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H-53 Reference photos for 2020!!


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9 hours ago, YF65_CH53E said:

JakubJakepilot, 

 

I have seen your Desert Storm web page, lots of great photos there, most of which I have already, but certainly I can try and shed some light on a few of the questions you have over there.

 

First off, the fate of CH-53E, 161390, HMH-465, "Iron Horse", out of Santa Ana CA, MCAS Tustin.  Crashed during a take off out of a Forward Area Refueling Point (FARP) after taking on fuel for a follow on mission.  the aircraft commander had pulled no 1 & no 3 engines back to try and cool them off while taking on fuel.  Pressure refueling a CH-53E is a long process, especially from a FARP as the pressure barely keeps up with the fuel we are burning while we sit there.  They taxied out from the FARP and did not bring those two engines back up to 100% and attempted a take off in high heat environment and a heavy condition being freshly fueled with only (1) engine at 100%.  With all three engines at 100% it would have been fine, but you see the result.  I know the crew chief of this airplane personally, and he has discussed this accident with all of us 53 guys as to not make that mistake again.  All survived this accident. 

 

r/Gy

BIG thanks for the updated info, I will update my pages ASAP :)

Btw, any chance for crew names ? Or is it "not OK" to mention them as they did something a wrong thing ? Thanks !

Looking forward for your insight on Gulf ops :)

 

Best regards

 

Jakub

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I'll throw in a handful of photos that someone sent me some years ago of Gulf War CH-53Es undergoing repainting in-theatre....

 

162482 of HMH-466 in "Butterfinger", an on-the-spot mix of "1 Ltr White and 3 'blops' of Tan", and "Burnt Meringue", comprising "neat Tan":

1074316143_o.jpg

1074316144_o.jpg

 

162007 of HMH-465, with the green and black areas being over-painted with "Tan":

1074316146_o.jpg

1074316149_o.jpg

 

And 162494 also of HMH-465, in overall "Tan" with "darker Tan" markings:

1074316150_o.jpg

Edited by andyf117
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Andy, 

 

Very cool pics. Interesting the faces are blurred out!!!  But I know the Marines that painted these birds.  Great pics of how and what the environment was to get these birds painted and fast!!

 

More to come!

Daniel

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Jakub, 

 

I will ask before I give you the crew names, just to make sure, but I think it will be okay.  I also have some PAVE LOW buddies and should be able to get pics of us lifting that PAVE for you.

 

Also I have some BuNo's and side numbers for you to put on your page.  I will send that to you PM.

 

r/Gunny Dan

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7 hours ago, andyf117 said:

I'll throw in a handful of photos that someone sent me some years ago of Gulf War CH-53Es undergoing repainting in-theatre....

 

WOW WOW WOW, just WOW !!!!!!

Totally awesome pictures, and that could make great diorama !!!

I would like to ask you who has copyright for those pics, I would like to add them to my (our) great Gulf war site !!

 

41 minutes ago, YF65_CH53E said:

Jakub, 

 

I will ask before I give you the crew names, just to make sure, but I think it will be okay.  I also have some PAVE LOW buddies and should be able to get pics of us lifting that PAVE for you.

 

Also I have some BuNo's and side numbers for you to put on your page.  I will send that to you PM.

 

r/Gunny Dan

 

Really cannot wait !!!!!

 

And I thought I already got all the Christmas gifts ..... 🙂

 

Jakub

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4 hours ago, YF65_CH53E said:

Andy, 

 

Very cool pics. Interesting the faces are blurred out!!!  But I know the Marines that painted these birds.  Great pics of how and what the environment was to get these birds painted and fast!!

 

More to come!

Daniel

 

I blurred out the faces before posting, to be on the safe side - even though the covering letter gives names (and ranks) of the three guys in the first pair...

 

3 hours ago, JakubJakepilot said:

WOW WOW WOW, just WOW !!!!!!

Totally awesome pictures, and that could make great diorama !!!

I would like to ask you who has copyright for those pics, I would like to add them to my (our) great Gulf war site !!

 

The photos were sent to me after I'd done a magazine article, and the covering letter with them specifically states "feel free to publish any or all at any time" - so effectively they became 'public domain' when I posted them earlier!

Edited by andyf117
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Here are some more Desert Storm HMH-462 pics.  These are from fellow Marines.

 

50780428723_20a19ab704_c.jpg

 

During a night raid, one of HMH-462 aircraft suffered a hard landing.  No one hurt thank goodness, and the airplane was flown back to base where it landed on some matrasses where it could have the nose gear damage repaired.

 

50781190871_c9a9d4dccf_c.jpg

 

50781298457_c4ee6417ea_c.jpg

 

50780428983_1ecefb4fd7_c.jpg

 

Packing up and getting ready to come home.  Via USAF C-5's!!

 

50781298177_e2d28afaa6_c.jpg

 

Flight line full of CH-53D's, HMH-462 and HMH-463

50781191276_e0148dc04a_c.jpg

 

Not a CH-53, but a CH-46 in DS colors

 

50781188951_066c6e5180_b.jpg

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I would be remiss if I t add some pictures of the new CH-53K "King Stallion"

 

50781190286_dfcbb11670_b.jpg

 

Getting ready for AR

50781296172_31a17b5698_b.jpg

 

Deseret brown out trials at Yuma Proving Ground:

50781193236_9fcec9f05f_b.jpg

 

50781299302_3458b74f7f_b.jpg

 

50781299147_4d9b87e27f_b.jpg

 

Moving onto external pick off and drop offs in high brown out conditions:

50781191006_4091506db4_b.jpg

 

The CH-53K is just a beast of a helicopter.

 

r/Gy Dan

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Some for "fun" CH-53 pictures

 

50780425123_9c2620c5d0_z.jpg

 

My aircraft on the 15th MEU with HMM-268(REIN), YP-65, the "screwman" on the door is our parent squadron, HMH-462, and the "Red Dragon" is the HMM-268 squadron logo.  My buddy Don,on our Tiger Cruise out of Hawaii, 1995.

 

50776698831_50b8c9f656_c.jpg

 

A White Top model I was able to put in my collection from a long time friend at Sikorsky.  When he retired I received this from him.

 

50268794547_e3d1a7691f_c.jpg

 

It sits with a model of my 1962 P35 Beech Bonanza, and a custom wood CH-53 in HMH-462 colors.

 

50267955503_fe35e05cc9_z.jpg

 

 

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16 hours ago, andyf117 said:

 

Might be fun to fly with a crew who look like that - but no fun trying to fly a Stallion when everything's reversed...

 

I didn't even notice the pic was reversed - I must have been distracted......

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10 hours ago, YF65_CH53E said:

Andy,

 

Pretty funny huh?  They published it in the calendar that way too!!!!

 

:doh:

 

6 hours ago, habu2 said:

 

I didn't even notice the pic was reversed - I must have been distracted......

 

It was one of the prominent protrusions that caught my attention - refuelling probe on the wrong side!

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7 hours ago, YF65_CH53E said:

757flyer,

The Marine Corps assigned it the BuNo 157930. I will look up the USAF ser# assigned to it. 

 

Gy Dan

As per my thread linked to on the preceding page, 157930 turned out to be the subject aircraft in the photo...

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Keeping with the Desert Storm theme.  Here are some pics of the famous CH-53E with the girl painted in the side.  There were actually two HMH-466 aircraft with this 

camo painted in it.

 

50797470597_fe7804ff39_z.jpg

 

50796601188_5c581603a1_z.jpg

 

50797469932_1c94e7a043_z.jpg

 

50796581383_e527782e43_c.jpg

 

50797331436_1c755cf9d8_b.jpg

Above is my friend the HMH-465 Maintenance Chief, Master Gunnery Sergeant Pat Woods.  Rather delicately holding himself up.......

 

HMH-462 aircraft

 

50796582628_d67eceeb23_b.jpg

 

50797491742_8fb880708a_c.jpg

 

50797486607_c823bbe417_b.jpg

 

The desert paint did not last very long on our oily 53's.

 

50797501642_bec08887bd_b.jpg

 

The "Chevy" CH-53E from HMH-466

 

50797498872_48cbc528a7_z.jpg

 

 

More to come!!

 

r/Gunny Dan

 

 

 

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Totally awesome info and pics 🙂

Already updated my Gulf war page with fresh info and pics, also added a CAMO note for each airframe, looks like there were atleast NINE variations in Gulf !!!!!

Btw, some had/some had not the refuelling probe - why is that ? Or is it easy to install/uninstall it for various sorties ?

Check the updated site HERE

Keep the pics and info coming, you are doing a great job !!!

 

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4 hours ago, JakubJakepilot said:

Btw, some had/some had not the refuelling probe - why is that ? Or is it easy to install/uninstall it for various sorties ?

 

 

I may be wrong, but with the exception of former Navy minesweepers as described and pictured by Dan on the previous page, I believe no Marines Ds had an AAR probe, but all Es did...

Edited by andyf117
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Jakub,

 

The USMC CH-53D's did not have an aerial refueling probe.  Only the USAF MH-53J's had AR probes installed.  The USMC CH-53E's that were land based about 99% of the time will have the AR probe installed.  When we are deployed aboard amphibious assault ships we remove the AR probes and store them in the hangar deck area for ease of movement while aboard the ship.  Once you go aboard a ship for a deployment you become very accustomed to removing and reinstalling (R&R'ing) the AR probes.  If the aircraft is to remain topside for a long duration with the AR probe installed then it is pushed back up to the deck edge so the probe does not interfere with the "foul line" on the flight deck.  This ensures proper safe clearances for the AV-8B Harriers to operate as well as flight deck personnel to move in and around the chained down aircraft in aft portion of the amphib flight deck.  Where 99% of the time our (4) CH-53E's would be tied down, along with the (6) AV-8B's.

 

Andy is correct as well, as the Navy's RH-53D, and the MH-53E's most always have the AR probe installed.  Even with them going aboard ships they kept them on, as most of the mine sweepers were and are land based units.  Even when the HM-XX MH-53E units are used as Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) platforms the large deck aircraft carriers they routinely fly to and from there is plenty of deck room for their probes to stay on.  But again, there is exceptions to any of these rules where mission dictates.  The AR probe is quickly and rather routinely R&R'd.

 

Gy Dan

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Andy and Dan, BIG thanks for the explanation. I was quite curious about those former RH-53Ds, what they were doing in Gulf ? Just "personnel/cargo" delivery ? If I can, I would like to use your explanation on my site, I guess it could be interestning for modellers 🙂

Thanks !!

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Jakub,

 

There were no USMC or USN RH-53D's deployed to the gulf war.  They were kept stateside with the Marine Reserves until their retirement in the late 90's.  HMH-769, and HMH-772 had the RH-53D's.  When those airframes were retired both those units stood back up with CH-53E's.  

 

53's deployed to DS:

USMC:

CH-53D

CH-53E

 

USN:

MH-53E

 

USAF:

MH-53J

 

Germany deployed CH-53G/GS aircraft after 1991, and they were utilized for "Operation Southern Watch" as well as United Nations transport roles for coalition forces up until Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) started and the USMC units were back on Iraqi soil, this time only with CH-53E's.  The CH-53D's would see their last deployment from MCAS Kaneohe Bay Hawaii, Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) all the way to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). By 2008 all types of the CH-53D/RH-53D were out of USN/USMC service.  Not a bad operational run, as the type was introduced in 1965. 43 years of service.  That is a lot of rivets vibrating in close for formation for a lot of flight hours!!

 

r/Gy Dan

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