October 19th, 2009
Colorado Army National Guard & HAATS
CH-47 Chinook
Descending into Deep Creek Canyon I was surprised to hear the faint sound of helicopter blades. Each step I took the sound grew closer and louder while I found myself scrambling for a position between the trees to locate the helicopter. Before I knew it, there was a CH-47 Chinook helicopter flying below the canyon rim heading west (up canyon). About 30 minutes later a medical UH-60A (Blackhawk) helicopter also flew up canyon. I began to wonder what was taking place. Was this an Army National Guard Company conducting a military exercise or participating in a search and rescue mission?
UH-60A
About 45 minutes later I heard the sound of the Black Hawk helicopter. It was flying down canyon, eye level, and within 50 yards of me. Watching the helicopter pass I wondered for a few moments, could the pilots see me standing amongst the trees, what is the view of the canyon like from the cockpit, have they seen any bighorn sheep, elk or deer, and the silly notion of being Rambo, leaping from my present position, grabbing a hold of the landing gear, making my way into the helicopter, and asking the crew what’s for lunch. As you know, I am not Rambo. So I did the next best thing; I watched the helicopter disappear down canyon wondering what Army National Guard Company is based in the area, and what it must be like to fly helicopters in Mountainous terrain.
Walking out of Deep Creek Canyon I noticed a CH-47 slowly approaching the canyon rim a mile away and land. The helicopter would idle on the ground for 5 minutes, lift off, fly in a half circle and land on the rim in the same place. As I watched the helicopter complete this maneuver three times, I wondered if the pilots were enjoying the view into the Eagle Valley and surrounding peaks when idling, or were they too busy reading their instruments and thinking how they will initiate the next part of their sortie. The fourth take off they descended into the Eagle Valley and out of view. I loaded my binocular and camera into my pack and continued hiking to the rim.
Later that week I did some research using the Internet about what I witnessed and found there is a Colorado Army National Guard Army aviation-training site in Gypsum, CO. The school is called HAATS (High-Altitude Army Aviation Training Site) and is specific for rotary wing aircraft (helicopters) instruction.
CH-47
The school has been operating since 1985 and sprouted from a request to have the Colorado Army National Guard prepare the North Dakota Army National Guard to safely operate in mountainous terrain of Honduras. Prior to the North Dakota deployment there were several Class A accidents (complete destruction of aircraft and/or death of crew or passengers) in the country while the Army was conducting humanitarian relief operations.
The 5-day course teaches U.S. Military Armed Force pilots (all branches) “power-limited flying techniques”. In other words, how to safely handle and maximize the out put of a specific rotary wing aircraft in hot, high, and heavy sorties, e.g. hot temperatures, high altitudes, and maximum weight capacity—quite interesting to read about.
Further research showed that a CH-47 is 100 ft long from rotor tip to rotor tip (when in motion). Some perspective… Imagine 6.5—1979 Volkswagen bus bumper to bumper and you have an idea of the length. And yes, this is the year of my VW bus.
My question is, how can I persuade the Army National Guard to transport my bus and I from one mountain pass to another—Any suggestions?
October 21st, 2009 at 7:25 am
Yeah, they can practice carrying your bus up and over like they need to do with heavy equipment. You’d just be part of training.