Chinooks Over Plano!

3393RP

3393RP

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3393RP
A couple of 'em flew over my house a few hours ago. There's no mistaking the distinctive sound of their twin rotors, and just like any other time I hear something good in the sky, I went busting out into the backyard to watch them fly by. Their refueling probes look like they're 20' long.

Did anyone else see them?
 
It may just be you? Keep an eye open tomorrow 0500 for the go-team in SWAT gear at the front(and back) door. There may be a CNN team embedded.
 
sourdough44 said:
It may just be you? Keep an eye open tomorrow 0500 for the go-team in SWAT gear at the front(and back) door. There may be a CNN team embedded.
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Well, there was that vacation I took to Eastern Europe in the summer of 2016.

:D
 
I didn’t get up to go see them, but I had window glass rattling from them.
 
They wound up at DTO, along with 2 Blackhawks
 
I just got to sit in one of the black hawks about 2 hours ago @ DTO.
They were very strict about "No photos"

These were special versions with some amped up motor.
I know nothing about helicopters but they were being very secretive in their communication with me and another that went out to see them.

He said the engine in a typical black hawk is 1/7th the power of these. No idea what that means. Obviously a more powerful motor.

the things are Damn loud.

Wish I could have taken a photo.
 
I was working in my attic and the whole house shook. I ran out side to see what the hell kind of helicopter was that loud.
By the time I gout out there, they had all passed and all I saw was a Robinson which I guess was in trail.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was wrong with is engine.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I just got to sit in one of the black hawks about 2 hours ago @ DTO.
They were very strict about "No photos"

These were special versions with some amped up motor.
I know nothing about helicopters but they were being very secretive in their communication with me and another that went out to see them.

He said the engine in a typical black hawk is 1/7th the power of these. No idea what that means. Obviously a more powerful motor.

the things are Damn loud.

Wish I could have taken a photo.
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What color was it? Dark gray, almost black? That would be a special operations version. Otherwise it is just another -M model.

Just a hint, though, Army Blackhawk pilots are the "Jerry's Kids" of Army aviation and stories about engine power are cute. Chinooks have two 5,000+ HP turbines.

What color were the Chinooks? Tan, green or black?
 
They looked black to me. There are photos floating around FB from their arrival. Let me see if I can share one.
 
There’s plenty of info on-line about the 160th. The DAPs are awesome machines.


The little guy in trail was probably a Little Bird, they’re pretty fearsome as well.
 
Lol! There really isn’t much secretive about 160th Black Hawks. They go to air shows and other public events and allow photography all the time.

They all use GE engines as other “Big Army” and even NG Black hawks. Basically 4 GE versions with anything from 1,500 hp to 2,600 hp. 2,600 hp means nothing if your aircraft is a couple thousand pounds heavier than a light A or L with 2,000 hp a piece. Not to mention, all the crap they got hanging off the airframe makes them drag monsters. But yeah, 1/7 the power is very inaccurate.

60 pilots are not the “Jerry’s Kids” of Army Aviation either. If anything, 60s are the most sought after airframe in flight school. They fly the most varied missions and are generally getting the most hours. I suppose if you were to make fun of a community, it would be the Apache guys. It’s generally referred to as the bottom of the class group. Now, Army Aviation could be called the Jerry’s Kids of military aviation, or what I called “red headed step children” but that’s completely different.

Finally, Chinooks are ugly...:D
 
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I saw the Blackhawks too. They were trailing the Chinooks by a few minutes.

@-KLB- commented about rattling windows, there are a couple in my bedroom that have a resonant frequency coupling with CareFlite's A109s. The Agustas always seem to be right on the deck and directly over my house.

When they wake me at 2 AM this is what I'm reminded of. :D

 
Velocity173 said:
60 pilots are not the “Jerry’s Kids” of Army Aviation either. If anything, 60s are the most sought after airframe in flight school. They fly the most varied missions and are generally getting the most hours. I suppose if you were to make fun of a community, it would be the Apache guys. It’s generally referred to as the bottom of the class group. Now, Army Aviation could be called the Jerry’s Kids of military aviation, or what I called “red headed step children” but that’s completely different.

Finally, Chinooks are ugly...:D
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You are all slingloads. :cool:
 
I've rode in the back of countless Hawks and quite a few ****hooks.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I just got to sit in one of the black hawks about 2 hours ago @ DTO.
They were very strict about "No photos"

These were special versions with some amped up motor.
I know nothing about helicopters but they were being very secretive in their communication with me and another that went out to see them.

Wish I could have taken a photo.
Click to expand...

This drives me crazy. If they're secret and you don't want photos taken of them, don't bring them to a public airport. I can take photos of anything I want on a public ramp and I'm more inclined to do it if you tell me I can't. I don't go looking for trouble, but I will stand up for my rights as a photographer.

I was with a high-ranking Marine helicopter pilot friend of mine one time in San Marcos. While we were there, the Marines had two Ospreys on the ramp. I mentioned to him I'd never seen one up close. We started walking out there. They had no idea who he was, he was not in uniform, but one of them ran over to us and told us to stop. He laughed and told them no and we continued walking. The Marine was surprised and said he really needed us to stop. Then he became educated. My friend identified himself and continued to scold the entire crew. If you're at a public airport and you're not in the middle of a dangerous operation, you can't stop the public from walking up close and taking a look, and you should be happy to show them around. As he put it, they paid for that aircraft. To be clear, the Ospreys were connected to the GPUs and were not going anywhere anytime soon, so we weren't in any danger by walking close to them.
 
Lowflynjack said:
This drives me crazy. If they're secret and you don't want photos taken of them, don't bring them to a public airport. I can take photos of anything I want on a public ramp and I'm more inclined to do it if you tell me I can't. I don't go looking for trouble, but I will stand up for my rights as a photographer.

I was with a high-ranking Marine helicopter pilot friend of mine one time in San Marcos. While we were there, the Marines had two Ospreys on the ramp. I mentioned to him I'd never seen one up close. We started walking out there. They had no idea who he was, he was not in uniform, but one of them ran over to us and told us to stop. He laughed and told them no and we continued walking. The Marine was surprised and said he really needed us to stop. Then he became educated. My friend identified himself and continued to scold the entire crew. If you're at a public airport and you're not in the middle of a dangerous operation, you can't stop the public from walking up close and taking a look, and you should be happy to show them around. As he put it, they paid for that aircraft. To be clear, the Ospreys were connected to the GPUs and were not going anywhere anytime soon, so we weren't in any danger by walking close to them.
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Being a taxpayer doesn't give you unlimited access to govt property. I agree that taking pictures on the ramp shouldn't (normally) be a big deal, but that doesn't mean you must be allowed to walk right up to a military aircraft and have a free tour. There are many reasons why a crew might not want the public coming close and many reasons why you should respect their wish.
 
Cooter said:
Being a taxpayer doesn't give you unlimited access to govt property. I agree that taking pictures on the ramp shouldn't (normally) be a big deal, but that doesn't mean you must be allowed to walk right up to a military aircraft and have a free tour. There are many reasons why a crew might not want the public coming close and many reasons why you should respect their wish.
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As far as the tour, I agree. As far as taking photos, I absolutely have the right to take photos any time I want. Again, I agree there are times things need to be kept secret... don't bring them to a public airport then!!

Also, in my specific example, after talking to my friend, they agreed they had no reason to ask us to stay back.
 
Lowflynjack said:
As far as the tour, I agree. As far as taking photos, I absolutely have the right to take photos any time I want. Again, I agree there are times things need to be kept secret... don't bring them to a public airport then!!

Also, in my specific example, after talking to my friend, they agreed they had no reason to ask us to stay back.
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It depends on why they landed there, but if it was an unplanned stop they could have had reasons to protect something that was viewable to the public. Your friend being an officer doesn't really matter, that's not the way classified info works. There are particular instances where information must be kept secret, and its not your right to be informed as to why.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but people need to understand that there's a lot that the we take for granted.
 
I have seen Chinooks up close before. 5 times. All in the air as they flew through airport traffic patterns without communicating. Each time I had to make evasive actions to avoid merging targets.

Why a pilot would fly across an active runway without a clearance when the field is IFR and traffic is landing just astounds me. I missed their useless butts, but I caught the rotor wash and rode that rodeo 75 feet off the ground. For a few moments I was wondering if I was going to crash on the runway or on the tundra.

Whenever I hear a chinook is close by, I leave the area to avoid the inevitable.
 
Cooter said:
It depends on why they landed there, but if it was an unplanned stop they could have had reasons to protect something that was viewable to the public. Your friend being an officer doesn't really matter, that's not the way classified info works. There are particular instances where information must be kept secret, and its not your right to be informed as to why.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but people need to understand that there's a lot that the we take for granted.
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Not really arguing, we just see things differently! I'm not hard to get along with, ask me not to take photos, I probably won't. Tell me I can't, and I'm probably going to do it. I think we have to protect our rights and as a photographer, and a part-time member of the media, I know my rights.

My friend simply explained to them that standing up to the public this way wasn't necessary or acceptable. Keep people and the operation safe. There was nothing top-secret going on, they were simply training from that airport for a couple of weeks.
 
I was scout/guns my whole career...AH-1/AH-64... it was a known fact every time a new UH-60 class was announce the PX would run out of pink thong underwear...guess it was some requirement they had for the syllabus...and yes depending on your career track there was not much cross over...just an old joke of course...lol
 
When the AH-64D became a Boeing product, we were forced to accept them as family. As long as they realized they were adopted, we got along great!
 
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