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| Press Release Number: E200302031 | 03-Feb-03 |
1st crew chiefs fly in Corps' newest helicopter |
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| By John C. Milliman, PMA-276 Public Affairs Officer NAVAIR PATUXENT RIVER, MD - For the first time, the H-1 Upgrades Integrated Test Team had a complete team in the air when the first enlisted aircrew joined test pilots from HX-21 and HMX-1 here for their first flight in a UH-1Y Jan. 25. Staff Sgt. Edward Johnston of Imperial Calif., and Staff Sgt. Eric Jazak of Hartford, Wisc., became the first enlisted Marines to fly in the upgraded Huey, currently in test and set to start hitting the fleet in 2006. Both Marines belong to the NAS Patuxent River Marine Aviation Detachment and are assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine here. "This was a long-awaited event," said Johnston. "The [UH-1Y] flies very smooth under 80 knots, the power available is unbelievable compared to a UH-1N! It has amazing climbing abilities compared to the [UH-1N]." Impressed with the increased capabilities of the new aircraft, both Marines are ready to fly more. "I'm looking forward to future flights," he said. "This was just a [familiarization] flight though -- We need to put it into combat scenarios to get the full feeling of it." "The aircraft flew extremely well in my eyes," Jazak echoed. "Obviously we have a lot of work to do and many issues to work out, but we are heading in the right direction. We are doing our best to deliver the best aircraft to the war fighters in the fleet." The milestone flight was no mere motivation builder for the Marines who keep the aircraft flyable, though, according to test officials. "The crew chiefs were flying as part of the ongoing effort to train operational test crews in preparation for the upcoming OT-IIA," explained LtCol. Nick Hall, H-1 Upgrades Government Flight Test director, referring to an operational test period coming up in the test schedule. "We were in a test configuration that required no internal ballast and facilitated aircrew participation." For Saturday's ride into the history books, the Marines' mount was the second of Bell Helicopter-Textron's UH-1Y test aircraft built, Yankee Two. Yankee Two first flew Sept. 20, 2002. There are two UH-1Y's and three AH-1Z's in developmental test here. Marines normally fly Hueys with enlisted crew chiefs aboard to take charge of embarked troops, operate weapons and provide an extra set of eyes for the pilots during maneuvering. They also service the aircraft on the ground, perform daily turn-around inspections and do the in-depth pre-flight inspection before each flight. Program officials consider the milestone, which brought the UH-1Y test program to more than 205 flight hours, a good indication the aircraft is progressing well towards operational test and eventual fielding. "I'm particularly excited about this milestone," said Col. Doug Isleib, NAVAIR H-1 program manager. "This means we're that much closer to being able to get rolling with operational testing and getting these aircraft where they're needed - the Fleet. "I love hearing from the Marines after their first rides in the aircraft," he added, "before they get used to it - it's motivational to hear their enthusiasm for the performance gains over the older versions. We thought we had a great flying machine, now it's gratifying to hear these guys come back and tell us we really do!" Even though testing is progressing well for both the Y's and the AH-1Z's here, with a grand total of more than 650 flight test hours already, crew chiefs will not necessarily be flying on every flight. "We will not be able to have crew chiefs on all flights due to test restraints," Hall explained. "We will use them when we're able to, however -- especially during OT-IIA." -30- Cutlines flies away.jpg Watchful eye - Staff Sgt. Eric Jazak clears the airspace around him from within Yankee Two as he and Staff Sgt. Edward Johnston became the first enlisted Marines to fly aboard the Corps' newest helicopter Jan. 25. The flight, a familiarization flight to introduce the two crew chiefs to the flight characteristics of the aircraft and help them train follow-on operational test crews. Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Billy Potts. Line up.jpg Watchful eye - (L to R) Operational test pilot Maj. Ricardo Martinez of HMX-1, crew chiefs Staff Sgt. Eric Jazak of VX-9 and Staff Sgt. Edward Johnston VX-9, and test pilot Maj. Jeff Greenwood of HX-21 stand with UH-1Y-2 after their milestone flight Jan. 25 here when Jazak and Johnston became the first enlisted Marines to fly aboard the Corps' newest utility helicopter. The flight, a familiarization flight to introduce the two crew chiefs to the flight characteristics of the aircraft and help them train follow-on operational test crews. Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Billy Potts. Inside the aircraft.jpg Watching the watcher - Staff Sgt. Edward Johnston of VX-9 keeps an eye on Staff Sgt. Eric Jazak, also of VX-9, as he observes operational test pilot Maj. Ricardo Martinez of HMX-1, and test pilot Maj. Jeff Greenwood of HX-21 progressing through their checklists prior to their milestone flight Jan. 25 here when Jazak and Johnston became the first enlisted Marines to fly aboard the Corps' newest utility helicopter. The flight, a familiarization flight to introduce the two crew chiefs to the flight characteristics of the aircraft and help them train follow-on operational test crews. Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Billy Potts. |
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