Chinook rescue

[Fleetmaster]

This photo was taken by a soldier in Afghanistan of a helo rescue mission. The pilot is a PA Guard guy who flies EMS choppers in civilian life. Now how many people on the planet you reckon could set the ass end of a chopper down on the roof top of a shack on a steep mountain cliff and hold it there while soldiers load wounded men in the rear??? If this does not impress you ... nothing ever will. Gives me the chills and a serious case of the vertigo ... I can't even imagine having the nerve ... much less the talent and ability ... God Bless these military!!!!!

 

[hndrsonj]

There's multiple photos just like that from the Pakistan earthquake relief. There was no where to set a helo down, so we would just get a wheel or two down and offload.

 

[CARNAC]

Yep, this is called 'tailgating' . If you look back through pictures of Vietnam. You will see a picture of almost the exact same thing happening on a mountaintop firebase.

 

[oifvet]

Pretty dag-gone impressive! That man (and his crew) deserve a pay raise, or a case of something, (to drink)!!

Awesome!

 

[citizensoldier]

If I remember right thems prisoners they loaded not wounded.. But however you look at it its impressive. Must be another hello next to it for the shot?

 

[gimpyrobb]

I dunno, I think this looks like a model. The people don't look right and there is too much stuff on the ground that should have been blown away.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I am wrong.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/rooftop.asp

 

[oifvet]

Digital (photography) does that. Just something about it.

I'm guessing that whatever could have been blown away, was.

 

[CARNAC]

chinook rescue

I found a photo of a tailgate op in Vietnam but it is not the one I was really looking for. There is actually one that is very very similar to what this photo from Afganistan shows but haven't found it on the web yet. Anyway here is one from years go.

PS: Not taking a thing away from the pilot in afganistan. He definate has balls!

 

[gunner01]

RE: chinook rescue

considering the proximity of the trees to the left and down the props would be cutting the trees down the length of those props are greater than the distance to trees it is digital photography as for tailgating it is/was a common practice but on ly for special ops. I also agree with the lack of prop wash no leaves or trees are bent or rattleing and there appears to be items that would blow away or into the rotors. I think it is a fake.

 

[oifvet]

RE: chinook rescue

I still find the CH-47 one of the most impressive helicopters I've ever seen. Just big, dang birds. Whoop-whoop-whoop!! Love 'em!

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

RE: chinook rescue

They are quite the ride. I know the feeling of being underneath one waiting to pick up a sling load is quite unnerving. It really helps to know Jesus when one of them is two feet over your head and you are trying to hook the anti-static clip to the helo and hook the sling in the next few seconds. They really look cool at night in night vision since the rotors produce a large amount of static that shows up like ball field lights in a PVS 14. We owe a lot of credit to the chopper pilots they are protecting our ground troops and speeding casualties to the hosptials.

I think the most impressive helo flying I have seen though is when a Canadian Coast Guard chopper came in to pick up one of our sailors who had an appendix rupture. We were in 25 foot seas in a 180 foot Coast Guard bouy tender and the pilot came in and flew it like he was doing the tango with our boat. Once in sync they lowered the Stokes litter and we loaded the sailor and up he went and they they parted company and headed for Halifax

 

[Floyd]

RE: chinook rescue

David, night helio ops with night vision (air or ground) sounds very cool.

Floyd

 

[docthrush]

RE: chinook rescue

PANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cdub]

RE: chinook rescue

" Tailgating ".........Wow......There's even a name for it.....HOLY COW........!!!

gota be one of my most fav pic ever

C'dub

 

[emr]

RE: chinook rescue

They were prisoners, and have U seen when they dunk it in the water with the back door UNDER water and the seals, i guess, come racing in, they are not photoshoped, and the trees u see are no way able to tell were they are in proportion to the helo by that photo, they do that alot I have heard, and when they are in a flying convoy with apaches and black hawks they have to call the chinooks every now and again and say slow down we can't keep up, It is said they pull away on purpose just to show off, they are the fastest helo also...the ultimate way to bring ones deuce to a show would be under one of those since they can lift a deuce with ease under sling , have seen a few photots of that...I have heard many storys from my buddy going on his 3rd tour in afganistan and a few from my buddys going back to iraq soon, one was they hitched a ride in one and the oil lines were leaking and they said , uh , u know these are leaking, The crew guy just said, its only a problem when they stop, thats my kind a guys!!...Randy

 

[packman]

Flying wrecker

Hi Friends,
This is one of my favorite chinook pictures and just thought it was a good addition to this thread. Taken in Vietnam and described as one of the most spectacular recovery techniques devised in the war

 

[ida34]

RE: Flying wrecker

When we would sling load our howitzers we would have to do a hook at the front and the rear. The guy at the rear has to stand on the baseplate and stretch to get the thing hooked in. The guy in the front had to sit on his back about two feet under the helicopter. Any higher and the guy in back could not get hooked. This was back when a static probe man had to discharge with static with two stakes connected by commo wire. One stake was in the ground while the other was mounted on the end of some camo support poles. Later we started testing the "q-tips". The were basically a five foot long huge rope loop that was connected in the middle to make two eyes. Then we did not have to worry about he static unless we accidentally touched the helicopter. The "q-tips also put the howitzer about 5 feet further below the helicopter. We used a special travel lock that had the tube closer to horizontal but without the "q-tips" the muzzle would only ride a few feet below the cockpit of the helo. When the ride got rocky sometimes the muzzle would tap the underside of the cockpit. The pilot would usually cut sling load immediately. At least a couple of times we had to recover a wrecked howitzer from the field at Fort Campbell. During Desert Shield we had one of the "q-tips" catch in the front hook when the indicator said the load was cut loose. The pilot took off with only the front hook connected. He had thought it was all clear. He dragged the howitzer about 200 feet before it finally worked loose. They took spare parts off a howitzer at Fort Sill and Fed Exed the parts over to fix our howitzer. At the time we were the only Air Assault 155 howitzer battery in the theater and they wanted us operational for the Storm.

 

[rtjraleigh]

RE: Flying wrecker

outstanding.

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

Re: RE: chinook rescue

considering the proximity of the trees to the left and down the props would be cutting the trees down the length of those props are greater than the distance to trees it is digital photography as for tailgating it is/was a common practice but on ly for special ops. I also agree with the lack of prop wash no leaves or trees are bent or rattleing and there appears to be items that would blow away or into the rotors. I think it is a fake.

gunner, the reason you don't see the trees moving is cuz it's a still image