UH-ID test pilot denies experiencing problems while testing aircraft

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 12): UH-ID test pilot denies experiencing problems while testing aircraft

For one of the pilots involved in testing the newly-acquired UH-ID combat utility helicopters, having the aircraft at the Air Force inventory is a good buy for the country.

This is contrary to reports claiming that the UH-1Ds, of which 21 were acquired for Php 1.26-billion, are unsafe to fly.

Major Aristides Galang, 210th Tactical Squadron operations officer and the test-pilot involved in the acceptance test of UH-IDs, said that he has encountered no problems while conducting flight testing the aircraft.

The 210th Tactical Squadron is one of the seven squadrons of the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing. It is the unit tasked to train and teach all newly helicopter pilots the niceties of handling the "Huey", the name of the UH-I helicopter series.

He also said that UH-IDs are more powerful and have more lifting capability to the UH-IHs still serving the Philippine Air Force.

There are still 27 UH-UH units at the PAF inventory as of this time.

"Both aircraft have the top speed of 124 KIAS (knot indicated airspeed) but when you are flying UH-IH model, you can feel the aircraft starting to shake or shiver when you are approaching speeds up to 82 to 90 knots. But in the UH-ID, you can feel no vibration and even if you are cruising at speeds of 110 KIAS," Galang, a helicopter pilot with more than 1,900 flying hours, said in Filipino.

"It (UH-ID) also climbs very fast compared to the UH-IH," the PAF official pointed out.

Galang also stressed that during acceptance tests of the aircraft, either the UH-ID performs up to standard, as specified in the PAF checklist, or it will not be accepted for service.

During the so-called "maintenance test flights" (which are done during the pre-acceptance phase), all forms of maneuvers, are conducted to ensure that the aircraft has no major discrepancy, which could cause it to fall or crash while in PAF service.

This includes, air and ground-handling and various emergency procedures, the test pilot said.

And on claims that major discrepancies are encountered during initial tests of the aircraft, Galang said that this is only natural as all aircraft are prone to wear-and-tear while flying.

Galang said the same holds true for all aircraft in every Air Force in the world and dealing with such discrepancies is the job of maintenance crews and officers.

As of this posting, the PAF official said that he has officially tested six out of the UH-IDs and recommended them for acceptance.

He added that he is lounging to fly more of the UH-IDs as this is a much better aircraft than the UH-IH as its engine is more powerful and airframe more rugged as it has undergone "SLEP " (service life extension program).

PAF spokesperson Lt. Enrico Canaya earlier said that the "D" designation in the UH-1 means that it was manufactured by Dornier, a German aircraft manufacturer which started construction of the UH-1 during 1967 to 1981.

Around 350 units were build by the German aircraft manufacturer.

Canaya said that all seven UH-IDs are deployed to Central Luzon and Manila PAF units.

"The PAF, however, opted to deploy these newly turned over units to Central Luzon and Manila areas for endurance flights, training and other missions to make it accessible to technical representatives and take advantage of warranty claims," he said.

The PAF spokesperson also clarified that the UH-1Ds and UH-IHs, still in Philippine service, are similar models but made by different manufacturers.

"Their airframes are old but once they are refurbished and maintenance manuals they are reliable to perform missions. The PAF has a wealth of experience operating and maintaining UH-1 helicopters since the 1970s," he added.

Canaya also dismissed reports that UH-1D spare parts are no longer available in the market.

"Their parts are not obsolete and available in the market just like the parts for the existing fleets of UH-1Hs the PAF is currently maintaining. The UH-1H helicopters are still widely use in other countries," he said.

Canaya also added that the PAF does not accept aircraft with technical issues.

"The PAF only receives and operates units that passed the Technical Inspection And Acceptance Committee," he concluded.

The PAF spokesperson said that the newly arrived UH-IDs were more superior to the UH-1Hs as it featured composite main rotor blades which had a better performance and safety feature that the latter aircraft.

"Eight of the UH-1Ds have a more powerful engines similar to the PAF rescue helicopter, the Bell 205, which has a better lifting capacity, the UH-IDs had a structural improvements compared to the honey-combed components of the UH-1H and many others," Canaya pointed out.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=743911