Aircraft require a tremendous amount of maintenance and helicopters take even more. I was flying about and landed at an airport where they refurbish the Chinook helicopters.
There was a huge hangar just outside the frame where teams bring these machines back to full service. Was impressive to see. For now, I’ll stick with fixed wing craft.
During a recent visit to the Reagan Presidential Library, I had the opportunity of walking through Marine One, the helicopter that transported the President. This short video shows you the helicopter inside and out:
Not my best quality video, but you can see how spartan the interior was. Granted, this craft is for short hops. More to come on the Reagan Library soon. Thanks for viewing.
There’s been a bunch of helicopter activity at my local airport. In the photo below, you’ll see one which is a vintage bird capable of lifting some serious weight. The smaller one will carry only two people and does mostly training work.
Helicopters big and small.
It’s amazing what helicopters can do, from fire fighting and medical transport to heavy lift and corporate transport. They’re challenging machines to fly, requiring quite a bit of coordination. Here’s a look at the pilot’s window:
Pilot’s window on heavy lift helicopter.
Stop by your local airport for an introductory flight, or just go for a ride. Either way, it’ll be a thrill like no other.
If you ever wondered what a US Army Blackhawk helicopter looked like on the inside and out, take a look at this video I made. This particular helicopter was part of a show at my local airport. The crew was very accommodating, allowing us wing nutz to take a seat at the controls. Here’s the video:
The control panel is not one of those multi-function displays, but rather clusters of individual instruments. You’ll also notice the spartan construction, no fancy woodwork or even smooth sheet metal. Just a raw panel with instruments bolted fast. Makes it easy to replace and repair, which is an important factor in military operations. Since I don’t have my helicopter rating, there was no chance of a jaunt in the this bird, not that it was in the cards if I had the ticket. Still, it was interesting to meet the crew, check out their machine, and learn a few things.
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