CH-148 Cyclone Progress

[SeaKingTacco]

I changed a few engines at sea, it was pretty uncommon in the latter part of the Sea King's life. It could be a finicky job and as SKT points out, the high speed shaft could give you some trouble from the VA side. The forward mount required a Non Destructive Testing inspection while the engine was removed which demanded silver soldering skills should the mount bushing need replacing. Those skills were not available on the dets at the time, current 148 dets sail with an ACS tech. We used to have to lean on the Hull Techs for fabrication or structural skill-sets, they did great work and they usually got a kick out of working on the helo.

Main rotor blade changes are a much bigger pain, I was unlucky/fortunate enough to have to do a few while sailing. Same issue with ground run/test flight requirements. Adjustments can be a pain and it really disrupts the ship's daily operations to have a spread helo on the deck or to be obligated to keep returning to a flying course while underway.

This recent engine change on the 148 was an unfortunate requirement, they've been pretty solid thus far. The whole engine needed to come out.

Ugh. You just reminded me of a 7 hr (in 30 min chunks, because the aircraft had to remain within a fairly narrow weight band) marathon of VA/ rotor smoothing in the mouth of the Straits of Hormuz, in 35C. We could not get the blade to come into limits…

 

[Good2Golf]

Ugh. You just reminded me of a 7 hr (in 30 min chunks, because the aircraft had to remain within a fairly narrow weight band) marathon of VA/ rotor smoothing in the mouth of the Straits of Hormuz, in 35C. We could not get the blade to come into limits…

Yay VBAS!

 

[Eye In The Sky]

VBAS; I’ll take a stab at it. Variable Blade Angle “Something”?

 

[Good2Golf]

No, it’s a vibration and balance analysis system. It was used for balancing Sea King main rotor blades, but I was part of a trial on the Twin Huey…it had a habit of ‘chasing itself’ (moving weights around and adjusting pitch links) back and forth between blades. We had some SK techs come out with the Ottawa project team and they’d snicker and say, “oh, so it doesn’t just not work for us! Lol”. We (Hueys) went back to experienced tech and test pilots to tune our aircraft - we could tune and smooth a Huey usually within a couple hours flight time. VBAS was good for adding a chunk of time to my logbook though? Lol. Maybe it would have been better with some actual algorithms made for a 2-blade vs 5-blade rotor system, but the trial never got that far.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Thanks for that info; I thought I might have had a SMRT moment with my first cuppa.

 

[OceanBonfire]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1498759603081052160

 

[SeaKingTacco]

I have hooked up loads under a Cyclone. It is an order of magnitude more difficult working under it, just due to the downwash. Let alone that stupid reach pendant and the tiny hook receptacle you have to try and hit.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I have hooked up loads under a Cyclone. It is an order of magnitude more difficult working under it, just due to the downwash. Let alone that stupid reach pendant and the tiny hook receptacle you have to try and hit.

Ya...challenges in air ops are a real thing. Like...sometimes it's hard walking down the stairs of the '140 with a suitcase AND $800 CAD worth of stuff from Scotland...#WeSufferToo.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Ya...challenges in air ops are a real thing. Like...sometimes it's hard walking down the stairs of the '140 with a suitcase AND $800 CAD worth of stuff from Scotland...#WeSufferToo.

Shut up.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Shut up.

 

[Good2Golf]

I have hooked up loads under a Cyclone. It is an order of magnitude more difficult working under it, just due to the downwash. Let alone that stupid reach pendant and the tiny hook receptacle you have to try and hit.

It’s as though slinging was an afterthought on that machine…

 

[SupersonicMax]

It’s as though slinging was an afterthought on that machine…

You limit that observation to just slinging?!

 

[Good2Golf]

Ya...challenges in air ops are a real thing. Like...sometimes it's hard walking down the stairs of the '140 with a suitcase AND $800 CAD worth of stuff from Scotland...#WeSufferToo.

My loadmaster would carry mine for me… #evenmoresuffering

 

[Good2Golf]

You limit that observation to just slinging?!

Taking care not to overreach first-hand critique.

SKT’s prose about trying to hook up on a wee nubbin of a crochet, has me both snickering a bit, but also feeling a bit sorry for them when they try to leverage a tertiary capability.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Taking care not to overreach first-hand critique.

SKT’s prose about trying to hook up on a wee nubbin of a crochet, has me both snickering a bit, but also feeling a bit sorry for them when they try to leverage a tertiary capability.

I Know where SSM works, so I will accept that he is reasonably informed on Cyclone…

 

[Good2Golf]

I Know where SSM works, so I will accept that he is reasonably informed on Cyclone…

Agree, was just ‘splaining why I didn’t go Full Retrograde on ya, mate. I say keep the wiggly amos on board and VERTREP in extremis.

 

[OceanBonfire]

From ADM(MAT)'s LinkedIn account:

 

[KevinB]

From ADM(MAT)'s LinkedIn account:

Testing at Northern limits, during the summer…

Legitimately, I wonder how much crack is smoked in the CAF these days -

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Testing at Northern limits, during the summer…

Legitimately, I wonder how much crack is smoked in the CAF these days -

It has to do with testing/certifying the FMCDUs and the EGIs North of 70. Not cold weather testing.

It spoke to one of the aircrew on that trip, recently. It was a spectacular series of flights. They got to within 300Nm of the North pole, which is certainly a record for a Canadian Maritime Helo.

 

[KevinB]

It has to do with testing/certifying the FMCDUs and the EGIs North of 70. Not cold weather testing.

Okay, but it still seems a little junior varsity to do a northern trip in the summer, and brag about it.

It spoke to one of the aircrew on that trip, recently. It was a spectacular series of flights. They got to within 300Nm of the North pole, which is certainly a record for a Canadian Maritime Helo.

I’ll be impressed when it does it in February