back”—“gauges look good”—and then you are free to go.
As you pull up on the thrust lever to add more power and lower the nose, and as you begin the first climb out of the day, you feel so strong, like your machine can lift the
Checklist complete, you are ready to taxi and your flight engineer sees you are the first ready out of all the aircraft flying this morning. He stands in front of the aircraft and motions you forward out onto the main taxiway. Before you move, you call Liftmaster tower for taxi clearance and you are cleared into position and hold. Because you were parked in the front row, you get first place in line on the short runway facing east, waiting for takeoff clearance.
There are eight aircraft turning now, though only six are required for missions today. If one of the six breaks on run-up, the AC will unstrap and go to one of the two backups while the original copilot completes the shutdown of the broken bird.
Ground taxiing a Chinook using all four sets of wheels is a two-man operation. The copilot works the thrust and cyclic, while holding the rudders neutral. The AC works the brakes and steers using the power steering knob on the center console. Only the right wheel is power driven, the left just trails along. When you are ready to move, the copilot adds a little thrust and moves the cyclic to two inches aft. The AC releases the brakes and uses the power steering to move the aircraft in the direction he wants to go. With familiar teamwork, the two of you smoothly move the Chinook into takeoff position on the runway.
The Chinook’s familiar roar through your helmet ear pads and vibrations through the seat, floor, and flight controls feel good, feel strong. You are fully awake now and are ready to go, ready to go fly. You are 21 years old and your body is whole and none of your joints hurt and your eyes are clear with 20/10 vision and you command this machine and this crew. The sky is lighter in front of you now and as you wait for takeoff clearance, you get a sense of power that wasn’t there when you were half asleep going through the routine motions of those things that you must do before you fly, satisfying the religious flying rituals. As the sun starts to move above the horizon, takeoff clearance comes from the control tower.
As AC, you always make the first takeoff of the day. An inexperienced copilot might not feel something wrong with the aircraft before it’s too late. You pull the cyclic back two inches with your right hand and add power with your left as you smoothly pull the thrust lever up.
The big helicopter comes off the ground smoothly, front wheels first as the first rim of the sun becomes visible. At 20 feet you hold the aircraft steady in a hover while last minute checks of all the systems are made—“All set in the back”—“gauges look good”—and then you are free to go.
As you pull up on the thrust lever to add more power and lower the nose, and as you begin the first climb out of the day, you feel so strong, like your machine can lift the
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