Top Ten US Military Helicopters
Submitted by hoveringheli on Fri, 02/17/2012 - 12:21Comparing different US military helicopters and sorting them into a top ten is always going to be a subjective exercise. Whatever list we come up with isn’t going to sit well with everyone. However, that isn’t going to stop us, so we have selected what we think are the top ten US military helicopters of all time.
The criteria was to select ten that had proved their worth in one way or another. Whether that’s ferrying troops around, rescuing them from harm, or bringing down fire and brimstone in support.
What follows is what we think are the top ten US military helicopters of all time.
Bell AH-1Z Viper Helicopter Video
Submitted by hoveringheli on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 12:46The powerful Bell AH-1Z Viper Helicopter (formally the AH-1Z SuperCobra Helicopter) delivers state of the art dynamics, weapons and avionics to incorporate the latest in survivability. Capable. Flexible. Multi-mission. The AH-1Z Viper Helicopter is the ultimate in attack helicopters. With anti-armor capability, the Viper Helicopter engages and defeats the broadest array of threats at standoff ranges that defy imagination.
History of the Bell AH-1 SuperCobra (Viper) Assault Helicopter
Submitted by hoveringheli on Mon, 09/19/2011 - 15:03
The Bell AH-1W SuperCobra twin-engined attack helicopter, delivered to the USMC from 1986, was developed from the ubiquitous AH-1, versions of which served the Army (AH-1G) and Marines (AH-1T SeaCobra). They all have their roots in the Bell company’s 1950s studieds related to armed helicopters that led to the OH-13X modified version of the Bell 47/AH-47 Sious and the UH-1/AH-1 Huey/Model 209 HueyCobra. The later entered Army service as the AH-1G in the 1960’s, and were deployed to Vietnam as gunships from September 1967. The AH-1G performed well in Southeast Asia. It’s small size made it difficult to hit, while the Army found that it could reach the the target in about half the time taken by a Huey Helicopter.
The AH-1Q, armed with eight TOW anti-tank missiles, followed for the Army, while the AH-1R featured a more powerful engine, gearbox and transmission. For the AH-1S the engines were further uprated and became a standard model.
Helicopter Rides in Beautiful Hawaii
Submitted by hoveringheli on Mon, 02/20/2012 - 13:29
If you've never visited the beautiful 50th state of the United States, Hawaii, then you've missed out on some of the best scenery available to American tourists. Hawaii is famous for the volcanoes, valleys, coastlines and waterfalls that make up its island landscape, and also for the five smaller islands that surround it in formation. Helicopter rides are one of the most popular ways to explore such landmarks as the island of Oahu or any of Hawaii's 5 volcanoes.
Helicopter rides are the perfect method of sightseeing to really get a good look at everything Hawaii has to offer. Their rotor-based hovering method of flight allows a slow, smooth slow flying trip above the lush green and volcanic formations. Many tourists have posted rave reviews on travel sites about their experiences with Hawaiian helicopter rides, claiming that taking to the skies in a beautiful chopper and soaring above the islands was one of their most unique sightseeing experiences.
Eurocopter EC135 Logs 100,000 hours
Submitted by hoveringheli on Wed, 01/18/2012 - 13:28Posted by Eurocopter on Monday January 16, 2012
Eurocopter's EC135 proves itself yet again for civil service missions, logging 100,000 flight hours in the German Federal Police's helicopter fleet.
Eurocopter recognized the German Federal Police for reaching the 100,000 total flight hour mark with its EC135 fleet, which performs thousands of operations annually across Germany for law enforcement, home security and Helicopter Emergency Medical Services missions.
“The flight time logged by the German Federal Police marks a true milestone for the EC135, as this capable aircraft is given increasingly diverse operational duties for civil security missions in Germany,” said Eurocopter’s Executive Vice President of Programs Wolfgang Schoder. “It is further evidence of Eurocopter’s commitment to delivering state-of-the art products that enable law enforcement agencies to meet demanding missions both today and in the future.”
The thousands of missions flown each year by the German Federal Police Aviation squadrons highlight the contributions of the EC135 to one of the most modern and capable civil service initiatives, Schoder added. With a current fleet of 41 EC135s, the German Federal Police is one of the largest parapublic operators of this aircraft in the world.
“We appreciate the flexibility and the mission portfolio of the EC135 combined with its outstanding reliability,” said Thomas Helbig, head of the German Federal Police Air Support Service. “The specific mission that achieved the 100,000th flight hour perfectly showcases the capabilities of the EC135: Carried out at nighttime with NVGs and a FLIR during a railway surveillance mission, the crew was able to detect the suspects in the very act and coordinate the pursuit, resulting in the successful arrest of the offenders.”
