More Whirleybirds

Ubiquitous as Hueys were and Blackhawks are in the military, sometimes the mission requires a helicopter that can carry more weight or just fly higher.  That's where the CH-47 Chinook comes into play.

Most helicopters have a tail rotor to counteract the torque of the main rotor system.  Chinooks don't because they have two counter-rotating main rotors so that the torque is balanced out.  With the high mountains throughout much of Afghanistan, their capabilities to fly higher are often needed.

I've only ridden on a Chinook once, from Fort Lewis to the Yakima Training Center, both in Washington state, but on different sides of a mountain range.  I took off on a beautiful day in the late summer  from Ft. Lewis, with lush green grass and beautiful trees to be seen in every direction.  A little over an hour later I walked off the tail ramp of a Chinook onto what may as well have been the lunar surface.

Nothing but dirt and tiny scrub brush for as far as the eye could see.  The rotor blades whistled overhead as I felt the heat and smelled the pungent jet fuel aroma of the dual engine exhausts washing over me.  I thought to myself, "What the hell am I doing here?"

Of course we have other types of helicopters, but I haven't seen them as often.  The Afghan government and some private companies fly old Soviet made "Hip" helicopters to transport people and equipment.

During an avalanche several weeks ago, the Afghan government was able to use their helicopters to assist in the rescue of over 1,500 travelers that were stranded when several avalanches swept cars, trucks and buses off the road as if they were toys.

Of course, we're in a NATO environment, so different governments are helping with a variety of missions.  One day, I was able to capture this French bird flying by.

In any case, I'm glad that we have the technology that we have for it's ability to help people.  The Wright brothers thought that the invention of the airplane would make warfare obsolete, since there would be no need to maneuver your armies to fight if the other side could easily see where the armies were arrayed.

Sadly, they were wrong, and aircraft are used for destruction as well as for helping people.

It's a pity that such a beautiful thing as the ability to fly has developed into the preferred method to fight wars...