I just finished watching Black Hawk down and I've got a couple of questions for any Army Aviation Types.

In the UH-60 does the A/C Sit on the left?  I'm Strictly a fixed wing guy, but my dad was a rotor head.  I've got less than 10 hours in a helo, and 11,000 or so hours of airplane time has clouded my thinking.  But every Helo I've ever ridden in or flown, the PIC sits on the right.  In the movie the PIC characters are sitting in the left seat.  Correct or hollywood??

Also in the movie, the MH-6's have a "T" shaped antenna on the tailboom, just aft of the transmission housing.  What's it for?? comm or nav??

I still think Helos are the most fun you can have with you clothes on.  My fondest memories with my dad are in a Hughes 500C, in the summer, with the doors off.  Before an unmarked guy wire ended his flying career.

The fun meter in the helo really beats the all glass jet I work in now.  When the child support is done, I'm going to get the rating.

Thanks in advance,
Nimslow

Finally a purpose for Aviator, and he's gone playing war.

That's cold. Funny as all get out. But cold....


Scott


[beer]

I crewed OH-58's for 8 years in the Army and during my time in the military every PIC I ever saw, flew from the right seat. Left seat was for Co-pilots, Aerial Observers or if you were lucky Crew Chiefs. As far as the movie BHD, I bet since they wanted shots of the actors in flight during combat, they had the PIC flying right seat and portrayed the "movie" pilot flying left seat. If your not aviation, you wouldn't know the difference between fixed and rotary wing PIC stations. The general public would never know. As far as the antenna goes, beats me, never paid that close attention? I'll have to watch the movie again, damn! Anyone else have a clue? And another question, what unit lent their aircraft for the making of the movie? Was it Task Force 160? Or were these "Hollywood" birds?

"Scouts Out!"

Generally speaking, Army PIC's are checked out as PIC's on both sides.  I flew PIC in Hueys from either side.  If the weather was bad, or we were going IFR, I usually chose the right seat, as the instruments were better over there, but they're duplicated on the left side as well, just not as easy to use.  I normally flew left seat as PIC because it had better visability, but 'd switch off back and forth with my co-pilot so he would get time in both as well.  Besides, you shouldn't get used to just one side, either of you.  

When you fly single pilot, you have to fly from the designated PIC station (right).  Maintenance test flights (I was a Maintenance Test Pilot, so I'd take broken aircraft up and find out what was wrong) you had to fly from the designated pilot's station as well, because of the emergency switches, etc were optimized for the right seat.  Also the risk was greatly increased that you'd have to use them, and doing it always from one side made sense.  On the UH-60 the MTP station was on the left (opposite of normal PIC) because he has to manipulate the power levers in the center of the overhead during some checks while the CP flys the aircraft from the right.  The purpose of putting the PIC on the right is because of the collective control, which sticks out, and makes it harder to climb in the left side.  So the factory just puts the PIC on the right.  

I bootlegged in the UH-60 and it had duplicate controls, instruments, and everything else on both sides, and it's a blast to fly once you get used to letting the computer control the aricraft rather than fighting it.  The AH-1 can be PIC'd from front or back, but the back is the designated PIC station, and the front is the CPG (Co-pilot, gunner) because of the direct view optics of the TSU (Tow Sight Unit).  That one flew about like a Huey, but it reacted faster and you had more angle you could use.

The short answer is the PIC sits wherever he can best perform his duties, and I can't think of any that were "right seat only".



I'd have to see it, but usually any comm is just a normal straight antenna because of the lobe created to maximize it ability.  Usually anything that is linear in shape is a homing, nav, or the like.  



They are a unique experience.  You can really hang it out there at times.  I'm proud to say I did it for 7 years and survived.

Ross

Quib is correct in that most '58 missions were single pilot and therefore, flown from the right seat.  There really isn't much in the way of insturments or really anything between the left and right in those things anyway.  

Ross

According to IMDb, The choopers are from 160th SOAR, and some of the Rangers are real Rangers from 3/75...

Scott

[url]http://us.imdb.com/Trivia?0265086[/url]


[beer]

[/quote]

Quib is correct in that most '58 missions were single pilot and therefore, flown from the right seat.  There really isn't much in the way of insturments or really anything between the left and right in those things anyway.  

Ross[/quote]

Hey!!!!!!!! Thats not nice!
We had just as much instrumentation as the bigger birds! The gauges just looked smaller!!!

Just kidding! LOL Those 58's were a blast to fly though! Nothing like doing NOE over the tree tops in Germany with the doors off!

'58's are small and squirrely to fly, but they're more like a motorcycle compared to a car (UH-1).  They don't have much in the way of space, but fun they are!

Ross