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H-53 Reference photos for 2020!!


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  • 3 months later...
On 1/5/2021 at 10:52 PM, YF65_CH53E said:

Picture of newly acquired HH-53C from the USAF painted in "presumably" USAF delivery colors, "MARINES" added, as well as "MX-23", so this would be Nighthawk-23 (USMC BuNo 157930) sitting on the White House lawn for the early testing:

 

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As far as the research I have done, NO USMC CH-53D's were ever delivered with the low profile angled drop tanks.  As you can see this 53 has them installed. So this is the HH-53C that HMX-1 took delivery of for the purposes of utilizing the CH-53 platform for their VIP mission.  This test program eventually lead to HMX-1 having the CH-53D for their "Green Side" mission, as in a support role for VIP missions vice the primary lifter, which the VH-3 took over for the VH-34's.

 

 

 

I found this picture of MX23 on the cover of "Leatherneck" magazine from July 1970. Would that date indicate the MX23 was a CH-53A?

 

s-l1600

 

If that is the case, it was a CH-53A fitted with the "HH-53C" style external tanks when it was used for testing on the South Lawn. I could be wrong on this assumption too, though! 😬

 

LD.

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No, the 53 making the test landings on the south lawn was a HH-53C that HMX-1 received from the USAF for this purpose of testing the 53 for Marine -1 missions, the down wash proved to be to much and the VH-3 was continued to be in service.  The early 53's for HMX-1 "Green Side" were USAF HH-53's, we have a bunch of discussion here in this thread on those very 53's.  Andy and a couple of the folks on here have a tremendous amount of knowledge on the H-3 and H-53 happenings in the 1970's - 1980's.

 

The picture above of MX-23 is a CH-53D as I can tell it has GE - 413 engines with the long cowling and short exhaust sticking out.  The CH-53A had the GE -6B engines and a very short rear cowling and more exhaust stuck out.  the airplanes above on that cover represent a good picture of the RDT&E/OT&E that HMX-1 did at that time.  Hence all of those birds pictured are glossy "Green Side" aircraft.  Most of which did operational testing and evaluation (OT&E), follow on test and evaluation (FOT&E), and in some case Research and Development Testing (RDT&E) but the rotary test wing at PAX River MD, HX-21 (Test Squadron) did all of the RDT&E testing during the time of that photo.

 

It makes total sense that a all "Green" VH-3 would be apart of the green side mission.  Testing systems, testing and training pilots and aircrew for the HMX-1 "White Side" presidential support.

 

In the pictures below the first one with the blades folded and the Flight Line Marines getting their picture taken is an excellent example of the -413 engine cowling and the "Long" cowling design that pretty much encases the tail pipe.  A/C-57 also a CH-53D with aux tanks you can see the long cowl.  The 3rd picture is one I forgot I had and it is another "early" USMC, Marines painted on the side in a flat green but easily recognized HH-53C "Drooped" aux tanks installed, in front of her a standard HMX-1 "Green Side" CH-53D or I suspect yet anoterh HH-53C in glossy HMX-1 colors.  The last picture is the CH-53A/D at the NAS Pensacol Museum that we 53 mechanics affectionately call "PATCHES".  She was a maintenance trainer for years at NAS Millington, TN, then moved to NAS Pensacola and finally retired a number of years ago to the museum.  It is a CH-53A on one side, and a CH-53D on the other.  The side you see is the 53A "Alpha" side and you can see the -6B engine cowl.

 

Hope any of this helps.  I've run on long enough.  LOL

 

Gunny Dan

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  • 5 months later...

Hey Gunny. I got word HX-21 plans to retire the Green Monster, aka CH-53E 163083, around September this year. I photographed the attached image in 2008 when then Maj Perrin was flying the beast to Arizona, etc... The helicopter than went to New River and returned to HX-21 2021-22.

My guy at HX-21 tells me they will have a better idea of the retirement date after April.

 

Mike

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Mike,

 

I did not hear that '086 was retiring, but it makes sense.  she has a lot of hours on her.  And, I have a lot on hours on her as well!!

 

HAJO, 

The "Green Monster" as Mike refers to her was a specific test bird that was ordered by Naval Air Systems Command from Sikorsky Aircraft.  163086, was a CH-53E in a Block Upgrade configuration and was delivered directly to NAS Patuxent River MD, the home of tet and evaluation squadron HX-21.  It never was in the Flet Marine Force (FMF).

 

As such she had many add ons, testing missions, take offs, add ons, etc etc etc.  And, well most of the time the paint jobs of the add ons did not match the old solid green the helicopter was delivered in.  So she was a fraken-beast of sorts with gray cowlings, green tail, grey EAPS barrels on one side, orange wire all over her, etc. Gray counter measure gear installed, black counter measure gear installed, gray blades, black blades.  You get the picture.  When she went to VMX-1 at MCAS New River, she really started to look ragged,  As the fleet flew her pretty hard, and 100% of the CH-53E community was gray over gray color scheme, so when she needed spare parts they were gray, when she needed corrosion control painting done, they painted it with what they had, flat green, semi gloss green, flat dark gray, flat ghost gray.  Flying Leathernecks decals, did an awesome sheet of ol '086 in one of his releases.  He nailed it!!  Dave Roof is the owner and I know you can get the sheet off ebay or even his site.

 

I am hoping to see after the outstanding book Mason Doupnik did on the CH-53E, that somebody at Nationals does a 1/48th Academy/MRC in the "Green Monster" livery, it would be an awesome sight!  Couple pictures added here.  First, while with VMX-1. Second an 1980's shot of all of HX-21 53's. Last a 1990's shot of '086 doing wind envelop testing aboard a small boy USN ship.

 

s/f

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Edited by YF65_CH53E
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As a large helo guy, I'm diggin' these pics.  The complexity of these beasts made me appreciate the simpler layout of my CH-47s.  Still, when those guys set up camp next door in the sandbox, there was a good-hearted exchange of information & stories between the crews and the civilian contractors.  I'm going to go through my files from back and see whats good enough to share.

 

 

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Edited by IshyIsh
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15 hours ago, IshyIsh said:

As a large helo guy, I'm diggin' these pics.  The complexity of these beasts made me appreciate the simpler layout of my CH-47s.  Still, when those guys set up camp next door in the sandbox, there was a good-hearted exchange of information & stories between the crews and the civilian contractors.  I'm going to go through my files from back and see whats good enough to share.

Welcome aboard the thread - and you can certainly keep pics like that coming!

 

@YF65_CH53E HMH-WEST, Gunny? That's a new one on me...

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On 1/27/2024 at 5:06 PM, andyf117 said:

Welcome aboard the thread - and you can certainly keep pics like that coming!

 

@YF65_CH53E HMH-WEST, Gunny? That's a new one on me...

Andy, 

 

For some reason late 2000's the MAWs directed units that were not attached to a MEU were to paint "HMH-WEST", HMH-EAST" for their squadron markings.  I am still trying to track down the "secret" they were trying to keep here......?/?

 

Gunny

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I saw plenty of HMH-WEST Shitters in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, both Ds and Es. I think the intent might have been preventing the need to repaint the squadron number every time a new squadron came in, since the aircraft primarily stayed in theater as squadrons rotated in and out. Just my two cents…

 

Semper Fly,

 

Ski

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  • 3 weeks later...

Keeping the topic going as far as CH-53 research.  Here is an amazing photograph much like the one above.  Taken at NAS Patuxent River, MD sometime in the late 1970's.  The lead CH-53D, has no tanks, original CH-53A blades.....and what appears to me, WAY before photoshop a BENT TAIL?  Is this an engineering test vehicle for the eventual CH-53E bent tail?  the YCH-53E first was delivered to flight test with the "Whale Tail".  It was straight and had a horizontal stabalizer much like its little brother the H-60.

 

Also, the two 53's in the background have rotorhead camers installed, and TWO different prototype blades attached.  The wide composite blade, and the other aircraft has a wide composite blade with SWEPT TIPS??  For the 1970's this is just amazing to me.

 

Have fun with these pics!

 

r/Gunny Dan

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Holy hell, Guns, AMAZING pics! My mind is blown with that bent tail. I wonder if the -53 Program Office might have some other pics in their archives, or maybe even Pax River. The different rotor blades are also super interesting, I had no idea that they had several variations going at the same time. Thanks for sharing, you're a wealth of knowledge!

 

Semper Fly,

 

Ski

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The MH-53E was in test colors at that time.  Here is some pics of that bird.  Also here is another shot of the first YCH-53E.  "Whale-tail".  You can really see the tail in this perspective.  Also in this shot you can see the long fuel sponsons with out auxillary fuels tanks installed yet.  The No. 3 engine exhaust is also much larger than the production delivered CH-53E's with the -416 GE motors.  The No. 2 exhaust is also very short, and would prove problematic for heat build up on that part of the fuselage as well as compressor inlet issues.  No rotor head cover, known to us as the "beanie ring" is installed.  This picture is thought to be by Sikorsky historian the second flight of the Marine YCH-53E.  The Navy YCH-53E had aux tanks installed for its first fights.

 

r/Gunny

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