 armydogdoc wrote: |
| . What kind of hooks is the army using now days. I guess what I am asking is there a huge difference between the A's that my Dad worked on when he was in the army (and the one that is being produced) and the ones that I rode on missions last year. |
|
I worked on and crewed them for sixteen years. In a nutshell, the visual differences between the As and Ds are not that great and most people wouldn't pick up on them. On the A models the trailing end of the aft pylon was tapered, on Bs, Cs, and Ds the trailing edge of the aft pylon is "squared" off. The As did not have the stabilizing strakes on the lower edges of the fuselage and ramp as was common on later aircraft. The engines were smaller as were the engine screens (when they were installed.) The D model is equipped with one large hook near the center of the floor with two smaller ones for and aft.
Very early A models had dual rear wheels, later versions went to larger tires with one on each aft landing gear rather than two each. Lastly the 'clamshell' doors on the forward edge of the aft pylon on the Ds have cut outs to allow for cooling air for the combining transmission oil cooler (but it also means that the rear third of the cabin can get mighty cold when flying around in the winter.)
Engines, transmissions, drive train and dynamic components like rotor heads and rotor blades have undergone numerous changes over the life of the aircraft. For example the external load capacity has more than doubled from the A to the D, as has maintainability and reliability.
Jonathan Primm