C.S.A.R. unit.......W.I.P.

[Weaver]

Ah right - forgot the two models bit. 

[NARSES2]

Some nice work there mate

[Army of One]

Cheers Chris......about time there was some rotor action on the table at shows........

[PR19_Kit]

Cheers Chris......about time there was some rotor action on the table at shows........

Now you've done it Hank, OGL will BURY the table in rotors at the next show! 

[Army of One]

Not unless I get there first......

[Martin H]

Not unless I get there first......

Ha!  hasnt happened yet lol.

[upnorth]

Nice work and nice concept.

Having been inside the rear compartment of a Hind, I can attest to its cramped nature. I'm about five feet ten inches high and have to scrunch down pretty good to get inside one. Any door gunner on one of those is definitely going to be wearing knee pads.

There is a small corridor between the rear compartment and the pilot's cockpit which I assume is to enable direct communication between the pilot and the people in the back. However, I can't imagine how one would contort themselves to get in there; I tried squeezing in there and almost got stuck.

Then there's the bench seats in the back which sit so low to the floor that you're pretty much kissing your knees when you sit down.

You definitely have the right idea by removing the doors completely, there is nowhere to slide them on the real thing.

[upnorth]

I don't know if these pics will be helpful for your project, but they are a bit of a comparison between the older Warsaw Pact interiors and newer NATO standard interiors of Czech Hinds:

First, an Mi-24 preserved in a museum:

Of particular note are the machine gun mounts on the cabin windows aft of the doors:





The pilot's pit (The Staropramen beer label was not standard  )





The gunner's pit:

[upnorth]

A more westernised take on the Hind with these shots of an active service mi-35:

The back cabin, no more roomy than the Mi-24:


Pilot's pit:





Gunner's pit:

[Army of One]

Wow.......many thanks..... .....I have been in and have some pics of the ex East German one at Duxford and was surprised how small it was inside.......it was years ago when it was complete.......
Maybe guns on arms to swing out when team of 4 have roped/got out to provide cover as they fly overhead.....?
My question still stands if anyone can answer........if no doors then does it have an effect on the handling or impose any restrictions on the flight dnvelope, especially at the upper end of it.....? 

[Weaver]

Don't know the definitive answer, but I'd image the turbulence from open doors would be detrimental in the top half of the speed range, because the Hind's wings offload the rotor by up to 25% and that effect would be reduced by any turbulent flow from the doorways.

[DarrenP]

to be honest as a medic I wouldn't want to be trying to work on a casualty in that sort of space especially when you add in gunners and all the med kit you need for CSAR.

[Army of One]

I think I've identified a problem.........didn't make myself clear in the beginning......these two hinds are the escort for the 'CSAR unit' they will drop spec forces around an area then fly top cover while another helo comes in.......debating between a Hip or Merlin....Hip tipping the scales at the mo.......and a Hokum as a dedicated hunter killer......of anything. Maybe a conventional a/c or two as fast mudmovers.......sort of based on a package from Vietnam or the stuff the Israeli's do......a full on package to go in an get your people/crew out.....maybe not practical/feasible........but don't care.....I got the kits n wanna build them.........

[Old Wombat]

I'm pretty sure aircrew in Viet Nam were pretty glad to know that, if they went down, the USAF/USN/USMC would come to get them as quickly as possible with close to everything short of B-52's & nukes.

Given the nature of quite a number of the "irregular" forces we are engaging these days, I'm fairly sure modern pilots would hope for the same level of extraction support.

CasEvac would, I think, be much the same deal.


No man ... No-one gets left behind!

[PR19_Kit]

Thank goodness the modern Hinds have done away with that ruddy AWFUL blue paint in the cockpit that the SovAF seemed to insist upon. Quite how that was meant to be 'serene' I have NO idea!