First flight for Jake (w/Fargo, Ten_Beers)
Jake flew with BSD for the first time last night.
In attendance: Jake, Fargo, Ten_Beers
Conditions: Daylight, Sunshine
Flight Time: 2 Hours
Location: NTTR, flight from Echo Bay to Boulder Airport, then on to Laughlin Airport.
Threats: None
Aircraft: Huey UH-1H (Fargo/Jake) Ka-50 (Ten)
Takeoff types used: TOWR/TOWRICO due to takeoffs from tight LZ's
Formations flown: Stag R/L, Combat Cruise, and briefly where required, trailing.
Formation distances flown: Loose, Close, Tight
Other AC present: 2 Mi-24V Hinds (AI) that we shadowed to Boulder.
SOP Procedures used/covered: Lead change, formation distance change, formation type change, NIGHTMARE call, serial/chalk comms procedures. Standard traffic patterns used at airports (upwind/crosswind, downwind, base, final), In-flight join-up procedures.
Issues of concern: None.
AAR:
A basic, scenic flyabout from Echo Bay to Boulder, near the dam, where we RV with Ten, landed on the dam, then went South all the way to Laughlin. There were two AI hinds that we basically tagged along with. Sometimes we joined them in formation, other times we just formed up ourselves. We gave Jake a good idea of how we do things, what our CONOPS is and how we communicate.
Jake fell in very well and learned quickly, maintaining speed, altitude, and formation position quite well. We spent a lot of time talking about DCS, and the type of flying we like to do. Jake is a die-hard Huey driver, and his primary interest is to fly it in missions that have the Huey doing exactly what it was designed to do. Troop lifts, sling loads, CSAR, and all the other things a real lift helo are made for.
He has "quite a few" hours in the UH-1H, and has done some work in the ME and has been using CTLD as well.
Evaluator's opinion: Recommended, with status TRAINEE.
/Fargo
