I was highly amused to see that a couple of Coast Guard pilots have converted a 1970's-vintage Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopter fuselage into a travel trailer.
Task and Purpose has the whole story. Click over there to read it.
I found it particularly amusing because I often flew in South African Air Force Puma helicopters, in the operational area of South West Africa (now Namibia) and in Angola. It's no fun to sit, looking out the door, and watching tree-tops go past above the helicopter. Those pilots believed in low altitude to avoid shoulder-fired ground-to-air missiles. It worked (at least for the helicopters on which I flew), but at the cost of some heart-stopping moments when maneuvering in a steep bank at full speed, ten feet off the ground!
That Puma travel trailer looks a whole lot more peaceful . . .
Peter
Now *that*'s beating your sword into a ploughshare . . .
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your helicopter rides would make your butt pucker bad enough to almost turn you inside out. Better you than me. Glad you survived to tell about it.
ReplyDeleteThat is SO freaking cool!
ReplyDeleteCoasties...sigh
ReplyDeleteMy brother flew Blackhawks near the end of the Cold War and flew low like that, even at night while wearing NVGs. He says he was usually told/ordered not to do that when flying VIPs, but not always...
ReplyDeleteI have a 1953 Bell H-13 fuselage in my yard. Got it from a gentleman who ran the Albany OR airport for several decades.
ReplyDeleteDon in Oregon
As a former Army crew chief on Hueys and Blackhawks, I loved the way we flew "down in the trees". Especially when the pilot was a CWO that had combat experience. A boring flight was one I didn't have to clean tree marks off the chin bubbles post-flight.
ReplyDeleteA game we played. See how many grunts we could make puke their breakfast up. The crew chiefs hated that little game. Nap of the earth is survival. We started with 60 in flight school. First day they took us on orientation rides. 6 or 8 quit after that ride. The stupid ones ( like Moi) ask if we could go again..... Not the brightest bulb me.
ReplyDelete