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	<title>Comments on: Army Helicopter Pilots Training on Ship Landings</title>
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		<title>By: RE Gardner</title>
		<link>http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/army_helicopter_pilots_training_on_ship_landings/comment-page-1/#comment-43846</link>
		<dc:creator>RE Gardner</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2005 02:46:07 +0000</pubDate>
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		<description>Training Army chopper pilots to land on the big decks (carriers and amphibs (LHA, etc)) has been going on for quite some time (as Rev Sensing says, 20 years), and has been included in Joint Doctrine. 

What is new here is landing on the smaller combatants, such as this DDG. This is a much more difficult job: there are many nearby masts that must be avoided, the landing area isn&#039;t much larger than the helo, plus the ship&#039;s movements are much greater. Indeed, the landing is so difficult that often Navy helos do vertical replenishment (VERTREP) where they hover over the ship and pass the cargo to the ship using a winch and a line, rather than landing.

This is not a simple qualification of learning a few new Navy procedures and terminology (as it mostly is for the big decks), rather this is a much more challenging skill, in which the pilot must keep proficiency.  And because of that proficiency need, I doubt most Army helo pilots will get qualified. A few pilots will get qualified (and maintain proficiency) on an as needed basis. 

However, there are quite a few more DDGs than there are carriers, so this is a good skill to have available.

My bottom line here is there is a big difference in the skill level between landing on a big deck versus a DDG.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Training Army chopper pilots to land on the big decks (carriers and amphibs (LHA, etc)) has been going on for quite some time (as Rev Sensing says, 20 years), and has been included in Joint Doctrine. </p>
<p>What is new here is landing on the smaller combatants, such as this DDG. This is a much more difficult job: there are many nearby masts that must be avoided, the landing area isn't much larger than the helo, plus the ship's movements are much greater. Indeed, the landing is so difficult that often Navy helos do vertical replenishment (VERTREP) where they hover over the ship and pass the cargo to the ship using a winch and a line, rather than landing.</p>
<p>This is not a simple qualification of learning a few new Navy procedures and terminology (as it mostly is for the big decks), rather this is a much more challenging skill, in which the pilot must keep proficiency.  And because of that proficiency need, I doubt most Army helo pilots will get qualified. A few pilots will get qualified (and maintain proficiency) on an as needed basis. </p>
<p>However, there are quite a few more DDGs than there are carriers, so this is a good skill to have available.</p>
<p>My bottom line here is there is a big difference in the skill level between landing on a big deck versus a DDG.</p>
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		<title>By: Paul</title>
		<link>http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/army_helicopter_pilots_training_on_ship_landings/comment-page-1/#comment-43822</link>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2005 21:40:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=10199#comment-43822</guid>
		<description>Army choppers on a carrier are one thing, but have you ever seen the video of the C-130 from a carrier??? Now THAT is incredible.

google is your friend.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Army choppers on a carrier are one thing, but have you ever seen the video of the C-130 from a carrier??? Now THAT is incredible.</p>
<p>google is your friend.</p>
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		<title>By: Donald Sensing</title>
		<link>http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/army_helicopter_pilots_training_on_ship_landings/comment-page-1/#comment-43813</link>
		<dc:creator>Donald Sensing</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2005 19:30:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=10199#comment-43813</guid>
		<description>This training has been routine for Army chopper pilots for 20 years.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This training has been routine for Army chopper pilots for 20 years.</p>
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		<title>By: DC Loser</title>
		<link>http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/army_helicopter_pilots_training_on_ship_landings/comment-page-1/#comment-43799</link>
		<dc:creator>DC Loser</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:59:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=10199#comment-43799</guid>
		<description>I don&#039;t think Army helicopters are equipped with ship landing systems.  If that is true, then it&#039;s a lot harder for Army pilots to do that than Navy pilots.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I don't think Army helicopters are equipped with ship landing systems.  If that is true, then it's a lot harder for Army pilots to do that than Navy pilots.</p>
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