http://www.break.com/index/tiedheli23.html

 

I was expecting Caneman to exit there at the end.

 

This has to be a demonstration of some kind.

 

if this choppers a'rockin don't come a'knockin

 

I agree... must be some sort of demonstration- otherwise there would have been the traditional "oh ****!" and running... Harmonic demolition at work... cool!

 

Hi! Nice to be here with the real Big Iron drivers, I'm new. Believe it or not, I saw a Bell 47 destroyed because of skid tiedowns way back in the 70s, while working the line at Betty Morgan's at Laredo Int'l. The pilot (now deceased - in bed!) untied only 3 of the 4 chains on the skids - we had 60 mph winds forecast the night before and my line chief told me we didn't want to find it on its side in the morning. So I tied 'er down tight at 4 points, each corner of the skids, chains stretched way out across the ramp to 4 diff ramp ringbolts. You'd trip over 'em any way you approached the rotorcraft. He came out around oh-predawn-thirty and was still sleepy I guess. He also had a rep - despite over 4000 hrs rotor time- for letting his rpms really wind up and jerkin' her up kinda fast with the collective for takeoff. Guess he didn't want to drift in the hover in the dark... There were quite a few fixedwings tied down nearby but we had him parked & positioned where his rotorwash wouldn't blow their control surfaces around too much. Anyway when I came on shift next day 2PM it was just a blackened mass on our ramp. The morning guy said he heard it, was in the hangar and ran out at the sound, saw that [unnamed pilot] had somehow actually run out thru the thrashing rotors (!) and was already standing well to one side watching in horror.

This 47 was used to round up brush cattle and had a lot of rounds of .22 ratshot on board. I got to pick up all these loose well-cooked rimfire cartridges along with a local deputy - holding wooden boards in front of our faces all the while and peeking around. Still have a curled-up piece of the 47's toasted bubble. That 47 belonged to Joe Ingle, a helluva rotorman who went down in the Gulf a couple years ago in a 212 I believe. They all got out but he drowned trying to save his pax - at age 65. RIP Joe, you were a helluva man and a real flyer. Joe was real nice about it, he just shook his head, took us aside and quietly said, "Let's not tie 'em down anymore, boys..." Mighta been a diff story if he'd had to come out and find it on its side because of those high winds, though! Some days you just can't win. Fortunately the FARs and common sense were on my side this time - for once!

Oh and BTW that vid is a Boeing Vertol ground resonance test on their lab stand, you can check out a better version and another side view of it here: http://www.alexisparkinn.com/aviation_videos.htm My favorite place for crash vids.