My dream coming true?

Hmm well I love all helicopters and have always wanted to fly/ride in one. Well due to the move I am finally in a school that has the ROTC put on by the Air Force. Sad to say I couldn't join just because of the time of year I came in and stuff, but they did say I could go on a trip to the air force base with the ROTC members the 28th.

From what some of the members say they will take them up in helicopters and show them around. So maybe I will be lucky enough to go on a ride. If not I know for a fact they will let you sit inside them, and tell you about them grounded, I have already seen the inside of a few military vehicles because of random shows they put on in parking lots they give people tours and tell them what they are for and stuff.

But I am just excited because I may get to sit in a helicopter that will be flown. who knows

anybody else love helicopters or done this before? and would you be willing to tell me how it was.

sorry to burst your bubble but that's nothing compared to this:
airshow.
tons of helicopters:
went inside, and in a ride on a UH-1 "Huey" still have the pics
and news helicopter
now im no fan of heights but it was awesome.
so i think you'll enjoy it

I got to go to the base the 9th and got to check out a b17 bomber used in WW2 it was pretty cool, I was going to stay to watch it take off, but I had to leave.

And that helicopter I got to go in was a black hawk used during 'nam it was refurbished and all (look what the military uses tax payers money for haha) but still pretty cool.

oh and as for getting off the ground in it I do not mind, I only got to ride in an airplane 2 once going to cali once coming back it was the coolest thing I have ever done. I also want to get my airplane licence someday, and do my helicopter tests and stuff. one reason why I think going into the military isn't that bad. they will pay for everything and your certification follows you even after you leave so I think it would be cool but it's just me.

the blackhawks were pretty kickass
and they also had these big helicopter support gunships
killer....

I went to some museum with my friend one time and they had a WW2 Abrams tank that we got to go in. It was pretty freaking cool.

Flew in the crew-compartment of a Seahawk during a mock SAR operation when I was a Civil Air Patrol Cadet. Was a great experience and got me thinking about working towards a helo license...but I quickly abandonned that idea as I realized the total cost of heli flight training is $12,000-$35,000....

Then got to drive a navy RIB at Seabase in San Diego, which may have topped the Seahawk

Oh and I flew in a LAPD Sikorski when I was rescued last winter...
http://www.airsoftallies.com/the-lounge-f42/picturesof-my-rescue-t4104.htm?highlight=rescue

Yeah, I do think it's kind of sad how us civilians are so amused by all these vehicles, and yet our troops see them as death traps when they are fighting, and see them every day it's nothing new to them and see it them as a car we would see everyday.

anyways helicopters FTW

I believe I've won this little "cool-heli-experience-off".

Um.... lonesniper, I'm terribly sorry to inform you, but Blackhawks weren't around in 'Nam. We used Hueys, Sea Knights, and Chinooks back then.

Sounds like a fun little event though! Did you make friends with your... I think AFJROTC would be squadron leaders? I'm trying to say your equivalent to MCJROTC's Platoon Commander.

Not sure if platoons in the Marines are the same as in the Army, but when we competed at nationals, we went by Army field manual so the equivalent would be a Flight Commander

Jarhead999 76 65 wrote:

Um.... lonesniper, I'm terribly sorry to inform you, but Blackhawks weren't around in 'Nam. We used Hueys, Sea Knights, and Chinooks back then.

I was gonna say....

I do like helicopters (gunships, preferably), but then I think about it and realize that I probably am not cut out to be helicopter pilot. Oh well, I still have Battlefield to satisfy all of my piloting needs.

@ROTC
That sounds about right. Dang, I really need to learn the equivalents of MCJROTC ranks and unit makeups.

@ Spl Durkee,

Quote :

I believe I've won this little "cool-heli-experience-off".

We don´t want to travel down that road, do we ??

@ Jarhead,

Quote :

We used Hueys, Sea Knights, and Chinooks back then.

Your right, the Blackhawk wasn´t even thought of during that era, the list of Heli aircraft used is long, including older Korean War vintage, to all kinds of modified versions of `` Newer ´´ birds developed specificly for service in Vietnam.

The U.S. Army's main transport was the UH-1 Huey (officially the "Iriquois"), models B thru H. We used the AH-1G Cobra as a gunship, an armed escort in the later years, along with some UH-1Bs and Cs, converted transport models. In the scout function, the inimitable OH-6 "Loach" (officially the "Cayuse", but universally THE Loach, from LOH- Light Observation Helicopter) and the OH-58, the military version of the ubiquitous Bell Jet Ranger. The Army also had some CH-54 Skycranes as the big vertical lift machines. Which were tested as troop transport Helicopters when coupeled with a Conex Container.
Earlier in the war, the Army used piston-engined H-34s and H-21s as transports, and Oh-13s and OH-23s in the scout role. I believe there was some attempt to use the CH-37 as a transport, but there were very, very few of them.
The Air Force, Navy and Marines also used helicopters. Each of these services had variants of the Huey. The Air Force also had: the H-43 Husky; the HH/CH-3; and the HH-53. These last two were the big Sikorskies, famous as the "Jolly Green Giant" and "Super Jollys", which Navy also used.
The Marines added to the following to the list: the H-34, most famously the D model, the "Dog"; and the H-46, both also used by the Navy.

well sorry I have been seeing to many helicopters I am getting confused sorry.

As for the AFROTC well I'm not sure really the highest rank I have seen was the flight commander and the only reason I know that is because his shoulder ropes (I'm not sure about the names but they are gold ropes that are wrapped over his left shoulder with a little metal deal on the end.), and hes in my French class. I haven't really talked to him much though I get yelled at when I do, and the other members I hardly see.

@lonesniper
They yell at you?! Why?!

@slob
And don't forget, the Marines also gave the world the Cobra, the world's first chopper specifically designed to be a gunship.

@Jarhead999 76 65

Sorry, but you are mistaken, the Army is responsible for the AH-1, its first field version was the AH-1G, first ordered and to see service in 1965 with the Air Cav, the Marines required improvements to the then in service model, the most benificial being a Twin Engine version, allowing the Cobra to carry more armements and improvements to the Armor Tub protecting the Pilot and Gunner, the Marine Version, AH-1J ( Super Cobra ) first saw service in 1968, and has been the base model for all other improvements since.

Didn't know that. Hey, you learn something new everyday! Thanks for the correction, slob.