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The World’s Most Iconic Helicopter | CH-47 Chinook

Mar 20, 2024
Right behind me is one of the

most

iconic

and heaviest military

helicopter

s ever built. It may seem strange that a

helicopter

capable of carrying so much can fly at such impressive speeds, but I think you'll find that there are many things about this machine that make it one of the

most

recognizable helicopters in the

world

. Now, if you're ready, I think it's time. Today we're here with the Illinois Army National Guard to get our hands dirty with the CH-47 Chinook. (upbeat music) Every now and then a machine comes along that is so well designed that its usefulness does not change over time.
the world s most iconic helicopter ch 47 chinook
A good example, the mouse trap and while this machine behind me is much more complicated. It has achieved a similar status. Over the years, the CH-47 has carried out missions around the

world

and its capabilities are astonishing. But before we get too far, I want to take a second to delve a little deeper into what makes the mighty Chinook so impressive. (upbeat music) The CH-47 has its origins in the Vietnam War, where it was first introduced in 1961. Like many US military helicopters, the name Chinook comes from a Native American tribe that was located in Washington state .
the world s most iconic helicopter ch 47 chinook

More Interesting Facts About,

the world s most iconic helicopter ch 47 chinook...

It was designed to perform the Army's heavy lift missions, which can range from moving cargo and equipment on the battlefield to transporting troops and delivering critical supplies on humanitarian missions. At first glance you will realize that this helicopter is huge. (Camera clicks) In fact, standing right next to it in person, it's even more enormous, 52 feet long to be exact. And when the rotors are included, it has a mind-blowing diameter of 98 feet. The shape of the Chinook's fuselage is quite different from that of typical helicopters. And instead of a tail rotor, there is a second main rotor elevated on a pedestal to prevent the two sets of blades from colliding with each other.
the world s most iconic helicopter ch 47 chinook
With a top speed of 170 knots or 196 miles per hour, this thing can cruise straight through the sky, allowing the Chinook to efficiently transport cargo and troops to the battlefield. If you're wondering how such a large helicopter is built to accomplish such a demanding mission, let me introduce you to these two engines right here. The Honeywell T55 that gives the Chinook its

iconic

look. These engines have powered all Chinook flights since it was first introduced in 1961, and over the years Honeywell has made several different modifications to increase the capabilities of the engines today. The T55 engine produces 5,000 shaft horsepower, a 150% increase over the original model manufactured in the early 1960s.
the world s most iconic helicopter ch 47 chinook
In fact, Honeywell currently has another upgrade in the works, as the CH-47 will fly for at least 40 more years. It must be prepared for the next generation of fighters. The future seven-seat 14 upgrade will bring engine shaft horsepower to 6,000, doubling the operating range for missions with maximum payload. (upbeat music) Pretty impressive, right? Now, if you're like me, you're probably wondering if this thing comes with guns. Technically, being a cargo helicopter, the answer is no. However, the Chinook is often used in air assault missions to transport troops in and out of combat. And for these situations, up to three M240 machine guns can be equipped.
However, the real protection comes from the fact that in these combat environments, the Chinook is usually escorted by AH64 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. (helicopters whirring) (upbeat music) (machine gun fire) Now, the Chinook's real advantage is its carrying capacity. There's a huge internal cargo area that can carry up to 28,000 pounds, but hey, you don't have to take my word for it. Let's bring in an expert, the individual responsible for managing everything that happens here. (upbeat music) - That's Sergeant Josh Biagioni, Illinois Army National Guard flight engineer on CH-47. What you see behind me is pretty much all my responsibility, everything from maintenance, launching the plane, cleaning it, everything inside falls on me. - Alright. - If you want to join me for a moment, we'll talk a little more about what we do.
Regarding maintenance, we have to know every detail of this helicopter. Anything that may have a problem is up to us to fix, but also, as a flight engineer, anything that happens in flight is our responsibility. So anything that comes in or is hanging underneath falls on us. We will make troop movements, we have seats for 33 cargo. If it fits inside, we will transport it. As long as it does not exceed our minimum limitations. And if it's too heavy, we'll load it underneath. And that's where I'll walk to this hole here. And with my tail obviously stuck to the ground, half my body will be hanging out of this hole to hook whatever we're going to drag underneath and that becomes my responsibility.
When we're not doing that, we can carry more, they're called ERFS, extended range fuel systems. We can take them together to power other planes or literally anything that fits inside. Much of the movement of cargo falls on us. - As you can see, the Chinook has some pretty notable capabilities. It has done a great job staying up to date and is capable of carrying several times more payload than any other helicopter used by the military. So now that we've seen the back, that's only half of it. And if you're ready, I tell you we move to the front to check the cabin.
But before we do that, I think we'd better contact someone who can tell us all about what it's like to fly such an amazing helicopter. (upbeat music) - So I don't understand the cool intro. - I promised. I just didn't want to overdo the slow motion and come on, your pilot is already super cool anyway. But seriously, I'm very excited to introduce you to Mike Heuer, a non-commissioned officer in the Army National Guard who has been flying Chinooks for almost 20 years. - Hello everyone. I'm Warren Chief Officer Michael Heuer of the Illinois Army National Guard and I'm lucky enough to be able to fly these things all over the country. - Yeah, I mean, from my time here so far, it's been amazing to see the capabilities of this thing, but I've yet to get the pilot's perspective on what it's like to fly the Chinook. - Well, I'll tell you what, let's take a look around out here, and then I'll show you the cabin and we'll go back out.
I'll show you where all the magic happens. (laughs) - It will be amazing. Let's do it. (upbeat music) Okay, Sam. Well, obviously you can tell we look different from any other helicopter out there. - Yes. - We have tandem rotor systems, so we don't have a tail rotor like a conventional helicopter, but then it allows us to use all the power of our engine for lift instead of stealing anything for any anti-torque, which which creates an incredibly stable platform. . - Yes, before I was talking about the rotors being like 100 feet in diameter. So I can't imagine what that must be like. - A super stable, super huge and is a great fuselage to fly.
So, Sam, I know you've already talked a lot about these motors, but let me tell you that we have two and each of them makes about 5,000 shaft horsepower, which is a lot of horsepower. - Yes. - The most important question we usually ask ourselves is what happens when an engine fails? Well, the rotor system is synchronized through drive shafts that never interlock. And even if one engine fails, each engine has enough power to keep us in the air. (upbeat music) We've talked a lot about the things that make this helicopter unique, but one thing we haven't gotten right are the three cargo hooks on the bottom. - Yes, I've seen them down there.
I see you guys can carry some pretty heavy things. - Yes, we carry it, we use it to transport external cargo, which makes loading and unloading much faster than if we carry it inside. And that way we can move things around the battlefield much faster. - That's great. Look at those things. (upbeat music) - Okay, Sam. Like I said, this is where the magic happens. Here we have our multifunction displays where we can display our map data and all of our systems information to monitor what's happening with the aircraft and what's happening with the mission and all that.
We have about seven radios that we can use to communicate, a cyclic and thrust control sticks are flight controls and give us all the information we need. Hey, Sam, I have to get ready for a flight. That will take off here in a few minutes. We have an extra seat if you want to join us. That would be crazy. - Well, I would suggest that you maybe change your clothes. The back can get quite dirty. - I always come prepared. I think I have something that will work. - Alright. (upbeat music) - While boarding the Chinook, it was very nice to hear the sound of the rotor turning as the pilots began their pre-flight checks to prepare us for takeoff.
I really wish you could feel the power of the rotor wash this helicopter produces. But I guess you'll have to take my word for it for now. Flying on a military aircraft is always very exciting, but when I found out that I would be sitting in the jump seat for takeoff, I literally couldn't wait. Although I will say that getting into the seat was a lot more difficult than I had imagined. (upbeat music) Once I was all settled in with my headphones and seat belt, the pilot began the short taxi to the runway. While yes, technically, we could have launched directly from where we were.
Helicopters still have to follow rules and that meant moving a little further away before taking off. After a few minutes we were finally ready to go and I watched the ground disappear from below as my flight aboard the mighty Chinook was officially underway. (upbeat music) Our flight today wasn't scheduled to be very long. However, it was enough time to get a taste of what it's like to fly in a CH-47. We did some instrument work in the local area and had some fun flying at low level over some rivers and streams. I know I say this a lot, but I'm always amazed at the skills of military pilots just by watching them fly safely while managing radio calls, checking flight maps, monitoring radars, and also chatting with me to make sure I'm having a good experience. . good time.
It was really cool to be a part of it. Oh yeah, and as a side note, I kept forgetting that you had to hold down the calm button to talk, so the pilots had fun with me talking aimlessly, probably having no idea what I was saying. I decided to move from the jump seat to the cargo area, to mix it up a bit and get a different perspective for our return flight. Although I didn't get to see it on this flight, sitting in the back made me wonder how cool it would be to see airborne troops parachute out of this Chinook.
It's crazy to think that 33 soldiers fully loaded with their gear could fit into this thing and perform any number of missions wherever they are called to go in the world. As we headed back, it really hit me how amazing this experience was and I think the pilots were having a bit of fun too because just before landing, I gave the Chinook one last try while we did what I like to call tactical turns. And I swear you can definitely feel some G forces. (upbeat music) (helicopter rotors whirring) Well, guys, that was absolutely crazy. The Chinook has always been one of my favorite helicopters.
And being able to spend the day here with the experts repairing and flying it was amazing. Thank you all for keeping an eye on this one. I hope you learned something new and as always, see you next time. (upbeat music)

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