RAF Merlin crash at NAF El Centro

[CelticWarrior]

http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2 ... news01.txt

Quote from some wag on a military aircrew forum;

"I can just see the entry in the F700 [tech log] now - Merlin turns over, but fails to start"

[Victory103]

Dust landings under NVG's = not fun. Glad everyone got out and hope those injured recover fast.

[CelticWarrior]

Yep, don't know about you guys, but we call it brown-out. The dust equivalent of the snow white-out.

[Victory103]

We do as well, and train for them prior to deployment to the Sandbox. We also are required to practice them once we arrive in theater, normally in Kuwait. Our Army was testing software to allow one to land from a hover in these brown-out conditions without a outside reference. There are different techniques, but the one we use has kept me safe, but that's not to say I wasn't "sucking up the seat cushion" on a few!

[CelticWarrior]

"sucking up the seat cushion"

Brilliant phrase! Been there, done that, got the stains

[Joecoastie]

"Pucker factor" was the term 45 years ago!
You ought to do a few automatic transitions into hover in the middle of the night in the North Atlantic in the pitch-a$$ dark. No outside reference.
100 ft altitude - 100 knots - punch the button - and pucker up 'til you are at 0 speed - 40 foot hover.
Loads of fun. Ah, but we were young and fearless (foolish?).
JB

[Victory103]

Joecoastie,
Those are scary in the back as well in the SH-60. One of the reasons I hated doing night ASW, didn't really want to give blood for losing a sonar dome to Neptune.

[CelticWarrior]

Done that too, just the once though, that was enough for me. I did a week exchange with a RN 'pinger' Sqn, coincidentally on Merlin.