army aviation digest - mar 1970
TRANSCRIPT
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UNITED S T S RMY VI TION
DIRECTOR OF ARMY AVIATION , ACSFOR
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
BG A ll en M. Bu rdett Jr.
COMMANDANT U. S . ARMY AVIATION SCHOOL
MG Delk M. Oden
ASST COMDT U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOL
COL Bill G . Smith
DIGEST EDITORIAL STAFF
LTC Robert E. luckenbill, Chief
Richard K. Tiern ey, Ed ito r
William H. Sm ith
Joe lewels
linda McGowan
GRAPHIC ART SUPPORT
Dorothy L. Crowley
Angela A. Akin
DIRECTOR, U. S . ARMY BOARD FOR AVIATION
ACCIDENT RESEARCH
COL Eugene B. Conrad
USABAAR PUBLICATIONS ANP GRAPHICS DIV
Pierce L. W igg in , Chief
William E. Carter
Jack Deloney
Ted Kontos
Charles Mobius
Mary W. Windham
BOUT THE COVER
A UH l Huey lands at an airfieldin the Republic of Vietnam. Ourthanks to SFC Kenneth B. Butler, Detachment C 221st SignalCompany (Pic), for sending thephotograph.
MARCH 1970 VOLUME 16 NUMB
VIEWS FROM READERS
THE WARRANT BREAKTHROUGH, MG Delk M. Oden
SO YOU WON T TALK? CPT Willia m H. Clark, M. D.
MAl NTENANCE MATTERS
AVSCOM - THE BACKSIDE OF THE MOON,COL J. Elmore Swenson
POTPOURRI
ASOAP
CHARLIE AND DANNY S WRITE-IN
COMPLACENCY KI LLS, LT Arthur E. Pekarek
AEROMEDIC
WHERE S THE FIRST TEAM? CPT Wi lliam E. Wahl
VFR OR IFR? CPl James J. Connolly
PROJECT FOD, Ted Kontos
BROKEN WING AVIATION SAFETY AWARD,P. R. Thompson
MAN -HOURS PER FLIGHT HOUR , L. L. Bishop
PEARL S
EMERGENCY SENSE, MAJ Chester Goolrick
USAASO SEZ
The mission of the U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is to provide information of an operationaor functional nature concernin9 safety and aircraft accident prevention trainin9 maintenanceoperations research and development aviation medicine and other related data.
The DIGEST is an official Department of the Army period ical published monthly under thesupervision of the Commandant U. S. Army Aviation School. Views expressed herein are nonecessarily those of Department of the Army or the U. S. Army Aviation School. Photos areU. S. Army unless otherwise specified. Material may be reprinted provided credit is 9iven to theDIGEST and to the author unless otherwise indicated.
Articles photos and items of interest on Army aviation are invited. Direct communication iauthorized to: Editor, U. S. Army Aviation Digest, Fort Rucker, Ala. 36360.
Use of funds for printin9 this publication has been approved by Headquarters Departmenof the Army, 3 November 1967.
Active Army units receive distribution under the pinpoint distribution system as outlined inAR 310-1. Complete DA Form 12-4 and send directly to CO AG Publications Center 2800Eastern Boulevard, Baltimore, Md. 21220. For any change in distributiolo requirements initiate arevised DA Form 12-4.
National Guard and Army Reserve units submit r e q u i r e m e ~ t s throu9h their State adiutantsgeneral and U. S. Army Corps commanders respectively.
For those not eli9ible for official distribution or who desire personal copies of the DIGESTpaid sIIbscriptions, 4.SO domestic and 5.50 overseas are available from the Superintendent oDocuments, U. S. Government Printin9 Office Washin9ton D. C. 20402.
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rant officers. The field of aircraftmaintenance and supply, to include operations, planning andmanagement activities, can obviously be expanded for the aviationwarrant. Aircraft weapons systems,to include design, procurement,
testing and employment, represents another area of opportunity.Unit administration and logistics is
another and so is aviation safetyand its obvious tie-in with operational efficiency. For example, why
couldn t the aviation group safetyofficer be a senior CWO?
The fields in which experiencedand efficient warrant officers canbe employed are limited only bythe imagination of the person concerned. However, to expand theutilization and careers of the aviation warrant officer two essentialingredients are required. First, w
must have warrant officers with asincere interest in the ex.pandingprogram and a strong desire toparticipate in a self improvement
program. am convinced that w
have this now. Second, w mustprovide the aviation warrant officer with a military educationalprogram that fully meets the needsof the expanding utilization w
visualize. am also convinced thatwith your help w can and willprovide this.
MARCH 1970
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o You
Won tTalk?
Captain William H. Clark, M D
United States Air orce
There is a natural reluctance on the part of the
pilot to lay bare his troubles to the flight sur-
geon This problem causes an obstacle which the
flight surgeon must somehow overcome if he is
to accomplish his goal of a correct diagnosis
SIR WILLIAM Osler, the fa-mous Oxford medical profes-
sor, once said that the three mostimportant factors in patient man-agement are diagnosis diagnosis
and diagnosis Dr. Osler alsotaught young physicians that theycan make a clinical diagnosis bycarefully scrutinizing only the pa-
tient s medical history. This, how-ever, does not hold up, at leastwhere Army aviation is concerned.
The medical history given byaviators and other applicants forflying duty in the Army aviationprogram too often is notoriouslyincomplete. In aviation medicinemore than any other medical
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specialty an inadequate diagnosis,or worse a wrong diagnosis, canbe profoundly tragic.
Through no fault of the appli-cant, the detection of disqualify-ing or potentially disabling abnor-malities seldom will be accom-plished with accuracy when thehistory or the physical examina-
tion is abbreviated. Nowhere arethese errors more important thanwhen one deals with the appraisalof one of your most vital organs,the heart.
The purpose here is to reviewsome experiences with cardiac(heart) cases at the U. S ArmyAviation School, Ft. Rucker, Ala.,
and to point out to the nonmedicalman the pitfalls encountered ingiving a medical officer incompleteanswers to his inquiries.Let s take a look at some of the
current techniques used whilescreening for heart disease. Themost widely used tool is the elec-trocardiogram EKG). The EKG
is a required part of the physicalexam on all applicants for flighttraining and is done yearly on allrated and nonrated flying person-nel. t is not a perfect system, how-ever, inasmuch as the detection ofm abnormality in no way con-firms the presence of a disease. t
may, on the other hand, indicate
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that a more comprehensive cardiacevaluation is required. Therefore,it is an adjunct to the other screening techniques such as the chestX ray and listening to the heartsounds.
For all practical considerationselectrocardiograms are interpretedby a physician who is without detailed or direct knowledge of thepatient's medical history or physical examination. He theorizes thatthe tracing has been done on individuals who have no symptomsof illnesses. Large series of EKGshave indicated he will find thatabout 20 percent of the recordshave some abnormality. The vastmajority of this group of abnormals will be found to be normalvariants or otherwise fit for fullflying duty after careful evaluation.
In military cases, however, careful evaluation hinges mostly onobjective data and is not based
MARCH 1970
(as it should be) on the individual's history. An applicant maybe so interested in passing hismedical exam that he ignores or
overlooks telling the full story to
the flight surgeon. This person's .medical history simply cannot beconsidered completely valid by theflight surgeon. Such a history is
neither useful in making a diagnosis nor in tailoring the final disposition to the individual's particular case or his set of circumstances. Flight surgeons have beenknown to get more accuratemedical histories in the officers'club than in their offices when apilot says, Hey doc, can I talkto you about something? ff therecord, of course?
The following case reports substantiate to some e g r e ~ the foregoing discussion and also demonstrate the fact that both officersand enlisted men ignore or overlook symptoms:
Case 1. LT T.B., a 5,OOO-hour
aviator, was found during his annual
physical to have minimal changes
in a particular segment of his EKG.
The flight surgeon called him back
to thoroughly review his old records,
a routine action to determine wheth-
er this condition was previously pres-ent or is a recent change. Also he
wanted to be sure the heart sounds
were normal. This time extra beats
were heard and this individual was
asked if he had noticed any chest
pain, lightheadedness or palpita-
tions, all of which were denied. Two
months later he was killed in an
automobile accident, although he
did not sustain any bodily damage.
His wife stated that he had been
awakened several times at night dur-
ing the last four months with chest
pain. An autopsy showed coronaryarteriosclerosis (narrowing of arte-
ries in the heart).
Had this man given an accurate
history, further tests might have
uncovered the disease. Subsequent
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er than by history alone since its not dependable in flying popula
tions. The physician accordinglys limited in doing his utmost inthe best interest of the patient,whether he recommends him forfull flying duty, restricted flyingduty or duty not involving flying,either temporary or indefinite.
A final word on the importance
of an accurate medical history. Onthe part of the patient it reflectsgood common sense and maturity.For the physician the history,whether it is positive or negative,s paramount in reaching the rightdiagnosis, even if that diagnosiss very common. I t follows that the
appropriate treatment or management cannot be present without
this diagnostic accuracy. For in-
MARCH 1970
stance, take a man of 40 whowishes to participate in strenuoussports or a physical fitness program. f his electrocardiogram(which, incidentally, s recommended in individuals over 35who desire participation in strenuous physical activity) is read asorderline and he has a history of
excessive alcohol consumptiort, hemay have too much cardiac strainor a lack of cardiac reserve during
periods of physical stress. Further
testing may be indicated. Decreasing his drinking or postponing the sport may be recommended.
In summary, the medical history is the highest ranking factor
in a medical evaluation. Aviatorswho give an incomplete medical
history are doing themselves and
their passengers a disservice. Justas the experienced pilot relies onproven methods and advanced instruments in his profession, thepracticing flight surgeon relies onestablished procedure and newtechniques. He uses the traditionalmedical history, the KG and thechest ray as his tools of detection of heart disease. Furthermorethe KG s not the only means
used to assess cardiovascular disease and the majority of KG abnormalities are found fit for flightduty after clinical evaluation.
When an abnormality s foundthe disposition s made in the bestinterest of the patient. Your flightsurgeon's mission and desires are
to keep you flying . . . safely.
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STOR GE OF BATTERIES
One of the most importantthings to remember is that thelead acid battery should never beallowed to remain in a dischargedcondition. The lead acid sulfatewill grow into a hard, white crystalline formation. This condition
destroys the plates by closing thepores in the active material.
Keep Ni-Cad batteries free ofcorrosion. Electrolyte overflowwill cause a short and loss ofpower, not to mention a mess.Your best bet is to be. sure theelectrolyte level is not too high.
Never store a Ni-Cad and a lead
•
lnen nce•• when storing ba eries
acid battery side by side. Thiswill ruin the Ni-Cad battery. Thesame goes for hydrometers andother battery tools. Use separatetools for each type of battery toprevent contamination.
* * *CTUATOR CLEANING KITA kit for cleaning actuators
should contain a small squirt bottle of denatured alcohol with cotton balls or small swabs and fourabsorbent type paper towels issued to maintenance personnelthrough tech supply. One kitshould last maintenance person-
nel through a periodic inspection.This could be easily made fromexisting materials already in thesupply system.
* * *H. LANDING GEAR Atten-tion UH l maintenance per
sonnel the left and right supportplates of the landing gear crosstubes on UH ls should be checkedperiodically for security. After numerous landings the rivets will become loose and the support plate
will begin to work loose.
* * *LADE TIEDOWN: Make surethe blade tied own on the OH-
13 is secured around the frame ofthe aircraft instead of the driveshaft.
* * *ORIZONTAL STABILIZER
HOT STUFF Ever try to re
move the screws from the supportplates? Kind of tight aren t they?A little foresight can stop yourproblem before it starts. When installing these screws, just applya little corrosion preventive compound (item 302, table 1-1) to thethreads before installation. Also,the use of a 2 Phillips head bit
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ersinstead of a screwdriver can savescrews and time and one time useof the screws can really save theday.
RVENT FILTER: Ensure thatthe airvent filter for the hy
draulic system on the OH-13 is
kept dry at all times. f wet itwill not allow the system tobreathe, thereby causing a feedback through the flight controls.
OMETIMES T I G H T ISN T
ALWAYS RIGHT: Watch it
when installing the shims underthe tail boom attaching bolt nuts.
Torquing these nuts too much cancause the shims to split. It hasbeen found that even when usingcorrect torque, after the first re
torque these shims can split, causing the attaching bolt to becomeloose.
Mighty embarrassing to lose atail boom because of negligence.
Moral: Use em once and throw'em ~ w a y s a v e a life yours
oH·23 RIGGING: During rigging of the OH-23, to keep feet
offof push-pull tubes and otherpieces of equipment place one
Measurements in i", ches not to scale)
W E L V ~ . . . . . . - _ - - -
maintenance stand on each sideof the aircraft and secure a largeplank between the two stands.This will give the maintenance
personnel a steady platform fromwhich to make necessary adjustments.
* *OH S8A TAIL ROTOR ROSS
HEAD TROUBLE: Are youhaving trouble getting the propertool for removing the tail rotorcross head on your Kiowa? Hereis a handy tool to do the job. Thishandy p u l ~ e r can be fabricatedfrom 1 4 -inch steel and welded
together. Be sure to make the bottom plate double.
T1
.....1---- - 2 5 8 ·________ I . ~ ISIDE VIEW 1
:......... _ ..... 2 1 · ~ 1END VIEW
MARCH 1970
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s
e 'ec les i e •. .
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UNTIL RECENTLY I was always in
call the action end of the flying b
Only eggheads, desk jockeys, pencil pusherspaper shufflers had-anything to do with logisti
as far as I was concerned. To me logistics wa
like the other side of the moon-I never saw it so
I just didn t think about it.
Well, recently I found myself not only looking
at the other side of the moon but actually walking on it at the U S Army Aviation Systems
Command in St. Louis, Mo.As I learned to shuffle, push and jockey my own
paperwork around, I quickly realized the signif
icance and the challenge of working in logistics.
As for action, I found plenty of it at AVSCOM Its
people are responsible for backing up more than
12,000 Army aircraft, with rotary wing outnum
bering fixed wing about 4 to 1 And another 4,000
aircraft are on contract for future delivery
Through AVSCOM the Army also supports an
additional 2,000 Army type aircraft used by itssister services and 28 foreign nations. The fly
ing hour program for fiscal year 1969 was ap
proximately 6.5 million hours, with helicopters
leading fixed wing by a 5 to 1 flying hour margin.
Since 1965 the number of aircraft supported
overseas has increased from about 1,500 to more
than 5,000. In order to keep pace with this gal
loping progress a gigantic, but streamlined, or
ganization incorporating the best methods from
big business and military alike is essential.
AVSCOM is such an organization. It is one of the
U S Army Materiel Command s (AMC) eight
major subordinate commands.
AVSCOM s growth has closely paralleled the
transfer of responsibility to the Army to develop
and procure its ,own aircraft. This transfer oc-
curred gradually from 1958 to 1966. As Army
aviation evolved from a few L-4s, used for observa
tion and artillery adjustment, AVSCOM evolved
from a small field service office of the Chief o
Transportation. It once was merely an expediter
charged with seeing that Army aviation business
washandled by its sister services. Today it ischarged with the total life cycle management of
Army aviation systems.
In short, AVSCOM is responsible for
aviation design, research and development,
uct maintenance engineering, stock and su
control and technical assistance to users
Army aviation and aerial delivery equi
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VSCO COMPLEX
From its headquarters in St. Louis the Army Aviation Systems Command accomplishes its world-wide mission of avia
tion systems support for more than 12,000 aircraft, including many from sister services as well as other countries
t is a complicated 2 billionplus per year complex manned byapproximately 10,000 military andcivilian personnel. The policy ofhaving a strong mix of rated, combat experienced officers and careerlogisticians now is paying great
dividends through the broad rangeof experience and skills it providesin key positions.
From its h e a d qua r t e r s,
A VSCOM directs four plant activities (Bell, Hughes, Lockheed andGrumman). t also has under itscontrol the U. S. Army AviationMateriel Laboratories AVLABS),
Ft. Eustis, Va.; the U. S. ArmyAviation Systems Test ActivityASTA), Edwards AFB, Calif.;
and the U. S. Army Aeronautical
Depot M a i n t en a n c e CenterARADMAC), Corpus Christi,
Tex.Doing the bookkeeping for the
cOOllIland is a sophisticated computer operation. The ManagementInformation System, as it is called,keeps track of supply levels, ordersstock, writes contracts for low dol-
12
lar value items, maintains a historyof each item and performs supplycontrol studies, as well as manyother responsive and economicalfunctions.
A VSCOM's internal structure,based primarily on a systems con
cept, gives each of six projectmanagers an overall perspectiveinstead of merely bits and piecesof a large problem. t enables thepro ject manager to utilize the lifecycle management concept whereby he sees his project evolve froman idea into a reality and eventually into obsolescence.
The project manager formula is
used only on projects deemed mostimportant and which must be accomplished with expedience. The
Office of the Secretary of Defensehas specified that any projectwhose research and developmentcosts exceed 25 million andwhose procurement costs exceed
100 million will be project managed.
The project management PM)
area within AMC has been under
review since April 1969. The intent of this review is to first identify projects meeting the thresholdfor intensive management as outlined in existing regulations andthen decentralization of the projects, thereby reducing the span
of command control now requiredof the commanding general, AMC.The organization proposed byAVSCOM to incorporate the recommendations of the study establishes five project/systems managers charged with life cycle management of a family of aircraft;i.e., utility PM with responsibilityfor the UH-l Iroquois and theUtility Tactical Transport AircraftSystem UTTAS). These managers would report directly to the
commanding general, A VSCOM ,and would possess the full lineAMC authority and responsibilityfor their systems. The project/systems managers would utilize theA VSCOM functional staff to thefullest and essentially be a deputyto the commanding general for hissystem.
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A major step in streamliningA VSCOM has been the establishment of operating and administrative directorates and offices underfour deputy commanders: Re-
search Engineering and Data; Ac-
quisition; Logistics Support; andAdministration and Resources
Management Support. To give abetter idea of what it takes to runAVSCOM, a brief description ofeach is in order.The deputy commander for Re-
search Engineering and DataRED) is responsible for Army
aviation research to include development and engineering. His personnel provide engineering supportand guidance as long as an aircraft is in the system.
One RED project receiving
priority emphasis is entitled Re-duction in Vulnerability of ArmyAircraft. Specifically, this projectwas established to formulate effective design criteria for the protection of Army aircraft and air(crews against ballistic ammunition and antiaircraft fire, as wellas increasing the combat survivability of Army aircraft by reducing the vulnerability of vital aircraft components and the aircrew.Particular emphasis is being placed
on establishing a means of reducing the susceptibility of aircraft
to destruction due to fuel fires by
development of an emulsified
(slow-burning) aircraft fuel.
Another major program high on
the RED priority list is RAMMIT
(Reliability and Maintainability
Mathematically Integrated Totals)
a system designed by systems
engineering personnel to validate
and utilize data from The Army
E qu p men t Records System(TAERS). The program is also
designed to integrate the T AERS
data with other information, such
as overhaul data, accident reports,
etc., to provide a complete logistics
picture for Army aircraft and sup
port equipment. Initial validation
studies have shown that almost 70
MARCH 1970
percent of the data stored in theTAERS data bank can be utilized.
Plans for the RAMMIT program include the developmentof reliability and maintainability(R&M) math models and simulation models to be used in predicting the impact of engineering
change proposals, mission changes,maintainability changes, militaryassistance observer team changes,reliability changes, failure rates,trend analysis, performance comparisons , etc. The R M reportsare to be furnished on a regularbasis. They will be similar to reports which currently are furnishedby commercial R&M contracts onsome of the aircraft systems. Theyare, however, designed to be morecomprehensive than the commer
cial reports. It is anticipated thatthese R M reports will be available on all Army TMS (type,model, series) fleets by mid 1970.
Two of the tools the RED deputy uses to accomplish his mission are A VLABS and ASTA.
VL BS conducts research insubsonic, low flying aircraft usedin support of ground forces. Itsresearch covers every part of anaircraft with the exception ofweapons and avionics. Major areas
of achievement include propulsion,flight testing, sy terns, equipment,
safety, materials, and components.Special emphasis is placed on research and development of verticaland short takeoff and landing(V STOL) aircraft.The A VLABS command not
only handles a large, varied andcontinuous workload volume but
also permits a wide degree offlexibility to assure its ability tomeet unprogramed or crash project type assignments.
A VLABS accomplishes its mission through a combination of inhouse studie , utilization of theresources of academic institutionand commercial research organizations, close cooperation with other government agencies and theaward of contracts to aerospaceindustrial firms , colleges and uni
versities.From their California base
ST personnel plan and conductengineering flight tests of new aircraft systems as well as the systems of research and existing aircraft which have major componentor subsystem modifications. Theyalso develop quantitative engineering data of aircraft flying qualities,aircraft performance and operational characteristics. With thisdata ASTA is able to determine
whether or not the contractor hascomplied with his guarantees.
The home of the rmy viation Systems ommand
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AST A is organized so that thevarious divisions of engineers, testpilots, technicians and administrators are combined to reach onegoal: factual engineering flighttest data.
o accomplish each assignedtest project a combination of ex
perimental test pilots, aero engineers, i r c r f t instrumentationspecialists, experimental aircraftmechanic specialists and armamentweapons systems specialists areteamed up and assigned to theproject.
Administrative and logisticalsupport are provided the test teamby other personnel within AST A.Depending upon the nature of theprogram, an engineer or test pilotis assigned as the project officer.
ASTA is endeavoring to improve test safety and to drasticallyreduce the time required to complete final test reports. The acronym for this modernization effort is AIDAS Advanced Instrumentation and Data Analysis Systern). This system includes automatic magnetic tape on-board recording of flight data and simultaneous telemetry to remote groundstations thus providing real-time
14
data monitoring. The remoteground stations are completelyself contained and include a smallgeneral purpose scientific computer. These stations may be transported to the immediate vicinity ofthose remote locales used byASTA. Also, they are capable of
functioning from below sea levelto 11,000 feet.
The central AIDAS ground station is more complex and includestelemetry receivers, graph plottingdevices and a larger scientific computer. The acquisition of AIDASwill enable ASTA to completeflight testing of highly sophisticated Army aircraft systems in a
thorough and timely manner.While the mission of Research
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Engineering and ata is accom-plished through AST A, A VLABSand hundreds of people working
in a multitude of other jobs, anoth-er deputy commander is in chargeof accomplishing yet another phaseof A VSCOM s overall mission. Heis the deputy commander for Lo-
gistic Support LOG) and is re-sponsible for providing aircraft inthe field with spare parts, main-tenance guidance, technical as-sistance and for computing futurerequirements. A VSCOM stores thebulk of its repair parts inventoryat four Army depots: Sharpe at
Lathrop, Calif.; New Cumberland,Pa.; Red River at Texarkana, Tex.;and Atlanta at Forrest Park, Ga.
Some management techniquesthe LOG deputy has initiated tofurther improve support to thefield are as follows:
Red Ball Express to RVN
This special procedure was ini-tiated on 7 December 1965 atthe direction of the Secretary ofDefense. Through 30 September] 969 A VSCOM had received116,328 Red Bali requisitions.A VSCOM organized to handlethese requisitions by bringing sup-ply, maintenance, procurement andcataloging specialists into one or-ganization. This office is openaround the clock to receive andexpedite items to satisfy thesespecial demands. All Red Ball
MARCH 1970
requisitions orIgmate in the 34thGeneral Support Group andA VSCOM people are in daily
contact by telephone on problemitems.
Closed Loop Support NetworkThe closed loop support (CLS)
network is a newly created pro-gram to support the flow of criticalserviceable and unserviceable enditems and components to and fromArmy commands.
Programs are established in twoways:
• Little closed loop in countryRVN) USAREUR)
• Closed loop for return toCONUS, repair and return tocountry
A program, when establishedand approved by the Departmentof the Army, is published and in-dicates authorization, assets, gainsand losses through attrition; hightime; deployment; or moderniza-tion. Quantities of the end productare displayed and projected forperiods of 18 months.
Each month an update of theasset position is measured againstauthorization and corrective actiontaken to assure orderly retentionand/ or attrition. Policies on meth-od of transportation to be em-ployed also are contained in theclosed loop program.
Aviation closed loop programsare in effect for USARV (March
1967) and USAREUR (April1968). All aircraft on hand andaircraft to be introduced to thesecommands are included in theCLS programs. Avionics and weap-onization programs also are in-cluded for these critical items insupport of the aircraft program.
Turbine engines allocated bythe Department of the Army Dis-tribution Allocation Committeeare also controlled and shown asprograms in closed loop publica-tions and shipments; retrogradeand reporting is under this pro-gram.
OASIS
Project OASIS (ownership andaccountability of selected second-ary items in overseas depots) is
a program of worldwide owner-ship and accountability of highvalue items stored, stocked andissued from overseas depots bycommodity cgmmands of theArmy Materiel Command.
The purpose of OASIS is toestablish better visibility and con-trol through knowledge. Assetsof selected items in certain over-seas storage locations are identi-
fied in the accountable recordsof AVSCOM and adjustments
are made to the recorded bal-ances based on activity feedbackfrom logistics management officers(LMOs) stationed overseas.
The commodity managers atA VSCOM have the responsibilityof maintaining the theater levelsthrough push shipments and
through redistribution of assets tobalance the worldwide require-ments.
Management measure of the suc-cess or failure of the OASIS sys-tem is based on the ability of theoverseas depot to fill all demandswithout passing an order back tothe commodity command.
AVSCOM includes 102 selectedhigh value items under OASIS andhas established LMOs in Europe,
H ~ w a i i Japan, Korea and Oki-nawa for control. The RO at the
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national level for these items represents 1 billion 300 million ofa total RO of 2 billion and 3million. This gives some idea ofthe importance of control of highvalue items.
IMIThe aircraft intensive managed
items program, or AIMI as it is
commonly called, is the A VSCOMcontrol system to apportion criticalhigh dollar value items to assuretheir continuous flow to the customer level without work stoppages or long periods of aircraftdown time.
Items selected for this programare in critical supply because ofproduction failures, delinquencyof contract deliveries or capacityof the manufacturer to supplythem. They remain in the AIM
program until sufficient assets become available in supply channelsto provide an unin terrupted supply
action through normal channels.The range of items in this programvaries from 150 to 200 lines and
is closely monitored by all management personnel.
AIMI conferences are heldquarterly with all major commands to discuss and to interchange demand and supply.
Agreed levels of support are established which represent the bestpossible apportionment of the assets which will become availableto support the field requirement.Allocations are developed for 6-month periods with a quantity indicated for each month. Shipmentsare made to arrive in country 15
days before the month required.The success of this effort is reflected by the low number of Red
Ball and· Non Operational ReadySupply (NORS) requisitions received for the same items. Wallcharts are maintained in St. Louis
to reflect successes, failures andtrends on each item.
ARADMAC, the largest fieldactivity under the LOG deputy,overhauls turbine engines and aircraft and has other assigned responsibilities to include avionicsmaintenance and calibration, maintaining a mobilization base, providing a maintenance technicaltraining base, performing storageand distribution functions attendant to depot maintenance activi-
ities and providing required worldwide mission support to the floating Army maintenance facility,USS Corpus Christi Bay.
A b y p r o d u c t of t h e
ARADMAC operation is that itprovides the Army a means withwhich to compare similar operations performed by industry forthe Army. Acting as a provingground, ARADMAC checks thevalidity of certain specifications
ARADMAC at Corpus Christi Tex . is the largest field activity under AVSCOM s deputy commander in charge of logistic supp.Qrt
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prescribed by industry for Armyhardware. t checks the reliabilityof established procedures and thenecessity of certain requirementsand items. This better enables theArmy to deal with private industry.
h e import nce o f
ARADMAC s primary mission ofoverhauling aircraft became fullyevident as hostilities in the Republic of Vietnam intensified. The ensuing.buildup created SUCll a large -overnaul requirement for theArmy that the greater portion ofARADMAC s effort today is insupport of units in Southeast Asia.
The deputy commander for -
quisition heads a third major areaof the A VSCOM structure. Thisactivity is the national procure
ment point for all Army aircraftand aircraft systems.To heighten the appreciation of
the importance of the cquistionactivity s role in A VSCOM, thesimplest explanation would be thatit is a team endeavor by which thetotal knowledge of all its specialists is brought to bear on:
• the procurement of Army aircraft systems
• the anticipation of problemsand ramifications
• ferreting out the answers toproblem areas• launching the command on a
well planned, sensible procurement action which will continuethrough final delivery.In short, the cquisition activ
ity strives to procure at the lowestsound price and provide a qualityitem and assure timely delivery ofsystems and components worldwide.
In fiscal year 1970 the cquisi-
tion activity procurement programencompasses execution of approx
imately 20,000 contracts. Included
is the acquisition of the following
major aircraft systems:
CH47-Chinook
OH-58-Kiowa
CH-54-Tarhe
UH-IH-Iroquois
MARCH 1970
U-21-Ute
RU-21-Ute
AH-IG-Huey Cobra
Concrete plans of action havebeen formulated to execute theFY 70 program with the follow .
ing cquisition activity director
ates to obtain materiel to specifications on schedule at the lowestcast to the government.
The Procurement ·Directorate is
an operating functional elementand effects direct procurement of
all Army aircraft systems, aerialdelivery items, services for engineering and development andtraining of manufacturing representative pilots and mechanics.In addition to the purchase of aircraft systems, procurement responsibility involves retrofit modification, shop sets, maintenanceand overhaul services, provisioning and replenishment of repairparts and all other logistical support of aircraft already in thesupply system.
The roduct Assurance Directorate serves as the quality assurance advisor and is the focal pointon all quality assurance matters.This office establishes policy, di
rects, coordinates and evaluatesthe overall implementation of theproduct assurance program; develops and provides policy andguidance for quality engineeringsystems; serves as the commandadvisor and provides guidance foroverhaul specifications and maintenance manuals; develops andprovides guidance for calibrationand metrology programs and provides surveillance and assessment and evaluation of the total
calibration program; and prescribes and supervises the execution of the command quality assurance system.
The Production Directorate con
trols and supervises the com
mand s production, defense materiel system, industrial mobiliza
tion, planning and property ad-
ministration programs and is responsible for engineering supportin evaluation of procurement packages, administration of the manufacturing methods and technologyprogram, pre-award surveys andproduction equipment inventory
and utilization.t
also serves as thecommand element responsible formaintaining cognizance of govern-ment furnished materiel (in-houseand out-at-house managed) foraircraft production.
The Bell, Hughes, Lockheedalld Grumman plant activitieshave the responsibility to performall field services functions forArmy and other government contracts awarded to the contractor,including but not limited to field
contract administration, engineering, property administration, flightacceptance and movement of materiel to consignee agencies, mobilization and production planning,expediting, shipping inspection andacceptance and contract termination. Some sPecifics on these plantactivities are as follows-
The Army activity at Bell, located near Forth Worth, Tex.,joined the ranks of AVSCOM in1963. Bell s Fort Worth industrial
complex is composed of the mainplant on Highway 183 (Hurst,Tex.-12 miles northeast of downtown Fort Worth) and six otherf a c i l i t i e ~ ~ r f i t h i n a radius of 17mile : ::brie 61 these facilities is the
g o v e r h m e ~ ~ w n e d contractor operated (GOCO) Globe plant atSaginaw, Tex., where the OH-58Aproduction, flight test and acceptance takes place. Currently, all
delivered OH-58 Kiowa are underevaluation and have not yet become operational.
The Globe plant was also thesite of previous OH-13 Siouxproduction. Bell s other major aircraft contracts with the government are for UH-1 and AH-IG
helicopters. \ The flyaway storage
area ~ l f ~ t f e l l helicopters is theGlobe plant ;:;;
l
. j
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O ne of AVSCOM s most important mis-
sions is the constant support of the
4th General Support Group
The Army Bell plant activityalsO has a divisien lecated atAmarillO', Tex. At this site theAH-1G and all medels of theUH 1 are precessed threugh anIROAN (inspectien and repairenly as needed) er crash damage
pregram.In 1967, twO years afterA VSCOM became a major suberdinate command of the ArmyMateriel Command, two moreplant activities-the Hughes andLockheed plant offices-wereadded.The A VSCOM office at the
Hughes Tool Company, AircraftDivision, located at Culver City,Calif., was chartered by the Department of Defense with a prin
cipal plant function of manufacturing new and rebuilding damagedOH-6 Cayuse helicopters.
Hughes also has a rebuild facility in the Los Angeles suburb ofEl Segundo. A flight test and acceptance facility is located atPalomar, Calif., some 100 milessouth of Los Angeles, and there isa facility at Rose Canyon near San
18
Diego which manufactures thelower fuselage and tail booms forthe OH-6. .
The chief function of the plantactivity at Lockheed Aircraft Company, Van Nuys, Calif., is monitoring the development of the new
advanced aircraft weapons systemAAWS ) helicopters. Lockheedalso has a flight test evaluationfacility at Oxnard, Calif., and anacceptance flight test and deliveryfacility at Palmdale, Calif.
The newest of the plant activities, Grumman Aircraft Corporation, Stuart, Fla., joined theA VSCOM force in 1969 with theresp.onsibility of rebuilding damaged OV 1 Mohawk surveillanceaircraft.
The fourth phase of the totalA VSCOM mission _ is accomplished by the deputy commanderfor dministration and ResourcesManagement Support ARMS).
He has the principal responsibilityfor managing the command resources of dollars, manpower, personnel, buildings, equipment andsupplies. His responsibility encompasses communications and allof the normal adjutant generalfunctions, to include a large print
ing and publications division. Theaviation officer, who develops andmanages the command's aviationprograms, supervises the flight detachment and develops and manages the command's aviation safety program, also is under this deputy's cognizance.
One area important to any organization is that of public information. A VSCOM, through itsexhibits program, supports approximately 25 annual meetings oftechnical societies, air shows andROTC programs with exhibits reflecting U S. Army, AMC andA VSCOM's efforts in SoutheastAsia. This program especiallyemphasizes the excellence ofArmy materiel for our combatforces. Approximately six of thesemeetings are international; e.g.,
A.S.M.E. International Gas Turbine Meeting, American Institutof Astronautics and Avionics International Meeting, Dulles International Air Show and Air Ag69 International Air Show. National meetings include AUSAAAAA, and American HelicopteSociety, while local are ROTCRollo School of Engineering anArmed Forces Week.
Another major area of endeavois improving the cost effectivenesof operations. The ARMS deputprovides the command focal poinfor the Army's cost reduction, logistics performance measuremenand evaluation systems and thzero defects programs. The firstwo of these programs have bee
established by the Department othe Army as a matter of highespriority. As a result they receivthe most attention. During FY 6the command achieved a validatesavings in the cost reduction program of $25.9 million as a resulof these and other command programs and projects.
t It is all of these men aA VSCOM who must keep abreasof the tremendous growth of Armyaviation and who must ensure tha
it has the logistical support neededto meet any challenge or demandplaced upon it at a moment'notice.
This proper state of operationareadiness prescribed by the. Department of Defense can only bemaintained through the constaneffort of every man within thecommand-military and civilianalike.
f someone today were to askme where the action is, I wouldhave to tell them that it's righhere at A VSCOM. It might soundlike another world to newcomerspilots, aviation cemmanders, maintenance or supply personnel.did once to me. But, then againyou never can tell what you migh-ind on the other side of themoon
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SO PThe Army Spectrometric Oil Analysis Program ASOAP) uses
machines that are able to detect as many as S6 different
elements in an oil sample This expanding program s saving
the government untold number of dollars as well as the
lives of air crew members by predicting engine malfunctions
20
AH LF OUNCE sample ooil, a high energy electri
spark or a hot flame and theknow-how of the chemists andtechnicians in the Army Spectrometric nalysis Program
ASOAP) is sometimes all tha
stands in the way of aircraft engine failures that can cause loss olives and expensive equipment.
The personnel of ASOAP havethe mission of analyzing the samples of lubricants taken regularlyfrom Army aircraft engines andcomponents from all over theworld.
Results of the analyses are carefully monitored for abrupt changesin the quantity and ratio of smalparticles of metal in the oil. By
checking the records kept on eachpiece of equipment, it is possiblto determine if some unusual concentration of metal exists.
Presence of excessive metaparticles is a danger signal andreason to initiate an exhaustivestudy of the suspected engine ocomponents. Timely recommendations by the scientists and technicians have in many cases beeninstrumental in preventing crashes
In the process, samples of oil oother fluids from assemblies andcomponents are taken at definiteintervals. These samples are sento a nearby ASOAP laboratory foranalyses and evaluation.
The oil or fluid sample is obtained from an aircraft either byusing a plastic tube dipped n the
oil tank or from the drain valveThe oil is transferred to a bottlewhich is tightly capped. A sample
information sheet, identifying the
sample and telling when t wastaken, is wrapped around thebottle. Both are air mailed to the
nearest laboratory.
Data from the sample informa
tion sheets is transferred to an
oil analysis data record card whichis kept at the laboratory. When
new information comes in on a
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particular aircraft it is added tothis card.
The machine used to detect andmeasure foreign matter in oil iscalled a spectrometer. There areseveral types of spectrometers.The one used the most by theArmy is the atomic absorptiontype which bums the oil samplein a hot flame.
In the Ft. Rucker, Ala., laboratory a sample of the oil is pouredinto the bottle cap which is placedin the emission spectrometer.A rotating electrode is placed ona shaft that permits it to dip intothe oil. The oil is fed upward intoan electric arc formed between afixed electrode and the rotating
electrode. The arc causes the oilto burn and emit wave lengths ofinvisible light that are characteristic of each element present in theoil.
The wave lengths of light areseparated by a diffraction gratingwhich has 30,000 lines per inchinscribed on its surface. The grating acts as a prism to separate thewave lengths of light. These wavelengths are read by a device thatrecords the concentration of the
metals and silicon in parts permillion PPM) by weight. Theresults are recorded on the historycard for the particular component.
The amount and type of elements found in the oil are compared by an evaluator with metal concentration criteria alreadydeveloped for the particular component and the composition of themetal alloys in the component.From this comparison he is ableto determine if the part is wear
ing properly or is likely to fail.
As an example of how this com
parison works consider the normalmakeup of a reciprocating engine.t has an aluminum piston while
the rings and cylinder wall aremade of iron and chrome. Anysudden or significant increase inthese metals in the oil indicates
MARCH 1970
A half ounce sample of oil that came from an Army aircraft
engine is poured into a conta iner opposite page> t is then
placed in the spark chamber of the spectrograph above)
that a piston or cylinder may beabout to fail.
Or, consider the telltale warnings of a crankshaft failure. Themain crankshaft bearing insertsare overlayed with bronze. Consequently, if an increase in ironfrom the crankshaft is precededby copper from the bronze it indicates an incipient failure is suspected.
The Army is analyzing forseven elements which cover themajority of the problems discovered to date. These are iron,aluminum, copper, silver, chromium, magnesium and silicon.
The laboratories analyze foriron, aluminum and silicon withan acetylene nitrous oxide flameand the remainder of the elements
with acetylene-air mixture flame.A silicon determination is neededbecause this element is used todetermine sample integrity. f asample is properly taken, siliconshould be low.
Both turbine and reciprocatingaircraft lubricants are analyzedagainst one set of standards prepared in grade 1100 mineral oil.Standards for all Army laboratories
are prepared at the U S ArmyAeronautical Depot MaintenanceCenter (ARADMAC) at CorpusChristi, Tex. These are checkedagainst standards prepared by theNational Bureau of Standards.
The Army ASOAP effort wasstarted in 1960 following a studyat Ft. Rucker. Analysis of oilsamples taken during this study
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SG P
were made by the U S Navy. Theresults were spectacular enough towarrant establishing a laboratory
at Ft. Rucker to service the aircraft belonging to the AviationCenter. Soon another laboratorywas established at ARADMAC.
Shortly thereafter two atomicabsorption instruments were installed in an Army expandable vanand shipped to Okinawa for theuse of aircraft in Southeast Asia.The units were later transferred tothe 34th General Support Groupin the Republic of Vietnam. Sincethat time additional atomic absorp
tion spectrometers have been sentto the 34th.Participation in the oil analysis
program originally was voluntaryuntil 1966 when Army Regulation750-13 made it mandatory worldwide and established policiesand responsibilities for expandingASOAP. Technical Bulletin 55-6650-300-15 also was publishedto provide detailed procedures.
The key organization in theArmy s program for aircraft systems is the Spectrometric OilAnalysis and Materiels Branch atthe U. S Army Aviation SystemsCommand AVSCOM), St. Louis,Mo. t designates the Army aircraft to be monitored, purchasesthe special laboratory equipmentused and advises and assists fieldcommanders in the operation oftheir laboratories.
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The administration or commandof each laboratory is retained bythe normal field command; however the technical and advisorychannel is direct from A VSCOMto each laboratory.
Since 1966 additional labora
tories have been established atSharpe Army Aviation Maintenance Depot Calif.; New Cumberland Army Depot Pa.; the U. S.
Army Aviation Maintenance Center Sandhofen Germany; the U. S.
Army Primary Helicopter SchoolFt. Wolters Tex.; and the U. S.
Army Aviation School ElementFt. Stewart Hunter AAF Ga.
The laboratories are located toserve areas where the greatest concentration of Army aircraft are
found and to keep the communication lines as short as possible .
The ASOAP technique is having a profound effect on Army
aviation. The time-between-over-
haul intervals wjll be extended.The technique allows for a mon
i ~ o r s i p of lubricated internal partsto a degree previously unknown.In other areas if oil componentsare determined to be operatingsatisfactorily and ASOAP indicates
oil wetted parts are also okay theequipment normally can be continued in service.
The use of the oil analysis technique may also extend oil changeintervals which will increase theavailable operational time of thea.ircraft and reduce the amount ofoil that must be supplied to thefield.
Further the oil analysis technique can lead to the discoveryof desirable design changes. Nor
mal failure data reports from thefield are slow and piecemeal. Withthe brqad monitorship base of theASOAP laboratories a recommendation for a design change can
be made to design engineers.Future plans call for a spectrom
eter that will remove most ofthe human manipulation of samples from the evaluation ( nd permit a speedier exchange of information. The analyzing would
be done in the field by the crewchief or other individual. The results would be sent by electronicmeans to the area laboratory whichwould then give a go no-go indication.
Other plans are in the millbut have not been officially announced. These include the possibility of combining oil analysislaboratories of all services andthen servicing aircraft on a regionalbasis as well as at base level for
fast response to the user. Alsoplans can for the establishment ofa laboratory in the Republic ofKorea to handle Army aircraft inthat area.
he analysis results are monitored by experts who must decide whether or not action must be taken on the particular engine
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Dear Charlie: I hear by tl;1e grapevine that an OV-l
aviator punched-out of the aircraft when both ammeters pegged, smoke filled the cockpit and posi
tive control was lost. The dash lOis not too clearon what to do when both ammeters indicate maximum overload. What do you suggest?
CPT W. M.
Charlie's answer: I don't know how true your
g r p ~ v i n e information is but here is a procedure
being added to the new Hawk operator's manual.
OVERLOAD INDICATIONS
Anytime both ammeters show an overload condi-
tion proceed as follows:
1. Generator switches--off.
2. Inverter switch--off.
3. Heavy load circuits (SLAR, IR, photo, etc. -off.
4. Inverter no. 1 circuit breaker-pull.
s. Generators (one at a time --on, checked.
6. Inverter switch (normal indications observed)
-normal, ammeter load checked.
7. Inverter switch (ammeter overlimit -emer
gency.
8. No.1 inverter circuit breaker-set, ammeter
load checked.
9. Inverters (ammeter overliinit)--off.
Note: With inverter switchoff
only emergency panelinstruments are available.
Dear Danny: I have been an Army aviator for four
years and have over 2,800 hours total flight time.During that time I have noted numerous changes
in the operator's manual and checklist. I can see
how modifications could cause changes , but where
do the other changes originate?CW3 M. W. F.
Danny's answer: I am glad that you asked the ques
tion because many of our other readers have alsoexpressed curiosity about same thing. As youmay know, the U. S. Army Aviation Systems Com
mand (AVSCOM) at St. Louis, Mo., has prime
24
enflr ie find
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE IN MY HUEY?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO AUTOROTATE?
WELL, MAYBE YOU WOULD LIKE
TO WRITE I N TO CHARLI E OR D N NY
responsibility for aircraft publications. They act asa central coordination agency for aU input to themanuals and provide the civilian contractor with theinformation necessary for printing changes andrevisions,. A VSCOM also designates Army agencies and commands as proponents for portions ofthe manual. For example, the U. S. Army Aviation
U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST
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Donny s Write-In
School (USAA VNS) at Ft. Rucker, Ala., is givenresponsibility for chapters 3 4, 6, 10 and 11 of theoperator's manual and for the checklist. USA A VNSnormally holds preconferences which include representatives from the flight training departments (all
of whom are well qualified instructor pilots withRVN experience) and from other agencies at Et.
MARCH 1970
Rucker to determine necessary changes. Representa
tives are sent to periodic conferences where all
proponents, A VSCOM and the contractor get together. Input comes to A VSCOM in the form. of2028s from the field, safety requirements fromthe U. S. Army Board for Aviation Accident Research or other requirements from the other proponents. The U. S. Army · Aviation Test Board, forinstance, provides valuable information on new air-craft. Many of the h ~ g ~ s and revisions to themanual and checklist simplify operation of the air-craft, improve descriptions of procedures, enhancesafety or provide for better standardization. Users,
s u ~ h as yourself, are strongly lJI ged to read and usethe publications and provide continual input to make
them as near Rerfect as possible.
*Dear Danny: In an aviation magazine recently I noteda Huey Cobra with what appeared to be a new weapon in the nose turret. t appeared to resemble aminigun but only had three barrels. What type ofweapons system did I see and how do I get one?
CPT J. B. T.
Danny's answer: To get the weapons system whichyou described on your AH-1G you'l have to transfer
to the Marine Corps. You were looking at the newMarine AH-1J Sea Cobra, a twin-engine version
of the AH-IG Huey Cobra. The weapons system wasthe XM-197 three barreled, turret mounted, 20 mmcannon.
Dear Danny: The OH-58 operator's manual showsseat belts and shoulder harnesses for five people infigures 3-1, 4-1 and 5-1. Figure 13-1 shows threesets of seat belts and shoulder harnesses for therear seats in one drawing and two sets for the rearseats in the top right drawing. Our aircraft haveonly two sets of belts and harnesses in the rearseats. Are we missing some?
MAJ R. E. L.
Danny's answer: Your aircraft are properly
equipped. Two sets of seat belts and shoulder hare
nesses should be shown in all figures in the manual.
These figures will be corrected in the nem: future.
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Just when you think you have it made diaster strikes It has
happened before and will happen again. Too many times such
incidents are caused by a second of inattention. Sometimes a
void in the total knowledge necessary to make a pilot not
only an airplane driver but also a professional aviator is the
cause How well do you keep informed on rules and procedures?
MOST AVIATORS feel they
are capable of handling anyaviation situation they may encounter. Yet how many have kept
up their proficiency and knowledge of instrument flight rules andprocedures? Whether the instrument rating be tactical, standardor special, it can only be as goods the individual makes it.
Too many aircraft are lost dueto a lack of instrument proficiency.Striking closer to home for tacticalholders, AR 95-63, dated 1 July1969, states that Tactical cardholders may, and most likely will,e utilized in a copilot capacity
for IFR flights anywhere in theworld regardless of tactical situation.
Below is a test designed to
check your knowledge of IFR
flight. f you can answer all thequestions withont research, chancesare you rank above the normal instrument rated aviator. The majority of aviators who take thistest will find that it probably
wouldn't hurt to brush up on the
rules a little and, i that's thecase, it's also probably time to
slap the hood on the head for alittle proficiency flying. Regret
tably too many who should take
this test will never bother to getpast the first question-and these
are the aviators who will cause
accidents by inadvertently going
MARCH 1970
Test Yourself
Lieutenant Arthur E Pekarek
IFR because of their philosophythat they are smart enough to stayaway from the clouds. The answers and references are at the
end of the test, so go ahead andcheck yourself (do not count questions pertaining to aircraft inwhich you are not qualified).
Part I
l) According to AR 95-1, isthe pilot of an aircraft notequipped with oxygen authorizedto climb to 12,500 feet MSL for45 minutes in order to clearweather or terrain?
2) f you fail an examina
tion for reissue of an instrumentrating, how long do you have totake a retest?
3) When conducting simulatedemergencies in a helicopter whichinclude autorotations, when shoulda complete recovery be made?
(4) What is the reserve fuelrequirement for a VFR flight in anon-turboprop aircraft at normalcruising speed?
5) What are the copilot requirements if you are planning an
IFR flight in a helicopter?6) What constitutes a full IFR
position report?(7) Army regulations state
that VFR position reports shouldbe rendered every ( time) .
8) VFR weather minimums
for daylight helicopter operations
outside control zones over flat
terrain are
9) Reported and forecast visibilities are measured .and re-corded n miles.
( 10) All radials and bearingson FLIP charts are shown s(true, grid, magnetic).
( 11) The time entered in theBriefing Void After space of
your DD 175-1 should be(time) after weather has beenfurnished the pilot.
( 12) An alternate airfield isrequired if the weather conditionsat the destination airfield of anIFR flight are forecast to be lessthan plus 1 hour of ETA.
( 13 ) Using the even-odd rulein selecting an IFR cruising altitude, if your magnetic course was0-179 degrees you would select
thousands, and from180-359 degrees thou-sands.
( 14) Define Height Above Airport HAA).
( 15) Define Height AboveTouchdown HAT).
16) When are scheduled
weather broadcasts given?( 17) When is the anticollisionlight used?
( 18) What is an SID? f givenan SID by A TC, is the pilot compelled to accept it?
( 19) What are the requirements for the use of Rur..way Visibility Range RVR)?
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28
PART n sing this sample approach plate explain the meaningor significance of the numbered data
VOR RWY 4COLUMBUS APP CON
125.3 257.8 388.0
LAWSON TOWER
126 2 229.4 237 4
GNDCON
121 7 242.6
ASR/PAR
/
241.0
/
/
./
LAWSON AAFFT. BEN NING GEOR6IA
CAUTION: JUMP TOWERS 574
1. 1 NM NE
Ir /1:
/ 23001/
/ /
/ /
I
I I
I I
\3 3 0 0 1 . . . - 1 4
I I~ - 1 - . . . . . . . . . . : / - - . . . . . - - 1 3/
/~ /~ ~ ~ / ~ ~ OMAHA./ /
. . -- MISSED APPROACH /
~ / ( I I ( J ~ I N T X N ~ /
........ : HOLDING,/'
E U F A U t ~ ~ D - . . . . ; ; ~ ~ - - - - - - - - - - - ~ 1 2109. 2
REMAIN
- - i _ W _ ' t ~ . ~ •• 1M MISSED APPROACHRiyht to 2000 on R 209 toOMAHA INTXN and hold
VO R
ELEV 232
*80
.... I2 ~ ~ ________ 2 0 ~ ~111111\\\\'\\\
CATAGORY A B C D
860/50 634 700.v860/60 860-1h
6 4 \ O O - I Y ~ 634 ( 7 0 Q . J ~
3 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
4 5 6 7 8 9
LENGTH 1200 '
medium IntenSity
HIRl aval Rwy 14_32
370
U S ARMY AVIATION DIGEST
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the nswers
Part I
(1) No. AR 95-1, chapter 4, section I, paragraph 4-5(2) 60 days. AR 95-63, paragraph 2-5(3) 200 feet AGL. AR 95-63, paragraph 3-10(4) Destination plus 30 minutes. AR 95-2, chapter 3,
section I, paragraph 3-2(5) Copilot must be helicopter instrument rated and
qualified in the aircraft being flown. AR 95-2, chapter
3, section ll, paragraph 3-12
(6) ID, position, time, altitude, type of flight plan(nO t required to ARTC centers), next reporting pointand ETA, name of succeeding reporting point and
remarks. FLIP, planning ll, page 54
(7) 60 minutes. AR 95-2, paragraph 3-5(8) 300-1h . AR 95-2, paragraph 3-4
(9) Statute. FLIP, section ll; TM 1-300, paragraph
11-17
(10) Magnetic. Legend, FLIP enroute low altitudechart
(11) 1 plus 30. AR 95-1, paragraph 26
(12) Airplane ceiling 3,000 feet above appropri atelanding minimums; visibility of 3 miles or 1 mile more
than appropriate landing minimums, whichever is great
er. Helicopter ceiling of 1,000 feet above appropriatelanding minimums; visibility of 2 miles or appropriatelanding minimums, whichever is greater. AR 95-2, chap.
ter 3, section ll , paragraph 3-10
(13) Odd; even. IFR Supplement, page 422
(14) Information indicates height at the MIDA abovethe published airport elevation. FLIP, low altitudeinstrument approach procedures
(15) Information indicates the height of the DH abovethe highest runway elevation in the touchdown zone(first 3,000 feet of runway). FLIP, low altitude instrument approach procedures
(16) 15 minutes past each hour. FLIP, section ll,
meteorological data
(17) a) Inflight operations. The anticollision light willbe on at all times when airborne, and during the periodof darkness the running lights will be on steady unlessthe anticollision light is inoperative, in which event therunning lights are to be on flash. b) Ground operations.The Grimes light will be off during all ground operations. The Grimes light will be turned on when clearedfor the active runway. c) IFR operations. While flyingin the clouds, the Grimes light may be turned off because of the possibility of vertigo being induced by the
MARCH 1970
SCORING
Number wrong
10 or more
7 9 .
Score
• • • student aviator
• shades of Frozzleforth
• • • • refresher course needed
fair weather flier
• • • • • a real prol
4 6 •
1 3
o .
light. AR 95-1, paragraph 29
(18) An SID is a published instrument departure
giving route and altitude for a given airport. Pilots are
encouraged to use SIDs when available for IFR departures. However, the decision to accept or reject an SID
clearance rests with the pilot in command. FLIP,
section II
(19) RVR may never be used in conjunction with acircling approach. RVR is the controlling visibility fac
tor when published and reported for a given runway.When RVR is published as a minimum but not report
ed, the required RVR may be converted to equivalentvisibility. AR 95-2, paragraph 3-9
Part II
(1) Minimum procedure tum altitude(2) Minimum low station altitude(3) Runway for which these approach criteria apply(4) Minimum descent altitude for category A B
aircraft on a straight-in approach to runway 14
(5) Runway Visual Range (RVR)(6) Height Above Touchdown HAT)-subtract the
elevation of the approach end of runway 14 (226 feet)
from the MDA (860 feet) and you derive the HAT(7) Height Above Airport HAA)-subtract the fieldelevatiO n from MDA
(8) Ceiling required for this approach
(9) Prevailing visibility needed for this approach may
be reduced by 50 percent for helicopters(10) High intensity runway lights are available for
runway 14-32
(11) Mean field elevation at Lawson AAF
(12) Published missed approach holding pattern at
Omaha Intersection
(13) Restricted area 3002A-check note pertaining to
circling approaches east of airport between runway 2-20and 14-32
(14) Minimum sector altitude within 25 NM(15) Lighted obstruction 574 feet high
(16) This arrO w on the 10 NM distance circle showsthe limits of the various sectors; i.e., from the 180-
degree radial to the 360-degree radial the minimum
sector altitude to the east is 3,300 feet
(17) When transitioning off Pheonix Intersection, thereis no procedure tum required unless advised otherwiseby ATC. Distance and bearing to LOM is 9.6 NM and
158 degrees
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Provided by the Society 1 U S. rmy Flight Surgeons
• Periodic examination Each
year we check to ensure the ab-sence of progressive hearing loss.Simultaneously we evaluate theuse of hearing protection.
• Survey noise hazards Look
around the flight line hangars,base camps, etc., for p o t e ~ t i l or
actual noise hazards. Determineor estimate the exposures.
• Observe damage risk criteriaDetermine to what extent these
hazards exceed recommendedlimits or damag e risk criteria. (SeeTB MED 251 and NRC ~ -mittee on Hearing and Bioa-coustics, Working Group 46 rec-ommendations. )
• Provide noise protection-
For noise in excess of the criteria,
MARCH 1970
provide adequate personal protec-tion (ear plugs, ear muffs, etc.),decrease the duration of exposureor increase the distance from thesource of noise.
• Survey utilization Do yourpersonnel utilize protection pro-vided? What are some of the prob-
lems preventing their utilization oracceptance?
• Educate Tell personnel aboutthe use of protection. Explain thehazards and potential disability.
• Remove susceptibles Thosewho experience undue hearing lossmust be removed from the avia-tion environment. Inflight testing
may be required. Don t forget that
the Aeromedical Consultation Ser-vice at Ft. Rucker, Ala., can offerassistance.
• Engineering control This is
the ideal method of handling the
problem but the most difficult to
achieve. Someday we may havethe quiet helicopter. · The Army
currently is doing research on this
concept, but for more reasons than
just hearing loss.
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A N ARMY 0-1 Bird Dog is
£\.. out on a tactical mission inVietnam and is flight followingwith the control center for thatarea. At 1400 hours, the Bird Dogfails to make a position report.Center promptly calls the BirdDog at approximately 1405-no
answer. Center coI}tJnues to callat intervals until ~ u.r.s, thena ramp check is init · ..• 1500hours it is confirme · ~ e aircraft is missing so center notifiesthe Bird Dog s unit by 1530-al
lowing for tactical telephone problems. Special alerts also are broadcast to any other aircraft whichmight be in the area and a C-130is launched to monitor emergencycalls. Fine, but the 0-1 is missingover a heavy jungle area and a
search is needed. Who s availableto search?
Under current policy the mission belongs to the Bird Dog sparent unit. But where are its aircraft? They are all out on othermissions, many of which are longdistances from where the 0-1 is
missing. Probably by 1600 to 1630sorrw of Bird nog s brother aircraft are able to reach his area tobegin the search. Even i f the parent unit requests air support ftom
other units, their aircraft also arecommitted and must be recalled,so they won t arrive to assist in thesearch much before 1700. In
short, available search aircraft will
then have about two hours of daylight at most to cover a wideexpanse of jungle.
f the downed pilot is calling on
his emergency radio, perhaps hewill be located before nightfall.f terrain features block his trans
missions or if he is unable to call
due to injury or loss of radio,extensive search efforts will berequired. And these will be delayed at least overnight underArmy search and rescue (SAR)
procedures, because there are nodesignated units in Army aviationon call for search and rescueneeds.
How many American citieswould rely on having each houseequipped with a fire hose and eachfamily being trained to extinguish
fires? The Army policy .of nothaving specifically trained andequipped units for search andrescue missions is precisely analogous to a city not having atrained and equipped fire department. What do you do in anemergency? .
Army aviators are forced torely on a doctrine that calls forall Army aviation units to have asecondary AR mission. Helicopters are required to carry rope
for lowering or raising personnel(though many aircraft commanders begrudge the weight and donot). Theoretically at least, everyairborne Army aircraft is ready to
Where s The
irst Team?
aptain William E. Wahl
32
provide SAR missions as requiredBut this system has several faults-some of which are simply annoying and some more serious.
SAR missions must be tailoredto the area and situation. Basedon actual instances of missing fixedwing aircraft in the II Corps area
of the Republic of Vietnam, thefollowing problems have been encountered with the present system.f an observation aircraft is miss
ing where there is a strong possibility that enemy action is responsible, why send other unprotected aircraft looking for the onemissing? Search and rescue operations should be built around thelight observation helicopter teamtechnique of having an armed aircraft following a visual search air-
craft. .For example, aviation units in
II Corps lost an O-ID which waslooking for an 0-1 G in an areathat had just claimed an OV-l
Mohawk three days before. f anobservation or utility aircraft is
lost, armed SAR teams should besent to search for it. Currently,
Thjs article o e ~ not necessarily re-flect the views of the epartment of
the Army
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armed helicopter units may betasked to supply such teams, although armed units do not generally have the capability to recoverpersonnel and effects. But if theyare used, it is at the cost of theirnormal missions with the resultthat armed unit commanders are
too often reluctant to commit alltheir aircraft, or their best aircraft,to SAR.
Fixed wing or rotary wing,armed or slick, how long will aunit perform the same mission effectively? For units accustomed toflying normal missions, being concentrated on SAR for two or threedays may seem like a waste oft m ~ after initial efforts yieldnothing. Enthusiasm wanes andchances of finding a downed air
craft steadily diminish when actually the three-to-four-day markshould be a period of intense observation by trained SAR teamsbecause dead foliage is beginningto show in the crash area. Untrained searchers too often are notconcentrating as intently as theyshould because they think they
have seen all they possibly can seein the areas they have coveredtime and again.
Coordination is hampered inVietnam due to a lack of accessible cpmmunications. In an instance involving SAR efforts tolocate two 0-1 s lost in II Corps,
information for the first two dayswas noted to be scanty and irregular. Regular landline communications are unreliable to distant MACV compounds, and unitsunfamiliar with SAR operationsoften do not set up aerial retransmission links until long after operations are underway.
Finally, what happens when adowned aircraft is found? OV-1ssearching for a downed OV-1finally located it in a remote
mountainous area. The searchersobserved and photographed thewreckage for two days while marginal weather, along with coordination problems, prevented helicopters from landing personnel tolook for the pilot and observer.By the time it was possible toinsert teams in the area, enemyunits prevented recovery of thecrew. The status of the pilot andobserver are still unknown.
These may sound like damningindictments against aviation aridits performance of SAR operations. But the plain fact is that aunit performing a secondary mission can hardly be expected to doit as well as its primary day-to-daywork.
Speaking as a pilot, I d certain-
ly feel better knowing that atrained SAR team was ready tofind me if I got into trouble andwent down. But not only is sucha team not ready, it isn t evenformed.
At each corps level in Vietnam, a single SAR unit on call
should be for immediate,Such a unit
of providing itsrt01:ecltIOltl extraction
of personrrel , to include use ofjungle p n ~ t n l t o r s and limited insertion forces where necessary toimmediately .recover bodies or injured personnel. t should havestandard procedures for SAR missions and have practiced these sothat they may be smoothly put intooperation in minimum time during
the initial critical period after anaircraft is discovered to be missing. Lines of communication andthe means of communication forforwarding reports and progressinformation also should be established in advance.
For areas other than Vietnamsimilar SAR units could be established at majpr command levels.But it is not the purpose of thisarticle to deal with these areas.There is an urgent need for SAR
units in Vietnam and priorityshould be given to establishingsuch units. ,For the relatively smallinvestment of equipment and personnel weighed against the humanlife involved, such SAR unitsshould be formed and made operational as soon as possible.
• or a searching look t search nd
rescue procedur es
Army Bird Dog, this is
Highland Center
say your positio. . . . .
say your position . . .
over.
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HE DECISION to remainVFR (visual flight rules) at
all costs is prevalent among mostfirst tour aviators with tactical in-strument ratings. After strugglingthrough the basic and advanced in-strument programs, a solemn vowis made never to get in a situationwhich would necessitate going oninstruments. This kind of thinkinghas cost many lives, even amongstandard rated aviators, and forces
a reevaluation of our abilities andprocedures.
To amplify these thoughts let sconsider a mission I flew in theRepublic of Vietnam which veryeasily could have been my last.I was assigned to the 281st Avia-tion Company and then attachedto the 5th Special Forces C
team in Da Nang. My mission wasto support the logistical needs ofthe different A teams in I Corps.
During this period I Corps wasin the middle of its monsoon sea-son causing daily marginal weath-er. The only way my copilot and Icould make it to the different A
teams was by low level flight,which was highly unrealistic andpossibly insane. Although we triedhard to accomplish the differentmissions assigned, many had to be
34
aborted because of poor weather.The mission in question began
in the usual manner. We were tofly supplies and personnel into theHa Than and Gia Vuc campswhich were located in the moun-tains to the west of Quang N gai.We flew down the coast to ChuLai and then proceeded inland toHa Than without any problem,although the ceiling and visibilitydecreased as we went further into
the valley.I called ahead to Gia Vuc for
a weather forecast and got thetypical severe clear report fromthe mail hungry defenders. We hadlearned to take their reports witha grain of salt, but always triedto find some way to get into theseremote areas.
We proceeded down the LongRe Valley to Gia Vuc, graduallybeing forced lower as the scudspilled over into the valley. I
called ahead again and was toldthat an Air America helicopterhad just landed and my prideforced me on-my first mistake.
We landed at about 1530 hourswithout incident after a short, lowlevel flight. Air America was thereunloading passengers for the localprovince chief. I walked over and
asked them which way they weregoing out of the valley and re-quested a PIREP (voluntary piloweather reports) on the weather.There were two possible ways ouof Gia Vuc VFR, and each alter-native was deteriorating rapidly.They gave me a no sweat, thumbsup reply and took off heading eastfor Ba To, skimming over thetrees. I decided to wait awhile andsee what the weather was going
to do. We still had not heard any-thing from the Air America shipby 1630 so I began to examine myalternatives:
• Remain over night at theSpecial Forces camp. This washighly unacceptable; you could getkilled in the boondocks at nighwith no guarantee that the weatherwould improve by tomorrow.
• Proceed east towards Ba Toand then out to the coast.
• Proceed north up the LongRe Valley.
• Compute the MOCA (min-imum obstruction clearance alti-tude) , climb IFR (instrumentflight rules) and contact Chu Laiapproach for a radar vector.
At the time this last choicesounded worse than spending thenight at Gia Vuc since neither I
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nor my copilot had ever been IFR.
Since we had already beendown the Long Re and encountered its weather, I decided to headeast toward Ba To. We had justtaken off when we learned thatthe Air America ship had beenshot up pretty baqly low levelingout, and that the weather at Ba
To was very poor. Upon hearingthis we did an about face and began feeling our way out the Long
Re.The rain and ceiling forced us
lower and lower. Navigating lowlevel in a valley with poor visibility is deadly. You can get dis
orientated very easily in the smalland narrow subordinate valleys
which often branch into the main
one. Unfortunately, the Viet Cong
often camp along the rivers in the
valleys and get a kick out of scar
ing idiots like me.
It was inevitable that we wouldstart taking fire. t felt like I was
in a shooting gallery as I criss
crossed the river trying to keep
my bearings and at the same time
keep my exposure to a minimum.
I became disorientated a few times
and had to backtrack to find theriver. I could visualize the Viet
MARCH 1970
Cong calling up and down the valley, "Hey, we got a hot one andhe's coming your way "
After what felt like an eternityof ear shattering chatter from mydoor gunners and VC fire, wefinally broke out of the valley andwere able to climb to a safe altitude. I landed at Quang Ngai toinspect the damage and fuel up.The impact of what I had just beenthrough began to sink in and I be
gan to shake, among other things.We had one hit in the blade anda few in the tail but the ship couldmake it to our maintenance support in Da Nang. In spite of my
ignorance and lack of judgment
we survived. As we took off for
Da Nang I saw the crippled Air
America ship at the end of the
runway and remembered the
pilots' no sweat and thumbs up
reply.
As I look back I was a fool fornot getting a radar vector out ofthe area. I had the training and
know-how but I was not prepared.
During all my training I had never
been on an actual IFR flight and
felt this was not the time or place
to experiment. I was not sure
whom to call or the correct fre-
quency. In short, I lacked confidence and felt I had a betterchance remaining VFR.
Each day aviators in Vietnamface the same dilemma VFR or
IFR. Here are some tips whichoften are overlooked but, if practiced, will make the decisioneasier:
• Continue to practice your instrument flight.
• Log actual instrument time
with an experienced pilot anddevelop confidence in your abilities.
• Check all your navigationradios and instruments daily andparticularly before night and marginal weather flights.
• Plan for IFR contingencieson the ground and have all callsigns and frequencies of radar facilities handy at all times.
• Know the MEA (minimumenroute altitude) , MOCA and air
way structure in your operationalarea.
There is an old adage widelyassociated with safety: Learn fromothers mistakes because you will
not live to m ke them all yourself.
I learned my lessons the hard
way. Which way do you want tolearn?
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PROJE T
FOD Ted ontos
the following 8 pages prepared by the
U S Ar my Board for Aviation Accident Resear ch
36
UGENTLEMEN, the speaker said and beganreading, 'No turbojet or turboshaft en-
gine is immune to FOD damage No high
strength compressor materials are currently avail-able which are impervious to impact damage whenturning at high rotational speeds
"These words are found in the opening paragraphof the T 8 Foreign Object Damage Maintenanceand Prevention Guide prepared by General Electric.This guide is filled with information vital to PROJ
EcT FOD-a project we have been assigned for1970."
\\\ The speaker cast a searching glance over hisI audience, then repeated, No turbojet or turboshaf" engine is immune to FOD damage No high
strength compressor materials are currently avail-
able which are impervious to impact damage whenturning at high rotational speeds. Gentlemen, thisshould indeed be our best year yet-with even betterones to follow "
A deafening crescendo of sounds followed hiswords. t was applause, clanking, scraping, clicking,twanging, screeching, rasping applause.
And we will succeed," the speaker continued,"with the help of the very information G. E. hascompiled and published." A second tumultuousround of applause reverberated throughout thelocked maintenance supply and toolroom.
"With your cooperation, we will destroy or dam-
age more engines, cause more mishaps and aborts,produce more injuries to personnel, delay morevital missions, increase maintenance costs and hinderthe progress of Army aviation to a degree neverattained before. That's why I'm here today-to helpyou become experts in the art of FOD.
Brigham Bolte shuffled his stocky frame acrossthe top of a workbench and looked over hisaudience. He was a true veteran and ace, having
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{Gentlemen) no turbojet or turboshaft engine
lS immune to FO damage . No high strength
compressor materials are currently availablewhich are impervious to impact damage
when turning at high rotational speeds , . ,
worked his way into the inlet areas of 10 engines,causing havoc to all, during his lifetimes-fiveas a Dzus fastener, four as a nut and one as a length
of safety wire. Now he was reincarnated as a muscular bolt, eager to school others in engine FOD
and anxious for a chance at an eleventh engine. Hisaudience consisted of an array of hardware, tools,scrap wire, shop towels and trash-all in theirrespective bins and receptacles. There were grainsof sand, pebbles and rocks seated on the concretefioor.
As you know, Bolte continued, we have beenassigned to the Army branch. Although I don'thave all the statistics on past performance withArmy 'aircraft and engines, I can give you some ideaof what our organization has accomplished else
where. During a 6-month period in one of the otherservices, our organization amassed an enviable record of 1,850 damaged engines, of which nearly1,700 were classified as engine failures.
FOD damage was discovered in nearly 500 o
these failed engines during teardown inspections,and objects that caused the damage were identifiedin 20 percent. Ingestion of birds, ice and other itemsduring flight, along with damages resulting fromaccidents, accounted for approximately 40 percentof the identified objects. The remaining 60 percentincluded aircraft hardware, handtools, clothing, aircraft parts, etc. General hardware, such as bolts,
nuts, screws and wire, headed the list, with taxiwayand runway debris running second, followed byitems of clothing and handtools. In specific instances, an eyeglass case and four flashlights eachcaused approximately $7,500 worth of engine damage, for a total of around $37,500.
In another FOD report, objects causing enginedamage were identified in nearly 100 engines. Again,approximately 40 percent of these engines were
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PROJE T FOD
damaged by natural operational hazards, while 60
percent sustained damage from items of hardware,handtools, clothing, aircraft parts and other miscellaneous materials.
From these reports, two things are very clear.Objects causing FOD are identified in only 20 percent of the cases. Aircraft hardware, tools and maintenance-related items are the prime causes of engine FOD when the damage-producing objects are
identified.We cannot look to the human element to active
ly support us in damaging engines. The records
show that less than 1 percent of FOD mishaps canbe attributed to possi le sabotage. Even this pitifulamount cannot be confirmed. My brothers, we mustdepend upon our own kind for the continued successof our FOD program."
Bolte moved across the workbench before hisaudience and turned his massive drilled hexheadtoward them. Let us learn more from the guide.Although it is a general belief that the occurrencerate of FOD depends substantially on the type oflanding sites and specific missions, there is littleevidence to support this belief. On the contrary,the number of FOD occurrences varies considerably
from one application to another and from one usingactivity to another. However, the configuration ofan aircraft does have a direct bearing on the typeof FOD a particular engine is susceptible to. In
the case of the T-58 engine, major sources of FOD
continue to be nuts, bolts, safety wire, airframehardware, rags and debris left in the inlet areaduring airframe or engine maintenance.
"Obviously, aircraft configurations which requirefrequent maintenance in the vicinity of the engineinlet, or where the motor head is immediately abovethe inlet, have a correspondingly high FOD susceptibility from ingestion of hardware or debris associated
with maintenance." A cynical grin swept across hisface. "We all know what this means. All engineslocated below rotor heads or in areas requiringfrequent maintenance will be our prime targets during 1970."
A spiralling arm shot up from the box seat reserved exclusively for flathead screws. Bolte eyedit disdainfully. "Later, Flattie. There'll be ampletime for discussion later. Now, let's examine some
38
of the factors involved in engine FOD. Take thesmaller gas turbine engines used in Army aircraft,for example. FOD to these smaller engines is compounded by the higher rotational speeds commonlyused to obtain optimum airflow. In the case of T-58engines, forces at the point of foreign object impact can be extremely high, particularly whenlocalized over relatively small surface areas, astypical blade velocities for this engine range around1,100 feet per second, or roughly one-fifth of a mileper second.
"Although it deflates my ego somewhat to say
this, objects of a tough pliable nature are oftenmore damaging to compressor blading than hardbrittle ones because they tend to block clearanceways and cause extensive distortion and bending.In smaller engines, this effect is worsened by thehigher operating speeds involved. Furthermore, damage to the first two compressor stages has a greatereffect on stall margin than damage to the aft stages.Damage to the aft stages affects engine performancemore than it does stall margin. As a matter of fact,if damage is confined primarily to the aft stages, areduction of as much as 12 percent or more in powercan occur, with little reduction in stall margin.
"Brothers " Bolte shouted, waving the guide overhead, "it's all in here-everything we need to knowto make PROJECT FOD a complete success "Once more he caught sight of a waving arm from abox seat. "Later, Flattie, later " Again the arm wentdown and Bolte, growing irritable, quickly gatheredhis composure to maintain the rapport he hadestablished with his audience.
"Continuing with the effects of damage to theaft compressor stages, G. E. has found instanceswhere such damage gave no engine indications andcould have resulted in in-flight failures. In one suchinstance, an engine was removed because of an
unusual noise in the aircraft and a tingling in therudder pedals. On teardown, severe damage from thefourth stage aft was found. The cause was a fourthstage blade separation. Yet this engine operatedsatisfactorily for approximately 7 hours after beingdamaged before the unusual noise and tingling in therudder pedals led maintenance personnel to remove it. "
Directing his attention to the smaller hardware
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((Brothers) it's all in here-
everything we need to know
to make PROJE T FOD
a complete success })
MARCH 1970
in the audience, Bolte maintained his momentum.You don't have to be big and strong to damage the
most powerful engine. Extensive aft stage compres-sor damage and ,significant power loss can e
readily caused by small articles of hardware. As amatter of fact, you, he pointed a blunt finger atthem, have a decisive advantage over your larger,more powerful brothers. You can inflict severeaft stage compressor damage while causing relativelyminor damage in the front section of the compres-sor. This often causes maintenance personnel to re-pair minor FOD through the inlet, overlooking themore serious damage in the aft stages. A tinyclinking applause echoed from the small hardwaresection.
Your nonmetallic cousins often support you inthis deception. Bolte twisted his cylindrical frameto face a group of pebbles and small rocks. Youpebbles and rocks can be deposited around inletareas by the shoes of maintenance personnel orblown into inlets by rotorwash. You can cause firststage compressor damage similar to that from smallhardware. Unlike your metallic cousins, you usuallyshatter and cause little or no damage to the aftstages. But how is a mechanic to know the differ-ence? Bolte grinned. It is a situation that temptsmaintenance personnel to make repairs through theinlets and continue the engiIies in service. Obviously,good team effort between rocks and small hardwarecan damage engines, cause mishaps and drive thehuman element to distraction.
Bolte paused. At this time, I'd like to introducea distinguished visitor on his way to the smeltingplant. Brother Dzus, will you please step forward andtell us a little about your recent experience.
A smashed blob of metal slowly rose from theback of the worktable and hobbled to where Boltestood. Had he not been introduced, it would havebeen difficult to recognize ' him as a Dzus fastener.His body was extremely deformed, lean where t
had once been full and full where it had once beenlean. His head and neck had been compressed intois shoulders and these into what had once been
his trunk. But he stood before the audience withgreat pride. Bolte gave him a hearty backslap thatnearly knocked him to the tabletop, then motionedfor him to speak.
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PROJE T OQ
His voice belied his appearance. t was loud,
clear and steady. "As you can well guess, I recently completed my first solo through a gas turbineengine. It was a T-53 installed in a UH-l. They putme in there to help support the screen. Since I wasnew, they expected me to do a good job and didn'tpay me much attention. This gave me the break Ineeded. Little by little, I wiggled and wiggled untilI was finally free. I timed it perfectly. I came loosenear max rpm, creased one inlet guide vane, leapedinto the compressor, ripping blades in all stages,then barreled my way through the hot section, wrecking nozzles and turbine blades. Finally, I shot out ofthe tailpipe.
It was a thrilling whirling flight and, if I say somyself, any professional quarterback would haveenvied my performance. My only regret is that noother aircraft was in a position that would have allowed me to' make a second engine penetration, orat least smash a windshield. What a supreme thrillthat would have been. Anyway, I'm now on my wayto be remanufactured and I promise you that onmy n e ~ t trip, I'll strive to give an even better
p e r f o r ~ a ~ G e Thank you." . "
A devastating sound of metallic applause greetedDzus' closing remarks. Bolte rolled in front of himand placed a titanium medallion around where hisneck should have been. "Our heartiest congratulations on the success of your first solo." Bolte addressed the audience once again. "Only modestyprevents Brother Dzus from elaborating on the results of his efforts. The engine failed, necessitatinga forced landing in tall timber. This resulted inmajor damage to the aircraft." Another round of applause filled the room as Dzus returned to seat.
"Yes," Bolte urged, "we should all strive to emulate Brother Dzus. There is only one criticism thatI have to offer and it is constructive. This doesn'tdetract one bit from his performance and it's understandable since this was his first mission. In hisanxiety, Brother Dzus butted with his head, leavingan identifying impression on salvaged parts. Weneed secrecy " Bolte returned to the guide and read," '. . . Basic to an effective FOD prevention program is the capability to determine the type andsource of foreign objects which are ingested. Onlyby recognizing what objects have caused FOD canadequate measure be taken to isolate the point of
40
Our heartiest congratulations
on the success of your
first solo We should
all strive to emulate
rother Dzus. }
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origin and to thereby avoid additional occurences "Bolte had barely finished reading when an arm
in the box seat began to flail the air wildly to attract his attention. "Flattie, you're trying my patience. You'll be given an opportunity to speak indue time." For the third time, Flattie came to order.
In addition to our own efforts, w are often inadvertently assisted by the elements and others. Iam referring to ingestion of such items as ice andbirds. These often result in substantial damage tothe inlet guide vanes and first stage rotor blades.They usually affect engine stall margins, though
little or no damage may result aft of the first stage.The interruption of airflow from ingestion of bulkyitems amplifies the stall tendency. Numerous incidents of bird ingestion have caused compressor stallsand overtemps, though there was no air foil damage.
"To prevent engine overtemp damage duringcompressor stalls requires immediate pilot interpretation and decisive corrective action. Misinterpretation of stall indications, particularly i they areaccompanied by excessive use of throttles in emergency modes, will more than likely result in severeovertemperatures of turbine components.
"When FaD occurs during flight, it may some
times be indicated by higher than normal turbineinlet temperature, a noticeable loss of torque at agiven speed condition and/or a reduction in enginestall margin.
"My brothers, much more information is detailedin this guide and I urge you to study it carefully.We have much in our favor. Let m review thesepoints for you. No turbojet or turboshaft engine is
immune to FaD damage if it's open to ingestion ofdebris. In most instances, the source of FaD is notdetermined. FaD in small turbojet or turboshaftengines is compounded by higher rotational speeds.Remember, you tough objects with pliable construc
tion often cause more damage to compressor bladingthan do hard brittle objects."There is no evidence to support the belief that
the occurrence rate of FaD depends substantiallyon the nature of the landing sites or specific missions.Aircraft configuration has a direct bearing on thetype FaD to which the engine is most susceptible.Major sources of FOD, particularly to the T -58engine, continue to be nuts, bolts, lockwire, airframe hardware and rags or other debris left in inlet
MARCH 1970
area during airframe or engine maintenance. Theingestion of small articles of hardware can result inextensive aft stage compressor damage and powerloss.
To successfully combat our FaD-producing organization, Army aviation personnel must take avariety of steps. MAINTENANCE must consistentlyuse sound maintenance practices, including goodhousekeeping. They must account for all tools, shoptowels, etc., after every job. They must locate andrecover all dropped hardware. And they must striveto determine the source of FaD when damage occurs, ensure the extent of damage is known and
make necessary repairs."PILOTS must strive to avoid hazardous areaswhile hovering and taxiing, unless required by missions. They must know how to recognize compressorstalls and take decisive action to avoid overtempdamage. They must always be on the lookout forbirds and other natural FaD hazards.
"When w consider how often personnel arerotated, the time it takes them to gain experienceand the constant need to keep aircraft available, w
can see that we have a decisive advantage, with allkinds of opportunities to cause engine FOD. Addto these the fatigue the human element is plagued
with, climatic factors of extreme heator
cold, rain,mud, etc., and w gain additional advantages in our
FOD efforts. This guide can show us the way. Withit, I'm confident PROJECT FaD will be a complete success."
Again Bolte glimpsed movement in the audience."Flattie, it's you again This is the fourth timeyou've interrupted this meeting. Furthermore, younot only look silly bouncing up and down on yourflat head, but you're distracting everyone here. Allyou need is the guide. Just study the guide "
"That's just it " a high pitched voice responded."It 's the guide That guide wasn't prepared for our
use.It
was written for aviation personnel. It's filledwith information they can use to destroy our project.What's going to happen when they study this guide?"
Although the T58 Foreign Object DamageaintefUllnce and r e v ~ n t i o n Guide was written for
the T58 engine most of the information includedis applicable to all gas turbine engines. Copies canbe obtained from: Mr. R L. Ellison T58/T64
Department Building 2-40 General Electric Company 1000 Western Ave. West Lynn Mass. 01905.
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P R Thompson
42
CW3 William G. Everhart received
Broken Wing Aviation Safety Award fromMAJ Ollie R Hite 23 July 1969
CPT Marco A Principio received
Broken Wing Aviation Safety Award from
MAJ Gordon D Cooper 26 May 1969
BROKEN WIN
HAT GOES UP must surely come down n many cases the hard way. Noone knows
this better than an aviator who thinks everythingis going great-then suddenly experiences an inflight failure or malfunction.
The Broken Wing Aviation Safety Award wasestablished for aviators who find themselves in sucha predicament but demonstrate extraordinary skilljudgment and technique in analyzing and recovering
from emergencies.Change 4 AR 385-10 dated 16 September 1968
lists the general required criteria for this award.
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VI TION S FETY W RD
To qualify, nominees must have demonstratedthe highest degree of professional aviation skill while
actually recovering an aircraft from an in-flightfailure or malfunction necessitating an emergencylanding. The circumstances surrounding the occurrence ust not have been aggravated by self-induced factors. The success of coping with the emergency and circumstances surrounding it must, in itsentirety, demonstrate extraordinary skill, judgmentand technique in analyzing and recovering from thesituation. Aviators subjected to situations as a resultof combat and related emergencies are also eligiblefor the award.
The provisions for this award are applicable toall military and civilian personnel authorized to
pilot Army-owned aircraft or aircraft leased by theArmy at the time of the mishap. Nominations canbe made by any person having knowledge of theevent. They should be submitted within 5 daysin letter form, without indorsements, to the United
CW2 John N McFarlane received Broken Wing Aviation
Safety Award from BG Frank H. Linnell 11 June 1969
MARCH 1970
States Army Board for Aviation Accident ResearchUSABAAR), ATTN: Education and Prevention
Department, Ft. Rucker, Ala. 36360. Unless theemergency was due to combat, a copy of the crashfacts message should accompany the nomination.
In many instances, nominations are returned tonominating officials due to insufficient information,delaying committee action. To prevent this delay andto enable the committee to review the nominationsobjectively, a change to the regulation to includethe following information will be published in thenear future:
Full name, rank, SSAN and crew duty lP, AC,pilot, copilot) of the aviator who actually performedthe emergency landing.
Date, time and location of emergency.Type of mission.Total flight time of aviator in type, model and
series aircraft in which the emergency occurred.Total aviator flight time in all aircraft.
CW2 Donald R Doane received Broken Wing Aviation
Safety Award from COL James D Kidder during June 1969
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L L Bishop
R M ontrol DivisionSystems Engineering Directorate
USAAVSCOM
M N-
HOURSP R
FLIGHTHOUR
MARCH 1970
I THEN SOMETHING is considered to be ofV V significant value, and this value changes dueto influencing factors, we try to obtain some sortof indicator that will allow for us to correct theinfluencing factors or to take advantage of the indicated change. The following are a few of themore common indicators that we are confronted
with in our everyday reading of the news:Dow Jones averagesUnemployment rateGross National Product GNP)
Consumer Price Index
Maintenance man-hours per flight hour, morecommonly referred to as man-hours per flight hourMH/FH), is also an indicator. It can be in
fluenced by many factors-like all other indicators.Also, it represents a measure that is consideredsignificant in the support of a fleet of aircraft.The U. S Army supports over 30 fleets of aircraftand, as would be expected, persons responsible for
supporting aircraft are sensitive to indicators thatgive some insight into the support requirements forthose aircraft.
When an undesirable man-hour per flight hourvalue is determined, this is a signal to all organizations having a support responsibility that one or
more changes must be made so that a more desirableman-hour per flight hour value can be achieved.However, the number of factors that influence theMH/FH indicator are numerous and each mustbe investigated in detail if the problem is to be de
fined correctly.
TAERS data processed through the RAMMIT
Reliability and Maintainability Management Improvement Techniques) program allows for a greaternumber of man-hour analyses. These analyses aredesigned to identify and measure influencing factorsso that corrective measures can be taken.
Man-hours and flight hours are actually two independent variables and both can be measured. However, because of deficiencies in T AERS reporting,both must be corrected so that a valid man-hourper flight hour value can be calculated.
Studies of T AERS reporting have revealed thatlong flight hour periods exist in the life cycle of aircraft during which no maintenance was reported.The combination of these periods for nearly 6,000aircraft nine different TMS type, model, series)fleets) accounted for approximately 50 percent ofthe total flight hours accrued by these aircraft overa period of 4 years. Therefore, it is logical to assume
that approximately 50 percent of the actual main
tenance performed on these aircraft was not re
ported. To enable that data which was reported tobe used in various maintenance analyses, techniques
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have been developed for identifying and measuringthese nonreporting periods. By correcting the totalaccrued flight hours during a given time intervalfor the periods of nonreporting, a flight hour yard-stick can be developed for measuring the frequencywith which maintenance actions were accomplished.Example:
f we had 20 maintenance actions accomplishedduring 100 flight hours in which there were no non-
reporting periods, we would have a maintenanceaction being accomplished on the average every 5
flight hours or:
MAN HOURS PER FLIGHT HOUR
100 flight hours 5 flight hours20 maintenance actions maintenance action
The frequency with which maintenance actionswere accomplished on a selected fleet of aircraftis shown in table 1. As indicated in table 1 thereare 17 different types of actions which make up thetotal reported maintenance actions. The frequencyby which these actions were accomplished is com-puted in the same manner as was used to computethe frequency for the total actions. Table 1 canbe read as follows:
On the average, a repair, adjust, replace, etc.)~ ~ ~
TABLE
Frequency of Maintenance Actions on a Selected Fle t of Aircraft
TYPE OF NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES AVERAGE ACCEPTABLE
MAINTENANCE DURING 285,394 ACCEPTABLE FLIGHT OURS BETWEEN
ACTION OURS OF REPORTING OCCURRENCES
Replace 58,101 4.91
Adjust 5,407 52.78
Repair 27,319 10.45
Calibrate 219 1,303.17
Service 103,340 2.76Initial Inspection 28,795 9.91
Final Inspection 15,449 18.47
MWO 10,396 27.45
Test 3,418 83.50
CMMI 13 21,953.38
Remove and Reinstall 8,049 35.46
Checked, Not ReparableThis Station 225 1,268.42
Checked, Not Reparable 94 3,036.11
Checked, Serviceable 8,149 35.02
Removed 57 5,006.91
Installed 44 6,486.23
TB Compliance 218 1,309.15
Other 26,582 10.74
Total Actions 295,875 0.96
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the different types of maintenance actions for theselected fleets described irr table 1 are shown intable 2. Table 2 can be read as follows: On theaverage, it requires - - man-hours to accomplish a (replace, adjust, repair, etc.) type of action.
f we know how often (frequency) an action wIll
be t:equired and how many man-hours will berequired to accomplish the action, we can determinethe average man-hour rate for each hour the aircraft is flown.
Example:
Assume that a particular type of acti6I1 will occur
every 6 flight hours and it requires 3 man-hours toaccomplish this type of action. The man-hours per
flight hour for this type of action can then be computed as follows:
3 man-hours 1 action 0.5 man-hours
action X 6 flight hours flight hour
The interpretation of this figure is that on theaverage 0.5 man-hour are required for every hourof flight to accomplish this particular type of action.
The man-hour per flight hour values for theselected fleet described in tables 1 and are shownin table 3.
The calculation presented above for man-hoursper flight hour assumes that the average values formarl-hours and frequency · representative values.This report does not ~ l l o w f o r a detailed descriptionof the distributions for all the reported values, but
for all practical purpos;s, . he averages calculated intables 1 and allow for a realistic measure of manhours per flight hour.
t should be noted that the maintenance actions
presented thus far represent those reported by Direct
Support, General SuPWrt and Organizational ac
tivities on the end item aircraft. To obtain a total
m a n 1 : l 2 ~ r s per flight h ~ u r ya.lue, the frequency and
man-hours to c c o m n ~ l s b _maintenance on compone nts- and depot m i ~ t i n c e on end item aircraft
must be included in' the man-hour per flight hour
computation.Tables 1, and 3 make no reference to what
item of a system on the aircraft received the action.
When maintenance actions are performed, the itemswhich received the maintenance are identified on the
TAERS forms by ..number or federal stock
48 ;,; ,
MAN HOURS PER FLIGHT HOUR
number FSN). f the action is of a service type,the noun description of the service, is recorded ratherthan a part number or FSN identification. Techniques have been developed to identify which itemreceived the service (frequently the end item aircraft) and that item is charged with the action accordingly. This identification allows for determiningthe average man-hours to accomplish each type ofmaintenance action on an item and also the number of times the maintenance action was accomplished during a given number of flight hours. Thus,a man-hour per flight hour value can be computed
for each type of maintenance on every item makingup the aircraft.Example:Assume there were 10 replace actions and 20
repair actions reported on a specific item during10,000 flight hours of continuous reporting. Alsoassume that on the average, it took 5 man-hours toaccomplish a replacement and man-hours to accomplish a repair. For this specific item, the manhours per flight hour would be computed as follows:
10,000 flight hours 1,000 flight hours between
10 replace actions10,000 flight hours
replace actions500 flight hours between
20 repair actions repair actionsFive man-hours to accomplish a replace action
divided by 1,000 flight hours between replace actions == .005 man-hour per flight hour for replac-
ing the specific item.Two man-hours to accomplish a repair action
divided by 500 flight hours between repair actions== .004 man-hour per flight hour for repairing thespecific item.
By making these types of caculations, it is possible to identify which specific items require thegreatest man-hours per flight hour. t is then possible to concentrate on those items where a manhour or frequency reduction could be most readilyachieved.
t is also possible to group all of the items thatmake up an assembly through computer operations.The same type of computations and evaluations canbe made for the assemblies as was made for theindividual items. t is also possible by employing thesame techniques to group all of the items and assemblies into their respective functional groups. The
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T BLE 3Maintenance Man·Hours Per Flight Hours to Accomplish
Maintenance Actions on a Selected Fleet of ircraft
AVERAGE
FREQUENCY
TYPE O O
MAINTENANCE OCCURRENCE
ACTION O THE ACTION
Replace 4.91
Adjust 52.78
Repair 10.45
Calibrate 1,303.17
Service 2.76
Initial Inspection 9.91
Final Inspection 18.47
MWO 27.45
Test 83.50
CMMI 21,953.38
Remove and Reinstall 35.46
Checked Not ReparableThis Station 1,268.42
Checked, Not Reparable 3,036.11
Checked, Serviceable 35.02
Removed 5,006.91
Installed 6,486.23TB ~ o m p l i n c e 1,309.15
Other 10.74
Total Actions 0.96 '
functional groups are a listing of all the items thatare used in a major system of the aircraft. Most aircraft have at least the following functional groups:
Airframe ElectricalLanding gear Fuel
Engine NavigationHydraulic Flight controlsComparisons by functional group will indicate
which major system of the aircraft requires the mostman-hours per flight hour. These types of al1alysesusually indicate what specialized training is requiredof maintenance personnel and the nurp.ber nee'dedwith a particular speciality.
When maintenance is reported on the T ~ R SM RCH 1970
AVERAGE
MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE
MAN·HOURS TO MAN·HOURS
ACCOMPLISH THE PER
MAINTENANCE FLIGHT HOUR
ACTION TO ACCOMPLISH
7.39 1.51
3.14 .06
8.92 .85
5.45 .005
16.26 5.89
13.61 1.37
6.01 .33
30.45 1.11
2.51 .03
4.05 .0002
8.07 .23
I
27.38 ' .02
2.92 .001
8.62 .25
30.40 .006
20.92 .00368.18 .05
9.35 .87
12.21 12.72
forms, the organization that performed the maintenance is also identified. This identification allowsfor numerous other analyses such as:
1 The man-hours per flight hour values for eachowning and maintenance performing organization
can be computed.2. The organizations can be grouped by the
areas to which they are assigned. This allows forevaluation of influencing factors that are peculiar toan area, such as weather, facilities, operating andmaintenapce environment, etc.
3 The organizations can be grouped by the commands to which they are assigned. This allows forevaluations of the maintenance philosophy of each
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and the effect of mission assigned. This allows forevaluations of the maintenance philosophy of eachand the effect of mission assignments.
4. The organizations can be grouped by the unitsthat own the aircraft. This allows for a detailedanalysis of the factors that may influence an operating unit.
5. The organizations can be grouped for units
that have the same maintenance echelon capability.Evaluations can be performed on Direct Support,General Support, Organizational and Depot maintenance requirements. These analyses will indicatewhat portion of the total maintenance requirementsare being accomplished at each echelon, the frequency of accomplishment and the man-hours required to accomplish. It will also indicate theamount of maintenance being deferred and whatcould have been accomplished at a lower level.
By grouping the different types of maintenanceactions into scheduled and unscheduled categories,it is possible to determine the man-hour require
ments for repetitive type functions and those whichare unusual.
The serial number of an aircraft identifies aproduction year. Each new production year aircraftusually incorporates the MWOs issued agamst previous production year aircraft into the system duringmanufacture. By grouping aircraft by productionyear it is possible to determine the effect of MWOsto some extent, product improvement programs andmaintenance experience with the aircraft over aperiod of time.
The data recorded on the T AERS forms allow forgrouping maintenance data within given time inter
vals. This allows for examining the man-hour perflight hour variables over a period of time. A changeof the .value would indicate that one or more of theinfluencing factors is being effected and timely actioncan be taken to correct the situation.
The flight hours accrued on the aircraft when eachmaintenance action is performed is recorded on theT AERS forms. The flight hour value allows forgrouping maintenance actions within designated
50
MAN HOURS PER FLIGHT HOUR
flight hour intervals. For a fleet of aircraft wwould group all of the actions that occurred by 10hour intervals. t is still possible to determine thflight hours and man-hours for actions within eac100-hour interval and man-hours per flight hocalculations can be performed. Grouping by 10hour intervals will reveal if manpower requirments are increasing, decreasing, fluctuating or r
maining constant throughout the life of the aircrafThere are numerous other ways the data can b
grouped and many other variables that influencmanpower requirements that can be measured. Eacof these groupings and measurements of influencinfactors allows for analyzing man-hours per flighour from a different perspective. It is intenaed thanalyses of this type data will allow for immediacorrective and preventive actions to be taken so ththe indicator, man-hours per flight hour, remaiwithin acceptable limits.
The following list ~ n u m e r t e s a few of the corective and preventive type measures which ma
influence the indicator:1. Design change for increased maintainabili
and reliability2. Change in special support equipment and too3. Reschedllling of maintenance actions4. Redesignating echelon maintenance requir
ments5. Changing echelon capability6. Change in maintenance training7. Change in assignment of maintenance pe
sonnel8. More emphasis on maintenance practicesMan-hours per flight hour will always be a signi
icant indicator and should be calculated regularso that responsible support and operating personncan take action accordingly. t is intended that thindicator and presentations of the variables that cainfluence the man-hours per flight hQur will bpresented in quarterly R MMIT r e p o r t ~ Thereports are still in the design stage, but it is antiipated that the first quarterly reports will be pulished in early 1970. -- ;;;;
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APRlL
SMTWT S
1 2 3 45 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 1819 20 21 22 23 24 2526 27 28 29 30
Pam el Murphy
M M
PEARL S
personal equipment nd rescue surviv l lowdow n
emergency: an unforeseen com-bination of circumstances orthe resulting state that callsfo immediate action
Are YOU prepared to take themmed emergeney actions
dash 1 for the
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s an A rmy aviator youJve faced more than one emergency in your time
and youJre certain to be running into sticky spots in the days ahead
THERE S NOT A SOUL in or out of the Armywho doesn t know what an emergency is
It s the exact opposite of what happiness is , that swhat.
It s running out of gas on the freeway on theFourth of July.
It s a toothache 5 minutes before your date withthe most luscious babe in town.
It s Hurricane Camille.It s being overdrawn at the bank by the tenth
of the month.
It s-but, shucks, why go on? Any way you sliceit, shape it, or tie ribbons on it, an emergency is apain in the neck.
As an Army aviator you ve faced more than oneemergency in your time. f you are a hardheadedrealist, you also know that unless you have moreluck than all the Irishmen in Dublin combined orare planning to spend the rest of your life lockedin a padded cell, you are certain to be running intoother sticky spots in the days ahead.
When the inevitable emergency arises, how doyou plan to handle it?
An interesting question, what? It might help with
the answer if you knew a few things such as exactly when the emergency will take place and whatit will look like when it arrives. Dealing with itwould be child s play. A prizefighter who couldalways tell when his opponent was planning tothrow a right hook or a left jab would remain heavyweight champion until he retired out of sheer boredom at age 90. A football team which could alwaysread the other side s quarterback s mind would nevereven come close to losing.
The fact is that an emergency would not evenbe an emergency if you could predict it with the accuracy the beetlebrows in observatories can a solar
eclipse, and it took place with the leisurely pace ofan arthritic tortoise. Instead, it jumps at you like asprint man off the starting blocks. What is worse,it can come charging out of nowhere at just themoment you d prefer to be left alone. One momentthings are as smooth as an ice cream sundae. The
next, you look up to find an emergency staring yousmack in the eye and demanding an answer.
It isn t going to hold off while you figure out an
MARCH 1970
answer, either. f you have to go about it like aD-minus student attacking a calculus problem, you regoing to be thrown out long before you reach firstbase.WHO S ON FIRST?
Well-not you, that s for certain, not if you venever u accepted the realistic view that emergencies can happen to anybody at any time. You
know you ve been in tight spots in the past. You
know there might be others in the future. But let sworry about that tomorrow or next week, shall we?
No emergency can possibly happen today. We canafford to relax a little, to take it easy for a change.
Meanwhile your good sense, which you aren tlistening to, is trying to tell you tha t that s exactlywhen emergencies do take place.
Right now.Today.It s a fact, too, that in a depressingly high per
centage of cases, when an aviator starts lookingaround for somebody to pin the blame on he hadbetter step in front of a full-length mirror. He s
brought on the trouble all by himself. f you scoop
Emergencies spring at you just when you don t want them
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EMERGEN Y SENSE
-- -
The e gle in the int ke
up an eagle in your air intake while you are flyingalong over Lake Erie, it s one thing. When you endup in the drink you can always say it was the eagle sfault. It s another story if you deliberately fly into atornado sprouting thunderstorm which has everyfarmer in Kansas and points east heading for stormshelters, or layout a flight plan which would exhaust Superman.
You say no Army airman would ever be guiltyof uch numbskull maneuvers? Well, don t go
uel exh ustion
54
around picking arguments on the subject, becausyou are certain to lose. Things like these havhappened, maybe not every day, but they havbeen done-and by men trained to know better.
Few people fly into storms to bring on emergencies. A storm is not necessary. Even a sligherror can bring on a full-scale catastrophe. Tak
the not-so-small matter of fuel exhaustion, as starter. You d have to hunt a long time to finanyone this side of Patagonia who didn t know tha
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if you want to keep an aircraft engine going you
have to put something in the tank from time to time.All airmen everywhere know that i ~ c r f t generallyhave appetites like circus elephants or Bengal tigers.f they are not given their full quota of daily rations
they lie down on the job on you. They are not going to work one minute past quitting time, either.
All right. During a particular 5-year period, at
least 85 Army aviators had forced landings caused byfuel exhaustion emergencies. f that doesn t soundlike many, with all the flying going on there is, bearin mind it is exactly 85 too many. All the people involved had tried to stretch their fuel when theyknew good and well fuel is about as stretchable asthe Brooklyn Bridge.
There s an interesting sidelight to these gloomyfigures, too. Eighty-five fuel exhaustion cases addup to exactly 85 forced landings since there aren tvery many gasoline stations in the sky. Of the 85pilots involved, 42 made successful landings. The
other 43, to put t in the kindest possible terms,
didn t. Not everybody walked away from theresultant rubble, either.
What s the lesson, if any? Just this. f you ~ r ealready alert to what can bring on an emergencyand how to handle it, you re excused from class.You won t run out of fuel. f you aren t, please notethat when you have a fuel exhaustion forced landing you have less than a 50-50 chance of comingout of it in one piece:
f that s your idea of good odds, particularlywhen it s your neck you are putting on the line,the gamblers out in Las Vegas will tell you you wouldbe well advised to have your head assayed for its
rock content.
THE REASON WHY
To be absolutely fair about it, none of the pilotsforced down by fuel exhaustion were irresponsible,happy-go-lucky, or simply didn t give a hoot. Allwere sober, solid citizens with their mental tanksfull of every bit of the training the Army could givethem and there is no course offered at Rucker inHow to Run Out of Fuel.
Why, then, did these sturdy chaps wind up downin the boondocks somewhere because of a lapse injudgment you d think anybody could avoid?
One answer is pressure, the kind Army aviatorseverywhere are subject to every day. When a manis under pressure, when he is trying to get a difficult and important job done successfully, he canoverlook details. He can allow his subconscious totell him he h s to gamble, that he probably hasenough fuel to get home safely. He ll do this, tha tis, unless he has long ago told his subconscious to
mind its own business, unless he has accepted the
MARCH 1970
basic facts of life about what causes emergencies and
what to do either to stave them off or take care ofthem when they arise.
As a cheerless illustration, let s take a look at
one fuel exhaustion crash. An OH 13E was engagedin a search mission for a drowning victim when itsengine dropped dead. t crashed into a patch of
woods. The helicopter was demolished and the pilot
and passenger weren t in very good shape eitherWhen they were picked up. Investigation showed
t h ~ r e were 10 ounces of usable fuel left in the tank,about enough to keep a medium size table lightergoing for the duration of a cocktail party. Carriedaway by his mission (though the drowning victimwas past help), the pilot had allowed normal enthusiasm for his assigned job to override goodjudgment.
It s the same in almost every case. You ll findfuel exhaustion crashes involving reconnaissancemissions, or medevac, or troop deployment. Whatever the mission, you almost always discover that
Hove your head
bssoyed for
its rock
content
emergencies brought on by oversights took placewhen pilots allowed the importance of the job to
override proper consideration of the necessarymeans of getting it done.
So the job didn t get done. Things usually would
have been better if it had never been attempted.The truth is that old Atlas was probably the only
man i 1 history who wasn t capable of going into amental tailspin when the pressure of his job wasweighting him down like a hodfull of bricks. AnyArmy aviator in or out of combat is likely to be astired as Atlas after a hard day s work holding up
the world, and possibly emotionally or physicallyout of sorts. t can happen to anybody. A man who
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EMERGEN Y SENSE
In condition you can handle the weight of the world
isn't up to par n one way or another can a) helpbring on an emergency and b) make t worse whent pops up.
It's far less likely to happen to a sound-thinking aviator who fully appreciates the fact that therougher the going the tighter the defenses againstemergencies must be.
VARIETY STORE
Fuel exhaustion is an all-tao-typical type of emergency caused by something less than sound thinking. Flying too low and too slow over rough terrainis another. There used to e a saying that the Armyoperated low and slow. That was fairly close to thetruth at a time when the faithful old Bird Dog andthe Sioux were about the only aircraft in the stable.
We still do fly a lot closer to the ground than B-52s,which are a few miles or so this side of being inorbit.
oo low and too slow is another kettle of overripefish When a power failure takes place, or something else calling for an emergency landing happensto a Huey when it is skimming the treetops, nounprepared pilot has the kind of running room ascrambling quarterback needs when the defensiveline is blitzing him. There's no time for an attemptat corrective procedures nor for choice of the bestavailable landing spot. The pilot has to take whatfate is handing him and all too often it is a pretty
dirty deal. The result can be loss of control of theaircraft and a major crash.
Nobody can do much about those first few seconds after takeoff, or missions where low-levelsweeps are necessary. They are part of normal occupational risks. They are enough by themselves.Putting your own head on the block by flying toolow and too slow when you don't need to is something else again.
56
The something else again usually stems from alack of knowledge of common sense emergency tech
n i q u e ~ in particular those prescribed in appropriateTMs or the dash 10 for the aircraft. When a U-8Dcrashed after a propeller failure-a juicy affaiwhich cost Uncle Sam 94,OOO--investigation revealed the pilot had never studied his handbook tomake himself familiar with what he was supposed
to do when the situation arose. When the situationdid arise it was a little late to start boning up.
f misery loves company, he could have got somecomfort from the knowledge that he had othepassengers in his boat. During the past 9 yearsmore than half of all U-8 accidents, incidents andprecautionary landings were caused by powerplanfailure or malfunction. Failure or malfunction of thelanding gear was another major factor. You can
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bet a bundle that more than one of the pilots -volved, like our unfortunate friend s u ~ r i n g fromacute propelleritis, found themselves wishing just alittle too late that they had learned their dash 10emergency procedures backwards, forwards, side-ways and upside down while they still had thechance. Some had plenty of time to study the dash
10 while waiting for friendly helpers to come andpick them up out of the jungle. By that time theyprobably figured t was a little too late.
Ditching a helicopter calls for the same knowl-edgeable approach. It s no secret that a helicopternormally has the flotation capabilities you associatewith a tombstone. It s also true that handbooksusually confine themselves to advising that as soonas the aircraft is in the water and the main rotorhas stopped, everybody had better abandon ship in
MARCH 1970
low and slow another
kettle of smelly fish
j
the best possible way. Instructions as to ow to ditch,
whether to roll to the right or left or keep it level,vary so much from one aircraft to another that
everybody has a right to feel confused. It can be
depressing, and one way to avoid depression is tostay away from unpleasant thoughts. Like ditching.
Avoiding the thought isn t the same as avoidingthe possibility. No matter what the song tells you,wishing won t make it so. The best way to treat apossibility is to regard it as a certainty. For wise
aviators who operate over water a fair part of thetime, ditchings get the same consideration a house-holder on the side of a volcano gives a possiblelava flow. You can t rehearse splashdowns, the waythe astronauts do. Even so, there s no reason ditch-ings have to be handled in the reckless spirit youwould a game of blind man s bluff. There s the hand-book as a handy starting point, one with whichevery crew member should be as familiar as he is theroute to the bank on payday. The dash 10 is thestarting point from which every aircrew can developset procedures and teamwork when a ditching situa-tion comes in view.
It s basically a matter of being prepared to handlethe worst in the best possible manner. A pilot and
crew about to take off on an overwater flight hasto know the answers to a set of highly importantquestions. Such s
1 Have the passengers been briefed as to whatto do?
2. What about lifevests and overwater survivalgear?
3. What goes on during presplashdown prepara
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EMERGEN CY SENSE
58
tion, such as jettisoning doors and stowing loosobjects? The whole business, in fact, of aircraft cofiguration?
4. What's the SOP on the attitude at splashdowand do we roll to the right or left?
5. Finally-how do we leave the sinking ship?It's important. Just because your faithful aircra
can generallye
trusted to take you across a bodof water as large as the Pacific Ocean withogetting your toes wet doesn't mean ditching knowedge doesn't have its full place in the scheme othings. It's true ditching situations, thanks be, almonever come up. But dig that almost chums. "Almonever" is tied in with a blood brother, "sometimit can " Chances are your house isn't going to bu
down any time in the near future, if ever, but unlesyou have traded in your brains for a bowl warmed-over oatmeal you have an insurance policto guard you if the worst happens.
When the sometimes-the immediate prospect obeing dunked in the drink like a doughnut-happen
to aircrews and passengers who are not thoroughly prepared, some poor soul can wind up as thlatest inmate of Davy Jones' locker.
COOL HAND LUKE
A bag full of knowledgeable tricks about ditchinis as sound insurance as any double indemnipolicy you are ever likely to buy from the ace agefor good old Mighty Mutual. When the day comewhen you do have to ditch you may be in for somuncomfortable moments. At least you'll have n o t her longwinded story to bore your grandchildren witwhen they come to visit at Thanksgiving.
The same savvy approach can be just as much lifesaver when applied to forced landings on another kind of surface-trees gravel pits, rice paddies or U.S. Route 66. It's a matter of responsbility. A pilot who understands the dynamics anforces which apply to forced landings and who responds intelligently will not permit himself cremembers or his passengers to undergo undue injuries during emergency landings under the worconditions.
There's no great secret involved, no miracles, nphysical feats worthy of Batman or Captain MarveIt's a simple matter of paying proper heed to th
laws of physics-particularly those involving deceleration-which come into violent play when aaircraft unexpectedly and suddenly winds up iflight in some spot considerably less hospitable thaits home base. What it comes to is this: forcelandings are just that-forced. They can'tavoided. Disastrous consequences can usually bavoided by mature aviators who have studied anknow the ropes.
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The idea is to stay
put inside the cabin
Given half a chance, the human body can withstand an amazing amount of punishment and stillremain intact, barring lumps and bruises which canbe counted on to wear off in time. Given a fullchance, aircraft cabins and cockpits and supportsystems such as belts and harness, helmets andseats will see to it the body gets its fair chance.
You don t have to be a physics major to grasp
the idea. It s pretty basic, so basic, in fact, it isdangerously easy to forget. Every schoolboy knowsthat once you set anything in motion youngsters on
sleds, avalanches and pilots it has a burning desire to keep going straight ahead until it comes torest of its own accord or until it is brought to asudden stop when it runs into something immovable.f Johnnie has a -long enough slide-out, he ll be all
right no matter how much speed he picks up as hecomes roaring down the hill on his Flexible Flyer.When he runs head-on into a tree he winds up witha split lip, two black eyes and a pile of junk insteadof a brand-new Christmas sled.
But, i he ploughs into a soft snowbank, aboutthe worst he can expect is a case of frostbite. The
snow has just enough give to slow him down in ahurry without inflicting bodily harm. The same s afireman s net. Under usual circumstances when achap jumps out of a six-story window his chancesof survival are small indeed. f there is a groupof smoke-eaters waiting for him on the sidewalk hecan be slowed down and thereby saved in a
matter of inches.
MARCH 1970
Cockpits and cabins of Army aircraft, togetherwith their restraint systems, constitute aviation sequivalent of the fireman s net. f a cockpit or cabinis relatively intact after a forced landing, if occupants and gear don t go rattling arotmd inside likeMexican jumping beans during the course of theusual rapid climb in g forces a crash brings on,there s an excellent chance all hands aboard will
live to fly another day.So the idea is to stay put inside a cabin or cockpitthat stays intact. The question is just how this neatlittle trick is to be pulled off.READY AND WAITING
We won t even dwell on the matter of belts andharness. f an aircrewman is not properly held inplace, g forces building up in a crash are going tohurl him through the top of the cabin or throughthe windshield like Elmer the Great being shot out ofa cannon at the circus only there won t be any
Elmer the Great
being shot out
of a cannon
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EMERGEN Y SENSE
net at the point where he makes his personal touchdown. The few people who wind up in this fix simplyget the trouble they have been begging for allalong by ignoring what their God-given commonsense should have told them, even if they hadn tbeen trained to know better.
The business of care and preservation of cabinsand cockpits is still another matter, one whichseparates professionals from amateurs and prudent,foresighted airmen from a fellow who has given thematter about the same amount of thought a grasshopper does about getting ready for winter.
True, you would have to be the original GloomyGus to go around convinced every flight was dueto end in disaster. You would probably never get upthe nerve to take off in the first place.
Preparations to avert or take care of what canhappen is another matter. Not many ocean linershave hit icebergs since the Titanic went down, but
sea captains still check lifesaving gear before leavingport and see to it boat drills are held so passengerswill know the score if need arises. Stock car driverscall this sort of attitude defensive driving. Whenthey are hurtling around the track at Daytona atabout half the speed of sound, they are not onlysnugly strapped into cars which have been reinforced
60
The terrible terrainl
with roll bars and braces-they are ready to takeinstant action if they lose a wheel or the driver afew feet ahead makes a mistake. They desire to
walk off, not be carried off.efensive flying might not be as namby-pamby as
it first sounds to Army aviators whose training andinstincts have taught them to be aggressive. Properlyplaced caution, foresight and preparation for a possible emergency can keep healthy aggression withinbounds, keep it from turning into something withabout a much direction as a buffalo stampede.
A defensive aviator is one who has developedprocedures designed to a) get the job done and b)
keep his neck in one piece in the process. Soundthinking, what? Who s going to quarrel with that?It s not terribly complicated, covering as it doesonly three major areas confronting the airman whoei ther m y face a forced landing or is facing one.They are
I Terrain selection2 Approach, and3. Touchdown.Nobody is likely to offer a convincing argument
that selection of an emergency landing site can safelybe put off until the aircraft has entered auto rotationor a powerless glide. f General Custer had given
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some thought to his maps before he started hisexpedition and had planned his route accordingly,nobody would ever have heard of Sitting Bull.Aviators who want to avoid a Last Stand of theirown are always careful to make detours which cancarry them over terrain offering a better choice oflanding sites, even if the extra miles cost them afew minutes and the Army a few gallons of gas.
It s a case of the straightest line not always beingthe shortest distance between two points not ifthe line runs over country which would cause acaravan of camels or mountain goats to tum backin dismay.
Terrain selection also means altitude plenty ofit You can look at maps before a flight until youdevelop galloping astigmatism, but what maps tellyou won t do you much good if the emergencycomes when you are needlessly clipping treetops,with barely enough speed to keep you aloft as it is.You haven t the margin demanded to select the bestpossible landing site, or the airspeed to get there
if you did. Let s face it, under such conditionsyou ve had it as much as General Custer, and nobody has ever blamed what happened to Custeron the strategy planners back in Washington.
We ll admit that emergencies have a nasty wayof arising when landing sites which would comparewith Dulles International, or even a good cow
MARCH 1970
pa ture are as scarce as drunks at a temperancerally. That s life for you. You take what you getand like it or lump it.
Well, not always. f you d prefer liking to lumping, you d do well to bone up on the elementaryphysic of the mechanics of forced landings. Youmight learn a couple of things which will surpriseyou. Take trees, for instance. Most of us think of trees
as suitable landing spots for owls, crows and flyingsquirrels, definitely not for aircraft. A pilot involvedin a forced landing instinctively looks around forsomething which looks flat and inviting, instead ofleafy, green or overly wet.
t isn t always as inviting as it looks. As anyonewho has ever tried to sleep on a pool table canassure you, some surfaces are considerably harderthan an innerspring mattress. f an aircraft introuble has low rotor rpm or control difficulties, anexcessive sink rate, or comes down on a sunbakedsurface under high DA conditions, it can slam intothe ground hard enough to scramble the cabin and
it occupants like a well-flipped French omelet. Youcan be certain the paving surface of a parking lot ina shopping center isn t going to yield under theimpact of anything much this side of a SOO-poundbomb. But som thing has to absorb those g forcesin a hurry. Something, sometimes, like an aviator s
head.
Nose-first contact with ANYTHING
should be avoided
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EMERGEN Y SENSE
Trees o have give. The stand of spruce FarmerBrown has been fattening up for the Christmastrade can slow an aircraft, like the firemen s net,just enough to keep it relatively intact and everybody aboard safe and sound. The aircrew mayhave to stay perched up there in the treetops untilsome kind soul happens by with a ladder, but evenso they ll have reason to congratulate a pilot whoseforced landing savvy taught him that Christmastrees sometimes can be profitably used for somethingelse than stringing lights on.
SAFE AT HOME
Once you ve picked out your landing spot, all youhave facing you is the simple task of getting therein one piece. In the hollow laughs department thatwould seem to rank with the observation that all youneed· to get to the other side of Niagara Falls is afairly sound rope.
It depends on who has the last laugh. True, forcedlandings rank about equal with tightrope walking on
most people s list of outdoor sports. It s equally true
62
that, given altitude and aircraft control, a pilot whohas selected his landing site with the same care hedoes the girl he intends to make his bride and themother of his children needn t have the kind ohairy experience which will bring on nightmares 20years or so from now.
In the case of the approach, your emergencyconscious pilot alrea4y has drilled himself in thebasics. He knows that if conditions permit he is
better off flying a normal landing pattern withouusing nonproven procedures. He knows that toapproach too low is to risk running into an obstacle
which will deprive him of aircraft control beforethe touchdown point is reached. He knows thatonce the forced landing has been decided upon andthe approach begun it is too late for the crew totry to fix what they think has gone wrong.
Above all, he knows that all the approach factors-wind obstacles, size of landing site, etc.--dictatean approach technique which permits the greatestsafety margin.
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Even if the selected landing spot is the best available and the approach is executed with a veteran sfinesse, the actual touchdown is usually not all funand games, either. Once again, a thinking man whohas boned up on his subject has a couple of acesup his sleeve an unwary aviator might not h ~ v instock.
Preparedness keeps a pilot from ever forgetting,for instance, that two of the basics in forced landingtechniques are (1) that nose-first contact with anything-trees, rocks, stone walls or Farmer Brown sprize cow-should be avoided at all costs and (2)
the main rotor should be kept intact until the aircraft is close to the ground and forward motion haspractically halted.
These are the basics. There is a bushel basket or
so of other considerations, different for every emergency situation, depending on conditions. The
MARCH 1970
pilot who handles them without undue sweat or
strain is the one who has given long and hard
thought to what might arise in any given type offorced landing and whose mind operates with computer like efficiency when the time comes to set thetechniques in motion.
An informed mind in good working order is a
pretty valuable asset to have around when you re ina tight spot, after all. Ted Williams, who provedlast year that the Washington Senators don t lw ys
have to finish last in the American League, saysthat in baseball hitting is an operation conducted90 percent from the neck up. Ted has somethinggoing there. You can say that what is good for aslugging outfielder is just as good for an Armyairman in a jam. Using the old bean can make allthe difference in the world.
The point is that the most complicated computeryet constructed can t feed you any information unless t has been programmed in advance. A mindis only as good as the information t has been given.f it hasn t anything to go on it is likely to lose its
cool in an emergency and tell the pilot to do exactlythe wrong thing. When you do the wrong thing inan emergency it could be the last thing you ll everdo.
The trick for anyone who wants to lead a long,rich, full life is to do the right thing. You can do
the right thing only if you know what the right thingis. Well in advance.
One way of putting it is that the aviator wh
ends up safe at home is the one who has done hishomework.
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Do You Understand?You mu at kno end vndel llUi nd tt-.. fundamenta l.
of )"OUr a l rc,.. , and Ita o p e r . t environmen t
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tit,
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my "':1'1 Tht.t " ' ' ' r l t n ' ~ 01 \Jrnt lor me 10 IMn
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U S AIlMY AVIATION OrOEST
"Grounded" EaglAn O« ( t jnVflt . ,oti. o.... th .......h
. . . . . . •• of th. I"'" HH boa". mMnbet
k) hc l' I " ft .y tOfIC rl pdoe don.. ... ot ft tahtl\tdl rnV"C"d
Nobodyncc:cbtobrlold wl\tIkr ore In ybodycould dnw I d
Baro"WU opr'. 'IO, OYCf lhc .Iwt,. I ."n . the UI ,ob
1M world. u d )'our del r old G
90 .... CII U-llly bookln, WftYor l 10 La . Vep . to h. ¥t .- , , I , They doni call Aunt A
oIlM.trt lltt fornoth'fI ,
You "uaht uy Ihlt I' the l
btI:n 'mrndtod. _ h " ' 1 ei
l round 'i T I O W1/., .. 1u
Idhn, the ba rocl he pul In I"
ach "I&hl 10 keep oullhc llbe
m.lnqad 10 do It " IUt the hel
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an emergency s the exact oP/)()site o what happiness s
S EMERGEN CY SENSE-PAGE 5