Milliontrax

Yeah I dont want this thread to turn into a pissing contest. Last time I asked similar questions about an F-16 and someone accused me of trying to learn startup procedures so I could steal one! I think we all get where my curiosity is coming from. Every hollywood movie makes sure to glorify cockpit procedures of aircraft, but they often leave things unanswered for us detail oriented sticklers. I just try to walk the fine line in between. I wont waste my time asking what kind of resolution the longbow radar can read targets at or how the hellfire missile sees a laser designator. Answer whatever questions you are comfortable with, and a major thanks to alphaone for satiating my appetite for knowledge, all of which I think is well within the grounds of harmlessness. Watching Black Hawk Down on Netflix right now lol.

Thanks a lot alphaone, the questions about how the engines and drive systems work are actually the most fascinating for me anyway so that's what I was most hoping to learn about and you answered them perfectly. Could you explain what the following protrusion is and how it connects to the engines? I assume it's a drive shaft to the main rotor but find it odd that it could be placed in front of the engine if exhaust gasses are what drive the system. (Perhaps the shaft is connected to the rear of the turbine and runs straight through the compressor?) I also have a question that has long plagued me regarding control inputs and blade pitch. So I understand the swash plate tilts putting pressure on a pitch rod that shifts the angle of each rotor blade. What I'm wondering is when the aircraft is moving in any direction other than straight up; it seems to me that the pitch of the blades on one side would have to be greater than on the other in order to generate unequal lift and tilt the helo over (for instance leaning to the left). If this is correct, does that mean the blades are oscillating rapidly up and down as they spin? It seems like this would make for a pretty bumpy ride. Is the ADS (air data sensor) the only component for measuring altitude/airspeed? Does the apache lack a standard pitot tube and static air pressure monitor like an airplane would? And while you may not know this, are these kind of wobbling ADS's on every helicopter? I've seen it hanging off the front of the Cobra helo's, not sure I've seen it on Blackhawks and other's though. If not, why wouldnt they use this and what do they use instead? Who is truly in command during flight? I've read that the pilot is usually the senior crew member in the apache and the gunners seat is where everyone starts. Yet I have seen several videos of cockpit footage where it appears the gunner is issuing commands to the pilot. Do they exchange command responsibility of the aircraft as needed? And I dont mean passing of the controls. For instance the gunner see's a target and thus tells the pilot where to fly to engage them. I feel I have also seen footage where it seems the pilot is telling the gunner what to shoot and for how long. How do the pilots work together? And do they ever fly alone or do you always fly with a wingman? Speaking of passing the controls, cockpit pictures seem to depict the gunners seat as having smaller input devices to work with. They do not seem as large or robust as the pilots, most likely to make room for extra gunner equipment. Is this correct? While it is possible for the gunner to completely control the apache, is this only done for emergencies? I assume they do not regularly hand off controls to each other, nor would anyone want to fly from the gunners seat.

Thanks guys I totally understand not being able to discuss certain details, I'll take what I can get since everything fascinates me so much. Other question - do the crew fly around with the monocle HUD thing in front of their right eye at all phases during flight? Or do you only adorn that during combat? On the D model apache's the gunner has some kind of mounted googles in the center stack he can plant his face into (replaced with a 3rd screen on the new E models it seems). I thought the monocle eyepiece handled all targeting and firing operations (including flight instrumentation). What is the relation between these 2 devices and how are each effectively used? The new E models appear to have vectored the exhaust from the engines straight up into the main rotor. I assume this improves heat dispersion to avoid tracking (and maybe adds some de-ice to the main rotor?)

Sorry to bump this thread but I've been reading all of nightmare's posts with intrigue. Had a few questions of my own I didnt see answered. Also I got attacked on a different forum asking questions about F-16's once so I understand if any of this information is classified or whatever. I dont work for NK, the taliban, russia, etc. Just someone who fantasizes about flying for the military imagining what my routine would be like. Could you describe the startup sequence for the engines in the apache? At what point do the engines begin delivering power to the rotors during startup? It seems like it would take an incredibly strong electric starter to begin spinning one of the turbines and the main rotor all together at the same time. Does the first engine spin up, ignite, and then engage the rotors via some sort of clutch? Or do the rotors begin spinning the second the engine starts trying to spool up? Every startup video I have seen seems to suggest the latter, whereby the rotors slowly start spinning immediately and you can hear the turbine spooling up before it ignites. But then again I saw one apache startup video where it appeared both engines must have been at idle or something because suddenly the rotors just instantly jerked into near full RPM, almost to the point where you would think they were damaged in doing so. Maybe both options are available and the engines can fully disengage at will? What does the 2nd engine do before ignition while the first engine has the entire aicraft powered up? Does it just sit there spinning? What is this thing? The gunner users the larger optical array located at the front of the helo right? And the pilot has a smaller rotating unit that sits above. Do both possess the same range/capabilities? Or can the gunner see much further from what appears to be a much larger lens? How fast can you become airborne when called to duty? I know for instance in the air force and navy they have some kind of "quick reaction" line whereby a few aircraft are already fully pre-flight and basically ready to just start the engines and take-off at a moments notice, thus giving them mere minutes to become airborne if called in for some kind of emergency. Do apache pilots operate with a similar system? When you arent on some kind of quick reaction line (if it exists), how long does it take on average to actually become airborne from the moment you step inside the cockpit? How long is your internal preflight regimen before you lift off? Do apache pilots ever have missions that consist of just loitering about the area so they can respond to emergencies? Or is every flight a preplanned attack on a specific target? When ground troops call in support for apache's how long do they usually expect to wait? Like if there is an emergency and they are under fire do they sit back for a solid 30 minutes or something? It seems like unless there were 1000 apache's flying all over iraq every day it could take quite awhile to reach assistance on occasion. What do you do when you're not flying? Like if you only go up 2x per week, what is the rest of the time spent doing? Planning the next mission? Flying the simulator? Doing completely unrelated tasks like paperwork? Just sitting around bored off your ass watching TV? You mentioned blackhawk pilots get more airtime than apache pilots simply because there's more for them to do. How much more time are we talking here? Do they get to fly damn near every day? Would you even necessarily want to fly more than you do right now? Or is twice per week enough to satisfy you and you could actually use the down time? How many apache pilots do you know of that have nothing more than high school degrees? I know to become one that is all that is required, but I'd figure everyone would be applying for flying jobs if it were that easy. Do you find that most army helo pilots possess additional education beyond just a HS degree? Like an associates degree most likely? Or is there a realistic chance that most people really could just walk into a recruiters office, request to become a pilot, and assuming they are pretty intelligent and do well on all of the tests actually land a slot? Thanks for whatever questions you are willing to answer :)