And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Probably wondering if the upcoming flight is his last. Seriously, there is one that flies over the house few times a month. Very distinct rotor sound, mire like a deep base thrumming, pretty cool seeing those props going round, they don't rotate very fast, and its pretty fast.
I''m glad I retired before the 'fixed it and made it safe to operate'. I think there was a 12 or 15 year overlap between fielded and 'fixed it'. The MH53s were a much better ride.
Spoken like a man who never watched the collection of parts flying in a loose formation that was the -46, fight its way into the sky with all the grace of a slow-motion crash, and rattle along against all laws of physics, in a machine older than the squadron COs by the late '80s. They were nothing but flying greasepits leaking every fluid known to aviation all over the inside, with all the grace of a gooney bird, where half the cacophony inside was engine parts grinding, and the other half was the din of millions of rivets and bolts loosely clattering against one another while the sides vibrated into and out of position. They looked, sounded, and felt like Optimus Prime, having a seizure, every time they fired up the engines.
The CH-46 should have been retired and replaced by the late 1970s, but the Corps always gets hind teat when it comes to naval aircraft procurement, but a 1956 machine was carried in active service until 2015, when they finally couldn't put any more duct tape and baling wire on those flying turds. To put it in perspective, if fixed-wing squadrons had been in the same position, they would have been flying F-86s...until 2012. Which was like flying the Wright Flyer until 1953. And about as asinine and insane.
The -46s had their day. They passed it. And for lack of a better replacement, had to be used far beyond any decent interval, well into total obsolescence, until they were such rattletrap tooth-loosening antiques that they were finally retired by a Commandant who had just been born when they first flew, and about 5 minutes before they started falling out of the skies from sheer exhaustion and metal fatigue.
Probably wondering if the upcoming flight is his last.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, there is one that flies over the house few times a month. Very distinct rotor sound, mire like a deep base thrumming, pretty cool seeing those props going round, they don't rotate very fast, and its pretty fast.
see them infrequently in Northeast NC.
DeleteI''m glad I retired before the 'fixed it and made it safe to operate'. I think there was a 12 or 15 year overlap between fielded and 'fixed it'. The MH53s were a much better ride.
ReplyDeleteThey are still junk , bring back the 46.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that
DeleteSpoken like a man who never watched the collection of parts flying in a loose formation that was the -46, fight its way into the sky with all the grace of a slow-motion crash, and rattle along against all laws of physics, in a machine older than the squadron COs by the late '80s. They were nothing but flying greasepits leaking every fluid known to aviation all over the inside, with all the grace of a gooney bird, where half the cacophony inside was engine parts grinding, and the other half was the din of millions of rivets and bolts loosely clattering against one another while the sides vibrated into and out of position. They looked, sounded, and felt like Optimus Prime, having a seizure, every time they fired up the engines.
DeleteThe CH-46 should have been retired and replaced by the late 1970s, but the Corps always gets hind teat when it comes to naval aircraft procurement, but a 1956 machine was carried in active service until 2015, when they finally couldn't put any more duct tape and baling wire on those flying turds. To put it in perspective, if fixed-wing squadrons had been in the same position, they would have been flying F-86s...until 2012. Which was like flying the Wright Flyer until 1953. And about as asinine and insane.
The -46s had their day. They passed it. And for lack of a better replacement, had to be used far beyond any decent interval, well into total obsolescence, until they were such rattletrap tooth-loosening antiques that they were finally retired by a Commandant who had just been born when they first flew, and about 5 minutes before they started falling out of the skies from sheer exhaustion and metal fatigue.
one-way, please.
ReplyDeleteMarine Murder Machine.
ReplyDeleteYou wont catch me dead in one of those.
ReplyDelete