The AH-64 Apache Thread

[Nightmare515]

I dunno, if you look at the tail wheel before he hits the pedals, it really looks like they have some inadvertent "extra" left pedal in there, and at 3:31, they take that pedal out and straighten it up.

 

Also, re: 5088, did Rucker also have a 5086 that you remember? 5086 was mine for almost 6 years, before it became a D-model (it was 84-24234 as an A-model previously).

Hmm after looking at it closely it appears you might be right about the tail wheel.

 

And yeah 5086 is still at Rucker as well.

[AlphaOneSix]

And yeah 5086 is still at Rucker as well.

 

Wow, I really appreciate it...I always wondered what happened to her after I left. As an A-model, she was mine from 1990-1995 (C/1-3AVN at Hood then C/2-101AVN at Campbell).

[Nightmare515]

Wow, I really appreciate it...I always wondered what happened to her after I left. As an A-model, she was mine from 1990-1995 (C/1-3AVN at Hood then C/2-101AVN at Campbell).

Yup she was definitely there. I was digging through some old boxes and found a few old PPC's. I used to write our aircraft issue numbers on my PPC and I saw one that said 5086 so I've flown her down there. Its pretty cool to hear that she used to be yours all those years ago.

[topol-m]

an awesome display at Riat 2014:

[genbrien]

... HMD (the symbology in your eye)...

 

Do you get any eye strain after long use of it?

[Nightmare515]

Do you get any eye strain after long use of it?

When I first started out I did because it was just weird having something right in front of my eye like that. After awhile you get used to it being there. You're supposed to adjust the focus of the symbology to where you "look through" it and kinda read the information in your peripheral vision while looking outside. A lot of new pilots (myself included for months) tend to crank the brightness up too high and focus it wrong to where theres a huge bright green thing in your eye that gives you a headache. Most of us do it at first because we aren't able to read the symbology and look outside at the same time with the same eye and we are afraid that if we turn the brightness down we will miss something.

 

My first few weeks in the Apache course in flight school gave me a massive headache because I was trying to use my left eye to fly outside and use my right eye to read the extremely bright symbology. Once I learned to turn it down and look outside with both eyes all was well.

[Spyros]

AH-64A at a recent airshow in Greece.

Sound quality is bad, but it's got recordings from cameras placed on the helicopter.

 

[genbrien]

Thank you very much Nightmare for your answer :)

[Yurgon]

In the DCS A-10C QUESTIONS thread I learned that the A-10 and the F-16 have exactly one com cord connector for ground crew intercom (I always thought there were several such connectors located around the aircraft; don't know how I got that wrong).

 

So, a question for the resident Apache experts: Is there just one such connector as well? And where is it (or where are they, in case there are several) located?

[fixen]

${1}

Edited August 24, 2014 by fixen

[AlphaOneSix]

In the DCS A-10C QUESTIONS thread I learned that the A-10 and the F-16 have exactly one com cord connector for ground crew intercom (I always thought there were several such connectors located around the aircraft; don't know how I got that wrong).

 

So, a question for the resident Apache experts: Is there just one such connector as well? And where is it (or where are they, in case there are several) located?

 

Well the A-model has two, one on each wingtip. I don't know if they moved/deleted them from the D-model, I never asked nor did I examine the few I had access to that closely.

[Yurgon]

Well the A-model has two, one on each wingtip. I don't know if they moved/deleted them from the D-model, I never asked nor did I examine the few I had access to that closely.

 

Thx! :thumbup:

[Nightmare515]

Well the A-model has two, one on each wingtip. I don't know if they moved/deleted them from the D-model, I never asked nor did I examine the few I had access to that closely.

 

D models only have the 2 on the wingtips as well. Not sure if the E model has more or not.

[Yurgon]

D models only have the 2 on the wingtips as well. Not sure if the E model has more or not.

 

Thx for the confirmation. :thumbup:

[fixen]

Somehow the youtube link isn't working?

 

[Nightmare515]

Somehow the youtube link isn't working?

 

Now THAT is freakin' cool!

[EagleEye]

Somehow the youtube link isn't working?

 

 

That maneuver the last Apache did, went wrong in another vid I remember...:music_whistling:

[Nightmare515]

That maneuver the last Apache did, went wrong in another vid I remember...:music_whistling:

 

It went wrong in the other video because they were trying to do it in the mountains with insufficient power to perform the maneuver. That video is shown to every class in flight school now to stress the importance of accurately calculating a performance planning card and actually reading it.

[topol-m]

Out of interest, what happens to you if you crash a multi-million $ aircraft in a similar fashion... and supposedly live to face the consequences? Do they kick you out of service, do they take your house, car, etc... :) Or they just send you to a refresher course and tell you "Be more careful next time!".

[EagleEye]

It went wrong in the other video because they were trying to do it in the mountains with insufficient power to perform the maneuver. That video is shown to every class in flight school now to stress the importance of accurately calculating a performance planning card and actually reading it.

Yes, sure.:) Good to know that they show this vid in the classes now.

 

If I may ask: How many flight hours you get normally in a month? What is the minimum on hours you need to preserve youre military pilot license? (just to fly the Apache, weapons and so on are another story, I guess)

[Nightmare515]

Out of interest, what happens to you if you crash a multi-million $ aircraft in a similar fashion... and supposedly live to face the consequences? Do they kick you out of service, do they take your house, car, etc... :) Or they just send you to a refresher course and tell you "Be more careful next time!".

I've heard a few different rumors about what happened to that pilot who crashed. A few people say she got slapped on the wrist pretty hard and is still flying. A few other people say she got sent to the flight eval board and was kicked out. A few other people said that that particular video was the second bird she crashed and she crashed one previously as well.

 

Not really sure what the truth is. Same goes with the "ole ye of little faith" guy who tried to buzz through the gap in the trees.

[Nightmare515]

Yes, sure.:) Good to know that they show this vid in the classes now.

 

If I may ask: How many flight hours you get normally in a month? What is the minimum on hours you need to preserve youre military pilot license? (just to fly the Apache, weapons and so on are another story, I guess)

The amount of flight time you get depends on a lot of things. It depends on your unit (some units just fly more than others) it depends on your readiness level and it depends on your Flight Activity Category (FAC).

 

New pilots will fly a lot in most cases in order to get experience and get to readiness level 1. When you graduate flight school you aren't really good enough to go out and fly with the other pilots. When you get to the unit you will fly with an instructor pilot much the same as you did in flight school. The IP there will evaluate you for awhile and sign you off as being able to fly without somebody holding your hand. That can take anywhere from a few weeks to months depending on how well you do. Once that happens you are considered Readiness Level 1 (RL 1) and you are now a regular pilot in the unit and can be anyone's front seat guy rather than having an IP with you.

 

So the new guys tend to fly a lot at first so the unit can get them out of the training wheel stage quickly. A friend of mine flew 2 hours a day every day for 3 weeks in order to progress to RL1 quickly. We don't fly that much normally though. Average pilots will fly anywhere from twice a week to twice a month depending on a huge variety of things.

 

I guess the easy answer to your question is in order to stay current in the airframe most people have to fly once every 60 days. But those figures change too depending on if you are actually doing pilot things or if you got assigned to a desk somewhere etc.

 

Sorry I don't have a straight forward answer, there isn't really a set answer but I hope that helps.

[EagleEye]

Thanks for the answers. If you want to talk about and allowed to do it: How about your flying currently? Are you assigned to an active unit now and do you get many flight hours?

[Nightmare515]

Thanks for the answers. If you want to talk about and allowed to do it: How about your flying currently? Are you assigned to an active unit now and do you get many flight hours?

Well our unit is averaging a couple times per week in my company. Some of the new guys are flying more around 3 or 4 times a week. Yes its an active unit.

 

Me personally Im not flying at all right now, I'm on leave ;)

[EagleEye]

Me personally Im not flying at all right now, I'm on leave ;)

To a combat theater?