61 Lessons From The Sky: Military Helicopters by Fletcher McKenzie

Author:Fletcher McKenzie [McKenzie, Fletcher]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Squabbling Sparrows Press
Published: 2020-10-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

COMMUNICATE & AIR CREW

“This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why, in generality, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed buoyant extroverts and helicopter pilots are brooders, introspective anticipators of trouble. They know if something bad has not happened it is about to.”

Harry Reasoner

Clear, Concise, Coherent, Consequences

UH-1N, United States Air Force, 1st Helicopter Squadron

Capt. Adam Ackerman, July 2008

I had recently been upgraded to aircraft commander during my first assignment. I was still the newest aircraft commander in the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. It was a great feeling to know leadership now trusted me to maneuver a UH-1N Huey helicopter and command a crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer) in the highly visible and security-restricted National Capital Region. This area includes a great number of America’s treasured buildings and monuments, and its security is vital to the government’s continued operation. Helicopter flight provides a panoramic bird’s-eye view of the lively District of Columbia and more than a few unique memories; however, I can no longer recall any details from the standard 2½ hour helicopter flight that occurred just a couple of years ago. What I do remember are the events and lessons that followed. The sequence taught me that the responsibility of an aircraft commander extends beyond maneuvering an aircraft and managing a crew.

The flight itself was of the most popular flavor, vanilla. After shutdown, I remained strapped in and started to work on the aircraft forms while the flight engineer hopped out and began to walk around the helicopter and conduct the required post-flight inspection. The crew chief met us at the aircraft and began his standard duties. About the time I finished the forms and was ready to help finish the post-flight, the flight engineer told the crew chief and me that he had discovered some fuel on the deck of the No. 2 engine compartment. The puddle was a foot or two in diameter and definitely a concern for an aircraft the size of a Huey. We poked and prodded around looking for the source, and checked the general condition and security of everything in the compartment. After a few futile minutes, I returned to the forms to write up the leak. The crew and I then gathered our personal equipment and went inside to avoid interfering with maintenance and to finish our post-flight duties.

A few minutes later, I received a page over the intercom from the Supervisor of Flying (SOF) to report to the operations desk. I already knew what was coming (a maintenance ground run for the aircraft), so I grabbed my helmet and checklist on the way. The SOF delivered the expected news, and I went to the aircraft to meet the crew chief again. I conducted an extensive ground run with the crew chief, but there was no evidence of a fuel leak in the engine compartment during operation or post-flight. I documented that no leak was discovered during the ground operations and returned the aircraft to maintenance.

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