Favorite helicopter...and why?

The Mi 24 Hind, I know nothing about it except what I learned from the video I posted but for me it is just about how it looks, only one word to describe it, Awesome!!!

H-34

I enjoy all rotor wing aircraft they are very powerful and have saved tons of lives over the years. But if I have to pick justh one it would be the Agusta 109 as it is a fast machine.....

Loach - read Low Level Hell

Choice #1: The MH-53 Sea Dragon, because it's the most powerful helicopter in the West.

Choice #2: The CH-53K, because it WILL be the most powerful helicopter in the West!

My favorite is the H 34. Its elegant, long and powerful. Its done its share of combat missions with many countries. Picked up astronauts and ferried Presidents. Not to mention all the civilian duties it has performed. 

MI-24 Hind E....  just because its a beast..... can carry troops   work as an assault platform....   Not to mention is scares the crap out of people

#1 for the kick but factor - MiL 35 Super Hind

#2 for hot and high African conditions the Denel Oryx

#3 For plain good looks and sentimental value Aerosptiale Puma.

Theuns

My favorite - CH-47 Chinook.

While in Germany in the 1970s I flew dozens of surety missions on Chinooks as a courier officer.  These missions were flown with the 180th, 205th and, later 295th, Aviation Companies.  I think they were all C models.  It was a very reliable aircraft, though we did get "chip light" warnings while on the ground at times.  One thing I always remember vividly on each mission was that a basic load of about 20 quart-size cans of hydraulic fluid was stashed inside the aircraft by the side of the cargo compartment.  I never asked why so much fluid was carried in each bird on every mission.  But, if the senior aviation Warrant Officer on the mission didn't worry about it, then I didn't worry about.  By the way, I never flew on a Chinook that didn't leak hydraulic fluid.

Curt K.

well there would be the helicopter that almost killed my dad {commuter from Long Beach to LAX crashed killing all on board, he MISSED the flight} then the Engstrom he learned to fly {he held single/multi engine, glider and was instrument rated. the day he got his Helicopter certificate he said he would NEVER get in one again...said it scared the wiz out of him the ONLY thing he was ever afraid of}

and a nice Hughes 300 anyone kit please?

My favorite? Sikorsky S-76...  Why? Dunno, guess cuz it's gorgeous...  ;)

Gene:

I agree, have crewed and maintained all three:

OH-6/Hughes 369- trusted my life to them 

UH-1/all models- what else can you say,

CH-54 Tarhe - simple complexity

Ron

Hughes 500 - Flew in one piloted by a Hughes test pilot. Awesome performance!

UH-1 - Fine looking aircraft, definitive sound as it approaches, another versatile aircraft.

Skycrane - the thing is a beast.   It's like a Swiss Army Knife helo.  So many attachments, it does so much.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

The MH-53 Sea Dragon simply because my brother flew them and was Commander of HM-14 Vangaurds.

I'd have to say it's a tie... with some variations...between CH-46Ds and CH-47Cs

The most reliable helicopter I crewed and the one I logged the most flight time in was a CH-46D  154831 while I was with HMM-164.

On the other hand the helicopter that I put the most blood, sweat and tears into while getting rid of it's reputation as a "Hangar Queen" was a CH-47C  67-18546 while I was with the 213th Avn Co from 1981 to 1984 . I hid a bunch of incoming parts (ECL control box, LCT link, Fwd Swiveling Actuator, various guages, power steering control box, forward swashplate drive arm link...etc) from our maintenance officer long enough to get them on the aircraft and then convince him it was easier to get the parts he wanted through the supply system rather than arguing with me to get them before I installed them. 

It took me six months to get the aircraft flyable and I wound up extending on what was a year long tour to three years because of that aircraft and when I came back to the same unit (87-90), I tried hard to get the same aircraft but had to settle for 74-22278 instead.

Yeah, D model '47s were somewhat less problematical, but on C models you HAD to be mechanically inclined and be able to really troubleshoot systems instead of just changing parts/boxes and hoping the problem would go away.

F Models? Well, if the ones I am around now are any indication, they seem to have too many avionics/electrical problems. It seems as if some people somewhere had a bet as to how much electrical crap they could hang on a Chinook and have it still work while shaking the crap out of said equipment.

(BTW, I work at AFTD at Redstone)

Does the V-22 Osprey count?

Always thought that the MD500M/ASW was pretty astounding for such a diminutive aircraft. I built a 1/72 kit of it a looooooong time ago, it came with ASW or TOW options, but I can't remember for the life of me who's kit it was, possibly Matchbox, Airfix or Revell - certainly nothing exotic or recent..........

I've always had a soft spot for the AH-6J Littlebird. Just something about the agressiveness of such a small helo I guess.

I've got 2

First up, the Seaking, its just so cool, a fatty but a still awesome,
And mostly because my country uses them in the rescue operations in the north sea.

Second the Huey,
It just looks right... put some rocket launchers on it and its plain BAD-ASS!

Regards Ninetalis.

So many cool helicopters out there.  My favorite :  TH-55.

I loved that little bug of a chopper and I saw one balled up that the pilot walked away from( low altitude/low speed engine failure).  Tough little bird.  It had to be with all those durned student pilots trying to crash them.

While station at Kanehoe HI, in my off time I would go over to the helo squadrons and catch rides on the UH-1's, CH-46's or the CH-53's. I would have to say that the Huey's was the most fun, nothing like sitting by the open door while doing low level hops. 

Sure the super stallion/sea dragon family

motivation is that the sigonella squadron often in the 80-90 years was one of flequently fliyng things i see when was teebager, the rumors of 3 turbines announced the giant passage at least 10 minutes before the real passage... italeri help me with the precise kit i needed

Ive been a big fan of MH-53 pavelows ever since my father was stationed at Eglin AFB.  I used to love watching them fly out of Hurlburt Field. Despite having less firepower than an Apache it IMO looks much more vicious especially when its coming down through the treeline right before twilight. Someone else mentioned that Apaches took out the SAM Radar sights the 1st night of Desert Storm... well it was Pavelows that led the way :D

Easy, MH-47G, because it's fun to fly.

The AH-56 Cheyenne, cuz it has three sets of rotors. ;)

m@

stikpusher

Didnt Airfix do a kit of the Rotodyne? Definitely a Thunderbirds or Captain Scarlet look to that one

Yes, Airfix did one but much harder to find.  The RoG boxing can still be had pretty easily.

MH-6, with the MD-500 NOTAR being a close second.

I just like small helicopters.

Didnt Airfix do a kit of the Rotodyne? Definitely a Thunderbirds or Captain Scarlet look to that one

Another one on The List.  RoG kit is still out there.  Originally a Frog kit I believe.