This helicopter has no hydraulics, and the “manual” is a series of binders 6′ long.
I say this as an A&P mechanic who owned this aircraft…
April 19, 2017 at 10:57 pm
Chris Muir
Well, damn!Noted, and I’ll leave this one as is, since I is learnin’. Thanks,Chris, and email me your take on this aircraft if u like, it’d be great r/d. daybyday@daybydaycartoon.com
April 19, 2017 at 11:05 pm
Doc Epador
The microwave is heavy and requires hydraulics to fine tune the aim at cruising speed.
April 19, 2017 at 11:17 pm
Chris Muir
Genius!I hereby appoint Doc’s idea for those strips.
April 20, 2017 at 7:12 pm
Steve
Any reason why it couldn’t use electrics?
April 20, 2017 at 12:00 am
Z-man51
That’s one lucky SOB! No hydraulic systems mean much less work doing maintenance. While most flight systems on the AH-1F Cobra were mechanical, some of the armament systems were hydraulically operated. Most notably was the original M-28 (7.62 M-134 Minigun/M-129 40mm gernade launcher)turret on the AH-1G/Q and the early S models. Thankfully, the newer M-97A1 (20mm M-197 Gatling Gun) turret was electrically driven which greatly reduced maintenance problems.
Since the microwave projector is located on the front of the helicopter, I doubt a separate hydraulic system would be used for aiming. Either an electrically driven system using servo motors and a joystick to aim or the easiest, aim the helicopter. Not being familiar with that type aircraft, I don’t even know if a hydraulic system can be attached or driven by existing means.
April 20, 2017 at 12:12 am
Chris Muir
Just go with the flow…;)
April 20, 2017 at 4:13 am
Bill G
So, the dynamics of the strip are fluid?
April 20, 2017 at 5:35 pm
Deplorable B Woodman
Yes, and so are the women of DBD. You should SEE them walk…..Hydraulics in motion……
(Memory from a real event while stationed in Saudi for a year, observing a short time TDY Air Force woman in motion. Hydraulics from her toes to her ass. Umm umm umm umm ummmmm)
April 20, 2017 at 12:21 am
Deplorable B Woodman
On helicopters, I got nuttin’. If you want to talk commo, that’s another story. But choppers………nope. Let me check my other pants………still nope.
April 20, 2017 at 9:26 am
Brasspounder
The thing is, helicopters are different from planes. An airplane by it’s nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by a deliberately incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying; immediately and disastrously. There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter.
This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why in generality, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts and helicopter pilots are brooding introspective anticipators of trouble. They know if something bad has not happened it is about to.
Harry Reasoner
April 20, 2017 at 12:56 pm
Kafiroon
Wasn’t there some saying about them just looking for a place to crash?
April 20, 2017 at 2:48 pm
John
There is also the observation that helicopters do not fly.
They simply beat the air into submission.
April 20, 2017 at 9:58 pm
Z-man51
Old Army joke: What’s the difference between flying an airplane and a helicopter? Flying an airplane is hours and hours of pure boredom punctuated with moments or shear terror. Flying a helicopter is hours of pure terror punctuated by NO moments of boredom!
From my numerous flights on Hueys and in Cobras I can attest to that!
April 20, 2017 at 12:29 am
Southpaw
I took a five minute ride on a helicopter at a state fair once. Just ask me anything. No charge.
April 20, 2017 at 1:33 am
Halley
Some of us haven’t gotten past Jan’s hydraulics….
April 20, 2017 at 6:45 am
GWB
I thought those were pneumatic?
April 20, 2017 at 8:48 am
Grunt GI
Heh, that was awesome…I suspect later Damon is going to use a tool to perform so sliding adjustments to her fluid dynamics to achieve liftoff.
April 20, 2017 at 5:37 pm
Deplorable B Woodman
(applause)
April 20, 2017 at 1:56 am
armedandsafe
Well, all of you guys talking about this new fangled stuff. I was electronic tech on choppers. MOS 284.10. The team I was on rebuilt the communications and navigation systems on every Army helicopter and single engine fixed wing in the European theater. I suspect very few of you talking choppers here have ever seen any of them, unless you watched MASH.
H13, H19, H34, L19, Beaver, Otter. Once in awhile we’d get one of the multi-engine ones for repair, but not often. The primary tech on each rebuild had to fly in the test flight of the craft for which he had been responsible.
April 20, 2017 at 12:08 pm
NotYetInACamp
You make a key point that the primary tech had to fly in the test flight of his rebuild. Responsibility is key.
Now who is responsible for the child’s interesting bit of programing knowledge? The kid replayed it as learned.
Like Chris said, just go with it for now. He’ll explain it later.
April 20, 2017 at 4:15 am
Bill G
And no comments yet from the NSA…
April 20, 2017 at 8:54 am
NSA
We’re not watching. Oh Schitt!
April 20, 2017 at 12:12 pm
NotYetInACamp
A Big Hello from all of us to the NSA! HELLO!
April 20, 2017 at 8:21 am
AlexJ
The strip & current story arch are allegory. If the facts are not-so-accurate, the message & thought are certainly right on. Or is that write on?
April 20, 2017 at 8:47 am
Pamela
The only thing I know about flying machines, hydraulics and pilots, is the pilot needs to stop after two drinks otherwise there might be an issue with possible malfunctions. Cars are a whole lot easier to deal with.
They don’t fall out of the sky unless the vehicle is in a movie.
Plus there is no ego in the mix.
April 20, 2017 at 9:00 am
PaulS
Brings to mind the stunts from Smokey and the Bandit II, ah the days before CGI. We get One shot at this, guys.
April 20, 2017 at 2:13 pm
ExNuke
Sometimes there is less ego in the mix. Road Rage comes directly from ego.
Lost in the mil-tech one-upmanship here and reinforced in the strip title is that Jan is admonishing the boy not for out-smarting Dad, but for showing him up a bit in front of his peeps; that’s not the same as sassing Pops, which would deserve the whuppin’ and/or soap treatment.
He’ll learn to contain his smarts and his retorts so as not to embarrass his mere mortal loved ones, but you do NOT want to discourage that lightning knowledge and wit, just help him control it.
Same caveat might apply to some of the smarty-pants types here in the peanut gallery. There’s a lot of cool experience out here and I like to hear about it; y’all play nice and remember that no matter what you know, somebody knows more.
Oberfeld Schultz: an inspiration and role model for us all.
Got that, NSA?
April 20, 2017 at 12:13 pm
Pamela
No matter the quantity of Tech/Programming involved in a Bird, the two things I care about are the skill of the Pilot and will the damn thing get back down to the ground without going BOOM if the Tech/Programing shorts out.
April 20, 2017 at 1:00 pm
Kafiroon
Anything you can walk away from…
Never said how far.
April 20, 2017 at 6:24 pm
MudMarine
My Viet Nam total experience & knowledge with choppers was to sit on my flak jacket as we could hear the bullet pings on the aluminum 😉
April 20, 2017 at 4:34 pm
Spin Drift
Those of you who think you know it all are particularly annoying to those of us who do.
Spin
Suppository of all knowledge
April 20, 2017 at 5:40 pm
Deplorable B Woodman
“Suppository”, your ass!
April 20, 2017 at 6:01 pm
Pamela
Okay. I’m going to go there.
Spin Darlin’ … I know enough to bring you all to your knees.
April 20, 2017 at 6:18 pm
Kafiroon
DBW beat me too it, but I figure you would be blank minded answering questions while looking at that drawing Pamela referenced a few months back.
Dang. Forgot to save that!
April 20, 2017 at 9:00 pm
Pamela
You mean the one dated 07/16/16….
April 20, 2017 at 9:41 pm
xpd69
Never admit to knowing ANYTHING!!!
For you are henceforth and ever after responsible for that knowledge….
44 Comments
We usually got whuped for smart mouthing mom.
Whupped, and a bar of soap, and a double serving of cooked spinach for dinner.
This helicopter has no hydraulics, and the “manual” is a series of binders 6′ long.
I say this as an A&P mechanic who owned this aircraft…
Well, damn!Noted, and I’ll leave this one as is, since I is learnin’. Thanks,Chris, and email me your take on this aircraft if u like, it’d be great r/d. daybyday@daybydaycartoon.com
The microwave is heavy and requires hydraulics to fine tune the aim at cruising speed.
Genius!I hereby appoint Doc’s idea for those strips.
Any reason why it couldn’t use electrics?
That’s one lucky SOB! No hydraulic systems mean much less work doing maintenance. While most flight systems on the AH-1F Cobra were mechanical, some of the armament systems were hydraulically operated. Most notably was the original M-28 (7.62 M-134 Minigun/M-129 40mm gernade launcher)turret on the AH-1G/Q and the early S models. Thankfully, the newer M-97A1 (20mm M-197 Gatling Gun) turret was electrically driven which greatly reduced maintenance problems.
Since the microwave projector is located on the front of the helicopter, I doubt a separate hydraulic system would be used for aiming. Either an electrically driven system using servo motors and a joystick to aim or the easiest, aim the helicopter. Not being familiar with that type aircraft, I don’t even know if a hydraulic system can be attached or driven by existing means.
Just go with the flow…;)
So, the dynamics of the strip are fluid?
Yes, and so are the women of DBD. You should SEE them walk…..Hydraulics in motion……
(Memory from a real event while stationed in Saudi for a year, observing a short time TDY Air Force woman in motion. Hydraulics from her toes to her ass. Umm umm umm umm ummmmm)
On helicopters, I got nuttin’. If you want to talk commo, that’s another story. But choppers………nope. Let me check my other pants………still nope.
The thing is, helicopters are different from planes. An airplane by it’s nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by a deliberately incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying; immediately and disastrously. There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter.
This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why in generality, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts and helicopter pilots are brooding introspective anticipators of trouble. They know if something bad has not happened it is about to.
Harry Reasoner
Wasn’t there some saying about them just looking for a place to crash?
There is also the observation that helicopters do not fly.
They simply beat the air into submission.
Old Army joke: What’s the difference between flying an airplane and a helicopter? Flying an airplane is hours and hours of pure boredom punctuated with moments or shear terror. Flying a helicopter is hours of pure terror punctuated by NO moments of boredom!
From my numerous flights on Hueys and in Cobras I can attest to that!
I took a five minute ride on a helicopter at a state fair once. Just ask me anything. No charge.
Some of us haven’t gotten past Jan’s hydraulics….
I thought those were pneumatic?
Heh, that was awesome…I suspect later Damon is going to use a tool to perform so sliding adjustments to her fluid dynamics to achieve liftoff.
(applause)
Well, all of you guys talking about this new fangled stuff. I was electronic tech on choppers. MOS 284.10. The team I was on rebuilt the communications and navigation systems on every Army helicopter and single engine fixed wing in the European theater. I suspect very few of you talking choppers here have ever seen any of them, unless you watched MASH.
H13, H19, H34, L19, Beaver, Otter. Once in awhile we’d get one of the multi-engine ones for repair, but not often. The primary tech on each rebuild had to fly in the test flight of the craft for which he had been responsible.
You make a key point that the primary tech had to fly in the test flight of his rebuild. Responsibility is key.
Now who is responsible for the child’s interesting bit of programing knowledge? The kid replayed it as learned.
Like Chris said, just go with it for now. He’ll explain it later.
And no comments yet from the NSA…
We’re not watching. Oh Schitt!
A Big Hello from all of us to the NSA! HELLO!
The strip & current story arch are allegory. If the facts are not-so-accurate, the message & thought are certainly right on. Or is that write on?
The only thing I know about flying machines, hydraulics and pilots, is the pilot needs to stop after two drinks otherwise there might be an issue with possible malfunctions. Cars are a whole lot easier to deal with.
They don’t fall out of the sky unless the vehicle is in a movie.
Plus there is no ego in the mix.
Brings to mind the stunts from Smokey and the Bandit II, ah the days before CGI. We get One shot at this, guys.
Sometimes there is less ego in the mix. Road Rage comes directly from ego.
Lost in the mil-tech one-upmanship here and reinforced in the strip title is that Jan is admonishing the boy not for out-smarting Dad, but for showing him up a bit in front of his peeps; that’s not the same as sassing Pops, which would deserve the whuppin’ and/or soap treatment.
He’ll learn to contain his smarts and his retorts so as not to embarrass his mere mortal loved ones, but you do NOT want to discourage that lightning knowledge and wit, just help him control it.
Same caveat might apply to some of the smarty-pants types here in the peanut gallery. There’s a lot of cool experience out here and I like to hear about it; y’all play nice and remember that no matter what you know, somebody knows more.
Remember. I don’t know nothing.
Oberfeld Schultz: an inspiration and role model for us all.
Got that, NSA?
No matter the quantity of Tech/Programming involved in a Bird, the two things I care about are the skill of the Pilot and will the damn thing get back down to the ground without going BOOM if the Tech/Programing shorts out.
Anything you can walk away from…
Never said how far.
My Viet Nam total experience & knowledge with choppers was to sit on my flak jacket as we could hear the bullet pings on the aluminum 😉
Those of you who think you know it all are particularly annoying to those of us who do.
Spin
Suppository of all knowledge
“Suppository”, your ass!
Okay. I’m going to go there.
Spin Darlin’ … I know enough to bring you all to your knees.
DBW beat me too it, but I figure you would be blank minded answering questions while looking at that drawing Pamela referenced a few months back.
Dang. Forgot to save that!
You mean the one dated 07/16/16….
Never admit to knowing ANYTHING!!!
For you are henceforth and ever after responsible for that knowledge….
Or if you do claim to know shit, be sure you can back that shit up.
Found out today that we just lost someone who really knew his shit, was a hero warrior for our freedom, and was several years younger than me…
http://weaponsman.com/
That last part and how he died after everything he had done and been through, will shake a semi-old dude up.