MH-53E over work today

[Eddie M.]

It was a very nice day today, because we had a MH-53E fly almost directly over our shop today. Most of the time it's a flight of 3 or 4, but too far for my digicam to make it worth posting. It's not the best, but it "snuck up" on us and I was only able to get 3 photos off and the other 2 were blurred.


This is a bird from the same squadron at the Wings Over Houston airshow a few weeks back

[Taiidantomcat]

53s Rock... used to see the USAF Pave lows fly in my neck of the woods all the time up until they were retired and I saw the USMC variety while i was in Camp Pendleton. Still amaze me everytime.

[Captain Canada]

Absolutely beautiful !

I've only ever seen one in the air....back in '98. We were taxiing in at la Guardia, and Clinton's entourage was there loading their Suburbans into transports. A -53 flew over so low that our 767 shook !

[Eddie M.]

They are awesome machines. I haven't seen one up close in the air for quite sometime. When then landed on deck back in my USN days, I always took a few photos. Here are a few. All of these were turning at the time.

[Eddie M.]

I might add that the down draft of a 53 lifting off is in excess of 100 mph. If you weren't paying attention, you got dusted ( knocked over) in a quick second.

Believe or not, one can off load a jet engine with a forklift while the rotors are turning. I've done and it was just about one of the scariest times of my life.

[Captain Canada]

Great shots, Eddie ! Again...what a machine !

As for rotorwash, I was almost knocked on my can by an S-92 the first time I saw one land on the rig. I guess that's what you get for standing underneath a helicopter !

[B777LR]

I might add that the down draft of a 53 lifting off is in excess of 100 mph. If you weren't paying attention, you got dusted ( knocked over) in a quick second.

And i thought standing next to an R-22 was bad... 

[Mossie]

If you blew back you'd probably knock the R-22 over!

Thanks for posting these Eddie, some great pics.  Love seeing the old photos from your Navy days.

[nev]

Yep.  And 53s rock (all big choppers rock FWIW but 53s especially, wish the RAF had got some)

[Aircav]

Helicopters, hmmm....................................
We use to get the USAF rescue choppers from Woodbridge and Mildenhall over Durham all the time once, but not anymore infact when we get anything military over its a rare event now.

[Jschmus]

We get 53s overhead all the time here.  I try to get photos when I can.  Back in the 80s, we used to get formations of two or three.  Talk about noise!  It was like the world was shaking.

[Jschmus]

Not to steal Eddie's thunder or anything, but I pulled out a couple of enhanced shots from Oceana back in September.

[nev]

Helicopters, hmmm....................................
We use to get the USAF rescue choppers from Woodbridge and Mildenhall over Durham all the time once, but not anymore infact when we get anything military over its a rare event now.

They retired the Pave Lows from Mildenhall earlier this year

[Aircav]

Shame, they were nice to see about. One of my builds next year is the Revell 1/48 CH-53 thats in the loft, it'll be a HH-53 Vietnam era.