"

EDITORIAL STAFF
Capt Theodore E. 'Vasko
Lt John E. Armstrong
William E. Vance
Sp 2 Jay Lewis Quinn
U. S. ARMY AVIATION SCHOOL
Brig Gen Bogardus S. Cairns
Commandant
Col John J. Tolson
Assistant Commandant
SCHOOL STAFF
Col 'William H. Byrne
Plight SUTgeon
Col William R. Tuck
Director of Instruction
Col Jay D. Vanderpool
Combat Development Office
Col Edward N. Dahlstrom
Secretary
Lt Col James L. Townsend
CO, USAAVNS Regiment
DEPARTMENTS
Lt Col Raymond E. Johnson
Rotary Wing
Lt Col Thomas W. Anderson
TacHes
Lt Col Harry J. Kern
Maintenance
Lt Col Howard 1. Lukens
Pixed Wing
Lt Col Thomas J. Sabiston
Publications and
Non-Resident Instr'ltCtion
The U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST is lin official publication of the DE:'partment of the
Army published monthly under the supervision of the Commandant, U. S. Army Aviation
School .
The mission of the U. S. ARMY AVIATION
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aircraft accident prevention, training, mainte-
nance. operations. research and development. avia-
tion medicine. and other related data.
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provE:'d by the Director of the Bureau of the
Budget, 15 March 1956.
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For explanation of abbreviations used.
see AR 320-50.
UNITED STATES
ARMY AVIATION
DIGEST
Volume 4 May, 1958 Number 5
ARTICLES
The Whirlybird on Instruments . .
Major Oran B. Jolley (USAR, Ret.)
Aircraft Fuels
WO Roger L. Eichelberger, TC
An Accident Talks Back .
CWO Raymond L. Bandy, TC
ROK Aviation School.
One Year of Helicopter Training at Camp Wolters
Colonel Wayne E. Downing, CE
A System for Tracking with the ADF
Captain O. B. Bivens, EAL
Straight and Level
Notes from the Pentagon
DEPARTMENTS
Brigadier General Ernest F. Easterbrook, USA
Memo from Flight Surgeon
Puzzler.
Books for the Army Aviator .
Master Army Aviator
Gray Hair Department
COVER
This aerial view of Ozark Army Airfield shows the latest progress in the development
of facilities and general improvements which are illustrative of the growth of Fort
Rucker and the U. S. Army Aviation School. The nerve center of the field is the new
Operations Building. To the left are the hangars of the Combined Test Activities and
other fixed wing aircraft. To the right, new excavation can be seen for more buildings
and hangars and the rotary wing ramp area.
6
13
16
24
26
31
2
3
20
23
40
42
43
1
TO: Editor
I must take exception to your rec-
ommended solution of the PUZZLER
concerning flying a Sioux on a DVFR
from Tallahassee to Jacksonville,
Florida. [February 1958 DIGEST]
Your solution implies a violation of
part 620.14(b) of the Civil Air Regu-
lations, which is quoted as follows:
DVFR Flights. No deviation
shall be made from a DVFR
flight plan unless prior notifica-
tion is given to an appropriate
aeronautical facility.
Note the word prior in the regula-
tion. Webster defines this word as
"preceding in time; earlier; previous;
former; or preceding in order of im-
portance; preferred." Your solution
requires a pilot to "descend to an al-
titude" and "transmit a position re-
port." Interpreting the above seman-
tics, the pilot first descends to an
altitude before he transmits his posi-
tion report. This is quite clearly in
violation of the above quoted Civil
Air Regulation which says that the
pilot will first give notification and
then deviate from his flight plan.
You may argue, of course, that
your solution supposes that the pilot
descend in altitude and make his
position report simultaneously. Even
if I were to admit the practicality
of such concurrent action, I still
must stress the word prior in part
620.14(b). Under the law, a pilot shall
make no deviation from a DVFR
flight plan unless he gives prior noti-
fication to an appropriate aeronautical
facility.
It would appear that the only leg-
ally correct solution to your PUZ-
ZLER is:
"Continue flight by descending
to an altitude that will provide at
least 500 feet vertical clearance
from clouds, after using available
radio equipment to report the
change to the nearest A TCS."
If you do not agree with the above
remarks, I suggest you refer it to the
regional administrator of the CAA
and ask for their concurrence in the
interpretation.
2
Keep up the good work.
J. E. GONSETH, JR.
Colonel, S'igC
CO, Camp Gary, Tex.
If the pilot can foresee the neces-
sity for a change of altitude, the
course of action suggested by Colonel
Gonseth is the best. However, if the
Sioux were in such close proximity to
the clouds that a violation of visual
flight rules would occur if immediate
action was not taken (in control areas
above 700 feet: 3 miles visibility;
500 feet under, 1000 feet over, and
2000 feet horizontal distance from
clouds), our solution would be the
best. This situation would be classed
as an emergency and is covered by
Part 620.15 of Civil Air Regulations.
-The Editor
TO: Editor
Where is the esprit de corps in
Army Aviation maintenance men?
The peak of esprit de corps in
Army Aviation maintenance groups
is found at the graduation exercises
of an Army or factory operated
maintenance school. It also may be
noted when a phase of on-the-job
training has been completed within
an aviation unit in the field. When
these goals have been reached, main-
tenance men are proud to be awarded
an MOS delegating responsibility for
the maintenance mission of Army
Aviation. But there esprit de corps
begins dropping. Where is the em-
blem or badge that tells others his
qualifications?
Maintaining a high level of esprit de
corps in maintenance groups is a
major factor in the successful perform-
ance of the Army Aviation mission.
Various groups within the Army
have high esprit de corps for very
good reasons: Para troopers and pilots
have it because of the extra money
and honor; infantrymen have it
strictly because of the honor. Disre-
garding the money, the one thing
that sets these people apart and gives
them this esprit de corps is the badge
they proudly wear. That badge is a
mark of distinction that tells the
world: Here is a qualified man who
is proud of his work.
(Continued on page 12)
The views expressed in this depart-
ment are not necessarily those of the
Department of the Army or of the
U. S. Army Aviation School.
-The Editor
The Increasing Requirement for
Army Aviation Staff Officers
Brigadier General Ernest F. Easterbrook, USA
Director of Army Aviation, ODCSOPS
o NE OF THE STRIKING features
of Army Aviation has been
its rapid growth in World War
II, and again during the Korean
War. This growth is reflected in
the number of Army Aviation
staff officers assigned to Depart-
ment of the Army staff agencies
in the Washington area.
On 6 June 1942, when the
War Department approved the
recommendation of the Com-
manding General, Army Ground
Forces, to include organic air ob-
servation in field artillery units,
there were only 20 qualified field
artillery pilots on active duty to
provide the base for the great
expansion necessary to meet the
demands of World War II.
In the creation of the field
artillery element of Army A via-
tion, the War Department
charged the Commanding Gen-
eral, Army Air Forces, with the
responsibility for basic pilot
training, field and depot mainte-
nance, aircraft procurement, and
supply. The Commanding Gen-
eral, Army Ground Forces, was
responsible for the employment
of field artillery organic air op-
eration; the selection and as-
signment of personnel; organ-
izational maintenance of air-
craft; tactical training of pilots,
mechanics and observers; and
training literature.
During the early stages of
World War II, overseas armies
experienced considerable diffi-
culty in obtaining replacement
aircraft and spare parts because
of lack of high-level logistical
planning. In general, the over-
seas Army Ground Forces had
to requisition aircraft and spare
parts from the theater air force,
and the overseas Army Ground
Forces expected the Air Forces
to provide aircraft and spare
parts as an automatic issue. The
overseas armies soon ran out of
L-4 spare parts in Africa and
Sicily because no requisitions
had been submitted by appropri-
ate logistical planners.
By mid-1943, the Command-
ing General, Army G r 0 u n d
Forces, and the Commanding
General, Army Services Forces,
each had one field artillery pilot
assigned to his staff as Army
Aviation logistical and opera-
tional planners. The Command-
ing G e n era I, Army Ground
Forces, also assigned a field ar-
tillery pilot as liaison officer to
3
MAY 1958
Headquarters, Army Air Force,
to coordinate Army Air Forces
support of Army Ground Forces
organic aviation. In addition,
the overseas commanders in
Europe and Africa found it nec-
essary to assign field artillery
pilots to the staff of theater,
army group and army head-
quarters, for the purpose of
planning and coordinating logis-
tical support, supply, mainte-
nance, operation, and admin-
istration of organic aviation
assigned to subordinate units.
These overseas Army Aviation
staff officers became a combina-
tion of SI, S2, S3, and S4 for
Army Aviation. They coordi-
nated the requisitioning of pilot
and mechanic replacements, as-
sisted in developing means for
identifying our aircraft, partici-
pated in campaign planning, and
worked with the supporting Air
Forces to requisition the neces-
sary replacement airplanes, pro-
pellers, winter flying clothing,
and spare parts.
Throughout World War II
there were no Army Aviators
assigned to the War Depart-
ment General Staff. In general,
the War Department obtained
its advice concerning Arm y
Aviation matters from Army
Air Force officers serving on
the War Department General
Staff. When General Devers
moved his Army Ground Forces
Headquarters to Fort Monroe in
1946, not a single Army Aviator
remained on duty in the Wash-
ington area.
During the following yea r
when the National Security Act
of 1947 was passed, one Army
Aviator was assigned to the Re-
search and Development Group
of the Logistics Division, and
4
two Army Aviators were as-
signed to the National Guard
Bureau. Then in 1948, an Army
A viator was assigned to the
Career Management Branch of
the Personnel Division of the
Department of the Army Gen-
eral Staff. Later that summer,
upon the suggestion of the G3
of Army Ground Forces, an
Army A via tor was assigned to
the Organization and Training
Division of the Department of
the Army to assist the Army
staff in developing tables of or-
ganization and equipment for
Army Aviation sections. A sim-
ilar suggestion was approved by
the Chief of the Supply Group
of the Logistics Division, and an
Army Aviator was assigned to
the Logistics Division to coordi-
nate the supply of Army air-
craft and spare parts worldwide.
The rated general staff offi-
cers at the Pentagon and Fort
Monroe devoted much time and
effort to preserve the Army's
authority for organic Arm y
Aviation by establishing basic
policy for Army Aviation in
Army regulations. The first
of these regulations was SR
605-95-1, which prescribed per-
sonnel policies for Army A via-
tors. The second and most im-
portant regulation was AR 95-5,
which was the first full-fledged
Army Regulation pertaining to
Army Aviation. It was published
on 15 November 1949, establish-
ing basic policy for Army A via-
tion personnel, organization and
training, operations, supply, de-
velopment, test and procure-
ment, inspection, forms, records,
and reports.
Then came the Korean War
in 1950. By 1951 the importance
of Army Aviation in combat had
been reaffirmed. However, as re-
cently as 1952, the job of carry-
ing out the aviation responsibili-
ties of the G3, Department of
the Army, fell on one Army
Aviator. The impact of the Ko-
rean War emphasized the im-
portance of Arm y A via tion
throughout the Army, and by
April 1954, this one-man fire
brigade in G3 had grown to five
officers, organized into a branch
of the Organization and Train-
ing Division.
The A via tion Division of G3
was established on 1 February
1955, with Major General Hamil-
ton H. Howze (then Brigadier
General) being assigned as the
first general officer to fill the
position of chief of the division.
When the Army General Staff
was reorganized in January
1956, the Army's Deputy Chief
of Staff for Plans assumed re-
sponsibility for G3
With this broadening of juris-
diction, his title was changed to
Deputy Chief of Staff for Mili-
tary Operations.
Insofar as Army Aviation is
concerned, the Deputy Chief of
Staff for Military Operations is
responsible to the Chief of Staff
for overall staff supervision and
coordination of functions of the
Army relating to Army A via-
tion and formulation of related
policy. Within his organization,
the Deputy Chief of Staff for
Military Operations has estab-
lished the Office of the Director
of Army Aviation to discharge
these responsibilities.
NOTES FROM THE PENTAGON
Army A via tors have now been
assigned to all of the general
staff and most of the special
staff agencies of the Depart-
ment of the Army to assist in
the planning and execution of
the Army Aviation program.
Army A via tors are assigned to
the offices of the Assistant Sec-
retary of Defense (Research and
Development), Assistant Secre-
tary of the Army (Civil-Military
Affairs), Assistant Secretary of
the Army (Logistics), Chief of
Research and Development,
Deputy Chief of Staff for Per-
sonnel, Deputy Chief of Staff
for Logistics, Deputy Chief of
Staff for Military Operations,
Assistant Chief of Staff Intelli-
gence, Chief Signal Officer, Chief
of Transportation, Chief of En-
gineers, The Surgeon General,
Chief of the National Guard
Bureau, Chief of Army Reserve
and ROTC Affairs, Chief of Pub-
lic Information, Officers Assign-
ment Division of The Adjutant
General, The Inspector General,
and Headquarters, Military Dis-
trict of Washington.
All told, there are approxi-
mately 75 Army Aviators serv-
ing on the staffs of the Depart-
ment of Defense, Department of
the Army, and Headquarters
Military District of Washington
-a far cry from the three field
artillery pilots who served in
Washington during World War
II. This increase from 3 to 75
Army Aviation staff officers
serving in the Washington area
reflects the growth of Arm y
Aviation throughout the Army.
5
The Whirlybird
on Instruments
Maior Oran B. Jolley (USAR, Ret.J
NoT LONG AGO a helicopter com-
pany was participating in a
field exercise designed to simu-
late night combat conditions.
To complete the mission the
pilots were to fly 20 minutes and
then land in an unfamiliar and
unlighted area. At the time of
takeoff, the weather reported
was high overcast, visibility
three miles plus. The time was
about 2200 hours and the mis-
sion was progressing unevent-
fully. Unnoticed by participating
personnel, a thin ground fog or
Major Oran B. Jolley is senior re-
search technician for the Human Re-
sources Research Office of George
Washington University located at
Fort Rucker. Before his recent retire-
ment, he was a Senior Army Aviator
and Deputy Director of the Depart-
ment of Rotary Wing Training, U. S.
Army Aviation School. Views ex-
pressed in this article are the author's
and are not necessarily those of the
Department of the Army or of the
U. S. Army A'uiation School.
-The Editor
6
haze layer had developed be-
tween 50-150 feet above the
ground. Stars were visible to
ground crews, and the pilots
could see lights on the ground
through the layer.
Two Chickasaws arrived over
the landing area; one was on
final to the unlighted and un-
familiar area and the other cir-
cled, awaiting his time for an
approach. The pilot on final
turned on his landing light and
descended to about 150 feet
above the ground. Here the land-
ing light was turned off. A
ground observer thought the
pilot had elected to go around,
but the helicopter hit the ground
in a descending turn to the right
from about 100 feet. Pilot and
copilot were killed, and the air-
craft was destroyed by fire.
The pilot of the second heli-
copter saw the accident and re-
quested aid by radio for the
burning Chickasaw. He then
Blind flying instruments
on Choctaw, including
5-inch gyro-horizon
indicator at top center,
reflect search for suitable
rotary wing equipment
proceeded to the scene, intending
to land. He followed the first
machine's landing pattern. The
sequence of events was the
same: landing light on, descent
to approximately 150 feet, land-
ing light out, and a shallow de-
scending turn to the right. The
second helicopter crashed 100
yards from the first. Pilot and
copilot were killed, probably vic-
tims of vertigo when visual ref-
erence to the ground was lost.
Tragedies of this nature and
others accentuated the lack of
information in the area of heli-
copter instrument flight and ac-
celerated a study then in prog-
ress at the U. S. Army Avia-
tion School.
Largely because of this lack
of information in the field of
practical helicopter instrument
flying, the present Army policy
in this field states: "Because of
their aerodynamic characteris-
tics and inadequacy of flight in-
strum entation, Army helicop-
ters will not be flown unless
visual reference to the ground
can be maintained except as
specifically authorized by the
Department of the Army in con-
nection with Research and De-
velopment or Special Training
Activities."
But helicopters are being used
as a means of transportation in
the United States Army, and
transportation, in order to be ef-
fective, must be able to operate
around the clock and calendar in
any part of the world.
The United States Army Avia-
tion School (which is responsible
for the development of doctrine,
tactics, and techniques of Army
Aviation) is continually investi-
gating the feasibility of flying
cur r e n t helicopters, equipped
with standard off-the-shelf in-
struments, under simulated in-
strument conditions. This is an
interim report.
7
MAY 1958
PROGRAM BEGINS
The program really got un-
derway in January of 1955.
Since we had no background of
experience in this field, liaison
was established with civilian
operators and the other services.
We had to learn what proce-
dures had been developed. Re-
sulting information indicated all
concerned were operating VFR.
In some isolated cases pilots had
flown under limited instrument
conditions.
Everyone contacted felt that
present-day instruments were
only marginally adequate for
civil airway type flying. A need
existed for better instrumenta-
tion to aid the pilot in this type
of flying. The Army then con-
tracted with Bell Aircraft Cor-
poration for an immediate short-
range program calling for in-
strumentation of two Sioux. The
first, delivered in March 1956,
was equipped with an instru-
ment panel consisting of pres-
ent-day production instruments.
The second craft was to be used
as a test vehicle for any and all
production and test instruments,
plus new ones being developed
by industry. T his machine,
equipped with an instrument
capability representing the lat-
est in instrumentation "state of
the art," was to be delivered as
soon as possible.
The U. S. Army Aviation
School aviators, in the mean-
time, had been logging hour
after hour of simulated instru-
ment time. These pilots had a
broad background in fixed wing
instrument flying and approach-
ed the problem cautiously. Ap-
proximately one year later, on
22 January 1956, the first actual
8
instrument flight was made.
This flight, off airways and un-
der GCA control, was of 11/2
hours duration. The Chickasaw
used was equipped with stand-
ard fixed wing instruments. Dur-
ing February and March of 1956,
several actual instrument (AI)
flights had been made without
incident. The program had pro-
gressed to the point that units
in Europe had heard of the suc-
cess and requested that one of
the pilots be sent there to help
set up an instrument training
program. This was done.
By this time the following
conclusions had been drawn:
a. Helicopter instrument fly-
ing was both feasible and prac-
tical in current helicopters.
b. Techniques used in fixed
wing aircraft are generally ade-
quate for helicopters.
c. Attitude control on partial
panel is satisfactory.
d. Safe recoveries from un-
usual positions can be made
(partial panel).
e. Emergency procedures can
be performed in a normal man-
ner (autorotations were made
AI, and also under hood-par-
tial panel).
f. Takeoffs were made in zero-
zero conditions many times.
Zero-zero capabilities for land-
ings are limited only by lack of
absolute altimetry and ground-
speed information.
TEST UNDERWAY
As we were now ready to get
on the airways, we requested
and received permission to is-
sue helicopter instrument cer-
tificates on an experimental
basis only. A test program util-
izing a specially selected group
of Army Aviators was initiated
he immediately increased the
airspeed to 50 to 55 MPH and
attempted to flare the helicopter
at approximately 100 feet of al-
titude and at a point over the
ground approximately 300 feet
short of the intended landing
area. The flare - according to
the instructor's technique-was
to 'stretch the glide'. Before the
attempted recovery was effec-
tive, the helicopter struck a lone
pine tree apparently on the right
side to the direction of flight,
and apparently with little or no
forward speed. The helicopter
turned 270
0
in a counter-clock-
wise direction, s t r i kin g the
ground on the right side. The
helicopter was totally demol-
ished.
"The collective and cyclic con-
trols were checked by mainte-
nance and investigating officers
and found to be in proper work-
ing order.
"The weather reported at
Ozark Army Airfield at the time
of the accident was clear, 12
miles visibility, winds NW 10-14
knots gusting to 20.
"Primary unsafe act: Instruc-
tor pilot error. Instructor pilot
used poor judgment in attempt-
ing to demonstrate a high speed,
low altitude autorotative forced
landing without evaluating the
affect gusty turbulent wind, ex-
isting at the time, would have
on the maneuver."
The primary cause of acci-
dent is determined as instructor
pilot error, and the spoken opin-
ion of most who have read this
report is to the effect that when
so many hours of student train-
ing of this type are conducted
"accidents will happen." What,
then, has been gained, except
that a Sioux has been demol-
AN ACCIDENT TALKS BACK
ished and two people (the in-
structor pilot and student in
the subject aircraft) were de-
briefed and critiqued until all
the aspects of the accident were
relatively clear?
I learned and reviewed so
many things from considering
my actions with hindsight that
I feel certain I shall never be
involved in a similar situation
again. With this in mind, I am
going to set forth my reflections
on this particular accident.
WINDY DAY
The day was cold, windy and
gusty. Before leaving my quar-
ters, I filled a thermos with cof-
fee and carried it with me to the
aircraft. The class was behind
schedule and since nobody want-
ed to fly another Saturday, I
planned to make maxim urn use
of my aircraft, stopping only
long enough to ' change students
and refuel. I was fortunate to be
assigned a G model, because I
could eliminate one refueling.
My three students were in
their advanced stage of train-
ing. Two were average and one
was an unusually adept pilot and
had been recommended for re-
tention as a potential instructor
pilot. I planned to fly two stu-
dents without refueling, then to
make the third flight with my
potential IP. On takeoff from
the first confined area, I noticed
that the aircraft was reacting
very sluggishly. This is not un-
usual with a G model and a full
fuel load, so I merely made a
mental note to use only the
larger confined areas. The first
flight period passed unevent-
fully.
During the second flight, I re-
mained at the stage field and
17
MAY 1958
practiced 180
0
autorotations un-
til the student was ready for
solo. Halfway through the peri-
od, he completed his .supervised
solo 180s and we left to perform
a confined area operation. Since
a good deal of our fuel had been
expended, I chose a smaller
area. Using full power, the Sioux
just barely cleared the barriers.
At this point, I decided to dis-
continue confined area opera-
tions for the day.
During the refueling period, I
noticed that the wind was in-
creasing in velocity, but did not
give this observation any posi-
tive attention. (I learned later
that the wind was NW 10 knots
gusting to 20 knots.)
JUDGMENT FAILS
This is the point where judg-
ment begins to fail. As I have
mentioned earlier, I had decided
against any confined area op-
erations. The student had gained
so much proficiency in road op-
erations and pinnacle work that
it would have been wasted effort
to continue there. I decided that
we would spend the flight period
practicing forced landings from
different positions, with concen-
tration on low altitude work. I
did not consider that the gust-
ing winds made this type of
training impractical and dan-
gerous.
After takeoff from the stage
field, the student left traffic and
was immediately given a forced
landing. He followed the correct
procedure and executed a touch-
down autorotation in an ap-
proved area. I directed him to
make a maximum performance
takeoff. After he had transition-
ed to a normal climb and had
reached an altitude of approxi-
18
mately 200 feet, I again split
the needles. There was another
approved touchdown area al-
most directly ahead of us, and
the student, following the pre-
scribed course of action, main-
tained his same pitch attitude
and made the directional change
necessary to align the aircraft
with the area. It was apparent
that we would fall .short of this
touchdown point. At approxi-
mately 50 feet altitude, I took
control of the aircraft, applied
collective pitch early, and ex-
ecuted a touchdown with mini-
mum safe rotor RPM.
I retained control of the air-
. craft and flew back .to the point
of his maximum performance
takeoff, explaining to the stu-
dent that he had followed the
correct procedure and had al-
most completed the maneuver.
I further explained that he could
have reached the area without
applying collective pitch pre-
maturely (as I had done) by
slightly lowering the nose of
the helicopter from the 45 MPH
attitude to a 55 MPH attitude,
then using a moderate flare to
carry the aircraft over the top
of the barriers in the flight
path, dissipating the forward
speed. I told him to follow
through with me as I performed
a demonstration.
DEMONSTRATION
I flew a takeoff identical to the
one the student had mad e,
reached the same point where
he had been when he entered
the previous autorotation, split
my own needles and lowered the
nose of the ship to a 55 MPH
attitude. A lone pine tree stood
approximately 75 yards from
our point of intended t 0 u c h-
down. It became apparent that
our flight path would take us in
contact with that tree. I glanced
at the airspeed indicator and it
reflected 50-55 MPH as I began
a moderate flare to slow our rate
of descent. Our flight path re-
mained the same. I rapidly in-
creased the rate of flare, ap-
plied collective pitch and throt-
tle-and we hit the tree.
What had happened? First,
I had displayed very poor judg-
ment in attempting a maneuver
of this type in the existing wind
conditions. This poor judgment
is, of course, the primary cause
of the accident and what is
shown on the reports. But the
specifics, the things that might
help someone else avoid a sim-
ilar accident, are not shown.
While we were indicating 45
MPH in a normal climb, our ver-
tical speed was affecting this
reading, in that our g r 0 u n d
speed was reduced commensu-
rate with the angle of climb. As
we transitioned from a normal
climb to autorotation, the nose
was lowered, the angle of attack
of the entire rotor system les-
sened, and we obtained a very
high rate of descent. The steep
angle of descent which resulted
considerably I e sse ned our
groundspeed, even though the
airspeed indicator showed 50-55
MPH. Assuming that the wind
was in a 20-knot gust at this
time, our groundspeed was re-
duced to approximately 10-15
mph. This would explain why
our flight path projected toward
the obstacle instead of to the ap-
proved touchdown area, as in
AN ACCIDENT TALKS BACK
the previous autorotation when
the pitch attitude had not been
changed.
As I applied aft cyclic for the
flare, the angle of attack of the
entire rotor system was in-
creased, and sufficient lift should
have been derived to slow the
rate of descent and allow a
smooth power recovery; but, as
the flare was being executed,
the 20-knot gust was paying
out, and the decrease in airspeed
was cancelling out the effect of
the flare, as well as the collective
pitch and throttle application.
CONCLUSIONS
Several conclusions can be
drawn from this. If it is neces-
sary to enter autorotation from
any altitude below 300 feet with
low airspeed, maintain a con-
stant pitch attitude, or raise the
nose of the helicopter slightly
in order to shorten the glide dis-
tance. NEVER ATTEMPT TO
INCREASE. THE GLIDE DIS-
TANCE BY INCREASING AIR-
SPEED. Above 300 feet, in-
creasing airspeed is effective to
increase the glide ratio since the
high rate of descent is initial in
its effect. Most importantly, do
not attempt to practice confined
autorotations in gusty wind con-
ditions.
In summary, I believe it
would be a definite asset for a
pilot to have the opportunity of
studying, in detail, the circum-
stances and cause factors-other
than "pilot error"-for all major
accidents in the type aircraft in
which he is qualified.
19
o UR EYES ARE easily the most
important sense we use in
flying. Whether for depth per-
ception, spotting other aircraft,
reading instruments, detecting
signal flares or the enemy, there
is no substitute. Yet even supe-
rior vision may be inadequate if
it is abused or used without un-
derstanding. An aviator with
only fair vision who knows a
little about the eyes, their func-
tion and proper use, is far better
off than a neglectful aviator
with superior vision.
Whatever image we see passes
through the lens to the back of
each eye where it is projected
on the retina. When light falls
on certain nerve endings of the
retina, impulses pass to the
brain which interprets what we
see.
The retina is not all alike.
From near its center we get our
The views expressed in this depart-
ment are not necessarily those of the
Department of the Army or of the
U. S. Army Aviation School.
-The Editor
20
best VISIOn and most of our
ability to discriminate color but
it is useful only in daylight.
Out from the central area we
see less acutely, but at night
this is a most important area
because only the barest illumina-
tion enables us to see at a time
when the central part of our ret-
ina is a blank. It is this portion
of the eye which lets us see ob-
j ects moving in from the sides
or from abo v e or below. Al-
though useful in both daylight
and nightlight, the side area is
most important at'night because
under certain minimum condi-
tions it is our only source of
vision.
Our eyes must become adapted
for night vision. While the cen-
ter part of the retina adapts
in just eight minutes, it is
worthless for minimum light-
ing. Unfortunately, the sid e
areas take a good half hour to
adapt; yet they are an absolute
necessity for error-free night
flying. This poses a problem.
Lucky for us, this side area is
unaffected by dark red light.
Before a night flight we may
read or rest in a brightly lit
room while wearing red light-
tight goggles, and the eyes will
gradually become conditioned
for flight.
PREPARATIONS
Prepare for night flight and
take necessary precautions while
flying. Since sudden light in the
cockpit can neutralize dark adap-
tation, it is a good idea to be-
come familiar with the exact
position of every control in the
aircraft and have a mental pic-
ture of the layout of the other
equipment so that adjustments
can be made without light. You
will have to practice this, per-
haps blindfolded, but it is an
important part of the checkout.
When it is absolutely neces-
sary to use light to read an in-
strument, use only a sma 11
amount for a brief moment. If
possible, use red light and, above
all, keep one eye closed since
each eye adapts to night light
independently.
Keep certain fundamentals in
mind. Because of that blind spot
in the center of the retina, do
MEMO FROM FLIGHT SURGEON
not look directly at the object
you wish to see. It is also a good
idea not to hold the eye fixed;
keep it roving to make sure the
blind spot doesn't block out an
object moving in to meet you.
CONTRAST AT NIGHT
Remember that at night ob-
j ects are seen only by contrast.
By flying over dark ground, you
can obscure yom,' own airplane
to an enemy aircraft above it.
Anything that reduces contrast,
such as haze or fog or dirty
wi;ndshields, will naturally re-
duce your night vision. So make
sure your goggles and wind-
shield are clear before takeoff.
Certain conditions will put an
unnecessary strain on your vis-
ion. While unimportant during
the day when there is plenty of
light, at night they can be criti-
cal. Hypoxia, for example, con-
tracts your pupils. At the higher
altitudes you will find it difficult
to focus your eyes; you may
even wind up with double vision.
If available, it is an excellent
rule to use oxygen from the
ground up at night.
Fatigue is another condition
t,hat makes your vision less ef-
CUTAWAY VIEW OF EYEBAll
21
MAY 1958
fective. Assume you are landing
after a long tiresome flight.
Your vision is weakest at this
time when you need it most. If
you have a copilot, it is an ex-
cellent idea to alternate with
him to avoid this danger.
Older pilots have older eyes
and should remember it. Again,
it is only good sense to call for
help from the copilot in landing
at night.
Smoking has two really serious
effects and should be avoided
for at least 45 minutes before
landing. First, the nicotine nar-
rows certain arteries, decreasing
the blood flow to the brain which
impairs vision. Second, it puts
carbon monoxide into your blood
stream to take up some of its
oxygen carrying capacity. This
effect is similar to the narrowed
artery.
RECOMMENDED
The following rules for night
flying have been summarized by
the 8afety Division of the Uni-
versity of Southern California:
a. Eat a well-balanced diet.
b. Become dark-adapted by
wearing red goggles for 30 min-
utes before takeoff.
c. Avoid searchlights and
bright cockpit lighting. Make
exposure to light as brief as
possible. Use as low intensity as
possible. Keep one eye closed if
possible.
d. Look 10 off-center to see
aircraft. Practice this on the
ground.
e. Keep gaze moving.
f. Keep image size as large as
possible by flying above or be-
low object to be seen.
g. Use contrast. Fly low over
dark ground. Fly higher when
over snow, sand, or white clouds.
h. Keep goggles and wind-
shield clear.
i. Use oxygen from the ground
up to avoid hypoxia.
j. Keep physically fit. This im-
proves night vision along with
other processes.
Articles from Field Needed for DIGEST
We are interested in publishing articles in the U. S. ARMY
AVIATION DIGEST written and submitted by Army Aviation
personnel in the field. Manuscripts on any subject related to Army
Aviation as outlined on the inside front cover of the magazine are
welcome.
Articles should be at least 1,500 words in length, or they may
be longer if necessary to adequately present the subject. In addition
glossy photograp,hs or drawings and diagrams are desired to il-
lustrate the articles.
If you feel that the DIGEST has been negligent in covering
some phase of Army Aviation in which you are interested and
qualified, here's an opportunity to rectify that situation by sending
your contribution to the magazine.
22
A
N ENGINE CHANGE HAS BEEN ,completed on a Beaver. For your
own information, you check the complete installation for wir-
ing, plumbing, installation of accessories, etc., and find that every-
thing is in proper order.
The new engine has been pre-oiled as prescribed and is now
started. After running it for approximately 30 minutes, the only
thing you can find wrong is that the propeller will not change pitch.
You shut the engine down, disconnect the oil line from the prop
governor to the crankcase, only to find that oil is getting to the
front case. You next remove the propeller cylinder lock ring and
propeller cylinder head and find there is no oil in it.
From this inspection, you should know that:
o The control lever on the prop been inserted in the crank-
governor is not turning the shaft.
governor shaft. 0 The stop lever on the prop
governor is broken.
o The prop governor is defec- 0 The plumbing has been re-
tive and should be replaced. versed at the prop governor.
o Oil is not getting to the prop 0 The engine is defective and
cylinder because a plug has should be replaced.
The correct solution to the PUZZLER may be found on page 48.
TACAN AND VORTAC
TacAN: (Tactical Air Navigation). A pulse type omnirange
operating in the 1000 mc band, giving cockpit information and
display of azimuth and distance from the facility similar to
VORj DME (distance measuring equipment). Its use requires
TacAN airborne equipment and does not operate through the con-
ventional VORjDME' equipment. Coverage similar to VOR/ DME.
VORTAC: A combination of VOR and TacAN, this facility con-
sists of a coaxially co-located VHF omnirange (VOR) and a UHF
TacAN station. Identification for the VOR is transmitted at the
rate of six identifications per minute. Twice each minute the VOR
identification is omitted to allow two identifications of the TacAN
signal. (APPROACH, March 1958) "
.-
. ,
,0,.'"
.

ROK
from
Str
of it
open,
1952
Korel
eted
achie
u. S.
Th,
terne
Schoc
must
their
iority
mech
tion I
opere
KMAI
meth(]
11
p
a
Theorj
aided 1
mt makes his first solo takeoff
)1 field located near Kwanju
, to increase the effectiveness
rmy, the Republic of Korea
In Army Aviation School in
~ a y six years later, over 400
,ilots have received their cov-
Igs. This progress has been
through the active aid of the
Iy Advisory Group, Korea.
1001, located at Kwanju, is pat-
fter the U. S. Army Aviation
Fort Rucker, but its instructors
mount greater problems than
teside counterparts. The ma-
students are unfamiliar with
al equipment, and the instruc-
include every minute detail of
1 and function.
ilintenance Advisor explains proper
f cleaning spark plug leads
~ r e t e r helps instructor explain
~ r method for checking starter on
Dog engine used in classroom
flight instruction is
se of m()(i'el airplane
Student learns to read Bird Dog compass
Use of the stick is one of the first
training phases taught at the school
One Year
of Helicopter Training
at Camp Wolters
Colonel Wayne E. Downing, CE
ON 1 JULY 1956, Wolters Air
Force Base, Texas, became
Camp Wolters. It was trans-
ferred from Air Force to Army
to provide a location for an Army
P rim a r y Helicopter Flying
School. Shortly the rea f t e r,
Southern Airways Company re-
ceived the contract to conduct
primary helicopter flight train-
ing, and on 26 September 1956
the United States Army Pri-
mary Helicopter School was of-
ficially born.
Events moved rapidly for the
next three months, preparing
the way for the first class of
students, Class 57-6, due to ar-
rive on 21 November for pre-
flight training. The Student
Company was activated and pol-
icies and directives; SOPs; les-
Colonel Wayne E. Downing is As-
sistant Commandant of the U. S.
Army Primary Helicopter School,
Camp Wolters, Texas. Views ex-
pressed in this article are the author's
and are not necessarily those of the
Department of the Army or of the
U. S . Army Aviation School.
-The Editor
son plans; and training of in-
structors, both academic and
flight, proceeded rapidly. Dur-
ing Aug u stand September
27 Southern Airways instructor
pilots took their standardization
training at Fort Rucker, Ala-
bama.
During the first w ~ k in J an-
uary, over half a hundred eager
young Warrant Officer Candi-
dates began their Phase II train-
ing as Class 57-6. Those early
days, when a student attempted
to hover the Raven and hold it
relatively motionless within the
confines of one of the four 80-
acre stage fields, were probably
the most frustrating of their
young lives. But time breeds
knowledge and knowledge is the
key to flying proficiency.
ROLE OF ARMY
The school has a Headquar-
ters Section and an Operations
and Training Section. This lat-
ter is responsible for the super-
vision of all flight and academic
training. Beyond its supervisory
HELICOPTER TRAINING AT CAMP WOLTERS
duties, this section gives ap-
proximately 200 student check
rides per month and presents
about 100 hours of instruction
on map reading, Army Aviation,
CBR, personnel administration,
and helicopter operations and
techniques. It is also responsible
for the training of new military
check pilots and for seeing that
each assigned Army Aviator
maintains and improves his fly-
ing proficiency.
The Student Company admin-
isters, feeds, clothes, and houses
all students. It is also respon-
sible for Phase I (OCS type)
training for students in the
Army Transport Pilot Course.
The aim of this OCS training is
to develop military skill in these
students prior to their appoint-
ment as warrant officers. Em-
phasis is placed on leadership,
dismounted drill, and physical
conditioning. This t r a i n i n g
c los ely parallels other officer
candidate training, and its aim
is identical.
The Student Mess went into
ope rat ion the day before
Thanksgiving. Evidence of the
high standards of the mess and
the mess personnel is proved by
the fact that the Student Com-
pany Mess has taken the month-
ly Camp Wolters Best M e s s
A ward nine of the past eleven
months.
THE STUDENTS
A t this time the Helicopter
School is presenting two courses
of instruction: (1) the Army
A via tor Transport Pilot Course
(Rotary Wing) Phase I (OCS)
and Phase II (primary flight),
and (2) the Army Aviator Heli-
copter Course.
As mentioned earlier, Phase I
School mascot attends graduation of first class
27
MAY 1958
of the AA TPC is OCS type
training, and all enlisted men
entering this course must suc-
cessfully complete this training
before entering Phase II. Phase
II is also open to qualified MSC
and warrant officers.
Phase I is 4 weeks long; Phase
II, 16, including primary and
basic helicopter flight training.
Phase III, transition to larger
helicopters, is conducted at the
U. S. Army Aviation School,
Fort Rucker. At the end of
Phase III enlisted students are
appointed Warrant Officers.
The Army A via tor Helicopter
Course, formerly the Army Heli-
copter A via tor Tactics Course,
is a new course for FY 58. Ap-
proximately two-thirds of the
students who are fixed wing
qualified Army Aviators will be
trained at Camp Wolters this
year.
This 10-week course trains
them as helicopter pilots. The
flight training and proficiency
standards are the same as those
for enlisted students, but, be-
cause of their developed judg-
ment and "air sense," they mas-
ter the art of helicopter flying in
less time. Their ground school
subjects cover a broader field of
application, with em p has is
placed on helicopter mainte-
nance and tactical helicopter op-
erations.
THE CONTRACTOR
The civilian contractor, the
first contract helicopter flying
school for any of the armed
services, has numerous respon-
sibilities. He conducts flight
training and the aeronautical
ground school; maintains air-
craft, vehicles, and equipment;
operates heliports and ground
28
transport facilities; provides
aircraft fire and crash protec-
tion, radio communications, a
safety program, and weather
service; and maintains the gov-
ernment property account.
The Academic Training De-
partment has made vast strides
in the short time the school has
been in operation. This depart-
ment has nine instructors, each
a specialist in his particular
field, who teach the potential
helicopter pilot aerodynamics,
maintenance of helicopters, nav-
igation, meteorology, communi-
cations, and flying safety.
Subjects are taught in two
modern air-conditioned class-
room buildings. Each classroom
has a projection booth, sliding
blackboards and fluorescent
lighting. The maintenance class-
rooms contain both Raven and
Sioux helicopters. The instruc-
tor also has the benefit of hun-
dreds of component parts, sche-
matic drawings, mounted 0-335
Franklin engines on stands, and
many other training aids.
To paint a clear picture of
aerodynamics of flight, a smoke
tunnel is used to show what
happens between the rot 0 r
blades and the air through which
they pass. Modern training aids
are also used in teaching air
navigation, radio, and meteorol-
ogy. Academic standards are
rigid and the old adage "What
you don't know won't hurt you;
it'll only kill you," is emphasized.
FLIGHT DEPARTMENT
The Flight Department is or-
ganized with an eye toward
maximum efficiency with mini-
mum supervision. There are two
sections with four flights in
each. Each flight consists of one
HELICOPTER TRAINING AT CAMP WOLTERS
Book learning important in maintenance class
class or of one-half of a class of
students. Sec t ion s alternate
weekly, flying either a long
morning period or a long after-
noon period. Qualified control
tower operators are employed
to man the heliport tower, and
portable VHF sets mounted on
jeeps are used for control at the
stage fields.
The first 27 instructors re-
ceived standardization training
at Fort Rucker. These 27 then
standardized the remaining in-
structors hired in the latter part
of 1957. The standardization
flight is continually training
new instructors and monitoring
the standardization and pro-
ficiency of instructors working
with students.
SAFETY
Class 57-6 started flight train-
ing in January, 1957. Flying
was mostly dual, although a few
were "kicked out of the nest"
and cleared for solo. This class
went through January without
an aircraft accident. In Feb-
ruary, Class 57-7 entered Phase
II and, together with Class 57-6,
the accident rate took a slight
upturn with four accidents re-
corded for the month. By March
still another class had bee n
added, and this month passed
with only one accident. In April
three accidents were recorded.
May was the second accident-
free month, but the hot sum-
mer weather was to take its toll.
High temperatures and density
altitudes with subsequent lim-
itation of aircraft control re-
s p 0 n s e contributed substan-
tially to four, five, and three ac-
cidents respectively for June,
July, and August.
Cooler weather brought a
lower accident rate. For Sep-
tember's 5,716 flying h 0 u r s
29
MAY 1958
Sixty thousand flying hours without a fatality or serious
injury is the basis for the recent safety commendation re-
ceived from Lt General John H. Collier, Commanding General,
Fourth United States Army, by Colonel John L. Inskeep, Com-
manding Officer, Camp Wolters.
The letter of commendation resulted from the citing of
the Camp Wolters record by Lt General C. D. Eddleman,
Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations, Department of
Army, which stated, "The Army Helicopter School at Camp
Wolters achieved a very remarkable safety record for calendar
year 1957.
"Twenty major accidents were experienced per 100,000
flying hours; the overall Army rate is about 55. The record is
especially noteworthy since the flying involved approximately
148,000 student practice autorotations and 29 actual engine
failures. There were no fatalities or serious injuries.
"It is felt," the letter from General Eddleman concluded,
"that this fine record is predicated on the excellent supervi-
sion and operational procedures on the part of both the re-
sponsible military and civilian personnel operating the train-
ing program."
Total flying hours for the year 1957 represent 50,000 heli-
copter flying hours and 2,000 fixed wing flying hours, 50,000
hours of the total being dedicated to student training. - In-
cluded in the training were 148,000 student autorotations.
##############
(helicopter and fixed wing), ac-
cidents were zero. Considering
the type of flying-the majority
with students having no previ-
ous experience, teaching pri-
mary and basic maneuvers such
as pinnacle and road operations,
confined area work, and every
type of approach and takeoff,
not to mention more than 16,000
touchdown autorotations every
month - the U. S. Army Pri-
mary Helicopter School can well
be proud of its safety record.
ficiency and safety-conscious-
ness fostered by the students of
today should pay extra divi-
dends tomorrow when they are
entrusted with the care of larger
and more complicated aircraft.
THE FUTURE?
More and better students,
naturally. In FY 59 the entire
AAHC (officer course) program
is scheduled to be transferred
to Wolters. Delivery of Dog-
model Ravens is expected to be-
gin shortly. Everyone at Wol-
ters is convinced that the school
is here to stay and that it will
continue to grow.
Through frequent meetings
and conferences, the school has
developed a n effective flying
safety program. The flying pro-
30
Maybe you'll get sharp enough to make
an ADf approach with your teeth in-
A System for Tracking
With the ADF
Captain o. B. Bivens, EAt
ONE OF THE GREATEST bugaboos
of instrument flying .seems
to be ADF tracking. In fact al-
most every time the ADF is
turned on, the cockpit becomes
cluttered with bugaboos, big
ones, small ones, medium sized
ones, red ones, green ones, and
so on, ad infinitum. The man,
who two hours earlier at the
previous station, bracketted the
swinging leg of an old loop range
with a 50-mile-an-hour c r 0 s s
wind and made a perfect 400
and one approach now finds him-
self cleared for an ADF' ap-
proach and proceeds with con-
siderable dispatch and prac-
tically no gusto to wander all
over half the sky, cross the sta-
tion at an angle of 40 to the de-
sired track, turn madly in the
general direction of the airport,
and then miss what might have
been an easy approach. Why?
Bugaboos? Gremlins? N ope. No
system.
HIS SYSTEM
"But I got a system!" he
snorts, while trying with shaky
hands to light a bent cigarette.
"Why just last week I worked
an ADF approach on this same
place in the Link. I didn't get
lost. I just remember that no
ma.L.ter what, when I turn the
airplane to the desired track
heading, the needle points in the
direction of the track I want. It's
simple that way. Then I al-
ways know which way to turn."
Sure, that's simple enough,
and true, too. A Link Trainer is
very responsive contraption,
and when a heavy foot is applied
to the rudder, the result is a
rapid change in heading that
couldn't be duplicated in a large
airplane. Result: hardly any
Captain O. B. Bivens is a pilot for
Eastern Air Lines. This article first
appeared in SKYWAYS FOR BUSI-
NESS under the title, "A Bearing
Comparison Method of ADF Track
Flying." It was later reprinted by
THE AIR LINE PILOT magazine.
Views expressed in this article are the
author's and are not necessarily those
of the Department of the Army or of
the U. S. Army Aviation School.
-The Editor
31
MAY 1958
time required for our hero to
determine where his track lies.
Consequently, when he gets con-
fused and has to turn to the
track heading in the Link Train-
er, he loses very little ground to
a stiff cross wind. But, when he
straps all those engines and that
flock of passengers to the seat
of his pants, it's a different
story. He can't kick all t hat
weight around now. That big
airplane just refuses to alter its
course on the spur of the mo-
ment.
His range flying was smooth
enough. He always knew which
way to turn to get back to the
leg. He never turned the air-
plane needlessly and consumed
precious seconds flying the
wrong heading. He didn't have
to. The range signals told him
where the desired track was,
and he knew almost instinctive-
ly which way to turn. He had a
system, a good system, and he
practiced it diligently until it
became second nature to him.
If you're an air line pilot or
any pilot who does a lot of in-
strument flying, you probably
ha ve a system of track flying.
Maybe it's a good one, maybe
it's not. Maybe it's one of those
that will work like a Swiss clock
-if, and it's a big "if," you're
a mental gymnast with an am-
bidextrous calculating machine
for a brain. The author, alas, is
not of this type. If you, too, are
unfortunate, read on, brother.
Here's a system that clicks like
a brand new set of false teeth.
Spend three or four hours on
it in the Link or practice it as
you fly, and before you know it,
you're an expert. Never again
will a check pilot or a CAA in-
spector laugh at you when you
32
turn on the ADF.
SECOND NATURE
Do you know your right hand
from your left? Of course you
do! If a check pilot says, "Give
me a 180 to the right," you don't
have to think to know which
way to turn. You turn right. It's
second nature, instinctive. If he
says, "Turn left," you turn left.
It's a habit. You learned left
from right early in life. It be-
came second nature.
When you make an instru-
ment approach on a range sta-
tion, you study the range chart
beforehand. The chart tells you,
among other things, where the
A's and N's are with respect to
the legs you intend to fly. You
have to remember this informa-
tion while you make the ap-
proach or you won't know which
way to turn. N ow if ranges
never had north legs, or if you
never flew into Canada where
the quadrants may be reversed,
A's and N's might become as
natural to you as right and left.
Flying southwest toward the
station, you'd always have an N
on your right and an A on your
left. Flying southwest a way
from the station, you'd find the
signals reversed with the A on
the right and the N on the left.
Then, knowing which way to
turn when flying a range course
would be almost as instinctive
as turning right or left. The only
thing you'd consider would be
whether you were going to or
from the station.
NOT SO SIMPLE
Unfortunately, as we all
know, things are not this simple.
We have to bear in mind at all
times during an approach on a
gi ven range sta tion, whether
the A is on the right and the N
on the left inbound, or vice
versa. After we pass the sta-
tion, the vice becomes versa-ed
around and the A's and N's
swap sides. This gets a little
confusing sometimes, especially
if just as you hit the low cone,
the stewardess pokes her empty
little head into the cockpit, lifts
up your right earphone and
shouts into your good ear, "Cap-
tain, I need a jug of coffee, and
PULease find out if flight 603lj2
is going to hold for our connec-
tions!" Many a religious man
has turned sinner at this point.
In spite of all this most of us
manage to do a pretty effective
job with the old radio ranges.
They've been here a long time
and will probably be with us for
some time to come.
"But looky here, Ernest Hem-
mingbird," mutters our hero,
Philbert Phoggnudl, "I know all
this stuff about ranges, but
what's it got to do with any kind
of system for ADF work?"
That's a good question, Phil-
bert. Maybe at a glance you
don't see much similarity be-
tween range flying and ADF fly-
ing, but there's one similarity
we should agree on readily
enough. Things work differently
outbound than inbound. The A's
and N's reverse on the range,
and the needle on the ADF
seems to behave in a different
fashion when you pass the sta-
tion.
THE DIFFERENCE
However, while placement of
the A's and N's may differ from
station to station, thereby re-
quiring the pilot to keep in mind
the individual characteristics of
TRACKING WITH THE ADF
each station, the ADF always
abides by the same set of rules
regardless of the track being
flown or the station being used.
This should provide some ad-
vantage in favor of the ADF, if
we can find some rules that are
not too confusing.
Philbert's rule of turning to
the desired track works and is
not difficult to remember, but as
we pointed out, it has some dis-
advantages, especially w hen
tracking away from the station
on final approach with a cross
wind.
We've already established the
fact that we all know left from
right. Now if we could evolve a
rule as simple as knowing left
from right, and apply that rule
to the ADF to tell us which way
to turn, we'd take a lot of the
confusion out of tracking. Let's
quiz Philbert some more and see
what happens.
Suppose you're flying west.
You have the ADF tuned to a
station somewhere up north of
you. You continue west and
leave the ADF tuned to this sta-
tion. What happens to the rela-
tive bearings as you pass the
station?
"That's simple, Doc!" replies
Philbert. "They increase. You
might start out with a relative
bearing of 45 or 50, and as
you passed the station, the
needle would swing through 90
and continue working its way
around toward the tail. Numeri-
cally speaking, the relative bear-
ings would be getting bigger."
Good show. Phil! You're a
real scholar. Let's see how you
do with the next question.
SAME SITUATION
The situation is the same, but
33
MAY 1958
the radio station to which your
ADF is tuned is located south of
you. You're still flying west.
What happens to the relative
bearings now?
"Elementary, Mr. S n a k e-
sheare," com e s Phoggnudl's
ready answer. "They decrease.
If you had a relative bearing of
say, 315, when you tuned the
station in, the needle would
travel counterclockwise through
270 as you passed abeam of
the station."
The astute Mr. Phoggnudl is
100 per cent correct. Any time
we fly a straight course and
pass a station on our right, the
relative bearings on that sta-
tion increase. Conversely, they
decrease when we pass a sta-
tion on our left. This is a fact
almost as simple and easy to re-
member as left and right, and
it's just as basic, too. This is a
rule we can use. Now, let's ex-
pand it a little.
Suppose your magnetic bear-
ing on the station is 50. Your
desired track is 60 . Which
bearing is larger?
"Whatta you trying to pull
now?" growls the illustrious
Phoggnudl, showing more than
a trace of sarcasm. "My four
year old kid knows 60 is big-
ger than 50!"
Excellent, Philbert, but watch
your blood pressure. We're not
being personal with this little
quiz. We're only trying to estab-
lish basic principles, principles
so fundamental that they will
become habit with us and not
tend to crop up later as confus-
ing rules too complicated to re-
member.
"Oh, I see," says our mollified
hero, displaying a sheepish grin.
"You just said 'magnetic bear-
34
ing on the station.' You were
talking about relative bearings
up to now. Why the switch?
Everybody knows that you get
magnetic bearings by combin-
ing relative bearings and mag-
netic beadings."
BEARINGS-A DIFFERENCE
Perfectly correct again, Phil,
but remember that relative
bearings and magnetic bearings
are two different things. Your
relative bearing is simply, as its
name implies, the bearing on the
station relative to the heading
of the airplane. This is the bear-
ing we said would always in-
crease with the station on the
right and decrease with station
on the left, provided we con-
tinued on the same heading.
Now, if the magnetic bearing
is nothing more than the sum of
the magnetic heading and the
relative bearing, it must follow
tha t as long as the heading does
not vary, the magnetic bearings
will act just exactly the same as
the relative bearings when we
pass a station. They, too, will
increase with the station on the
right and decrease with it on the
left.
This, then, will be our basic
rule to remember. If the head-
ing is constant and you pass a
station on your right, the bear-
ings will increase. If you pass a
station on your left, the bear-
ings will decrease. The applica-
tion of this rule should be sim-
ple.
Consider your magnetic bear-
ing at the moment as compared
with the desired track. If your
magnetic bearing is larger than
the desired track, turn the air-
plane so that the station will be
on your left. Your bearing will
then decrease. Bearings always
decrease with the station on the
left. If your magnetic bearing
is smaller than the desired
track, turn the airplane so that
the station is on your right, your
bearing will the n increase.
Bearings always increase with
the station on the right.
"Oh! I catch on now, Chief!
You asked me that simple ques-
tion whether 60 was larger
than 50 so I'd know which way
to turn to get on track. If my
desired track is 60 and I've
got a bearing of 50, I'll have
to get the station on my right
to increase that 50 to 60. If I'm
headed toward the station and
make a left turn, the station
will be on my right. Then the
bearing will increase to 60 .
That's simple enough, but what
if I'm tracking away from the
station? That's when I get
mixed up."
That's when most pilots get
mixed up, Philbert. But, if you
bear in mind our cardinal rule,
bearings increase with the sta-
tion on the right and decrease
with it on the left, you won't
have any trouble. You see, this
rule applies whether you're fly-
ing toward the station or away
from it!
CITES CASE
Suppose you're On a track of
50 away from the station, and
your desired track away is 60.
Your bearing to the station
would be 230 of course, but
since we're not going to the
station let's not complicate our
thinking by using bearings to
the station any more than we
would th;nk of our' bearing to
the station while we were track-
ing away from it. 60 is the de-
TRACKING WITH THE ADF
sired track away. 240 would be
the track to the station, But we
don't care about that. We're not
going that way. We're going to
fly a track of 60 away from
the station.
If your ADF is equipped with
R. M. 1. (Radio Magnetic Indi-
cator), the tail end of the needle
points to your magnetic bear-
ing away from the station,
which in this case is 50. The
head of the needle points toward
the station and indicates 230.
If your ADF has the rotating
scale which you can set man-
ually to your heading, it, too,
will read 230 on the head of
the needle and 50 on the tail of
the needle, assuming you have
the scale set to your compass
heading. Our bearing a way
from the station is 50, and that
is obviously less than our de-
sired 60 track. To increase the
bearing we know we must get
the station on emr right. Re-
member, your ADF always
points toward the station re-
gardless of your heading. In
tracking away from the station
use the head of the needle to tell
you which side the station is on.
Use the tail of the needle to in-
dicate the bearing away from
the station.
If, in this particular example,
we begin with the airplane on
a heading of 50, our relative
bearing will be 180
0
, or dead
astern, as the seafaring man
would say, but since we have
the scale of our ADF set to our
heading of 50
0
, we are not
concerned with relative bear-
ings. Therefore, the ADF does
not indicate 180 relative, but
instead, points directly at the
tail of the airplane, and there
we read the bearing to the sta-
35
MAY 1958
tion, 230. The tail of the
needle points to 50, our bE.ar-
ing away from the station.
We're not at all interested in
230 . We note only that the
station is directly be h i n d.
That's all we want from the
head of the needle. The 50 at
the tail of the needle tells us
our present bearing is too
s ma II. What happens if we
turn right, say 30 ?
EASY, HE SAYS
"Shucks, that's easy!" ex-
claims the attentive Phoggnudl.
"The ADF still points to the sta-
tion which would now be on the
right. I have an RMI on my air-
plane so I don't bother with rela-
tive bearings, but the station
would be 30 to the right of the
tail. My head would be 80, and
the bearing to the station would
still be 230. The bearing away
from the station, reading off the '
tail of the needle would be 50,
but would start to increase as I
approached the desired track.
"I see what you're getting at
now. By noting whether the
bearing away from the station
is larger or smaller than my de-
sired track, I can tell immediate-
ly without having to turn the
airplane parallel to the desired
track which way I'll have to
turn to get on the track I want.
Going from the station, a right
turn will put the station on my
right and increase the bearings.
A left turn will put the station
on my left and decrease the
bearings. With a little practice
that ought to come pretty nat-
ural to me, but what happens
when the wind starts to blow?"
That's another good question,
Philbert. When the wind is blow-
ing, you either correct for it, or
36
you get fouled up. Your bracket-
ting for wind is the same with
the ADF as with the range sta-
tion. You just take a big enough
slice at the desired track to al-
low for any wind that might be
affecting you.
INVOLVED FACTORS
In the example we just ran
through let's suppose we had a
strong wind from the sou t h
which might have given us 15
drift to the left. When we turned
to 80 to intercept our 60 track,
we would have had 15 left drift.
Therefore, our angle of intercep-
tion would have been only 5.
With no wind, of course, the
angle was 20 which would nor-
mally take us to the track with
no trouble. If, after turning to
80 and flying that heading, we
noted that the ADF needle was
not progressing toward the de-
sired track fast enough, we
would immediately assume that
we had a wind blowing us to the
left, and would then turn still
farther right to perhaps 90 or
95 to allow for this drift. This
is exactly the same thing we'd
do in flying a range. However,
with the ADF we know how
many degrees we are off the de-
sired track. With the range we
can only guess.
With a north wind instead of
a south wind, we'd get perhaps
15 drift toward the desired
track, and that added to the 20
bite our heading gave us would
make an interception angle of
35.
In your ADF work, treat the
wind the same way you would
when flying the ranges. When-
ever possible, let the wind help
you get back to your track, and
by the same token, if you know
the wind is opposing you, add
enough correction to take care
of the drift so that you don't
parallel the track you want. Any
time you turn the airplane to
put the station on your right or
left to increase or decrease the
bearing, and the bearing stays
the same, you are drifting. Ex-
cessive drift may even make the
bearings increase when they ap-
parently should decrease, or vice
versa, but don't let this confuse
you. If the station is on the right
and the bearings don't increase,
or if the station is on the left
and the bearings don't decrease,
there can be only one reason,
wind drift. The cure is simple.
Just make a larger correction,
take a bigger bite at the desired
track. As soon as your intercep-
tion angle exceeds the drift, the
bearings begin to increase or de-
crease just as they would with
no wind.
"Bless my feathering pump!"
exclaims Philbert, his bloodshot
eyes beginning to glow with a
new light. "I see it all now! You
had me worried for a minute
when you said excessive drift
might make bearings behave
backwards, but I can see that as
long as you kept comparing your
magnetic bearings with your de-
sired track, you couldn't get
mixed up! If the magnetic bear-
ing was too big, for instance,
you'd know you had to get the
station on the left to decrease
the bearing. If the station was
already on the left, but the bear-
ing was not decreasing, you'd
have to turn more and put the
station closer to your wing tip
in order to overcome the effect
of the wind.
"Any more tricks to this sys-
tem, Doc?"
TRACKING WITH THE ADF
Just one, Mr. Phoggnudl, just
one.
Suppose you have a relative
bearing of 0, a heading of 357,
and your desired track is 5 .
This puts you on a bearing of
357 to the station. Which way
would you turn to get on the 5
track?
CLICK, CLICK
Our hero's face appears blank
for a moment and then thought-
ful as the wheels begin to turn.
As the gears mesh, the thought-
ful expression changes to one of
smug satisfaction. "You can
just bet your Aunt Bessie's best
bustle that you're not going to
catch me on one like that!" he
exclaims with all the zeal of a
new copilot collecting a two dol-
lar bet on a 100 to 1 shot the
day before payday. "Those bear-
ings are going to have to in-
crease to change from 357 to
5 ; 360 is larger than 357. Zero
and 360 are the same thing on a
compass, and 5 is larger than
zero! You'd turn left and put
the station on your right so the
bearings could increase."
Brilliant, Philbert! S imp I y
brilliant! Your knowledge of the
compass rose tells you that all
bearings increase around the
rose in a clockwise direction
from zero to 360 and then start
over again. Since only 8 sep-
arate 357 and 5 on the scale in
a clockwise direction, 5 must
be like 365 0 , or 8 larger than
357. You'd never turn the air-
plane the long way around just
to change your heading by 8 .
It wouldn't make any more sense
to expect the ADF needle to go
all the way around the scale to
change from 357 to 5. After all,
you're looking right at the ADF
37
MAY 1958
with the needle pointing to 357
0

Just 8
0
clockwise you see your
desired track of 50. It's obvious
at a glance that your magnetic
bearing must increase to get to
50, because it will have to go
through 360
0
first. Otherwise it
must decrease all the way
around the scale to reach 50.
"I'll buy the whole thing, Con-
fucius," says Phoggnudl, tak-
ing a small can from his pocket
and applying wax to the tips of
his mustache. "Dang thing al-
ways wilts on me when I make
ADF approaches! One time it
drooped so bad I chewed one
side clean off it on the final ap-
proach. Now I always take my
teeth out when I turn on the
ADF!
"Answer a couple more ques-
tions for me, Doc, and then I
gotta run to keep an appoint-
ment with my bookie.
"Suppose I'm headed toward
the station, and the check pilot
says take up such and such a
track away from the station.
What's easiest way to start this
problem ?"
POINTING TOWARD TRACK
In a case of this kind, Phil-
bert, the old Phoggnudl system
would probably be the simplest
procedure to follow. Time would
not likely be of the essence, and
since the track to be flown is
away from the station, turning
the airplane to the heading of
the desired track would get you
into a position to begin the prob-
lem. With the airplane parallel-
ing the desired track, the ADF
would then point toward that
track. From this position you
could choose a heading that
would intercept the track at
whatever angle you wished.
38
Once you reached the track, you
would maintain your position
along that track by turning to
increase or decrease bearings in
accordance with the system we
have just outlined. You would
not at any time after reaching
the track be compelled to turn
parallel to that track again in
order to determine which way a
correction should be made. The
bearing comparison met hod
would tell you everything you
wanted to know. Just compare
your bearing with the desired
track to see which way to turn.
"I knew I had a system for
getting on the track. All I need-
ed was one to keep me on it!
"Now, how about the guy who
does all this ADF work without
an RMI? Do you recommend
keeping the scale set to the com-
pass h e a din g all the way
through the approach?"
THE RMI
Before we go into that one,
let's have a word or two about
the Radio Magnetic Indicator
(RMI). This flying game is al-
most as badly cluttered up with
ini tials today as the government
was during the days before
World War II. Nearly every-
where a pilot goes he's plagued
with initials, OBS, DME., DMI,
PPI, PAR, VOR, VAR, etc., ad
nauseum.
The Radio Magnetic Indica-
tor, or RMI, is an attachment
to the fluxgate compass and
takes the place of the fixed or
manually rotated scale on which
the ADF needle operates. The
RMI is synchronized with the
direction indicator of the flux-
gate compass, and therefore acts
and looks like another compass.
Since the fluxgate is gyro sta-
bilized and indicates accurately
without the lag and turning er-
rors of the ordinary magnetic
compass, the RMI follows suit.
The ADF needle, or needles, if
a dual ADF is provided, are su-
perimposed over the RMI card.
The relative bearings of the
ADF needle are then read di-
rectly as magnetic bearings on
the RMI. This desirable feature
completely eliminates all the
fuss and bother of keeping the
ADF scale set to the compass
heading.
Even though you may not
have RMI equipment with your
ADF, once you have reached the
desired track, there is a simple
method by which you can calcu-
late magnetic bearings without
the necessity of resetting the
ADF scale every time your head-
ing changes.
When you reach the track, set
the rotating scale to zero and
leave it there. If the relative
bearing is zero, your magnetic
bearing, naturally, will be exact-
ly the same as your magnetic
heading. If the relative bearing
is on the right side of zero
(clockwise), add it to the mag-
netic heading to get the magnet-
ic bearing. If the relative bear-
ing is on the left side of zero
(counterclockwise) , instead of
reading it as 350 or 340, for
example, read it as 10 or 20
left, and substract that number
of degrees from the magnetic
heading to arrive at the mag-
netic bearing.
Suppose your heading is 330
and your relative bearing is 15
TRACKING WITH THE ADF
right. 330 plus 15 equals 345,
the magnetic bearing to the sta-
tion. If your relative bearing on
the same heading has been 350,
or 10 left, the magnetic bear-
ing to the station would have
been 330 minus 10, or 320.
NEW CALCULATION
If you're tracking away from
the station, calculate your track
away in exactly the same fash-
ion, but use the tail end of the
needle.
Suppose your heading is 90,
and the head of the ADF needle
indicates 180. The tail of the
needle must naturally point to
zero; 90 plus 0 equals 90
which is your bearing a way
from the station.
With the same heading, 90,
and the head of the needle point-
ing to 190, the tail would indi-
cate 10. 90 plus 10 equals
100, your magnetic bearing
away. Had your relative bearing
on the same heading been 165
at the head of the needle, the
tail of the needle would have
pointed to 345, or 15 left. 90
minus 15 equals 75, your
magnetic bearing from the sta-
tion.
With the airplane established
on or near the desired track,
relative bearings will generally
be quite small and easy to
handle in this manner.
"Roger, Doc 1 And who knows?
Maybe someday I'll be sharp
enough with this bearing com-
parison stuff to make ADF ap-
proaches without taking my
teeth out 1"
39
AIR DATES - Air-Commodore
l.G.S. Payne (Frederick A. Prae-
ger, Inc., 105 W. 40th St., New
York 18, N. Y. $7.50)
Reviewed by
Frank E. Randle, Librarian
U. S. Army Aviation School
This reference book is billed by the
publisher as "a chronological survey
of the principal events in the fields
of military and civil aviation through-
out the world, beginning in 1783 with
balloon ascents in Paris, and ending
on 31 December 1956." This descrip-
tion is true as a general statement,
but a better picture of the contents
might be given by saying that this is
a chronological arrangement of prin-
cipal events in aviation history from
the British approach, with major
focus on the military aviation events
of World Wars I and II and the
Korean conflict.
AIR DATES is an invaluable ref-
erence work for students of this his-
tory of military aviation. Nearly two-
thirds of the book consists of events
of war in the air from 1939 to 1945.
Aerial operations of all nations are
presented in succinct summaries.
There are entries for each day in
October 1943, for example, showing
the activities of major air forces of
the world and relating these to the
principal military actions of the war.
Background information is listed con-
Book reviews appearin,Q in this de-
partment do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the Department of the
Army or of the U. S . Army Aviation
School.-The Editor
40
cerning historical events in the fields
of politics and economics when these
events had repercussions in the field
of aviation. An index serves to locate
the pages or sections when the user
does not know the date for which he
is searching.
Special aviation interests in this
country may be disappointed when
looking for events which are tre-
mendously important to them, but
were not included in this work pub-
lished in England and directed mainly
toward the British consumer. If this
work had been done in the U. S., it
is quite probable that the coverage
on aviation events within Great Brit-
ain would have been similarly re-
duced. The author of this chronology
has been director of Air Intelligence
at the British Air Ministry and is
the air correspondent to the London
Daily Telegraph. His work is one that
will benefit air-minded people, wheth-
er they are writers, historians, mili-
tary officers, librarians, or company
officials.
The index to this book is excellent
for military historians. For instance:
it lists more than thirty entries for
the 15th U. S. Air Force alone; ref-
erence to these pages established the
dates and the details of the actions
by this particular Air Force.
Accuracy and authenticity of in-
formation presented is excellent. This
chronology belongs on the reference
shelf of all aviation libraries.
DYNAMICAL AND PHYSICAL ME-
TEOROLOGY -George J. Haltiner
and Frank l. Martin (McGraw-
Hill Book Company, Inc., 330 W.
42nd St., New York 36, N. Y.
$10.00) .
Here is a comparatively simple,
thoroughly up-to-date textbook. It
presents a well organized treatment
of such topics as thermodynamics of
air, radiation, vertical stability, and
convection. Special emphasis is placed
upon turbulence; there is a chapter
on the newly developed numerical
methods of weather prognosis; and
recent advance in many phases of
dynamic meteorology are included.
This book provides a modern and
useful tool for the practicing or po-
tential weather forecaster who is
primarily interested in larger-scale
atmospheric motions. It covers those
parts of dynamical and physical
meteorology which form the basis for
the study of atmospheric motions,
and is illustrated with numerous dia-
grams and examples.
CIVIL AIR REGULATIONS AND
FLIGHT STANDARDS FOR PILOTS,
18th Edition (Aero Publishers,
Inc., 2162 Sunset Blvd., Los An-
geles 26, California. $2.25)
This bigger volume (now 160
pages) contains the new "cross-coun-
try, typical examination for private
pilots," important civil air regula-
tions (government laws) that all
pilots must know and abide by, plus
pages of standard practices, proce-
BOOKS FOR THE ARMY AVIATOR
dures and pilot information such as:
How to obtain the various pilot cer-
tificates and ratings, radiotelephone
use, instructions on how to fly-in
color, airport traffic control, visual
flight rules, questions and answers
for private pilot exam, ADIZ, weath-
er services, search and rescue infor-
mation.
Illustrated in detail, the flight book
is considered among the best of its
type.
AIRCRAFT ENGINES Of THE
WORLD-Paul H. Wilkinson (Paul
H. Wilkinson, Publisher, 734
15th St., N. W., Washington 5,
D. C. $15.00)
For the fifteenth year now, AIR-
CRAFT ENGINES OF THE WORLD
presents the world's powerplants for
aviation. To insure uniform standard-
ization, the 1957 edition has been
completely rewritten and is so up-to-
date that the latest information from
the Paris Aero Show in May has been
included.
In addition to its usual exhaustive
sections on gas turbines and recipro-
cating engines, the author has in-
cluded his first data on nuclear air-
craft engines. He makes a resume of
progress in this field and describes the
methods of applying reactor heat to
turbojets for jet propulsion. Alto-
gether, this is one of the most au-
thoritative reference sources in its
field.
41
The third Master Army A via-
tor rating to an officer on active
duty has been awarded to Cap-
tain Fred Hiatt, U. S. Army Air
Defense Command, who is the
personal pi lot for Lt Gen
Charles E. Hart, Commanding
General, USARADCOM, Colo-
rado Springs, Colorado.
Captain Hiatt began flying in
1941 at Wichita, Kansas, and en-
listed in the U. S. Army a year
later. He was rated a Liaison
Pilot in 1942 upon g-raduation as
a pilot-mechanic with Class No.
13 at the Artillery School, Fort
Sill, and received a direct com-
mission in 1943. He served with
the Artillery School until 1946.
He then .ioined the 5th Con-
stabulary Regiment in Germany,
42
MASTER
ARMY
AVIATOR
returning to the Artillery School
in 1949 for a three-year tour as
flight instructor. Back in Ger-
many in 1952, he served with
the 4th Infantry Division, the
14th Armored Cavalry Regi-
ment, and Headquarters, V
Corps. Returning to the United
States, he was assigned to Davi-
son Army Airfield at Fort Bel-
voir, and Headquarters, Second
Army, Fort Meade, before mov-
ing to USARADCOM last fall.
In addition to holding both
Standard and Special Army In-
strument Certificates, Captain
Hiatt also was awarded a CAA
Airline Transport Rat i n g in
1952. He has logged more than
6,755 hours of flight time in
fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
"Mother, may I go out bathing?
Yes, my darling daughter.
Park your Sioux upon a pinnacle,
But don't go near the water!"
T HE ARMY AVIATOR was mak-
ing pinnacle approaches and
takeoffs on the south edge of a
large lake, under calm wind con-
ditions. He brought the Sioux
to a hover, executed a clearing
turn, and began his second take-
off in a northerly direction. Con-
trol manipulation and response
appeared to be normal at that
time. At about 5 feet of altitude
above the pinnacle area, and as
he reached the edge of the pin-
nacle, further cyclic and col-
lective pitch controls were ap-
plied to increase airspeed to
more than 20-25 mph. The air-
craft assumed a noselow atti-
tude and gained airspeed to an
indicated 55 mph. The engine
tachometer reading was normal
at 3100 rpm, and the altitude
above the terrain was appro xi-
mately 125 feet.
The Sioux continued in a
straight line with a gradual de-
scent (measured 6 angle) until
it hit the water, 1300 feet from
the takeoff area. This occurred,
the pilot stated, though he had
applied all the cyclic and pitch
control available without hitting
the stops. Application of collec-
tive pitch and throttle was con-
cl;.rrent.
The aircraft struck the water
and made a violent yawing and
pitching action to the left. The
main rotor system flexed down-
ward into the tail boom, striking
the tail rotor drive shaft and
hurling it over the water to the
bank of the lake, a distance of
122 feet. The tail boom was
The Gray Hair Depar tment is pr e-
pared by the U. S. Army Board fo'r
A viati on Accident Research with in-
formation from its files. Views ex-
pr essed in this department are not
necessarily those of the Depar tment
of the Army or of the U. S. Army
Aviation School.-The Editor
43
MAY 1958
broken off approximately 4 feet
from the engine compartment,
and the main rotor blades virtu-
ally disintegrated approximate-
ly 4 to 8 feet outward from the
blade roots. The pilot and pas-
senger suffered superficial cuts
and were obliged to swim to the
lake shore.
The Sioux was recovered from
the lake and thoroughly inspect-
ed for possible malfunction. Con-
trols were checked through all
linkages and proved to be op-
erating normally. The battery
was secure and the internal baf-
fles of the fuel cells undamaged,
indica ting no shift in the center
of gravity.
Smooth water is found on the
surface of large lakes and other
bodies of water in calm wind
conditions. This can be very
dangerous to the aviator who
relies on depth perception to tell
him the altitude of hi s aircraft
above the water. Without some
vertical reference, such as boats
or trees along the shore, it is al-
most impossible to correctly de-
termine altitude by visual ref-
erence to the surface of smooth
water.
If it becomes necessary to fly
at low 'altitude over ,smooth
water, the pilot should make
sure that he has some reference
other than the water surface
by which to judge his altitude.
If not, it is recommended that
he go properly attired in swim
trunks and diving helmet.
"Mother, may I go out swimming?
Yes, my darling daughter.
Tie your Sioux to a hickory limb,
But don't go near the water!"
As though this we r en' t
enough, along cam e another
Sioux pilot who saw an oil slick
on the water and the two men
swimming for shore. He report-
ed the obvious crash by radio
and descended to an altitude of
10 feet above the water. He ob-
served that one of the swim-
Moral: Don1t go swimming in a Sioux!
44
G RA Y HAIR DEPARTMENT
Conl:.ro\ Co'umn
Cover
o n ~ r o \ Co'umn
P",
P4-_--RubbeY' Sock
OTTER
Crimped control column cover caused pilot to overcontrol
mers appeared to be in trouble
and approached in order to as-
sist them. He started a turn to
the left, swinging the tail of
the aircraft to the right, in an
effort to position the aircraft in
a manner that would allow the
swimmers to hold the right skid
while he hovered sideward to-
ward the shore.
After turning approximately
90, the tail rotor system struck
an overhanging tree limb, dam-
aging the tail rotor and causing
a progressive vibration in the
aircraft. The pilot continued to
turn and attempted to hover
to a suitable landing area 275
yards away. He experienced
complete antitorque failure 75
feet from the landing area, and
the aircraft made two complete
revolutions. The pilot put the
aircraft into autorotation and
it settled into the water.
The pilot and his passenger
abandoned the Sioux and joined
the other swimmers.
WRINKLED SOCK
The Otter pilot taxied to run-
way 24 and began his takeoff
roll. He noticed a quartering
headwind from the right of
about 6 knots. After a short
takeoff roll, the aircraft began
skipping to the left and the pilot
attempted to apply right ailer-
on. He felt the aileron control
jam and pushed harder. Sud-
denly, the aileron control broke
free, and the Otter went into a
35-40 bank to the right. The
pilot corrected and completed
his takeoff. He flew a tight traf-
fic pattern, landed, and reported
that the aileron control was
fouling. He was not aware that
the right wing had touched the
ground.
45
MAY 1958
Investigation disclosed t hat
the control column cover was
crimped at its lower end, allow-
ing the rubber sock to jam be-
tween the cover and the roller
assembly. The pressure required
to free this jammed sock caused
the pilot to overcontrol, driving
the wing into the ground. The
crimped control cover was at-
tributed to pilots flying the air-
craft with the pin (throw-over)
on the control column in the
released position, which will,
over a period of time cause the
control column cover to become
crimped by the roller assembly.
Inspection of the right wing
revealed that the outboard ailer-
on bracket was missing, and
the aileron and flap were dam-
aged bey 0 n d repair. It was
found that the right wing had
scraped the ground for a dis-
tance of 27 feet.
As a result of this accident,
it was recommended t hat a
maintenance information bulle-
tin be sent to all organizations
ha ving Otter aircraft. This bul-
letin would point out the hazard
involved in flying this aircraft
with the control column pin re-
leased and emphasize the im-
portance of maintenance inspec-
tions to reveal crimpIng or bend-
ing of control column covers. It
was further recommended that
a modification of the control col-
umn cover be authorized to re-
move this accident potential.
ARCTIC WHITEOUT
Late in July, two Beavers de-
parted an Air Force Base in an
arctic climate for a routine op-
erational mission. The aircraft
took off at 1130 hours and flew
east over the icecap. They fol-
lowed a tractor trail that led to
46
their destination, known as Site
II. The aircraft encountered
overcast conditions for the first
100 miles. Further on, visibility
was reduced, and the aircraft
descended so that the pi lot s
could maintain visual contact
with the trail. By radio, the
pilots made plans to turn around
if the visibility became worse.
At a point 165 miles out, vis-
ibility suddenly dropped consid-
erably, and the pilots decided to
make 180
0
turns and return to
the Air Force Base.
During the turns, both air-
craft entered a whiteout condi-
tion in which visual contact with
the icecap was lost. One of the
pilots completed the turn and
felt his wheels strike the ice as
he leveled his wings. He jerked
the controls back and began to
climb through the whiteout into
the open and then looked around
for the other aircraft. He was
unable to see the other aircraft
or contact it by radio, and de-
cided to fly to an engineering
camp, 60 miles away, to report
its loss.
Aboard the second Beaver
were the pilot and three pas-
sengers. When he encountered
the whiteout condition, the pilot
went on instruments and rolled
out of the turn. During the turn,
the aircraft began a descent
which the pilot, who was not in-
strument qualified, could not
check. He concentrated on hold-
ing the aircraft in a level atti-
tude and, in a few seconds, the
aircraft crashed into the icecap.
The pilot remembered turning
off the switches and gas. He
crawled out of the aircraft and
fired several flares in the direc-
tion of the other Beaver, which
he could hear overhead. But the
GRAY HAIR DEPARTMENT
Arctic whiteout brought disaster to this Beaver
flares failed to penetrate the
whiteout.
The pilot and passengers then
checked for injuries. The pilot
had three broken teeth and a cut
lip. The passenger who had been
seated in the copilot seat re-
ceived two small head lacera-
tions; the passenger who had
been seated behind the pilot suf-
fered a broken left arm; the
third passenger escaped with a
sprained ankle. The passenger
with the b r 0 ken arm was
wrapped in a parachute and
placed in the aircraft. Two para-
chutes were spread across the
aircraft tail for rescue location.
The group took stock of food
and medical supplies and pre-
pared coffee. As they were not
certain of immediate rescue,
they spent the next five hours
constructing a snow house. Two
Chickasaws arrived at 2115
hours and evacuated the pas-
senger with the broken arm.
The others were taken out by
an engineering team.
The whiteout is an atmos-
pheric and surface condition in
the Arctic in which no object
casts a shadow, the horizon is
indiscernable, and only v e r y
dark objects are visible. This
condition occurs when s now
cover is complete and the clouds
are so thick and uniform that
light reflected by the snow is
about the same intensity as the
light of the sun after passing
through the clouds. It may ex-
tend from several miles to many
hundred miles, and persist from
a few minutes to several days.
Pilots who are not instrument
qualified should not be required
to fly in areas where this phe-
nomenon may be encountered.
Investigation revealed t hat
both front seats had been torn
from the floor of the aircraft by
impact. Although the shoulder
harness helped prevent further
injury to the front seat occu-
pants, this protection is mini-
47
MAY 1958
mized in survivable accidents
where the seats tear loose, in-
dica ting a design deficiency in
the aircraft. The flight surgeon
stated that the rear seat pas-
sengers would probably have re-
ceived no significant injuries if
shoulder harness had bee n
available.
The contents of the survival
kits were found inadequate to
cope with conditions on the ice-
cap. There w ere insufficient
means and utensils for melting
snow. The kits contained fire-
arms, but the ammunition had
been removed. Several signal
flares misfired and the others
failed to penetrate the whiteout.
As a result of this accident in-
vestigation, it was recommend-
ed that:
1. All fixed wing air c r aft
pilots assigned to duty in Arctic
or subarctic areas be instru-
ment qualified.
2. A survival kit adequate to
the requirements of Arctic con-
ditions be made available.
3. Inclusion of inertia reels
and shoulder harness for all pas-
senger seats be considered.
4. Modification of the Beaver
aircraft be studied so that the
seats are attached to a more
substantial part of the aircraft.
~
g ~ ~ PUZZLER
On the basis of the factual information contained in the PUZ-
ZLE.R on page 23, the recommended solution is as follows:
y Oil is not getting to the prop cylinder because a plug has
been inserted in the crankshaft.
Past experience has proven that many R-985 engines are shipped
with the crankshaft plugged. This plug is threaded and requires
a special tool for removal. It is suggested that all R-985 engines. be
checked before installation to ensure that it has been removed.
In the event tbe engine has not been checked prior to installa-
tion, a quick check can be made after installation for the presence
of the plug by inserting a small stiff wire into the crankshaft orifice.
If resistance is met, the plug is present.
You are encouraged to submit comments on the contents of the problem
to the U. S. ARMY AVIATION DIGEST.-The Edi tor
48
Photo courtesy Ryan Aeronautical Compan)'
THE VERTIPLANE
First photograph of a unique new research airplane, the "Vertiplane,"
designed to take off and land vertically, hover, and fly forward, has
been released by the Army, Navy, and the Ryan Aeronautical Company.
Unlike the "tail-sitter" type of VTOl aircraft, such as the Ryan X-13
Vertiiet, the Vertiplane is a "level-lift" airplane. Conventional in appear-
ance, the Vertiplane is a true VTOl aircraft, taking off and landing with-
out ground run. It employs the "deflected slipstream" principle. It has
two large propellers, powered by a lycoming T -53 gas turbine engine
located within the fuselage, and double retractable wing flaps extending
far below the wing trailing edge. When extended, these flaps bend
the propeller slipstream downward, providing vertical lift for takeoff,
hovering, and landing. For transition into horizontal flight, the flaps are
retracted as the plane picks up speed and the slipstream then flows
horizonta lIy.
The Vertiplane has been developed by the Army as a medium-
speed liaison, reconnaissance, or utility plane which can operate from
rough terrain. Using its propeller-wing combination for lift in vertical
takeoff and vertical descent and its wing for lift in horizontal flight, the
Vertiplane possesses the advantages of the helicopter yet will far
exceed rotary wing aircraft in speed and range capability.
Front view above of the new operations building, tower, and rotary
wing hangar presents an idea of the size of the newly opened facility.
Housed within the office space on the left are the airfield operations
section, flight records section, weather section, parachute locker, VIP
lounge, plotting room, and a modern snack bar. The tower features the
latest electronic and radio equipment, and its base is used to hang
parachutes up to dry, prior to repacking.
The bustle of activity at Ozark Army Airfield is apparent by all of the
new construction in varying stages of completion. Pictured below is a
new hangar nearing completion, and in the foreground, the foundation
for another is already taking shape. New administrative buildings of
other activities at the Center are also adding new fervor to the expan-
sion and growth of Ozark as the U. S. Army Aviation Center's main
artery.