Army Aviation Digest - May 1964

8/12/2019 Army Aviation Digest - May 1964

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UNITE

DIRECTOR OF ARMY AVIATION, ACSFORDEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

Brig Gen John J. Tolson, III

COMMANDANT, U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOL

Maj Gen Clifton F. von Kann

ASST COMDT U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOLCol Robert F. Cassidy

EDITORIAL STAFF

Capt Richard C. AnglinFred M. MontgomeryRichard K. TierneyWilliam H. SmithDiana G. Williams

GRAPHIC ART SUPPORTH. G. LinnH. A. PickelD. L CrowleyA. Lofe

USABAAR EDUCATION AND LITERATURE DIV

Pierce L WigginWilliam E. CarterTed KontosCharles Mabius

RMY VI TION

1GESMAY 1964 VOLUME 10 NUMBER

CONTENTS

Helicopter Instrument Flying,Maj Gen Clifton F. von Kann ................... ......... ........... ... .. ... . 1

01 Yaller, Ted Kontos. .... ........... ...... ...... .. ..... ... ..... .. .... ........ ... ..... . 2

The Primary InstructorRoy H. Windham and Lewis A. Pierce. .. .. .. ... .. .. .............. .... 7

Navigation Accuracy, Virgil Rogers ..... .. .. .. ... ....... .. .......... .... 10

AFOF Maj Virgil L. Danielson ........ ..... ........ ........... ............ .. ..... 12

I Love My Golden Voice, Maj Milton P. Cherne .......... ..... .. 17

Unit Test Pilots, CWO Joseph R. Connor .. ...... ... .......... ...... ... . 21

Standardization in Seventh Army,Capt Robert C. Cook, J r . ....... ........ ..... .... .... ... .......... ............. ... 24

Crash Sense ..... ........................... .................. ....... ................. ....... 8

How s Your DR Navigation?Maj Ephraim A. Berry ... .... ... ...... ... ... ........... Inside Back Cover

Diagnosing the Trouble, Capt Kenneth E. Cox ... Back Cover

The mission of the U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is to provide information ofoperational or functional nature concerning safety and a i rcraf t accident prevention trainim a intenance op erat.ions, research and development aviation medicine and other related d

The DIGEST is an official Department of the Army p ~ r i o d i c lpublished montunder the supervision of the Commandant U. S. Army Aviation School. Views expressherein are not necessarily those of Depar tment of the Army or the U. S. Army AviatSchooL Photos are U. S. Army unless otherwise s pecified. Material may be reprinprovided credit is given to the DIGEST and to the author unless otherwise indicated.

Articles photos and i tems of interest on Army Aviation are invited. Direct commcation s authorized to: EditorinChief U. S. rmy A viation Dig est Fort Ruck er Alabama.

Use of funds for pr in t ing this publication has been approved by Headquarterspar tment of the Army 27 November 1961.

Active Army uni t s receive distribution under the pinpoint distribution systemoutlined in AR 310-1, 20 March 62, and DA Circular 310-57, 14 March 63. CompleteForm 12-4 and send directly to CO, AG Publications Center 2800 Eastern BoulevaBaltimore Md. For any change in distribution requirements merely init iate a revisedForm 12-4.

National Guard and Army Reserve units submit requirements through their sadjutants general and U. S. Army Corps commanders respectively.


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Maior General Clifton F von KannCommanding General, U S. Army Aviation CenterCommandant, U S. Army Aviation School

HelicopterInstrument Flying

UCH HAS BEEN said of late about helicopterinstrument flying. From the training stand

point, a good deal is being done about it. Here atthe U. S Army Aviation School we are to increasethe number of helicopter pilots receiving instrument training. Beginning in FY 1965, initial entry

students will be given sufficient helicopter instrument instruction to receive an instrument ticket(provided, as always, that funds are made availablefor this additional training effort).

All this is good because i t adds to the capabilitiesof Army Aviation to support tactical operations.On the other hand, much needs to be done todevelop concepts of how these capabilities are tobe translated into effective combat support and toproduce the doctrine for the realization of thisconcept. Here, I think, much effort is needed.

Ideally, we need the capability of flying ourhelicopters in and out of weather. The Navy movedits carrier formations in and out of weather veryeffectively during World War II, and thus usedweather as camouflage so that on many occasionsthe enemy did not know where the carriers reallywere. The idea of doing this with helicopters isextremely attractive; however, there are problemsto be overcome.

One of these problems is the matter of flyingformations under instrument conditions. Despiteall that has been said, no one has developed satisfact ry equipment and techniques for this type ofwork. Even the problem of station-keeping inactual weather has not been resolved, although i thas been explored considerably by our sister services.Yet without a solution, one of the basic needs forformation flying in weather is missing.

On the other hand, I expect that we have manycapabilities for marrying airborne and groundequipment to improve our capabilities for instrument flying in the field that have not yet foundtheir way into our doctrine and literature. Forexample, the AN/FPN-33 radar offers considerablecapability for letdown work in the field; yet, there

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have been only isolated experiments by enterprisingaviation officers in troop units to squeeze the fullutilization out of equipment systems such as these.This is unfortunate, because the best results cannot be obtained until American ingenuity is appliedto our equipment. For the most part, there is so

much flexibility with which aircraft and relateditems can be used that no one except those in thefield can really wring out all the combinations.I therefore suspect that we have many latent capabilities with respect to helicopter instrument flyingin the field and fixed wing as well), that we needonly listen to the fellow in the troop unit to learn agreat deal.

In any event there must be some system forbringing this experience into a central locationwhere it can be converted into doctrine. The Armyhas been criticized on occasion because i t lacksdoctrine for its aviation activities. To some extentthis criticism is valid, although the operating experience to support the doctrine may exist invarious locations throughout the Army.

As an initial effort to develop a body of doctrinefor helicopter instrument work in the field, theU. S ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is planning todevote an early issue to articles or any other submissions received) on helicopter instrument ly-ing, particularly in tactical situations. I am hopingthat everyone in the field who has some knowledgeor experience along this line will make a contribution, even if he has some doubt as to how worthwhile the material may be. Let us be the judge ofthat; but in any event send it in.

Because of the importance of this subject, I planto present a special cash award of 100 for thearticle selected as the best one for this particularissue. I doubt that the monetary incentive will beneeded, but perhaps the prize will serve to indicatethe importance which I attach to the subject.

Your article should be submitted no later than1 August 1964 to U. S ARMY AVIATION DIGEST,USA A VNS, Fort Rucker, Ala.

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the saga o an OV I operatingin the Republic o Vietnam

Chief ofthe Mohawks

Ted Kontos

\ \J, \ \, - - '

~

AMONG THE MOHAWKS in the Army inventory, one has become almost a legendbecause of its exploits over the rice paddies andjungles of Vietnam. I t was named by the crewswho flew it, the mechanics who kept it going, andthe ground crew troops it supported.

Don t get the idea its name was a reflection onits intestinal fo.rtitude. I t was just the opposite;01 Yaller s name came from the many patchesof yellow primer used to cover battle scars. I twas a proud name and a proud aircraft.

Like all Mohawks, 01 Yaller was not designedto challenge the speed of sound or conquer outerspace. I t was friend and helper to the foot soldier,possessing those skills necessary to support troopsin the field.

01 Yaller rolled off the assembly line rightinto the Army. Like all soldiers, it was given athorough physical, assigned a serial number, andsent through basic training. While maintenancecrews poked and probed to become familiar withits anatomy, flight crews strove for proficiency.Through it all, the young Mohawk appeared toenjoy every minute.

When it became bored with training, 01 Yallercould always devise ways to liven things up, likeclearing its throat at a critical point during amaximum performance takeoff. This never failedto prove a sure-fire attention getter from its crew.

U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


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N or did it forget the mechanics. f it lacked attention, it wasn t beneath 01 Yaller s dignity toresort to a bit of gold-bricking. A fire warninglight might come on when there was no fire, or aninternal hydraulic leak might suddenly developin some remote spot. These antics kept the ground

crews on their toes and served to teach goodtroubleshooting and maintenance practices.Parked on a ramp, 01 Yaller was an impres

sive sight. From its proud nose and wide plexiglaseyes, its barrel-chested fuselage tapered smoothlyback to a triple tail. Squatting on its tricycle gearit pointed skyward. Off the ground, it frolickedlike a playful seal, climbing, turning, rolling (ata .respectable altitude), and diving. f anotherMohawk did a series of three loops, 01 Yallerwent for four. Its climbs were steeper and itsbanks tighter. It was a delightful show-off - abig ham.

01 Yaller had its stubborn moments, too. f itwasn t ready to land, it sometimes took a notionnot to extend its gear, testing a new pilot to seeif he knew his emergency procedures. It landedproudly with its nose in the air, letting everyoneknow it was back by a thunderous roar in reversepitch.

As the days drifted into weeks, and the weeksinto months, 01 Yaller matured. Its crews, bothground and flight, became highly skilled. Gold-

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bricking was a thing of the past and flying wasno longer just a sport. It had become a full-timeoccupation.

When the Mohawks were called to Vietnam,01 Yaller was among the first to go. From theinstant its wheels touched the ground in the

Republic of Vietnam, 01 Yaller seemed to sensethat this would be a different kind of world fromthe one it had known. The people around it hadan air of urgency.

Designated a Hawk, 01 Yaller was pressed intoservice immediately. Its job was to search outthe Viet Cong and report their position . With aVietnamese observer aboard, it soon lifted off onits first mission.

Flying at 200 feet and 130 knots, 01 Yallerpassed over rice paddies and jungle thickets. Theobserver pOinted ahead and to the right toward

a thicket on a slight rise. 01 Yaller bankedquickly to the right and met a hail of bullets.Pointing its nose skyward, it climbed out of rangeand the find was radioed to friendly troops.

Its fuselage stitched with bullet holes, 01Yaller survived this baptism of fire and returnedto its base. Ground crews patched the holes, butthere was not time for a beauty treatment. Painting would have to wait. Communist guerrillas hadburned and sacked an isolated village. 01 Yallerwas needed to help support the Vietnamese

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rangers who were in the objective area on ahelicopter assault mission. With its patchesriveted in place and a coating of yellow zincchromate dabbed over them, 01' Yaller was readyfor takeoff. This time it carried some retaliationunder its wings .

Flying low and slow, it made pass after passover the general area in which the Viet Congwere thought to be. Suddenly, i t felt the sting ofbullets for the second time. But this time i t hadthe means to do something about it. Like a gianthawk, 01' Yaller swooped down on its prey. Itsrockets were salvoed and ribbons of smoke trailedthem to the mark.

I t was a proud Mohawk and equally proudcrew that returned that day. But there was notime for ce lebrat ion - only time for the yellowpatches that marked another Purple Heart for01' Yaller. In the months that followed, this became almost routine in the support of helicopterformations - scouting, searching, supporting,destroying. And always there were more andmore yellow scars. Its combat time climbed intothe hundreds of hours and the yellow scars almost covered its body, but 01' Yaller never letup. When a job called for a Hawk, it was always

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available and ready.Practically everyone in Vietnam recognized 01'

Yaller and knew of its exploits. The ground troopsstationed forward in the lines would radio thecrew when they spotted it, How's 01' Yaller?or How's the chief?

One clear morning 01' Yaller fired up for asurveillance mission with a.nother Mohawk. At aword from the control tower it began its takeoffroll. Twenty-four Purple Hearts and more than900 hours of combat were behind it as its wheelsbroke the ground. A short time later, i t diveddownward, decreased speed, and began to stalkits quarry.

With the other Mohawk to its left, 01' Yallerfollowed a river through jungle terrain. Aheadand below, Viet Cong eyes watched its approachthrough the sights of their guns.

Nearer and nearer 01' Yaller came. Then thejungle stillness was shattered by the drummingof automatic weapons and the sharp crack ofrifles. 01' Yaller was hit and hit hard. Its pilotbanked toward home, nursing the crippled chiefalong.

As they approached the strip, the pilot tried todetermine the extent of 01' Yaller's injuries. Both



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engines were operating in the green, but thehydraulic pressure was gone. Without i t 01Yaller would be reluctant to drop its gear, butthe emergency air system appeared to be intactand could be used to get the gear down. The pilottold the control tower about his problem, thenwent through the emergency gear extension pro-cedure. Two wheels showed down and locked,but the right main gear remained up. Bullets hadapparently torn into the gear components andair pressure wouldn t put it down. It was afreakish kind of accident, against all odds. Butit had happened. Worst of all, it had happenedto 01 Yaller.

Again the pilot spoke with the control tower.He told them he would climb and attempt toshake the gear down with high positive g forces.But even as he applied power and raised thenose, he knew the chances of getting the wheeldown were small. Unless the locking mechanismhad been damaged enough to give under pressure, the wheel would stay up.

Ground personnel began to gather in littlegroups. They watched as 01 Yaller climbed, thendived to gain airspeed. It climbed and dived -

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up, down, up, down. Time and again the pilottried, violently rocking the wings back and forth.01 Yaller was fighting for its life. But it was alosing battle. It had been mortally wounded.

In desperation, the pilot descended and flew01 Yaller to the runway, slamming it hard on the

two extended wheels in hopes of jarring the stuck. gear down. But it just wouldn t work. Withouthydraulic pressure, he could not retract the twowheels that were down, and to attempt a landingin that configuration would have been to courtdisaster. He had to eject.

Climbing to 5,500 feet, the pilot pointed 01Yaller out toward the sea and trimmed it to flyhands off. Instructing the observer to eject, thepilot watched him pull the face curtain and shootupward. He watched behind, saw the observer schute blossom, then drew a deep breath and pre-pared to eject himself. He reached for the facecurtain and quickly yanked it downward. Witha thunderous cough, 01 Yaller spat him to safety.

Down below, Vietnamese and American person-nel watched as the pilot s chute opened and thecrippled Mohawk headed out to sea.

But 01 Yaller wasn t ready to go. It belonged

z

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to the Army, and there would be no sailor's gravefor it. Almost as though it had a mind of its own,01' Yaller dipped a wing, made a 180 0 turn anddived straight for the pilot dangling beneath hischute.

Had 01' Yaller turned renegade like a crippled

beast? This thought raced through the minds ofthose on the ground. And all the while, 01' Yallersped toward the helplessly suspended pilot. Then,just as suddenly as it had started its pass, 01'Yaller abruptly veered away.

Unmanned, its proud yellow scars shining nthe sun, 01' Yaller began a performance that leftits viewers breathless. Diving, climbing, twisting,and turning, it raced across the sky n a tri-umphant show. I am still chief " it seemed tosay. And no one doubted that it was.

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From its high vantage point, one chore re-mained for 01' Yaller, that of picking out itsfinal resting place. Like a true chief, it selectedthe most appropriate spot - the salvage yard. Noground crews would have to wade through marshor jungle to haul away its remains. It would needno pall bearers.

Lifting its head in a final fling, i t flipped overand dived into a small clear area between thewreckage of other aircraft, cremating itself in acolumn of flame and smoke.

01' Yaller was gone.NOTE: Despite a sprinkling of imagination to

fill in the gaps and some deletions to ensureanonymity many readers will recognize Ol Yaller. This is the true story of an OV-l given to usby an officer who knew it well.



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oy H WindhamLewis A. Pierce

What makes a good flightinstructor? Are experienceand flight prof ic i encyenough? Are today's professional contract instructors better than ever?

the

prllDaryinstructor

W HEN YOU THINK about your primaryinstructor, does the memory bring on awarm glow of nostalgia or does the mere thoughtcause you to break out in a rash? f you fall inthe rash category, chances are you would noticea real change in the present primary program.

This first step in the training of Army Aviatorsat Fort Rucker is the responsibility of over 150instructors and supervisors employed by RossAviation, Inc., civilian contractor of Army Pri-mary Fixed Wing Training.

The civilian instructor is a professional flightinstructor by choice - a man who has devoted1 to 15 years of his career to teaching flying, themajority of it in military training programs. Ofhim, the general manager of Ross Aviation train-ing at Fort Rucker, says: The responsibilities of

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our flight instructors are heavy. They must havea complete knowledge of the subject, a high degree of proficiency, an understanding of the pro b-lems confronting the student, and the ability toteach the knowledge and skills required so thatprecision flying becomes automatic to the student.Their instruction must adhere rigidly to the beststandards, procedures, and techniques.

TEACHING TECHNIQUES

Instructors assign each student a lesson to bemastered in advance of each flight and then makecertain that their instruction parallels thatmaterial. To ensure systematic progress and com-

Mr. Windham is Director of Fire and Safetyand Mr. Pierce is MOl Supervisor with RossAviation Inc. at Ft Rucker Ala.

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he p rimary fixed w ing check pilot is a highlyqual i fied a n d st a n da r diz ed inst ru ctor pilot

plete mastery of the basic fundamentals, they pre-sent the course lesson by lesson with the studentlearning each lesson thoroughly before advancingto the next. t should not be assumed, however,that an inflexible sequence of presentation mustbe followed. On the contrary the policies govern-ing teaching technique allow and encouragespecial approaches and tricks of the trade to putthe material across. Sound judgment, of course,is exercised in meeting and solving problems as

they arise.Although the individual instructor pilot is al-

lowed wide latitude in the methods he uses toteach his students, no variation is allowed in themethods of performing the actual training maneu-vers. Each instructor completes an extensive andcomprehensive upgrad .ing and Methods of In-struction course before assignment of students.During this course he is shown exactly how theArmy wants the training maneuvers performed.When the potential instructor can explain and

demonstrate the maneuvers to suit the MOlsupervisor, he is given an acceptance check by theMilitary Standards Division of the Primary FixedWing Training Department. To pass this check hemust demonstrate exemplary flying proficiencyand teaching technique. Only after passing thischeck is he assigned his first student.

STANDARDIZATION

Each student is expected to perform the samemaneuvers in the same way and use the sameprocedures during checkrides. Standardization isnot maintained by conducting recurring checkson the instructors. On the contrary, as long as aninstructor s students are fulfilling required stand-ards of performance on their checkrides, the in -structor is not given a standardization check. Anextremely accurate and current accounting ofeach instructor s effectiveness is maintained by

the Military Standards Division from informationcollated from student progress checks.

Those instructors having more student errorsthan a predetermined standard for a given maneu-ver are counseled concerning the maneuver inquestion. f the counseling does not stop his stu-dents errors, the instructor is given an assistanceride on the maneuver in question.

An obvious shortcoming of any flight pro-ficiency evaluation system is the human factor in-volved in evaluating student performance. Sincemore than one check pilot evaluates student pro-

gress it is reasonable to expect that several dif-ferent conceptions might be evidenced in thewriteups and scoring of individual maneuvers.To overcome this a record is kept of all lowgrades a check pilot gives on each training maneu-ver. Whenever the number of low grades given bya check pilot on any maneuver exceeds a pre-determined maximum, he is counseled by theMilitary Standardization supervisor concerningthat maneuver. This counseling usually results incorrecting any misconceptions the check pilotmight have regarding desired standards of per-formance. f it does not he is given further

counseling and flight instruction until his reli-ability is restored.

MONITORING

The continual monitoring of the overall ef-fectiveness and standardization of both instructorsand check pilots through the recording and com-puting of student performance criteria, has re -sulted in a remarkable degree of standardizationin the Primary Fixed Wing Training program.Student morale concerning the standardization of



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their training and evaluatiQn of their flying pro- .ficiency is very high . The end result has allowedeach instructor pilot and check pilot to concentrate on helping each other to provide the Armywith aviators well trained in the fundamentalsof flying.

MILITARY CHECK PILOTSThere's been a change in military check pilots,

too. Today he is a far cry from the old villianlurking in the background . Through the processof thorough upgrading and close supervision bycompetent personnel in the Military Standardization Division, today's primary fixed wing checkpilot is a highly qualified and standardized instructor pilot as well as a check pilot. When conducting a checkride, the check pilot works justas hard to find reasons for continuing a student'straining as he does to find reasons for eliminating

him. Approximately5

percent of all studentsconsidered for elimination because of inability tosolo have been soloed by military check pilots.The great majority of these students finish primary and B phase of training without furtherincident.

Before you jump to the conclusion that we havelowered our standards, let me point out that -though our elimination rate is lower than everbefore, our accident rate is also lower. It is ourgoal to hold the elimination rate nd the accidentrate down to the minimum through good trainingprocedures. We attempt to make good militarypilots out of ll students entering training, provided they are willing to put out the effort required.

FLYING SAFETY

Another area in which a great improvement hasbeen made is flying safety. Although we still haveaccidents in primary, their frequency and severityare steadily decreasing. The improvement in ourflying safety records is, of course, due to manyfactors. We believe that a low accident record isnot an end in itself but is simply the by-productof good training and efficient operation. Thecompany achieves its excellent safety record firstof all by hiring only the best instructors available, and then by providing these instructors withthe best and most efficient supervision and support possible.

One thing you would not see today is the long,drawn out, or boring type of flying safety briefing.It is the management's philosophy that accidentprevention is primarily the responsibility of the

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individual flight instructor. Under this concept,each instructor integrates continuous on-the-jobsafety and accident prevention consciousness inall the instruction he gives to his student. Webelieve that a well trained pilot is a safe pilotand that the primary responsibility for trainingstudents and turning out safe pilots rests with

the instructor.

EFFECTIVENESS

Our instructors constantly strive to be conscientious, objective, and impersonal in evaluating their students' performance. They maintaina fair, firm, and friendly policy at all times.

Our instructors have earned the respect andadmiration of their students by using good explanation and perfect demonstration techniques.They realize and practice the concept that theirjob is to equip the United States Army student

aviator with a background that will enable himto successfully complete Advanced Fixed WingTraining.

To our instructors, flight training is more thanjust a job or a responsibility . They know full wellthat they are obligated to see that their studentsare thoroughly sound in the techniques of flightand that they possess a healthy attitude towardtheir careers as Army Aviators and confidenceand respect for themselves, their equipment , andtheir teammates.

Here is a short quiz used by primaryinstructors to evaluate their own effectiveness:

Do I have a planned, progressive program ofinstruction?

Do I create a learning atmosphere?Do I get the most out of each student?Do I adapt my teaching techniques to the

individual or do I just throw out the samestuff to each student?

Am I more effective now than in the past'f not, why?

Am I a lamb on the ground and a lionin the air?

Do I know what to expect from a student ata given time level?

Do my students know how they stand?

Do I integrate the maximum amount of flying safety consciousness in all my flight instruction?

Am I giving the job all I've got?

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Where are yon?h ~ ~ do you want to go?

How ~ you want to get theret w.

self-contained navigationsystem will determine accuratepositions o future flights.

Navigation Accuracyoday and TOlD.orrow

Virgil Rogers

U. s ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


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I N THE NEXT few years, theArmy will probably installself-contained navigation equip-ment in some of its aircraft. Thisequipment will require certaininformation to perform its in -tended function. In general thisinformation will consist of thefollowing:

Where are you? (present position)

Where do you want to go?( destination)

How do you want to get there?(intermediate destinations)In addition, this device will re -

quire initial (or continuous)direction reference with respectto the map system you are using.

This self-contained device willthen perform the necessary calculations to determine your position at any time, using velocitydata from the aircraft's movement. f this device is construct-ed with adequate care, it mayhave an accuracy of approximately 1 percent of the distanceflown, or some fixed error distance determined by the me-chanical or electrical circuits ofthe device and by the aircraftflight time.

Navigation in the Army is anapproximate art that has provedsatisfactory because it was notpossible to obtain precise results.

f an aviator wants to make aflight from Fort Rucker to At-lanta, he selects an aircraft hav-ing a certain range and speedcapacibilty. He then determineshis route of flight from availablepublications, checks weather andwind conditions, and prepares aflight plan. f the aircraft (inthis case a U-6) , weather, andother circumstances cooperate,the aviator will arrive in theAtlanta area in approximately 1hour and 25 minutes after take-off. He then locates the airfield

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by visual reference or the useof established radio aids, andlands. Some time later he maycomment to his friends, I surehit my ETA on the head today,onI y off 10 seconds over theVOR.

One has to admire this man'sskill (luck?), because we allremember the time we missedthis same flight ETA by 15minutes. f course this wascaused by faulty wind informa-tion received at the weatherbriefing. But still that wasn't toobad, since no one gets upset very

much until we are an hour over-due.In the above example the pilot

flew an aircraft at approximately110 knots (107-114 mph) in awind of 15 knots (18.7 withgusts to 21.8 mph) from 300 0(281-305) for a distance of 150

nautical miles (148.3) and ar-rived over a selected target with-in 10 seconds of the estimatedtime. f this pilot had no visualtarget other than a group ofsimilar fields and no ground-based radio aids at the destination, which field is his destination? In this example, he wouldbe within 1/3 mile of the selected target, but what about thecase where the luck (?) wentthe other way and he missed by15 minutes? Then he would beapproximately 3 miles from thetarget at the end of his estimatedflying time.

f you were given a self-contained navigation device today,you would probably be disappointed until you learn how touse it. You will expect to arriveat your destination with an accuracy of 1 percent. But thiswill not be the case. Using cur-rent maps, charts, and equip-ment, you cannot determine pre-cise information to feed your

SCAN device. Few people haveaccess to equipment or informa-tion that will tell them to withinan accuracy of 1 0 the direction ofMagnetic North, Grid North,True North, or any other refer-ence direction. And remember,1 0 of heading error equals (ap-proximately) 1 mile positionerror every 6 miles of flight.People do not know the exactdistance in miles, nautical miles,kilometers, or even latitude andlongi ude between their airfieldand any other airfield they frequently use.

With this lack of precise in -formation, even a perfect devicewill produce navigational errors.Since navigation computers andsensing equipment are not per-fect devices, we can expect someerror even with perfect informa-tion.

Any self-contained navigationsystem which may be introducedinto the Army will not provide apositive indication that you areexactly over your girl friend'shouse after flying two hours inthe clouds. But these deviceswill provide an improved chanceof being able to see her house onthe first low pass and will ensurethat you are at least over theproper town. Could you be sureof doing that well now withoutdual omni, ADF, and many dollars worth of groundbased navi-gational stations?

When you get the black box

give it a fair chance to prove itsvalue to you. Be sure you give i tthe correct information. Itsanswers are based on flight datawhich has been applied to information you provided.

A former Army Aviator Mr.Rogers is an electronic engineerwith the U S. Army AviationTest Board Ft Rucker Ala.

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The Army Flight Operations Facility inGermany is providing an important safeand expeditious service that helps SeventhArmy A viation units accomplish theirmission. Would such a facility help youroperation?

FOF[ rmy Flight Operations Facility]

Maior Virgil L Danielson

SEVERAL YEARS ago an organization called the 5thAviation Operating Detachmentwas formed to supervise andeffect control over many Armyairfields used by the UnitedStates Army in Germany. Thisconsisted of operation of the con-trol towers, air traffic control

responsibilities around t o s eArmy airfields and the operation and maintenance of thenavigational facilities servingthese airfields.

Due to the build-up of ArmyAviation in Germany and theadditional number of airfieldsin use decentralization of con-trol became necessary to copewith the situation. The Aviation

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Operating Detachment AOD)was dissolved and control of theArmy airfields was turned overto the major unit occupyingthose airfields. A flight followingfunction of the AOD, which wasformed to assist aviation unitcommanders in knowing thewhereabouts of their aircraft fly-

ing in Germany, was retained.This became the nucleus of theArmy Flight Operations Facility,better known throughout Europeand Germany as AFOF.

The Army Flight OperationsFacility, AFOF, was formed asa TD unit under Signal Corpsmanning tables as a part of theSignal Service Battalion, Europe.The facility is located on the

I F O FC L ~ A R A M5 E

Army airfield in Heidelberg.From a rather austere beginningthis organization has developedinto an agency that literally hasits finger on the pulse of ArmyAviation throughout Germanyand in many cases throughoutEurope. It is possible for ArmyAviators to contact AFOF on

direct lines from the maiority ofthe Army airfields in Germanyto file a flight plan or to secureweather information for flightplanning.

Maj Danielson is Chief Pri-m a r y Maintenance DivisionD e p t o f M a i n t e n a n c eUSAAVNS



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The facility is designed tofunction around four separatebut related activities: a Clear-ance and Weather Section, aTraffic Section, a Flight Follow-ing Section, and a Teletype andNOTAMs Section.

CLEARANCE ANDWEATHER SECTION

This section serves as thenerve center of the facility. Fromit other groups are directed,under the supervision of the of-ficer on duty. A duty officer

referred to as clearance officeris at the Clearance Section 24hours a day, 7 days a week. In

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I WILL C TCH H FROM THE l/FOF cLE RIINC OF,F/L: F,NFO q OVE q ST YING M Y GRlJUND T/I fE r tJl l YdU

TO HAVE TH T L S T G L S S OFgAVARIAI BEE _

all cases he s a rated pilot cur-rently on flight status with a cur-rent instrument card.

Until recently this officer wasthe clearance authority for themajority of aviators flying fromArmy airfields in Germany. Inrecent months due to changes incurrent regulations and the factthat many Army Aviators now

possess their own clearanceauthority or because clearanceauthority is available at localoperations offices this functionhas diminished. In some in -stances though airfields havevested in AFOF the clearanceauthority for aviators flyingfrom various airfields for certaintypes of flights and under cer-tain conditions.

In addition to functioning as a

clearance authority the clear-ance officer coordinates searchand rescue missions for the com-manding officer of the facilitywho has the overall responsi-bility of search and rescue in adefined area of operations.

He also assists aviators inflight planning when requested.The Clearance Section has accessto most of the flight planning

4

documents that are in use inEurope. From these documentsmuch information can be passedto aviators who do not have ac-cess to a complete set of aero-nautical publications.

The clearance officer is keptabreast of all the c u r r e n tweather information in AFOFareas of responsibilities by anAir Force weather forecasterwho sits next to him. f weatherconditions indicate a situationthat could affect the outcome ofa flight in progress the clearanceofficer will issue weather advis-ories to aviators in flight. Othertypes of advisories are alsoinitiated from the clearance sec-tion.

Flight plan acknowledgementsmay also be called into the clear-

ance section and at the sametime the pilot may get a weatherbriefing from the forecaster onduty. This minimizes the delaythat a pilot would encounter i fhe were filing a flight plan froman airfield without an active baseoperations and assures the avi-ator that his flight plan will getinto the system after his de-parture.

TRAFFIC SECTION

This facility has the mostactivity within the organization.All proposed flight plans arerouted through or come directlyto this section. Most of the Armyairfields have direct lines to thefacility through the main Armys w i t c h b o r d in Heidelberg.Those not having direct voicelines to the Heidelberg switch-board may c o n t c t AFOFthrough the regular telephonetrunk circuits on a priority basis.The Traffic Section has ten posi-tions that can be used for typingflight plans received from eitherthe Army airfields operations orfrom other flight service acti-

vities to which they are con-nected by voice circuits.Flight plans are called into the

facility in a standard formatwhich is furnished to all usersof the system. Upon receipt ofthe proposed flight plan it isidentified by position numberwhere copied date and time re -ceived initials of persons copy-ing the flight plan and initialsof person transmitting the flightplan. All conversations over thedirect voice circuits coming intoAFOF are recorded on tape witha separate channel for each posi-tion within the facility makingit possible to review any con-versation.

As proposed flight plans andactual flight plans are receivedin the traffic section they arepassed to a person designated asa router. The router checkseach flight plan for complete-ness of information and obviouserrors and acts as a coordinatorbetween the Traffic Section andthe rest of the facility. Whenactual off times are received onproposed flight plans he recordsthis information on the flightplan and then directs it to theFlight Following Section of thefacility for posting on the flightfollowing board.



17/36

FLIGHTFOLLOWING SECTION

This section ultimately receives all flight plans that comeinto the facility from any source.Incoming flight plans are directed to either the fixed wing or therotary wing section of FlightFollowing. They are checkedagain for completeness of information and obvious discrepancies before being placed onthe flight following board.

Exacting flight following procedures enable this section toimmediately d e t e r m i n e thewhereabouts of a flight at anyparticular time. All flight plansare filed on a viewing board innumerical order by the last twodigits of the aircraft tail number.Separate sections are used foraircraft flying into or within theAir Defense Identification Zone,VIP-carrying aircraft and medical evacuation aircraft, and forflights of a routine nature. Aircraft flying into or within theADIZ are flight followed on a15-minute base. This is to say,i f an ADIZ flight is 15 minutesoverdue at a destination, a com

munications search is initiated.)VIP and medical evacuation

.1ILl I

MAY 1964

flights are flight followed on a30-minute base, and for all otherflights the normal I-hour baseis used.

f an aircraft is making intermediate stops before reachingits final destination, these stopsmust be included on the flightplan along with estimated timebetween stops and time spent onthe ground. Gas expiration timeis included on all flight plansfiled with AFOF and this ismonitored very closely by flightfollowing personnel. After termiDJltion of the flight, the flightplan is removed from the board,properly identified by initials ofperson closing and time of closure, and filed by tail numberalong with all information relative to the flight.

TELETYPE ANDNOTAMS SECTION

This section receives flightplans by teletype from International Civil Aeronautical Organization ICAO) airfields andforeign military airfields and relays flight plans to these twoagencies. In addition to flightplans this section also receivesand transmits NOTAMs overthese teletype circuits.

IF YOU flAIJ cHc/ to / orAI1Sou wouL D H Vt KNOWN TH T

EASf G-fAr1AN Y is PPO kR MLIN .J

NOTAMs are received fromICAO agencies, foreign militaryagencies and from the Air ForceNOTAM Center of the Air ForceFlight Service activity. TheseNOTAMs are edited and filed foruse within AFOF, and copies are

sent to the Army Flight Information Detachment, which hasthe overall responsibility fore d i t i n g and disseminatingNOTAMs for the Army in Germany and other parts of Europe.

Other u n c t i o n s of theNOTAMs Section include securing PPOs (Prior PermissionOnly) for the use of restrictedairspace and facilities throughout Europe, assistance in secur

ing diplomatic clearances forArmy aircraft flights when requested, coordinating search andrescue missions, and handlingof advisories between AFOF,I C A 0 and foreign militaryagencies.

The Army Flight OperationsFacility is considered one of themost active flight service activities in the entire world, by totalvolume of DD 175 flight planshandled. For the past few yearsan average of 150,000 flightplans a year have been processed. The use of the facility isopen to anyone requesting theservices available. Many flightplans each year are processed forcivil, foreign military, and members of the other United Statesforces.

AFOF s areas of responsibilityinclude all Army airfields inGermany, all civilian and foreign

military airfields in Germany,non-USAF airfields in the Benelux countries and Denmark, andcertain non-USAF airfields inFrance. To accomplish this vastmission the facility is linked byvoice circuits to the Air ForceFlight Service activities in Germany and France, and throughthese two links access can begained to Air Force Flight Serv-

5


18/36

ice stations in England, Spainand Italy. Voice circuits tie thefacility to all the civil air trafficcontrol agencies in Germany forcoordinating instrument flightplans filed with AFOF. Then ofcourse there are all the means

of communications mentionedearlier, such as the teletype linesto enter the ICAO network, theteletype lines to the GermanMilitary Flight Service, and thenumerous direct voice circuitsto the Army airfields in Germany.

The support given by the AirForce Weather Service cannotgo unmentioned. At the faCilityin Heidelberg an Air Force

weather detachment handles thein-station weather briefings forall aviators flying from that airfield. In addition to the forecaster on duty with the clearanceofficer, other forecasters areavailable for telephonic briefingto any aviator in the field whohas access to the communications systems of AFOF.

Air Force weather detachments located a t Army airfields

in Hanau, Germany, and at

Stuttgart, Germany, provide essentially the same service supplied by the detachment inHeidelberg. An aviator in thefield desiring weather information need only contact the mainArmy switchboard at Heidelberg

for weather information.A new weather detachment

just recently added at the Armyairfield in Grafenwhor, Germany, handles the in-stationweather briefing for that airfield, with the possibility of extending that service to telephonic briefings in the nearfuture.

The Air Force does an excellent job of providing weather

service to Army Aviation inGermany. It is considered to beone of the biggest operations bytotal volume of DD 175 weatherbriefings in the entire Air ForceWeather Service.

AFOF exists in Germany tomake Army Aviation more responsive to the commander inthe field. It is providing a vitalservice in enhancing safe andexpeditious accomplishment of

the Army Aviation mission . . . . . .

I J) -'1J.-IJY 'r-I(.-IY.-l1W--Y(}U OULD N T GO INTO IAIY IR FOR E B SE Olf IJ 1 8 LOC L

16

PlayallI

M ANY RABID baseball fansrecall Ping Bodie, a baseball umpire who had a uniqueway of making a point.

Years ago Bodie was absorbing an unusually heavy amountof abuse from the fans whilecalling a minor league game inCalifornia. Suddenly Ping threwup both arms and stopped thegame. He walked up into thestands, adjusted his chest protector, and bellowed, "Play ball "

The team managers rushed upto Bodie and demanded to knowwhat he was doing. "Well, " Bodiedrawled, i f these folks can see'em better from up here, thenhere's where I'll call 'em from.Play bail "

Too often we find ourselvesreacting like baseball fans -blithely criticizing some aspectof Army Aviation as i f we werein the best position to judge allactions, when actually we'resitting up in the stands.

The least we can do , is take atip from Ping Bodie. He waswilling to view the situation fromall angles.



19/36

LOVEMYGOLDENVOI EDON'T SCARE

'WATCH

HOSEDUCK THAT

'- R R O W S ~

A-FRAME,MAC

THEY R POISON

Major Milton P. Cherne

MY GOLDEN VOICE

I love to hear my voiceRinging through the air

And when I use my radioMy golden voice is everywhere

Maj Cherne is Chief, Arma-ment Branch, Aviation CombatDevelopments Agency, Ft Ruc-ker, Ala.

MAY 1964

Irrelevant radio transmissions duringoperations are as effective as enemy

jamming capability

IEUTENANT/ scowled thecaptain, as far as I'm

concerned, the only reason UncleSam gave you that radio to usewas so you could listen. Don't

you EVER use that radio againunless you really have some-

thing important to say and thenbe brief, but clear. I don't likethe sound of your voice on thatbox and the only reason I letyou turn i t on is so you canlisten to me. How in blazes doyou expect me to control theunit when you're gabbing all ofthe time?

But, Sir, INo buts, Lieutenant, the

7


20/36

now raised voice replied. As faras I'm concerned this unit is onlistening silence all of the time.If your platoon were trained aswell as they should be and ifyou worked out a few local SOPsyou could control this recon platoon with few transmissions. DOYOU UNDERSTAND, LIEU-TENANT?

Yes, SIR, was my meek concluding utterance.

How many of us (aviators and

ground commanders) have beenthoroughly frustrated while onmaneuvers because of individuals jamming the net with ir -relevant transmissions. Their

efforts to relay a thought were aseffective as any enemy jammingcapability.

Flying is demanding and tedious enough w t h 0 u t goingthrough the throes of attemptingto soothe a thoroughly irritatedtemper. Even the patience of themost patient can be tried by adetermined operator who is going to get a message out, regard-less of his location, the strengthof his transmitter, or the sideeffect he is creating on the tactical situation.

After all, someone might havesomething really important tosay i f he would stay off the airlong enough for another operatorto send a message. This is a glar-ing sign of poor training duringmaneuvers, but i t is an unfor-giveable sin when you are ma-neuvering for real.

Radio discipline and unit

SOPs can materially reduce theuse of the radio. Let's listen inon the radio transmissions of oneof the helicopter units in Viet-nam after several months ofcombat support operations.must emphasize the word afterbecause they, too, had to learnmany things, to include the truevalue of the aircraft radio.

The mission will call for the

18

use of sixteen CH-21s, two TO-IDs, and two T -28 close supportairplanes. Already we have 38people who have direct access tothe microphone and who wouldlike to hear their golden voice onthe air - 38 sweaty palms withthe mike within easy reach oftemptation.

At 0515, the engine of Chalk#1, the lead aircraft, barks tolife and is rapidly followed by 15other CH-21s. At 0520, the firstFM radio transmission is made.

One to two, two to three, threeto four, etc., down the line untilthe last aircraft reports back toChalk # 1 The entire transmis-sion time was less than 30seconds. This ri l l was considered a must to ensure that allaircraft were recelvmg andtransmitting on the unit's as

signed primary frequency. f oneof the aircraft had neglected toreport in, the leader would havecontacted him on the secondaryUHF frequency. He would knowthat he would have to make onespecial transmission over theUHF channel to that aircraft i fan important change in planswas called for.

Slowly and awkwardly the 16

CH-2IC at altitude en routeto LZ during operationwith escort T-28 VNAF

cargo transports file out to thetakeoff position, followed by theTOs. They are barely silhouetted against the first gray lightof morning, giving them an eerieappearance. At 0530, the leaderpicks his ship up to a hover andremains motionless for 15 seconds. No more, no less. All ofthe pilots had been briefed for a0530 takeoff and are expectingthis maneuver. The 15 secondsgive them time to bring theirengines up to takeoff rpm andalert them for subsequent movement. The takeoff is accomplished without the use of theradio.

0534. Radio silence is momen-tarily broken by this transmis-sion: Chalk #16 closed. Thismessage indicates to the leadaircraft that the flight is in the

proper formation and he may increase his airspeed to normalcruise. All other aircraft havebeen monitoring the radio andupon hearing the transmission,expect the flight leader to slowlygain speed. This reduces the accordion effect of the flight. Theflight leader eases the nose of thehelicopter down and increaseshis speed to 85. The process is

U S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST


21/36

Hands are clammy; yourback is satur.ated withold-fashioned sweat, , , .

not an abrupt maneuver, but aslow gathering of momentum asthe flight moves forward intoa cloudless morning.

Ladyship One, this is Brushfire One over rendezvous, checking into the net.

Roger, Brushfire. Out.Ladyship One in the lead ship

breathes a small sigh of relief,knowing that the Republic ofVietnam T -28s are in positionand ready for the day's work. Itis a reassuring feeling to havefirepower immediately availableto wipe out targets of opportunity that could interfere with theaccomplishment of this mission.Transmissions to Brushfire mustnot be blocked by a crowded net.

0555. Flight, go to trail, go totrail cracks over the radio. Theleader pushes the ship up to 100

knots to permit the successiveaircraft to slip into the formationthat will be used for landing atthe troop pickup site. Each pilotdeftly eases his ship into thetrail position and makes his prelanding cockpit check.

So far, the radio has been usedthree times: twice on the tacticalnet and once on the UHF channel.

MAY 1964

0605. The crewchief of Chalk# 1 scrambles back on board andinforms the pilot that all aircraftare loaded. After helping histroops on board, the crewchiefhad temporarily dismounted andmoved to a vantage point to seedown the long column. As thetroops boarded the last aircrafthe immediately notified his crewthat all was in order and every

one was ready to go.Now Chalk 1 taxis out tothe lineup into a conspicuousposition. Immediately b e f o r epicking up to his 15-second alerthover he radios, Chalk Onerolling. f anyone is havingproblems, now is the time forhim to speak. No return comments are heard and the first aircraft lifts into the air and shortlythereafter initiates his takeoff.Once again the flight gainsmomentum and once again thelast aircraft calls when the flightis closed.

Now the flight is roaringacross the once docile countryside, keeping low and climbingonly high enough to avoidobstacles in its path. On theground the water buffalo arescattering, and surprised womenand children dash toward the

dwellings. Before they can react to the situation, the flighthas passed and is racing for theobjective.

Leader, this is Control. Over.Roger, Control. Out.

We now know that the TOwhich is acting as our eyes highabove our heads is in positionand has the flight pinpointed. Wealso know that communicationsare OK, and we will not haveto sweat the ground navigationquite as much. This does not relieve the lead ship of the responsibility for navigation, but isan excellent backup should theoccasion warrant it.

Now the personal tension isstarting to build up. Hands areclammy, your back is saturatedwith old fashioned sweat , andyou are keyed up to a high degree of alertness. The copilot isfeverishly studying his map andsoftly cursing to himself . Theditches are filled with water andlook like creeks, while the creeksare overflowing and look likestreams. At this speed and altitude, the countryside all looks

alike.Brushfire One, danger areamy right, along woodline. Comein parallel as I start approachin three minutes.

0623. Leader, this is Control;turn left zero five degrees. Youwill start approach in one fiveseconds after crossing next treeline.

This simple transmission tookweeks to develop. It is extremelydifficult to look down and judgethe speed of the low flying choppers, much less to time their approach and the distance theywill cover after initiating theirflare for landing. For this reason, the same pilot always flewin the lead ship. His habits,traits and idiosyncrasies becameknown to control and the rest ofthe flight. They know withinfeet, how far he would coast be -

19


22/36

fore termi:pating at a hover anddischarging his troops. With thisknowledge, they could pick theirspot in the area and make a precision approach rather thanfloundering around the area.

0625. "Chalk One starting ap-proach."

"Chalk Four, automatic firethree o'clock.

"Chalk Ten, fire eight o'clock."Roger," to both replies comes

from Control Two (TO-ID). Hehas converged on the flight atthe objective area and has theposition of each helicopter in theformation embedded in his mind.When a ship calls out that he isbeing fired on, three things happen simultaneously. First, Control Two mentally fixes the loca-tion of the fire in his mind withgeographic references. This willpermit him to assist the RVN at -tack aircraft in finding and de-stroying the target. Second, thegunners of the other ships arealerted to the danger area andbegin to pour huge amounts ofmachinegun fire into the threat.Last, the ship behind the one

calling out the fire throws asmoke grenade out the door to

further assist the support aircraft in locating the target.

Control Two can give them aheading and distance from thesmoke with less radio chatterthan he could i he had to de-

scribe the geographical referencepoints. Although the intercom isfilled with excitement and instructions, the radio net remainssilent. All ears are tuned foradditional fire locations and instructions from the lead ship.Without a word, Chalk 1breaks ground and takes off, fol-lowed by the rest of the flight.There was no need to encouragepeople to get out of that place.

0644. "Flight, go to trail." Andonce again the choppers line upfor landing. As the rotor bladesgrind to a halt, the flight leaderheads for the CP to receive anya d d i t i o n a instructions orchanges in plan. The crewchiefsand gunners carefully inspecttheir ships for bullet holes orother damage while one pilotfrom each aircraft assembles onthe center ship. At this locationthey will be debriefed by intelli-

gence and remain for furtherverbal orders from the flight

leader. The pilot remaining withthe aircraft can take it easy, butmust be prepared to start theship up immediately if we alldart for our aircraft on a deadrun. This means trouble and

every second counts.At long last the flight is re

leased to return to home base.The flight leader briefs the flighton the accomplishment of the as-sault and gives them a startengine time and the formationthat will be used going home.Without further ado the flighttakes off and forms up withthe last craft giving the onlytransmission: "Chalk Sixteen,closed.

Thirty minutes later thec o n c I u d i n g transmission isgiven: "Flight go to trail, go totrail."

It is with a feeling of reliefand a sense of accomplishmentthat the 16 helicopters are guided into the landing formation attheir home base. It will seem likea relief to be able to get out ofthe ship and talk to someoneagain.

Before you reach for thatmike, THINK

RVN ranger comp ny sets fire to house occupied by suspected V while escort UH l st nds gu rd


23/36

,I , \

, ,/

I

I S A I.: MRj1 t

I

Like little snowballs roaring down a long hill minormaintenance discrepancies can become big problems in a short time.

And who is the man in the best position to stomp on thesesnowballs while they're still small to catch discrepancies

while they're minor? The maintenance test pilot key to anyunit's preventive maintenance program.

I

Unit Test ilots

This article is written with pri-mary emphasis toward helicop-ters ; however the ideas ex -pounded for unit maintenancetest pilot training could also beapplied to fixed wing aircraft.

MAY 1964

WO Joseph R onnor

AN EVER-INCREASINGnumber of aircraft are being added to the Army inventory,and it would be logical to assume that a larger number ofunit test pilots are needed. But

the depletion of experiencedmaintenance test pilots through

Mr. Connor is with the Con-tact Division Branch III Deptof Rotary Wing Tng USAA VNS.

2


24/36

qu lified test pilot would gre tly

id your m inten nce officer

attrition and promotion has beenfelt in many units.

We cannot afford a gap in replacement of this very specialtype pilot. He is essential to theoverall effectiveness of the aviation unit. His responsibility isfar-reaching in providing fullyoperational n d mechanicallysafe aircraft, also in detectingminor discrepancies and ensur

ing that they are corrected be.fore their devastating effectshave time to deteriorate thesystem or component. Many ofthese minor discrepancies arepossible contributing factors ofmany past accidents labeled

Pilot Error. .Take the case of an accident

that resulted in extensive damage to a CH-34C due to a latepower recovery from a practiceautorotation. Consider these possible contributing factors: stiffthrottle, throttle correlation lowcollective pitch heavy. f one ormore of these minor discrepancies had not existed an accident might not have occurred.

Take the same discrepanciesabove and consider the pilot wholost rpm on takeoff with a slingload and subsequently settled inon top of the load. Both accidents were labeled Pilot Error.

Costs of these type accidents areenormous.

The Aircraft Maintenance Officers Course is presently training officers in subjects pertinentto the maintenance and test flying of aircraft. This is a goodapproach to providing maintenance officers whose duties arevery complex and include suchthings as coordinating aircraft

requirements with the operationsofficer coordinating maintenancerequirements n d schedulingwith the next higher echelon;serving as maintenance advisorto the unit commander, and asmaintenance platoon leader; andmany other administrative andsupervisory duties. he maintenance officer just doesn't havetime to test fly all the aircraftassigned his unit. Consequentlyhe must rely on other pilots toperform the duties of unit testpilots.

These pilots mayor may nothave attended the A M Ccourse. Experience is a goodteacher, but this method has theinherent problem of requiringyears to build satisfactory knowledge. What type test flights willbe performed while pilots arebecoming experienced? For example let's take the pilot whohas 2 years experience as a testpilot in a CH-34 unit. He istransferred to a CH-21 unit andgets his checkout in the aircraft before arriving at the unit.Naturally he would not be assigned to test fly CH-21s untilafter he had become much morefamiliar with the aircraft. Experience is a long drawn outprocedure as a teaching method.

Formal training, followed by experience is by far the most preferred process of learning.

We have seen the need fortechnical inspectors and havemade satisfactory progress inobtaining and training selectedindividuals in this field. I t isdifficult to retain commissionedofficers in maintenance jobs atuser level due to promotions and

career patterns. Would it not beadvantageous to train warrantofficers as test pilots so promotion would not affect assignment?

The warrant officer could betrained in test flight proceduresby specific types of aircraft in aformal course of instruction. Thecourse should include groundschool and flight training. Thiswould result in a tremendoussaving to the Army since thetest pilot could be assigned toany unit, regardless of echelonof maintenance. His formal training together with experiencewould enable him to become ahighly skilled technician who

would improve our availabilityrate and reduce our accidentrate.

Diagnosing maintenance discrepancies and correcting themis very important, but norie theless important is establishingmaintenance practices and procedures that will r e d u c erecurring discrepancies. f themaintenance officer had a graduate from a formal course of instruction, he would have at hisdisposal a highly qualified testpilot a man who could assisthim greatly in preventive maintenance.

I feel that by developing andmaintaining current a worksheetas complete as the inspectionguide of the -20 or more so wecould systematically include additional ground and inflightchecks that would enable thetest pilot to detect more dis

crepancies sooner there by providing more advance notice onparts needed. Also detecting andcorrecting minor discrepanciesbefore further damage is donewould greatly reduce the requirement for spare parts andunscheduled maintenance. Theend result would be higher availability rates and fewer accidents.

The test flight worksheets



25/36

could be initiated during theaircraft s initial 1,OOO-hour acceptance test. More technicalassistance is available and moreconcentrated flying is encountered during this test than at anyother time. Many of the problemsthat will be encountered in thefield are encountered during thetest but cannot be entirely eliminated by engineering changeproposals (ECP). Therefore,known problems and potentialproblem areas along with routinecheck items should be listed onthe test flight worksheet so thepossi bili y of omission on su bsequent test flights will not exist.

The Equipment Improvement

Report (EIR) provides an excellent program that could beused to disseminate informationArmy-wide, that could be usedto maintain current the test flightworksheets. This would also provide for more consistent partsusage Army-wide, since all aircraft by type would be receivingthe same thorough testing during each complete test flight.

In conjunction with the establishment of a formal course ofinstruction for maintenance testpilots and a revision of the current test flight worksheets, amanual should be written to

provide the test pilot with pertinent information regarding:

Aerodynamics,advanced(general)

Semi-rigid rotorFully articulated rotor

single and tandem)Rigid rotor

Theory of flightTail rotor driftTransverse flow effectTranslational liftBlade stallGyroscopic precessionCorriolis effectDissemetry of liftTilt of the main rotor mastAutorotationsOther pertinent subjects

Vibrations (normal andabnormal)VerticalLateralLow frequencyMedium frequencyHigh .frequencyElaborate on courses,

methods of detecting andisolating

Blade track - dynamic andaerodynamic unbalance,mixing of high and lowtime blades, ground andflight checks

Tail rotor balance check(installed)

Engine power checksTemperature and altitude

effects (turbine and pistonengine)

Formula for determiningactual power output

Sample chart to recordperformance for eachcheck

This chart would be used tocheck for any deterioration of engine performance

Engine analyzer and vibration detector operationand interpretation

Flight instruments andnavigation radios

Operations

Inflight testing (tolerance)Radios, operations andtolerances

Much of the above informationis found in a number of books,manuals, and other publications.Some duplication may be necessary. Some publications, such asTB AVN 23-16, could be incorporated in this manual. The needfor thorough training and providing sufficient information andguides for the test pilot to prepare and perform complete testflights and thoroughly evaluatethe performance of the aircraftcannot be overemphasized.

Would your unit test pilot be dequ tely trained to test fly this Mohawk after maintenance pulled a P E

MAY 1964 3


26/36

Have you considered a flight standardization team asone method of reducing your accident rate? e r e ~how

one team is accomplishing its assigned missionin this type of operation.

evtandardization n

~

T'S 0730 HOURS, and today isany Monday. The month

doesn't matter either, for theSeventh Army Aviation Safetyand Standardization Detachment(SAASASD) is readying itself

for another visit to a SeventhArmy Aviation unit, as it hascontinually since 1959.

At Stuttgart Army Airfieldthe home of SAASASD, few

heads turn any more at the sightof the team normally four men,preparing for takeoff. They usually travel in a U-6A the ubiquitous Beaver.

The pilot and copilot for theflight to Anywhere, SeventhArmy, check into base operationsand pick up the tail number ofthe aircraft assigned to the team.They move quietly upstairs tothe flight planning room andto the Base Weather Stationmanned by Detachment 6 ofthe 7th Air Weather Squadron.Pleasantries are exchanged onthe way with the weather operations officer representing the AirForce at this otherwise all-Armyinstallation.

A flight plan is filed and calledin to AFOF, Army Flight Operations Facility [see page 12], with

24

the tentative takeoff time affixedand the team leaves operationsfor the ramp. They will be gone3 to 5 days.

What is the Seventh ArmyAviation Safety and Standardization Detachment (SAASASD)?What is its job?

The purpose of the detachmentis to provide a standard methodof instruction, administer flightexaminations to applicants forinstructor p i l o t qualificationconduct transition training, anddetermine the proficiency of aviators in the various types of aircraft . The detachment also ensures that proper and uniformstandards are used in performing the flight procedures andmaneuvers for assigned aircraft.The unit also provides a nucleusfor the Standardization Boardand the Instrument Examining

Board.A need for standardization

w a s recognized by SeventhArmy in 1953. They began bysetting up a formal Method ofInstruction course run by theSeventh Army Aviation Schoolat Stuttgart Army Airfield. Itsmission was to make certain thatthe various maneuvers in Armyaircraft were being done in the



27/36

Captain Robert C Cook Jr

th Arllly

MAY 964

Below leftIP keeps critic l eye on Army

Aviator as he makes preflightcheck on UH 1B

BelowConcentration s shown on f ce

of aviator s he takes writtentest for IP rating

25


28/36

same way by standardizing unitinstructor pilots. This providedone solution but the units wereunable to spare the aircraft orthe personnel for the time required to train instructor pilots.

In 1955 to preclude the loss ofthe aviators and aircraft fromthe unit s mission the Method ofInstruction course was dropped.For the next four years SeventhArmy made little change in itsapproach toward standardizationuntil the Aviation accident/incident rate showed the need for

Capt Cook is assigned to the16th Aviation Detachment APO46 U S. Forces.

a more active program.In 1959 a two-man standardi

zation team was formed. Theytraveled throughout S v n t hArmy, giving checkrides written tests and instruction as required. The results seemed to begood but the physical requirement was far above the capabilities of two men. t was practically impossible for two aviators tobe current and proficient in alltypes of aircraft and accomplishall the requirements of standardization.

In 1961 still using the twoman team, the additional missionof procuring and publishingchecklists instruction guides

IPs prepare for a postaccident checkride at Darmstadt Army Airfield

26

and standardization guides to bused by Seventh Army Aviatorswas assumed by the Standardization Board.

With this additional missioand the increase of aviation iSeventh Army, the need forlarger board was obvious. INovember 1961 Seventh Armyregulations authorized certainunits to have standardizationpilots for certain types of aircraft. At the same time it callefor a Standardization Boardpresident to maintain controlover the proceedings of thboard members.

On 1 July 1963 the Standardization Board became thSeventh Army Aviation Safetyand Standardization Detachment, with a 50-man complement. This change enlarged thteam from four to nine officemembers and increased the number of office personnel. The new

IPs pull preflight on UH 1B



29/36

detachment includes both thenucleus of the StandardizationBoard and the Instrument Exam-ining Board. The commandingofficer of the detachment ispresident of both boards, underthe operational control of theSeventh Army Aviation Officer.A visit is made to each aviationunit in Seventh Army twice ayear, and assistance can begiven to any unit which requestsit.

The Seventh Army FlightSafety Officer accompanies theteam on each visit to check andstandardize aviation safety re -quirements. The new TD pro-vides for an aviation safety of-

ficer as a member of the detach-ment, since standardization andsafety are inseparable.

Each aviation unit is notifiedsix months before the plannedvisit of the StandardizationBoard members by the Seventh

Army Aviator checks UH 1Brotor blades during preflight

MAY 1964

Army Aviation Officer. He givesthem the date and the period oftime the members will remainwith the particular unit. f thereis any conflict with the scheduleddate, the unit can request read-justment. There is further com-munication between the SeventhArmy Aviation Office and theunit involved as the date ap-proaches to ascertain readinessfor the scheduled visit.

When the team arrives, theyare met by the unit commanderor one of his representatives.They sit down with the com-mander and go over the programin detail. However, the visit hasjust begun. The Standardization

members organize classes ontraining, safety, and standardiza-tion. Spot checkrides are givento aviators picked at random todetermine their individual pro-ficiency and the standards re-quired and maintained by the

unit. Flights with instructorpilots make certain that they areinstructing aviators in their unitaccording to accepted and estab-lished procedures. The team canalso give instrument checkrides.

Most aviation unit command-ers realize the advantages to begained by presence of the teamand request further assistancein specific areas.

After these classes instructionrides and flight safety talks, theteam gives the commander anhonest evaluation of his unit sproficiency. Each team membertakes comprehensive notes. Uponreturn to Stuttgart, they file aformal report to the Seventh

Army Aviation Officer. TheSafety and Standardization De -tachment is his source of inf -mation on the state of readinessof the aviation units to performtheir mission under all condi-tions.

Seventh Army IP loads his baggage in a U 6 at Darmstadt Army Airfield.Destination: Anywhere in Seventh Army area.

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30/36

s nsPRE PAR E D B Y T H E U S A R M Y BOA R D FOR A V I A T I O N A c e IDE N T RES EAR C H

AJOINT FIELD training exercise was taking

place on rolling, heavily wooded terrain. AnArmy Aviator flying an OH-13H had a battalioncommander as his passenger. Here, in the pilot'swords, are the events leading to the accident:

At approximately 1200 hours, I received awarning about jet strikes in my area. Since wewere in the vicinity of the colonel's jeep, I suggested we return so that I could shut down. Thiswould conserve fuel and he could monitor theradio from his jeep.

The landing site, on the side of a hill, was thesame place I landed in to pick him up thatmorning. The best spot appeared to be near whereI made my first landing, on a trail leading up tothe crest. I saw that a pile of logs was stackedon the downslope side of the trail, but it wasnext to the most level looking spot on the trail.

I had no difficulty in landing, other than re -quiring nearly all of my left cyclic to get my rightside down.

I shut down and got out to inspect the r -craft. I was mainly interested in oil leaks sinceI had been using a little over a quart an hour.

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One two buckle my shoe.Three four shut the door.

Fivesix

PI K U

STI KS

While inspecting the right side of the engine,

saw that the right skid was approximately onefoot from the pile of logs.And here's the passenger's description of th

accident:The pilot checked to see that I was in th

harness and we checked the intercom. At 120hours we started to take off.

We were facing approximately north and thright side was on the downhill side, near the woopile. I believe the skid hit on a stick of woodwhich was out further than the rest of the stackThe wood pile seemed to 'peak' as it was lifted

tappeared that we'd knocked over most of thwood pile and almost made it. We gained spee

rapidly but could not level off. I fel t severaviolent jolts which I believe were caused by thblades hitting the ground. Then we crashed oour right side and plane parts flew everywhere.

The aircraft was a total loss, but the pilot anhis passenger escaped with minor injuries. Thaccident investigation board did an excellent jobTheir report is an outstanding example of thway accident reports should be prepared. It



31/36

complete in every detail and well supported with

evidence.The board found that this accident was caused

by selecting a landing site near an obstruction, bynot recognizing the hazards presented by thewood pile and by not taking corrective actionto move the wood pile or decrease the weight onthe right side of the aircraft by having the pas-enger exit while the aircraft was moved to a

more suitable pickup point. The board recom-mended that these cause factors be given widedissemination to all aviators.

The flight surgeon's analysis and recommenda-

ions in this report also bear repeating.nalysisThe possi bili ies of a successful takeoff were

severely jeopardized when the pilot selected aanding site on a 100 slope to the right with anobstruction 2 feet in height, just 12 inches off hisright skid. When the aviator failed to recognizehis peril and take corrective action it wouldappear that an accident was almost inevitable.

That the aircraft slid or moved to the rightbefore or immediately after lift-off is indisputable.

MAY 1964

=: ::

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32/36

Possibly contributing to the lateral movementare the following: the force on the aircraft causing it to 'hang' perpendicular to the rotor blades,the 10 slope which required all or nearly all ofthe available left cyclic to level the aircraft, thedisproportionate weight on the right side of theaircraft of at least 75 pounds (considering about

3pounds of field gear plus the weight differentialbetween pilot and passenger). The disproportion

is greater i f you accept the contention that gasoline flowed from the left to the right tank duringthe 30-minute interval the aircraft remained onthe slope.

Possible corrective actions, had the pilot beenaware of the aerodynamics involved, would in -clude removal of the obstacle and lessening theweight on the starboard side of the aircraft.

There were no psychological, physiological, orpathological factors considered contributory inthis accident. Sleep and diet were adequate andthere was no evidence of fatigue.

I t is important to note that the pilot's helmetwas cracked just over the left ear. This is indicative of the amount of force absorbed by the helmet. The aviator was apparently wearing thevisor in the up position but i t fell down abouthalfway at impact. The lower portion of the visor

over the left eye was broken off but not shattered.Had the visor been in the down position thaviator would have been better protected. It wanot determined i f the shoulder straps were tighhowever the locking lever was in the unlockedposition. The inertia reel was locked. This injurycould very probably have been lessened i f th

shoulder straps were tight and the locking levein the lock position. The helmet worn by thpassenger was thrown free. The chin strap wanot fastened.Recommendations

1. That the cause factors and aerodynamicprinciples discussed in this accident report bconsidered and brought to the attention of aaviators who may profit by them.

2. That aviators are reminded of their rsponsibility to see that their passengers as well asthemselves are properly prepared for takeoff, i.e.helmet in place and chin strap snapped, labelt and shoulder harness snug, etc.

3. That aviators place the shoulder harneslever in the lock position on all takeoffs and landings.

4. That aviators place their visors in the dowposition for all takeoffs, landings, and low-leveflights.

Seven eight l y them straight.

Nine ten . It s Happened AgainThis time without the sticks. t was another

field training exercise and the OH-13H pilot hadcarried his passenger to several areas in theirsector. We take up his story from this point:

We flew around the area for several minutesand decided we should discuss the situation withthe troop commander. We located him in a posi

tion along a road. flew over his position anddecided to land in an area on the left side of theroad. The field was half plowed and half in grass.

As approached, noticed there was a slope tothe field. However, I thought the slope was notexcessive for landing. picked an area on thegrass next to the plowed field. As came to ahover, set the left skid down first and then theright. As started down on the collective control,I felt the aircraft starting to slide down the slope.I started to apply co1lective pitch when the right

30

skid stopped on something, causing the helicopterto tilt on its side, and the main rotor blade structhe ground. We hit on the right side, flipped bacup, landed upside down, and rolled to the righwhere the aircraft came to rest.

Investigators measured the slope at the scenof the accident and found it to be 11.8. From

this and other evidence, they arrived at thescause factors:ttempted landing on slope which exceeded th

safe operating limitations of the OH-13H aircraft.The surface of the intended landing site was

smooth frozen ground presenting an additionalhazard for a slope landing.

Failure to use correct emergency proceduresafter the aircraft had exceeded a right bank7.5 below the horizon in that the pilot continued to apply power and collective pitch wit



33/36

he aircraft beyond the angle of cyclic control.During a post-accident flight examination, i t

was noted that the pilot had difficulty with the use

f collective and cyclic controls during slopeperations. It was also noted that he had difficultyn judging slope angles.

Here's what the USAA VNS says about OH-13lope operations: "Slope landings should be maderosslope with the skid type gear. Landing on alope requires a delicate and positive controlouch. This helicopter must be lowered from therue vertical by p l ~ c i n gthe upslope skid on the

lope measured 11.8

ground first. The downslope skid is then loweredgently to the ground and, at the same time, corrective cyclic control is applied to keep the rotor

plane in the true horizontal (assuming wind conditions). f the pilot runs out of cyclic controlbefore the downslope skid touches the ground, hewill know the slope is too steep and should recover before completing touchdown. Inexperienced pilots are prone to lower collective pitchtoo fast or fail to use sufficient cyclic control tokeep the rotor disc parallel to the true hori-zontal.

Don t Turn BackThe Bird Dog pilot lined up on a 1,500-foot PSP

unway for his fourth takeoff of the afternoon. Head been flying o s e ~ v e rover a beach landing

being made by a transportation medium boatompany. Several times he had also flown as theggressor and "bombed" these troops with flouracks.

The mags were checked, fuel pump turned on,nd the flaps lowered. Everything was O. K. and

MAY 1964

the throttle was rammed forward for takeoff.When the aircraft reached 200 feet, the flaps wereretracted, and the fuel pump was turned off. At300 feet, as the pilot eased the throttle back toclimb power, the engine had a momentary interruption of power (usually referred to as a cough).Instinctively the pilot closed the throttle andstarted an immediate steep turn to get back tothe runway

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34/36

The plane went into analmost vertical descent

Could you finish this story? Most of us wouldvisualize the pieces strewn over the ground, witha crash truck speeding for the scene to make afutile effort to save a life. Not so in this case.This pilot escaped to fly again, though the ir -craft sustained major damage.

After the pilot started the turn, it was followedat once by a stall. The plane went into an almostvertical descent, as witnesses later stated. Thepilot fought for control all the way to the groUIld.Before impact, he had the wings almost level, andthe angle and rate of descent had been shallowedconsiderably. Impact was made 1,000 feet shortof the runway in the sand that surrounded thestrip.

The left gear was sprung up and back and thebulkhead was ripped by the impact. The propellerwas curled inches on each end as it contactedthe sand. When the aircraft bounced, the pilotapplied full power and regained flying speed. Asthe plane came over the end of the runway, theleft gear was held off as long as possible. Upon

contact of the damaged gear with the runway, theaircraft veered to the left edge of the runway andcame to a stop 90 to the runway.

Several actions in this accident need furtherscrutiny, but the one I consider the "beginning ofthe end was that the pilot attempted a return tothe field from such a low altitude.

It is very doubtful that a student aviator couldgraduate from flight training without being warnedby his instructor never to turn back to the air-field on takeoff when the altitude attained is less

32

than 500 feet in a liaison plane or 1,500 feetheavier types. Any turn exceeding 90 undthese circumstances was fOl'bidden. Yet most us have had that irresistible urge to turn back tthat long, smooth runway behind us. That migbe a fatal decision i f we don't quickly realize thinsufficient altitude exists to complete the rquired 180 turn.

f you want to fully realize the altitude thatnecessary to complete a 180 turn with poweoff and only climbing airspeed, try it yourselfan 0-1. Climb to at least 2,000 feet and, from thaltitude, start a normal climb at 2300 rpm andmph. When you reach 2,500 feet, cut the throttleand start a 180 turn, maintaining 80 mph all tway around. f you can complete the turn withoulOSing 230-250 feet, it will be an exception.

There are two big reasons for not attemptinga 180 turn from a low altitude back to a field y

have just left. It requires considerable altitudecomplete the turn and you are on the verge ostall i f the turn steepens.

What are the advantages in going straight ahei f you get an engine failure on takeoff? The greaest advantage is that you have control of yoaircraft up to the moment of impact, and it cbe maneuvered into the most advantageous position. With control over positioning of the fuslage, you are assured to a large degree that toccupants of the aircraft will walk away from tcrash.

Another advantage of descending straigahead is that you remain in flight longer amore time is available to initiate emergency prcedures. When you make a steep turn therelittle time to devote to anything else. The mortime the pilot has, the less likely he will be panic. The pilot of our 0 1 did panic. He closthe throttle when the engine coughed and i t wnot reapplied until after the impact

Many indecisions that have occurred duringtakeoff emergencies could have been avoidedthe pilot had taken the time earlier to learn tforced landing areas near the airfield. With

knowledge of the accessible areas in front of hihe would not be so tempted to turn back to tairfield behind him. Learn those areas arounyour field before this happens to you.

The next time you make a takeoff, be prpared. f that never happen to me emergenoccurs, take a deep breath, flip your switches, alook for an opening ahead, but DON'T TURBACK

Many thanks to apt B. W. Addy for sendinus Don't Turn Back.



35/36

Major Ephraim A Berry

How's------ our

R Naviga t ionUPPOSE YOU are on a VFR

flight in a U-6A aircraft.

Weather is clear and 1 to 3 milesvisibility in smoke and haze.Forecast winds have proved reliable during the first portion ofthe flight. You have been usingradio as your primary means ofnavigation. Suddenly the "off"flag pops up on the omni receiver, and no amount of cranking onthe coffee grinder gets you a usable signal from any station. Youreach up to tune in the ADF andreceive only a deafening silence.

What now? Do you reach forthe big red panic button? Or doyou reach for your E-6B computer and use that old fashionedand sometimes virtually forgotten method of getting from pointA to point B - dead reckoningnavigation.

Today s navigation equipmentis highly reliable; however, anypiece of mechanical equipment

can fail, and you may be the onewho is up there when it does.

Army aircraft are operating inareas of the world that have fewif any of these aids. In addition,many of these missions will beflown at low altitude over terrainwith few if any prominent checkpoints.

Documents

Army Aviation Digest - May 1964