How I became a helicopter pilot

Like every Naval Aviator before me, I arrived in Pensacola to report to the training command in June, 1968 right after I earned my college degree. The instructors in what…

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Flying the Kaman H-2A/B SeaSprites

My first memories of the UH-2A are from a Sunday afternoon walk around on a deserted Whiting Field transient ramp when I was still in the Basic phase of the…

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Flying the Kaman H-2C/D Sea Sprites

The Navy installed what was known as a “Gold Stripe” engine that had an extra 250 horsepower in a few A/B’s flown by HC-7. This alleviated some of the power,…

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Flying the Sikorsky H-3 SeaKing

The H-3 is the Chevy Suburban of helicopters. It is adaptable, functional, and for its day, pretty reliable. The H-3 is or was flown by the armed forces of 15…

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Survival Gear

In the training command, we were issued three olive drab Nomex flight suits. The design of the Nomex fabric kept it from absorbing jet fuel and wouldn’t burn for at…

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Molybdenum Disulfide Grease

Several times in earlier sections of this web site, I mentioned the need to grease the bearings and other parts of the helicopter on a regular basis. Back in the…

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