Anyway, I had to do some traveling recently, so the next available ride was hopping aboard a CH-47D Chinook helicopter. The CH-47D helicopter varies vastly from the Black Hawk. It's been in service since before the Vietnam War (in fact, some Army Chinooks are certified re-built Vietnam veterans), and even though it still flies well to this day, it definitely shows its age. Whereas a Black Hawk would be grounded if it had a hydraulic leak, a Chinook would actually be deemed fliable--after all, if fluid is leaking, there must have been fluid present in the first place, thus, it's perfectly fine!
But the thing that struck me the most about the Chinook is how friggin' cold it is. Iraq may get down to about 30F at night, but with the doors open on the Chinook, you get over a hurricane-force wind blowing through the thing. God only knows how they manage to stay warm in the mountains of Afghanistan during the winter. Actually, they probably don't stay warm.
So, all my Boeing employee friends who read this blog: Please install a better heater in this thing. Seriously...
1 comment:
Didn't you know? We intentionally designed them that way to keep the pilots from falling asleep. ;)
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