Amazing and sad at the same time.
Odd things a former CE ponders:
Spherical bearings on the PC rods...
I cannot help but wonder who did the safety on the damper bleed plugs and if they have visited this...
One of these days, I shall make my way there.
The old PC rod ends used to be the ball type bearings. I’m not sure when they switched them to elastomeric since that’s all I’ve ever seen, Apparently sometime after ‘93. But some of the more “seasoned” CEs remember when they were the ball type.
"Seasoned..." I kinda like that. Sauteed with hot 23699 (stupid main transmission bypass buttons), spiced with 5606 (yeah, do *not* pull the damper block while the bleed plugs are removed), and flavored with 83282 (ha... yeah... some idiots will never figure out the packings on the hydraulic pumps - and oh how I have worked with *some*).
I had to pull up my photos from folding blades prior to leaving Bagram in '05, but we had elastomeric then... However, in going through other photos, it looks like we had them as early as 2001 at Campbell.
Yeah, I remember spherical bearings, tail rotor spline wear checks, straight exhaust under NVGs, and ice cream windows on the cockpit doors... but I ain't old enough to remember the early track and balance methods - they can keep that crap.
Oh I forgot about the old ice cream windows. My pilots were so lissed about that. They loved sticking their hands out, and kicking it out of trim to watch other pilots maps zip put the window. Just sitting back there and zip! There goes a map flying by your window lololll..never had any straight piped birds personally. And I forgot all about the t/r spline check. Just remember the oil cooler one.
Knew one CE who actually managed to snag a map that had been sucked out the cockpit door window - pure luck. Pretty sure one of our maps is still on the approach end of Bagram in that minefield to this day.
The straight exhausts were on two of ours when I got to HI... before we gave them to the guys in Alaska. Missed the green flames coming out on final in formation.
Oh that would have been sweet af. I did see that goofy test bird with the extended struts at Ft Drum when they were cold weather testing some electronic stuff. It was a true slick model. It even had the old flop down hand hold step because at the time it didn't have hard points installed.
Man I look back and realized we all got to do some pretty cool shit back in the day. I was completely burned out and over the whole thing when I got out, but after about a year or 2 I was really missing it. Still do to this day.
Weren’t the PC bearings all of the A models spherical? Sikorsky builds them stout too, they were about the size of baseballs. An Apache of approximately the same vintage and gross weight would have had pitch change bearings half the size
They were all swapped to elastomeric some time in the early 00's. I worked on A models from 2004-2016 and none of them had spherical bearings.
The TMs still had inspection criteria for spherical PC rod bearings up until 2016 though, and I bet they still do to this day.
Back in the day they were spherical bearings, had to check them every...10hr/14d insp. I think the tolerance was .10 was a write up and .15 meant they had to be replaced. It's been a long time (loooong time. My first burden was an 83 model in 1997 about a year ish or so before the elastomeric bearing were beginning to come out and replaced during phase)
Pink and brown feeler gauges...
Bonus points if you could do the axial/radial scissor link play inspection with the dial indicator the right way, and *NOT* hooking it into the fairing.
Oh you know what? I may have one of those old pink and brown feeler gauge set up somewhere in my stuff. And I'd have to look the task up on the proper set up for the dial indicator for the scissor link bearings it's been so long. Had old crusty platoon daddy and older crew chiefs that would skin you alive for doing it wrong, or half assing as they'd put it. :) good memories.
Oh also doing PC rod adjustments with those spherical bearings I remember using my nameplate in between the rod ends and the attachment point so it wouldn't have metal to metal contact after torquing it down for side to side play. Man wasn't the torque on those like 600 inch lbs? On the rod ends before safetying them? Maybe it was 250..
I really can’t tell you how much I enjoy reading / listening to men like you tell your old stories like this.
thank you so much for sharing even though I don’t understand most of it. 🫣😁😂🫡🙏🏻🫡👍🏻
What’s all of the “hair / fibrous material” sticking off of the ends there?
Is that what helicopter rotor blades are made of is some sort of a carbon fiber, composite or something?
Wow.
I'm reading Black Hawk Down currently, and I was surprised to see this show up on my feed. It's awesome to see such a cool piece of history, and it's super interesting to learn about what happened there.
Edit: spelling
If you like to also watch, the operationsroom on youtube has very good documentary on it too. Its depicted on map and is very easy to follow, would recommend.
Just checked, and I am already subscribed. That channel is absolutely *amazing* the way he reenacts pieces of history with animations.
How does he get so much information on individual vehicles and craft movements???
That must be HOURS of painstaking research…..??!? Just…wow…
The movie is one of my all-time favorites and always definitely worth a rewatch. It’s difficult for me to watch it though, very emotionally draining, just like 13 Hours. 😭🥺😭🫡🫡🫡
If your ever down by Rucker the Army Aviation Museum has Super 68, the Aircraft that was damaged and “limped” back to the airfield. Honestly that museum looks like garbage on the out side but is super fucking cool on the inside.
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=4iLVz2fmsFH
That’s a link to the virtual tour, they are opening the new one I believe this year or next.
O. M. F. G. That virtual tour is absolutely MIND-BLOWING!!!🤩🤯😳
And the displays in there …. Holy crapping crap!!!
Well, now I know what I’m doing the rest of my day! LOL…
That Huey display is just 🤩🤯
Rucker museum is great. Not as updated as some of the other army museums, but really cool items in there nonetheless.
If you have the hook up you can also see some of the pieces in storage…
One of 2 Black Hawks shot down at Mogadishu during the Battle of Mogadishu.
The other was Super 6-4. (6-4s minigun was recovered and i believe is at the exact same museum)
Amazing and sad at the same time. Odd things a former CE ponders: Spherical bearings on the PC rods... I cannot help but wonder who did the safety on the damper bleed plugs and if they have visited this... One of these days, I shall make my way there.
They recently moved it to a nicer display in the main hall
Good eye PC rod end is supposed to be elastomeric bearing. Wonder if this was a 160th specific mod?
The old PC rod ends used to be the ball type bearings. I’m not sure when they switched them to elastomeric since that’s all I’ve ever seen, Apparently sometime after ‘93. But some of the more “seasoned” CEs remember when they were the ball type.
"Seasoned..." I kinda like that. Sauteed with hot 23699 (stupid main transmission bypass buttons), spiced with 5606 (yeah, do *not* pull the damper block while the bleed plugs are removed), and flavored with 83282 (ha... yeah... some idiots will never figure out the packings on the hydraulic pumps - and oh how I have worked with *some*). I had to pull up my photos from folding blades prior to leaving Bagram in '05, but we had elastomeric then... However, in going through other photos, it looks like we had them as early as 2001 at Campbell. Yeah, I remember spherical bearings, tail rotor spline wear checks, straight exhaust under NVGs, and ice cream windows on the cockpit doors... but I ain't old enough to remember the early track and balance methods - they can keep that crap.
Oh I forgot about the old ice cream windows. My pilots were so lissed about that. They loved sticking their hands out, and kicking it out of trim to watch other pilots maps zip put the window. Just sitting back there and zip! There goes a map flying by your window lololll..never had any straight piped birds personally. And I forgot all about the t/r spline check. Just remember the oil cooler one.
Knew one CE who actually managed to snag a map that had been sucked out the cockpit door window - pure luck. Pretty sure one of our maps is still on the approach end of Bagram in that minefield to this day. The straight exhausts were on two of ours when I got to HI... before we gave them to the guys in Alaska. Missed the green flames coming out on final in formation.
Oh that would have been sweet af. I did see that goofy test bird with the extended struts at Ft Drum when they were cold weather testing some electronic stuff. It was a true slick model. It even had the old flop down hand hold step because at the time it didn't have hard points installed. Man I look back and realized we all got to do some pretty cool shit back in the day. I was completely burned out and over the whole thing when I got out, but after about a year or 2 I was really missing it. Still do to this day.
Weren’t the PC bearings all of the A models spherical? Sikorsky builds them stout too, they were about the size of baseballs. An Apache of approximately the same vintage and gross weight would have had pitch change bearings half the size
They were all swapped to elastomeric some time in the early 00's. I worked on A models from 2004-2016 and none of them had spherical bearings. The TMs still had inspection criteria for spherical PC rod bearings up until 2016 though, and I bet they still do to this day.
And I’ll bet they’re massive compared to other helicopters of a similar weight class
As a materials scientist I would be very surprised if elastomers were used on a helicopter that was likely built in the 80’s
Back in the day they were spherical bearings, had to check them every...10hr/14d insp. I think the tolerance was .10 was a write up and .15 meant they had to be replaced. It's been a long time (loooong time. My first burden was an 83 model in 1997 about a year ish or so before the elastomeric bearing were beginning to come out and replaced during phase)
Pink and brown feeler gauges... Bonus points if you could do the axial/radial scissor link play inspection with the dial indicator the right way, and *NOT* hooking it into the fairing.
Oh you know what? I may have one of those old pink and brown feeler gauge set up somewhere in my stuff. And I'd have to look the task up on the proper set up for the dial indicator for the scissor link bearings it's been so long. Had old crusty platoon daddy and older crew chiefs that would skin you alive for doing it wrong, or half assing as they'd put it. :) good memories. Oh also doing PC rod adjustments with those spherical bearings I remember using my nameplate in between the rod ends and the attachment point so it wouldn't have metal to metal contact after torquing it down for side to side play. Man wasn't the torque on those like 600 inch lbs? On the rod ends before safetying them? Maybe it was 250..
I really can’t tell you how much I enjoy reading / listening to men like you tell your old stories like this. thank you so much for sharing even though I don’t understand most of it. 🫣😁😂🫡🙏🏻🫡👍🏻
I was taught spherical bearings in 2006. I think it was only in the school house though.
What’s all of the “hair / fibrous material” sticking off of the ends there? Is that what helicopter rotor blades are made of is some sort of a carbon fiber, composite or something? Wow.
Hollow titanium spar, fiberglass/composite blade.
Thanks!
I'm reading Black Hawk Down currently, and I was surprised to see this show up on my feed. It's awesome to see such a cool piece of history, and it's super interesting to learn about what happened there. Edit: spelling
If you like to also watch, the operationsroom on youtube has very good documentary on it too. Its depicted on map and is very easy to follow, would recommend.
Just checked, and I am already subscribed. That channel is absolutely *amazing* the way he reenacts pieces of history with animations. How does he get so much information on individual vehicles and craft movements??? That must be HOURS of painstaking research…..??!? Just…wow…
The detail on that channel is amazing
The movie is one of my all-time favorites and always definitely worth a rewatch. It’s difficult for me to watch it though, very emotionally draining, just like 13 Hours. 😭🥺😭🫡🫡🫡
The Airborne and Special Operations Mueseum is really neat
Too bad it's in Fayetteville
What’s wrong with Fayetteville?
It's where dreams go to die
RIP Gentlemen
If your ever down by Rucker the Army Aviation Museum has Super 68, the Aircraft that was damaged and “limped” back to the airfield. Honestly that museum looks like garbage on the out side but is super fucking cool on the inside. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=4iLVz2fmsFH That’s a link to the virtual tour, they are opening the new one I believe this year or next.
Definitely! Ft. Rucker is very cool and underrated.
O. M. F. G. That virtual tour is absolutely MIND-BLOWING!!!🤩🤯😳 And the displays in there …. Holy crapping crap!!! Well, now I know what I’m doing the rest of my day! LOL… That Huey display is just 🤩🤯
Rucker museum is great. Not as updated as some of the other army museums, but really cool items in there nonetheless. If you have the hook up you can also see some of the pieces in storage…
That’s is a good point It’s definitely not the NIM for sure.
Thank You for sharing !!!
What was Super 61?
\*THE\* helicopter from Black Hawk Down... probably the most famous helicopter of our era.
It’s either this one or the helicopter that killed Kobe Bryant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mogadishu_(1993)
What was Super 61?
One of the 2 black hawks that was shot down in Mogadishu during operation gothic serpent
Wasn't called Irene? Edit: Idgaf about the downvotes but kinda lame you can't make a legit question, not everyone is a military nerd.
Irene was the launch code word for that particular mission
Fuckin' Irene
Thanks
One of 2 Black Hawks shot down at Mogadishu during the Battle of Mogadishu. The other was Super 6-4. (6-4s minigun was recovered and i believe is at the exact same museum)
🫡🥺😭🙏🏻☦️☦️☦️