Did Mi-24s often take off above the 11500kg weight in real life?

[CrazyGman]

So I was hoping to get some clairification on this. In game 100% which accourding to big newy is the "ideal" weight to operate and maintain the life of the aircraft is 11500kg. This however isn't the max takeoff weight, which accourding to sources can be anywhere between 11500kg, and 12500kg.

 

This makes sense because if you take 2 external fuel tanks the aircraft is above 11500kg in weight all fueled up. Oviously these setups would be situations where you would do rolling starts, and in the case of emergancy these stores can be jettesoned to bring the weight back to a safe level. I'm just curious how often this practice of exceeding the 11500kg weight was used?

 

I feel the manual will give us more insight when we get it in full, but if anyone has some idea let me know.

[Rick50]

hmm... I was just thinking, if you had external fuel tanks, still quite heavy with fuel, and suddenly had to eject/drop those tanks... would that potentially be destructive to the HIND ??? Or any helo for that matter? I mean, an instant drop of  heavy weight, might do strange things to the rotor blades, the disc shape and dynamics, maybe damage the rotor hub... flap the blades as the fuselage unloads of significant weight...  but I dunno, am neither a heli pilot nor an expert in rotorbirds!

[pappachuck]

It actually takeoff with way more than that.

They developed a maneuver to take off using the front nose wheel only.

The wings are said to give 25% extra lift. Mi24P was used like a plane.

[AlphaOneSix]

1 hour ago, pappachuck said:

They developed a maneuver to take off using the front nose wheel only.

 

Please do not perpetuate this myth. This "maneuver" is for showing off and for airshows and has nothing to do with improving the takeoff characteristics of the aircraft. Accelerating with all three wheels on the ground is the method used to accelerate through ETL for taking off while heavy.

[pappachuck]

The "myth" is very real : 

 

it is used in high AGL, heavy load takeoffs. It is made to make maximum use of wing lift. 

[AlphaOneSix]

You're not my target audience, I'm hoping other people don't read this and think it's a real maneuver for anything other than looking cool.

Edited June 21, 2021 by AlphaOneSix

[Rabies]

Running take off is used by many helicopters, why strain the engines when pulling max weight when you can role down a runway and game lift. Also, we see it often in Afghanistan as there is the added issue of elevation above sea level and heat. In Vietnam you would often see the Huey C model gunships sliding down the runway to trans into translational lift. Sure you can reduce your fuel level, as you see in many DCS users, but why, when you can face and practice the added challenge of taking off heavy.

 

I’ve made a few mission with the Huey. One taking off at sea level with a crew of four, 2000Ib of internal cargo and a full fuel tank. This involved running take offs, a prolong flight through the mountains in high humidity and heat and land at an elevated mountain top outpost.

 

the other is a medieval, full of fuel, hot humid and some elevation, requiring to hover down into a drop hole in the middle of the forest and load up three injured. Hovering back out requires minimum movement of the cyclic and delicate adjustments of the collective to keep the rotor rpm on the border of green\yellow, and you are being shot at by small arms lol. 
 

getting to know the characteristics of each aircraft is fun. 

[AlphaOneSix]

Yes running takeoffs are great for taking off heavy. I get the feeling that the Russians intended for running takeoffs to be used in all cases where the aircraft exceeds “normal” weight. Just a hunch. In Afghanistan we routinely loaded our aircraft to their max gross weight for the conditions and used rolling takeoffs. We’d be so heavy at takeoff that the aircraft couldn’t do an OGE hover until we’d burned off about half an hours worth of fuel. (About 300kg)