122 - CH-53 Super Stallion

In 1962 the U.S. Marine Corps issued a request for a heavy lift, ship-based helicopter capable of lifting a 4-ton payload over a radius of 100 nautical miles at a speed of over 150 knots. Boeing offered the CH-47A Chinook, which was already in service with the U.S. Army, while Sikorsky offered the S-65. The latter was selected, and after three years of tumultuous development entered service as the CH-53A Sea Stallion.
On this episode, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve LtCol Matthew “Twitch” Bauman joins us to pay homage to the family of S-65 / H-53 helicopters by discussing the one that became the backbone for the Marines and in which he accrued the most flight time: the CH-53E Super Stallion. Twitch answers our usual ‘aircraft series’ questions and even a few listener questions as he describes this beloved heavy lift helicopter and its rather unflattering nickname / mission.
Please note this episode includes some mild language. Check out the video of a Super Stallion landing with a stuck nose landing gear:
• MH-53E Hung Nose Landi...
Episode artwork by Janek Krause. Bumper music by Jaime Lopez / announcements by Clint Bell.

[@spacebear49]

That video of the CH-53 refueling behind a C-130, with a Humvee slung, at high altitude, in the CLOUDS, is NUTS. Brass balls on that crew.

[@USNRaptor]

CH-53s and AH-1 were used by a MEU to rescue Scott O'Grady. This is shown on Discovery Wings episode Whispering Death which can be seen on my channel.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Hopefully our audience can find their way to your channel, when they're done with ours 😉

[@theGimp2072]

Great to see you do an episode on the 53 a solid workhorse that dosen't get the shine of other A/C. I was a mechanic at HMH-465 Warhorse 2009-2013. I don't think there was a single day I came back clean but I loved turning wrenches and the 53 Echo community. This brought back alot of good memories and I can confirm we did not like folding the blades and when ever we did we were praying a hydraulic line wouldn't bust. You and your team always do great work and thanks for covering the 53.

[@pjhaebe]

I'm always surprised at how low these guys flight hours are despite years/decades in the air frame. I was an army CH47 chief and had 840hrs In a single year (2003) over 600 in combat.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

LOL USMC budget...

[@mark_338]

Dude is also a reservist

[@gregorybentley5707]

@@mark_338 ...what? The dude wasn't alwats a reservist. What does that have to do with his total flight hours? He was active duty while in the 53 for most of his career, did you even listen to the podcast? Lol

[@mark_338]

@@gregorybentley5707 honestly only got about 25 minutes into it but its not unheard if for reservists to have less hours

[@gregorybentley5707]

@@mark_338 Right but again, he was talking about total hours not just the hours gained as a reservist. All his helicopter hours were when he was active duty. :)

[@petesheppard1709]

Bravo! I was waiting for you to get around to the heavy-lift helos. The 53 has quite the history; I hope to find time later today to watch this. Also waiting for the CH-47 'Sh*thook' (Chinook). 😎

[@spacebear49]

+1 for the -47! Worked on those as a contractor. Developed a real appreciation for that goofy lookin bird. And they're fast!

[@vispelliarmus]

Hey sir. I am an 18 year old Indian aspiring to be a fighter pilot. I am able to learn a lot from your podcasts about military aviation. Please try to have a podcast about sukhoi su 30 mki "Flanker-H" operated by Indian Air Force. Thank you.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Sure thing. If you can find a pilot with good experiences be sure to send him/her our way.

[@akshaynitinvaidya]

Yessssss Please Please Please get an Indian SU 30 MKI pilot here.

[@fluff_ruff]

I know someone that was there for Eagle Claw, a former SF and Ranger medic. According to him, the CH-53s and the pilots are not what/who they trained with for months leading up to the op, and were subbed in on short notice so the Navy could get a piece of the action (Carter being a Navy guy OK'd it). New pilots did not train for brown out conditions like the originals, leading to tail and main rotor strikes and culminating in the collision between one CH-53 and a C-130.

[@RamadiTaxiDriver60M]

Not 100% true. The USAF Command didn’t tell the Navy/Marines that Iranian radar wasn’t working. USAF flew in at high altitude, no problems. Marines flew in at low altitude with experimental NVGs and hit a dust storm. They didn’t fly above it because they were under the impression enemy radar was active. Check out “The Guts To Try” by the USAF General n charge of the Air Force piece of Eagle Claw.

[@theeeeeed2631]

Finally the helicopters get some love

[@carlfischer4163]

Great show. My brother in law was a 53 driver for the NAVY. During his active duty service. But during his reserve time he had to fly the Huey. Went from Cadillac’s to volks wagons. 😂😂

[@ar15f117]

Thank you for another great rotary craft episode. I hope there are plans for an OH-6 Cayuse/AH/MH-6 Little Bird/MD500 Defender podcast. This light attack multi-role gunship established its roots in Vietnam right up to modern-day operations with the MD530F. I'm sure that one operator could cover all of these variants and would make for a very interesting podcast.

[@raylauderback5126]

Great show, as always! Love learning more about the roles of the rotorwing community. They never seem to get as much of the spotlight.👍

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Unsung heros.

[@jedibusiness789]

My 53 story is I used to wrench on Hornets from 80 to 89 in both RAG's (125 & 106) and VMFA 314 Black Knights (Once a Knight is Never Enough). Then the Corps called my bluff and made me a officer. Angled for a AMO, however Corps wisdom said your an Engineer. Sent to Saudi to Combat Replacement Regiment then hooked up with 7th Eng, after Gulf 1 returned to Pendleton. All LT's wanted line companies to do projects (didn't want to build shitters) so I walked up the hill to recon bridge company. Lapped the yard, walked back to XO's hooch and stated I'll take Bridge Company. XO's looked at me, raised and eyebrows and asked "are your sure"? Aye Sir. Turns out it was a dumping station for screw ups. No problem, put the L word on them, in 3 weeks fired two NCO's (routed them TAD) and started building, floating and transporting all manor of bridge configurations. During professional reading, came upon First Across The Rhine. Story of 291st Engineer Combat Battalion focusing on Col. Pergrin defense against SS Col Peiper's push toward Antwerp during the Battle of the Bulge. The books' salient point was Pergrin would stop German advance by blowing key bridges because his men could replace them in hours. Enter the 53 and reading a spec sheet, I calculated weight of a MGB configured to minimize time at a gap, fuel load needed for a lift and presented info to my company commander who was former air wing as well. Up until this point we only lifted small 5 bay single for dog and pony shows. This was the real deal, a complete end of bridge with a launch nose. Bridging normally was at the rear of a column yet the 53 made getting the bridge where needed faster than snaking through a column. 53 pilots always look for a challenge and the project was approved. First lift wasn't good due to cargo straps stretching so off to the Cobra squadron getting tie down chains and safety wire pliers to secure latches. Second lift was solid and flew just off the Pendleton's coast at 90 miles and hour and placed within 2 feet of the mark. Although we never used it, we knew it could be done. Salute to 53 community, because before using the 53...46's could only lift bridge pallets which would require more time to assemble. Wish I could find the video of the lift.

[@brunot497]

I love to listen to your show, it´s always a great company while i drive to the airport. This episode reminded me when i did the IFSO (International Flight Safety Officer course) at Kirtland AFB, NM, back in 2007. Although being a course for International Military Officers, we had an USAF Officer, he was a USAF CH-53 pilot, really nice guy. One day he had to skip classes and was allowed to take one of those big birds to the Junkyard as they were being phased out. The funny part is that part of that flight was made with no clothes on :)

[@jimmy5004]

My first tour in the navy was with HMT-302, which was a Marine Corps rag squadron. At the time they had 15 CH-53E's and 5 MH-53E's, and trained aircrew for both. It was a good hidden gig until the big wigs found out there were 44 sailors and 5 aircraft tucked away in North Carolina. The detachment ended sometime in the early '00s, after I had already transferred to Hornets on the west coast. The funny thing is when I graduated "A" school, the officer who presented my certificate did not believe I had orders to New River. He put in a call to the SDO, just to confirm. HMT-302 actually used aircraft for the movie "The Jackal" back in 97 timeframe. You can clearly see the phoenix markings on the aircraft in the scene they're in. If you ever see the movie, you'll notice the same aircraft goes from side number 28 to 29. That was because 28 had gone down for maintenance, and they didn't want to wait to finish the shoot.

[@Rmanaseri]

I was so happy to hear the Phrog mentioned. Please do it!!!

[@Mark_Ocain]

Great episode guys!!! I learned heaps! What a beast this 'whirlybird is . Twitch is a real pistol! It's great hearing someone so enthusiastic in his presentation of subject material. I loved hearing some of the slang as well. I took note of a few terms that I want to try and wedge into the everyday conversation! LOL, I love this show, I really enjoy it, Vince - please never stop! LOL

[@Fast85FoxGT]

Man this was a really fun interview. Dude is a blast lol. Reminded me alot of the Kiowa episode. Heli pilots are casual and seem to be fun.

[@mariusfrost640]

Your show helps me too, I struggle with anxiety and depression. This podcast gives me a place to go that doesn't have any big scary content, and is nice and friendly in tone. It's a low-stress chat that can really make a difference at times.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

That is a very kind compliment, thank you

[@مراد-ش8ط]

Waiting for that lovely episode of RAH-66. Thanks for the talk love it.

[@bogey361]

Wow, great officer that knows his roots.

[@eberhow]

Great podcast today Jello. Twitch may be your most colorful character to date. Thank you. Would you consider doing a podcast on Air Force One and the secret fleet of aircraft that follow POTUS around when he travels? And throw that devil dog Twitch a special bone. He deserves it.

[@HabitualButtonPusher]

I have a friend that was an USAF armorer/flying gun (air force security forces) that travelled and protected “the vehicle”. Most of the stuff they can’t talk about and what they do talk about is in generic terms. Same with the HMX-1 guys, they are pretty tight lipped too.

[@LifeInMontana]

1981 Off the coast of Camp Pendelton. We grunts practiced Ship to Ship and the Stallion was one fun ride. God Bless the Airdales. And Mother Navy.

[@chopper7352]

The Super Stallion is a "Beast" of a Chopper.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

That should be its nickname.

[@davidjay433racing]

Was 6123 Aviation Machinist Mate. T-64 shop MCAS Tustin and Futema. Massive aircraft

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

#respect.

[@scarletlightning565]

Twitch is such an interesting character. Heavy lift hilo guy: bouncing all over the place Kiowa/AH-64 guy like Casmo: understated and quiet. Go figure :P

[@RamadiTaxiDriver60M]

Big beast! Saw one explode in VA Beach in 1992. Fuel cell issue. Next day we were in 53s doing over the horizon helo casts. Good times!

[@TexanUSMC8089]

You should do a podcast with someone that went to Grenada. Every branch wanted a piece of the pie. That meant no one knew what anyone else was doing. What freq is the Navy or Army radios on? I guess none of the generals shared info.

[@daviddallas4607]

I love this bird. I was with the US Navy in HM-12 (Air Born Mine Counter Measures) at the end of the Vietnam War (73-73) when the CH-53 was used to sweep the mines from the harbors in return for our POW's. It's still in use today for this mission . A newer model of course.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Thought the Navy was out of the mine sweeping business with -53s by now. Could be wrong...

[@HabitualButtonPusher]

“Is that a mishap. Was there damage?!” Nope, no harm no foul. LOL!

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

Some of those call signs at the end were a hoot. No apparent situational awareness being a fav. Great content as always and fun to hear about these workhorse choppers feeding the war machine.

[@jeffreyphipps5099]

I loved the USAF version, MH-53 Pave Low III. Great show!

[@thunderace4588]

Thank you for uploading this informative and entertaining episode of your podcast to KZbin for us.

[@LahngEun]

Did maintenance on both delta and echo models, seeing that #2 engine recessed in on the K brought a tear to my eye.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

I was on a CH-46 one time. I stopped one of the crew and asked him if he knew this line was leaking fluid. He told me not to worry about it, it's supposed to do that. LOL

[@anthonylind861]

The new ch53k has air-conditioning in the cockpit and it works like really works.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Shitter crews of the future rejoice!

[@canadianpatriot2498]

Love these chopper episodes! Im sure they're already on the radar but a UH-1, chinook, or Littlebird episode would be amazing

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

On the list. 👍

[@jonathancooper160]

The MH 53 Pave Low is no longer being flown in the US Air Force. It was retired in 2006.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Good to know, thanks. 👍

[@johnb7490]

Twitch was awesome, gr8 job jello

[@dougstitt1652]

good stuff you two are a blast to listen to

[@badlego2952]

Great episode! A note on the question about the slanted/canted tail rotor (maybe already answered but I have not checked all comments): This way the tailrotor also provides some extra lift and this allows sikorsky to shift the center of gravity to the aft position. As a consequence the cockpit section can be built shorter, respectively the cargo section can be built longer in relation to the whole length of the helicopter. I got this from a walkaround video of a HH-60G Pave Hawk by Erik Johnston: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5OUfYB8ns2GjdU , which is also designed by sikorsy. I can imagine Sikorsky canted the tail-rotor of the CH-53 for similar reasons.

[@wizard_vvs]

Great episode!

[@tacoenvy]

She's a big girl thats for sure! Awesome show man as always!

[@jonathangibson9098]

Nice little story at the start

[@cryptolicious3738]

awesome channel ! more A10 pilot episodes please. i love the A10

[@mr_beezlebub3985]

I hope you will be able to do a video on the CH-47 Chinook. It's also a really cool cargo helicopter, and it's special ops version, the MH-47, is also cool.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Hopefully!

[@DavidWilliams-nq6fj]

Tongue and cheek talking about missiles or other offensive weapons. How about a MOAB??? Good luck not fragging yourself. Great interview and episode. Even though it was audio only, it was pretty clear why he is called Twitch.

[@mobiuszero1018]

Fun fact:Super stallion helos were instrumental in the rescue of Scott O'Grady in 1993(?).

[@LRRPFco52]

MEUSOC CSAR element flew on that IIRC.

[@Jew1shc0wb0y48]

Glenn Fleming used to be a 53 crew chief for the air force you should see if you can get him on the show

[@modscientist9793]

❤ the podcast

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

🙏

[@HOVREDDY]

Impressive bird. Engineering marvel. Shitters finally getting the credit they deserve! Thanks for this podcast. Love the shitter community and love workin' on 'em. I wouldn't have found you if you didn't make this video. Rahback from a 6173.

[@mikiedice]

wait until you see the King Stallion (lockeed martin)

[@tabascoindy5005]

Ch53 called Blackout in Transformers movie

[@usarmyrangersyang4886]

Transformers Blackout was a CH-53... Blackout: All Hail Megatron!!

[@indy500tabasco8]

Total no. Of fighter jets in Canadian AF = 74.

[@robertdownie6135]

Top Banter boys!

[@alaskanmarine1]

RIP to the USS Bonhome Richard LHD-6

[@mikeoxhardt5312]

I’m a flyer with 465. Small Marine Corps, even smaller shitter community

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Did we represent well, Mike? 💪

[@cooterscooter3202]

How long have you been there? I've been with 462 for a couple years

[@maxcomis698]

Any of “those guys” down here???

[@anikakhurana6007]

Hey I really want to be fighter pilot but don't know how to fly so my question is do you need prior flight experience or they will teach you in flight school.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

They'll teach you. But you may want to at least go fly a time or two in a small airplane to ensure you like it.

[@mobiuszero1018]

And one more thing:Why does the Canadian armed forces have such a weird naming system(For example,F/A-18=CF-188)?

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Dunno.

[@hoghogwild]

C-17=CC-177 Globemaster III I think it is an attempt to differentiate the CAF/RCAF from our brethren to the South. Our CF-18's are US Marine spec F/A-18A's and B's. We bought 138 CF-18s, 98 single-seat "A" and 40 dual-seat "B" models in the early 80's. We thought that buying a fighter capable of carrier operations would allow conventional takeoffs and landings from paved runways. Australia and Canada got together and discovered that the vertical tails would begin to oscillate causing severe damage. It had something to do with airflow off of the LERX hitting the vertical tails. Cracks would result.

[@hidayytmarsaholihidayytmar9662]

Seribu juga bl

[@couchfighter]

Pics? Nah, everyone knows what we are talking about.

[@couchfighter]

No cool stories...dang

[@hidayytmarsaholihidayytmar9662]

Satu it saya tahan n

[@pete_mitchell]

Lol, who would think some retired pilot has anything to with the defence department or whatever.

[@FighterPilotPodcast]

Come again?

[@pete_mitchell]

@@FighterPilotPodcast Your disclaimer, you are not in the military so why would anyone think you are speaking for the department of defence. Even if you still were military, no one would think that.