Gear up?

[Peter Ward]

We've been seeing a few MRH-90 Taipan helicopters do some sorties over the
Royal National park (near where I live) then back to Holsworthy.

Took the attached happy snap as they were barreling by (with a nice lens)....but had to wonder...why
don't these army types retract their landing gear?

After decades of my chanting "positive climb, gear up" in the airline world, it does have me perplexed. :shrug:

[Hans Tucker]

Military Helicopters are short haul aircraft so retractable undercarriage would be a pointless system with a potential point of failure. Extended or fixed undercarriage also offers better shock absorbing potential in an emergency.

[leon]

I don't know much about this sort of stuff, but that sounds like a pretty good reason Hans, just saying.:shrug:

Leon:thumbsup:

[Dennis]

All the Brisbane variants of the aircraft type have retractable undercarriage and rotor blur. ;)

Taken at the dress rehearsal of Riverfire.

Cheers

Dennis

EDIT: Added Tail No. 026

[Peter Ward]

Ah...the Taipan actually does have retractable gear..as
kindly shown in Dennis' picture above. ;)

[Dennis]

Hah – I read your original post as questioning as to why the (retractable) undercarriage was not stowed in the up position during flight ops, rather than does it or does it not.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[Hans Tucker]

Not the first time I have gotten something wrong. 21 years in the RAAF and I never knew the F-111 had a tail hook .. until one had to use it.

There is only one variant in operation with the ADF so clearly the aircraft has a retractable undercarriage. So why didn't the Holsworthy boy retract the undercarriage for his sortie. The MRH-90's I have seen operate close to base never had their undercarriage retracted. Maybe the Riverfire aircraft retracted its undercarriage as part of the display and for the ferry flight from base (Amberley or Townsville) to Brisbane. Operation of the retractable undercarriage in a Helicopter I guess is more flexible compared to a fixed wing aircraft and at the discretion of the Pilot. Anyway the MRH-90 fleet is getting replaced by more Black Hawks. I have given up trying to understand the Army.

[Peter Ward]

I am guessing their passengers aren't paying for the extra fuel (due drag) either :)

[Hans Tucker]

You have never worked for a government agency have you :P

[Dennis]

I used to work with the SW Development Teams on the ARH Tiger and MRH-90 at Australian Aerospace/Airbus Group and visited Oakey a couple of times.

Some years during the Riverfire Festival, the gear is down and sometimes it is up, whereas the ARH Tiger is fixed. The crowds scream with delight when the Tiger's 30mm cannon swivelled to aim at them.:)

I also worked with the SW Dev Teams at Amberley on the F-111 although I only got to photograph the Super Hornets and Growlers (as well as C-17s) during their Riverfire rehearsals.

Cheers

Dennis

[julianh72]

You could also ask why they don't close the doors? Did helicopter pilots all grow in a barn?

[leon]

Ok, :question:

[Peter Ward]

Baked bean rations?

[Dennis]

LOL! How naive of me to have thought it was part of the ADF’s new “smile and wave at the public” campaign…;)

Cheers

Dennis