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| Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe |
Skycranes are kind of odd ducks - really big, funny looking, capable of carrying big loads, they are basically a stick with a couple of jet engines connected to a giant truck transmission connected to a giant fan. They were originally produced for the Army and were extensively used in the Vietnam War. They fell out of favor and were supplanted by the Chinook and the Sea Stallion. Some of them, like this one, are in use in the civilian sector.
Early on, the type had demonstrated itself to possess unrivaled performance in some aspects. As of 2014, it continues to hold the helicopter record for highest altitude in level flight at 36,000 ft, which it set in 1971, as well at the fastest climb to 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000 ft. - per Wikipedia
This one has been busy. In the last two weeks it flew from Sacramento way up north to middle-of-nowhere Canada, spent a week there, and then flew down to Missoula, Montana.
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| Skycrane Flightpath |
There is 3rd set of flight controls plus crane cable controls aft of the cabin you are viewing. The operator/pilot can look straight down to see the load on the cable and control just like a towered crane.
ReplyDeleteSaw them recover downed F-100s, F-4 Phantom and CH-47 Chinooks while in Vietnam. Powerfull machines, with a max load it would blow loose rocks as big as my 2 fist,
Got hit by one, from then on I lay down on the ground.
Yeah, if I got hit by a big rock I'd be lying on the ground too.
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