CH-37: Sikorsky's First Heavy Lift Helicopter

A walkaround of one of the more distinct pieces of the rotary wing collection outdoors at the museum as well as some of the lessons learned during its era of operation
Follow the museum:
/ pimaairandspace
/ pimaair
/ pimaairspacemuseum
/ sofigaming
/ sofigaming
/ the_sofilein

[@GTfour01]

Dear Sofilein, *please* have Jack do more of this. He is both (very dry humor) hillarious and highly knowlegable. Great series!

[@martinjrgensen8234]

Please keep the weird and goofy aircraft coming. Had no idea this existed but now I am obsessed

[@klesmer]

In 1958 we were living in Colorado Springs because my dad was stationed at Fort Carson. I understand these things were turkeys but the sound of two R-2800's running at full chat was fantastic. One can only imagine how these things would impress an 11yr old kid. It is a sound I will never forget.

[@Sofilein]

that’s amazing 🤩 I can’t imagine even one, much less the both like you mentioned

[@duanepierson4375]

Like a pair of P-47s, F6Fs or F4Us

[@eezyclsmooth9035]

Wonderful presentation by a very knowledgeable and experienced aviator. Now, if only Sofilein could stay here at this museum for a whole year and show each and EVERY Exhibit!

[@kevanwilliams6743]

Hi Sofi, my late father (career Army) trained & worked on these beasts, as a kid I remember going on the flight line & hearing these being started & run up and it is definitely an experience & sound I will never forget!!

[@derdan20]

I worked for Keystone Helicopter in the 70’s. The company had purchased the entire inventory of CH37’s, including all spare parts. They were refurbed in Tuscon, and many sold to foreign militaries. We operated 4 for heavy lift after stripping them down of unneeded stuff. After 130/145 octane avgas went away, they became useless. A few were fixed up and traded to museums. They were awesome to be around when lifting.

[@Sofilein]

Oh wow!! That’s awesome, I appreciate you sharing that. It’s super cool to hear from the folks pitching in with their experiences

[@tonysoares3829]

Do you know if there is a list of where each aircraft went? Would be intersting to know where my aircraft, 615, went.

[@derdan20]

@@tonysoares3829 Not that I know of. We sold a bunch to Venezuela and to China. The owner of the company was an original AVG and was given special consideration by the Chinese . I think there were only 5 left in country, one was scrapped due to corrosion at our main facility in West Chester PA and the others went to museums. I doubt that any that went overseas survive. The airframes were magnesium, which corrodes like crazy. The blades were all sold off to Ericson, because with a mod they could be used on the Skycranes. The R2800 engines were sold to different places.

[@tonysoares3829]

@@derdan20 Thank you for your reply.

[@jeffroy9319]

I was trained as a mechanic on the Army CH 37’s in 1963 and was assigned to the 4th TC in Hanau Germany, the sister unit of the aircraft shown in the video. In fact the CH37 in the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Novosel is from the 4th TC. After watching this video I thought it best to add some first hand knowledge of the Army version of the CH37B, to what was well researched. First the aircraft was a Medium Transport helicopter, not a heavy lift aircraft, the Army’s heavy lift helicopter came later as the CH54 “Flying Crane”. The CH37 did have a three axis automatic stabilization system installed and we did use it quite often, it was a modification of the two axis system found in the CH34. As far as the engines, the R2800’s used more oil than normal due to the configuration that was required for the aircraft, the lower oil sumps were off center by 3 degrees thus allowing some oil into the number 9 cylinder causing a higher oil consumption. I am not aware of the comment regarding the aux tanks, we flew with them all the time. As for the comment regarding the rear stabilizer, it was the A model that had the synchronized elevators that were removed and replaced with the single stabilizer on the tail. The marine version did have an automated blade folding system that operated off the rotor brake system, however, the Army did not install the automated system, we manually folded the blades in bad weather, otherwise we kept the rotor system in the operational condition. In Germany our main mission was transporting missiles between various locations. Otherwise it was great to see this video showing the CH 37 that so few people even know that it existed.

[@tonysoares3829]

I have flown on this particular aircraft several times. I was a crew chief and flight engineer with the 90th Aviation Company in IIlesheim Germany in the 60s. I was the crew chief and then flight engineer of another CH37B number 615. I visited the Pima Air and Space Museum in 2015 and had a chance to actually go into the aircraft. Brought back a lot of memories. The curator at the time, Andrew Boehly,, was kind enough to get us into the aircraft. I see in this video that the aircraft had been painted. Looks nice but it actually had an olive drab paint job prior to that. My aircraft, 615, and this one were the only two that had the olive drab paint job in our unit. I see that the interior still has not been cleaned up. Would love to see that happen. It is true that they burned a lot of gas and oil. Still miss the sound of the engines starting up.

[@13699111]

Thank you for the interesting informative background information

[@ExUSSailor]

The Marines just recently showed the other branches how "heavy lift" is done. Flying an F-35, slung underneath a CH-53K from Pax River, in Maryland, to Joint Base Dix-Lakehurst in NJ, AND, completing an in-air refeuling along the way.

[@mikebrase5161]

And the 53 didnt crash? Thats amazing.

[@gorbalsboy]

Amazing,what skill(or madness😮)all the best from sunny Troon

[@Deploracle]

An inoperable (missing it's engine and other components) F-35C.

[@GTfour01]

​@@DeploracleStill, that's a lot of airframe.

[@aaronsanborn4291]

😂 The F-35 isn't that heavy...when they can lift an Abrams I'll be impressed

[@johnbrooks1269]

Wow Sofi between you and the wry humor from our sailor the info clipped along and with great interest. Note his shirt badge, Ace of spades or the death card and the dice showed three sides which added up to 13, typical Navy humor. Thank you for the interior shot of the panel, but would still like interior aft. Igor was a genius and for his time he worked miracles. Cheers!!!

[@obsidianjane4413]

Its awesome that you can summon such subject matter experts for these videos!

[@jeffroy9319]

I trained on the CH37 in 1963 as a direct support mechanic and was assigned to the 4th Trans Company in Hanau Germany. I worked on this aircraft until late 1965 when I left to attend flight school, so I am well versed in this aircraft. All though the research for this video is pretty good it does require some clarification and correction. The CH 37 was classified as a Medium Transport Helicopter, the Army’s first heavy lift helicopter was the CH54. The B model shown did have a three axis automatic stabilization system a modification from the CH34 two axis system. Also I cannot verify the story about the aux fuel tanks since we flew with them all the time. The R2800’s did use a lot of oil but this was mainly due to the installation configuration on the aircraft, the engines were installed with the oil sumps 3 degrees off center causing oil to leak into the number 9 cylinder. The Marine version did have an automatic blade folding system that operated off the rotor brake system, the Army did not use that system, we manually folded the blades. Lastly the A model had the synchronized elevators which were not effective so the B model was designed with the single stabilizer shown in the video. Our mission in Germany was mainly the transportation of missiles between various locations, although we did do a far share of external loads of different types of equipment. 20:56

[@johnbarnes6832]

Fascinating look at a forgotten helicopter, thanks for the post.

[@whpruitt1]

Great video, and excellent job, Jack. That aircraft was def an oddball

[@r.a.monigold9789]

At the end of my Army aviation and maintenance school for co-pilot - crew chief training for Otters, I was selected to train as a Flight Engineer on CH-37s for an additional 2 months. By luck, in Vietnam, I was "issued" my own Otter to Crew Chief, back up co-pilot, maintan and be with 24/7 for over a year. Later I found out that the CH-37s were removed from the Army's inventory as well as all the DeHaviland Caribu cargo planes (a dispute with the Air Force). These leaked oil and hydraulic fluid continiously. Nice video - thanks.

[@oldgoat142]

Sofi walking around a nerd aviation historian's dream. Instant like! Excellent video as always. Learned a lot about an iconic bird.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... walking around is* a [nerd's] dream.

[@paulcorso5442]

I worked for Sikorsky Aircraft back in the 60’s. I was hired in O & R when 90 S56’s arrived at the facility for upgrading and repair. This was my first assignment after trade school as an aircraft electrician. Learned much and loved what I did. Also worked on S58’s, S61’s,S62’s and lastly, the first three S64 Skycranes. Great experience!

[@Stray03]

Have to love the goofy stuff, seeing the thought process of the designers is interesting. Enjoying the series so far. Thanks.

[@joebeach7759]

You're doing a great deep dive. This is a very rare Army hero that most people have never seen and wasn't made in great numbers. Can't wait to see what you do next!

[@ronaldannas1935]

Thank you! Finally a video that shows this monster. All I have seen are stills or combat footage of it.

[@AK47Bait]

Thanks so much. I love this helicopter. Thanks for posting.

[@danishpuma]

A Helicopter powered by double whasps? This is now my favourite helicopter!

[@jakechapman3161]

I hope y’all realize how much we appreciate this stuff. This channel is gold and I’m glad I found it. Please stay safe and have fun y’all are great.

[@billcasso5428]

Excellent presentation! While I was in the Army I got to ride in a H-19 and a H-34 but I really wanted to ride in the H-37 as well as the H-21

[@henriknilsson7851]

I love these aircraft vids. There are so many interesting aircraft museums with lots of planes. 🎉🎉🎉

[@johnmiranda]

This is really informative I love it!. Great speaker knows what he's talking about

[@daniel_scholefield]

Very comprehensive video on a lesser known (well outside the US) Helicopter, I'd never even heard of the AEW variant. Can't wait for more.

[@88SC]

Pratt R-2800 was ubiquitous on fighters, medium bombers and a few transports, but was uniquely configured for this application. According to Graham White’s book about the R-2800, most of them were reworked into dash number models for fixed-wing applications when the CH-37s were retired. Pretty rare survivors on this one.

[@gascan1201]

The Mojave always fascinated me! Great seeing you yesterday

[@carebear8762]

Super Stallion is a race car. Some of my favorite memories involve exiting that aircraft via various methods... because the ride into the drop zone was a roller coaster. ;)

[@baylineman3281]

Enjoyed talking with you at the Armor & Calvary Collection today! Since you're in the area, you should visit the Helicopter museum at Fort Rucker in Enterprise, AL.

[@Sofilein]

Absolutely! Thank you for saying hey 🤗 I do definitely need to get down there.

[@paulsanders1373]

Sofilein, Wow so glad your doing a video on MY old aircraft. I was the flight engineer assigned to 005 from 1966-1970 with the 90th Avn Co in Illesheim and later Hanau, Germany. I was the guy that named and painted Tired Dude on it. The ASE worked flawlessly for my time flying on 005. I have a lot of flying memories on 005 and yes it is one loud dude to fly in.

[@gregory196011]

WOW again great job, thanks for your hard work.

[@dhowe61]

My dad lost one of his best friends in one of these. Both pilots and Jack(crew chief) died as the result of a rotor blade separation. He said that the concept idea of the CH53 still being able to fly with only 4 blades isn’t 100% correct.

[@bobdakers3794]

I hope this gent while be doing all the helicopters! Good delivery and intelligent!

[@danodamano2581]

I remember seeing that helo there years ago and definitely left an impression with me. The info here just brought back my affinity for it

[@brianhaygood183]

Wow. That is an amazing thing. I really appreciate how he pointed out how this design morphed into the CH-53 style of design. You really can see it if you are looking for it. Well done.

[@StevenG222]

For being at the beginning of helicopter flight its b*d*ss..some might think shes ugly but I think shes awesome! It deserves to be recognized and this is the first video i've seen of one! This series is off to a great start!

[@YesYouAreAbsolutelyCorrect]

After what was explained about the manual RPM control, that TIRED DUDE at 19:20 makes even more sense

[@aaronheisler4496]

Awesome video I have not been to pima since I was a teen in the 90s Love that place

[@fw1421]

The bad thing about Pima is most everything is out on the elements. May not be in the rain much but the intense heat is bad on everything that isn’t metal. Wiring,cloth interior parts,fiberglass parts,rubber,etc. the B-36 Peacemaker was com-lately restored inside and out and the heat will degrade the interior. This aircraft should have been kept in Fort Worth and put inside in a museum.

[@bpsitrep]

Great video and choice. BZ to Jack McCain for the awesome knowledgeable tour especially with the sidebar moments.

[@michaelkinsey4649]

Mr McCain has mastered the subtle art of ironic understatement to the degree that he could qualify as an honorary Brit! Good skills, nice presentation.

[@stuartbrown1677]

And another good one Thank you Stuart in Ireland ☘️❤️

[@johnmuller5880]

Wow my best friend crewed 005. I chewed 003 in illeshein army base in Germany. 1964/65 thanks for the memories. The blue white was the Bavarian banner.Spent many hours sitting ❤at the back step while flying in the summer. Loved this beast and spent many hours flying for other crewmen to fill in as a crew chief so the pilots could get in there hours.

[@hacheyp]

These presentations are incredible!!!

[@mohawkdriver4155]

Quite some years ago, my grandfather took me to a display of Army helicopters and this was one of them. We stayed until time for the aircraft to head back to base, and I remember this thing pulling pitch and stirring up a huge storm of dirt and rocks. One of those things you don't forget when you're only about 5 years old.

[@timfogelson7076]

Love the knowledge the museum staff brings to your videos . Keep it up.

[@skyemalcolm]

Jack McCain epitomizes the once common practice of the sons and daughters from privileged families serving their country with a love of learning. Much respect, thank you for your service!

[@vertice2759]

i love heavy lift helicopters, so cool just seeing them pick up tanks etc

[@TuffKaya]

I am so intrigued. What are these gorgeous lumpy beasts? How is this lady's style so refreshing?

[@eric-wb7gj]

TY Sofi 🙏🙏

[@ED-ti5tc]

Another interesting machine. As many military aircraft ive seen, i have never seen this. Great description on this helicopter. Heck, do the ch53 next will be ok. Thanks

[@thetaro1077]

Great pick... Mojave is fascinating! Can't believe it ran on a couple Corsair engines

[@christopherridle7670]

Excellent presentation on a very unique helicopter. I'd like to see the C-46D Commando presented.

[@brealistic3542]

What's the old saying ? Helicopter pilots beat the air into submission? I always thought that saying was one of the funniest things.

[@MikeSiemens88]

Another one... Helicopters don't fly, they're so ugly the Earth repels them. ;)

[@OlSgtLove]

Listen to the Huey when it's flying ...beating the air with a vengeance...lolololol

[@MikeSiemens88]

@@OlSgtLove Oh yes, as a retired Canadian Air Force tech I'm intimately aware of the sound of a Twin Huey's blades. Worked on them for 2 postings.

[@mercedesEQUA]

interesting videos, thank you Sophie, stay healthy and make more videos like this

[@mastathrash5609]

I know tanks are your Forte and passion but I really am liking this new series! 👍👍

[@kevinp1904]

Very interesting. Thank you for doing thiis!

[@Tinderchaff]

What a great video! Another one ticked off the list, thanks Sofi and Pima :). Talking of the list I noticed a CH-54 Tarhe in the background of this video (that odd looking beastie that looks like it is missing half the airframe). Having looked through Pima's list, could you also do videos on; Douglas EA-1F Skyraider Avro Shackleton Boeing B-52 (BUFF, I'm sure Pima knows what this means!) Bristol Bolingbroke Convair B-58 Hustler English Electric Lightning Martin B-57E this is a version of English Electric's Canberra. We (I was in the RAF for 9 years) flew a version of the Canberra at the base I served at for most of my career. North American RA-5C Vigilante Panavia Tornado The other aircraft which was at the base I served at. Supermarine Spitfire just so you can see one up close. Gonna stop now as I feel like I'm asking too much!

[@maxsmodels]

The Mohave was cool for its day but was very maintenance intensive. It lead to the CH-54 Tarhe. Had turbine engines been available when it was designed it would probably have had a long service life.

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

Loving this series.

[@roopeshkrishna34]

Awesome..! Million thanks for the great video of this amazing aircraft..!

[@kilux85]

Greetings from Bavaria! The livery really sparked my interest :)

[@haroldwilkerson2026]

I'm old enough to still remember the Screaming Mimi from the TV show called Riptide I loved that helicopter it was right up there with Airwolf for me😂😂

[@reccecs4]

Different Sikorsky. S58, not S56.

[@haroldwilkerson2026]

@reccecs4 yes I know that I was just trying to educate the Millennials who may have never seen anything but Airwolf or Blue Thunder that there were other shows that had cool helicopters in them

[@KPMACHINE1]

I can’t wait till I can fly out and check this out!

[@paulcorso5442]

This video brought back some great memories. Nice job!

[@SaperPl1]

Good video, it's always interesting to see where we come from when it comes to technology. You can't get everything right from the start and people need to know that progress takes time.

[@combatvet1307]

Leave it to Sofi to find us a "Dork Helo" to ogle at! Great job, Thank you, Sofi!

[@Csharpflat5]

Great content and collection thanks❤

[@MikeSiemens88]

Recent news that Pima has acquired one of 2 remaining Martin Mars flying boats from Coulson Aviation in British Columbia. Mars Philippine will arrive in Arizona later this summer if all goes according to plan ;).

[@gorbalsboy]

Whilst flying in a Westland lynx as an infantrymen during op banner in northern Ireland 1988 I was surprised by how much vibration their was and by how crazy the pilots were(he was wearing specs !)felt more danger flying than from the IRA😊

[@markboyles8019]

Saw a Lynx delivering documents to our LPH in the Persian Gulf. I seriously doubt he even looked at the LSE marshalling him in. He just zoomed up and plopped the damn thing onto the deck. It was incredible. Way different than our RH53s lumbering onto the deck.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... how much vibration there* was

[@daltonsband]

Outstanding explanation and introduction!

[@zororosario]

What a beautiful shape 😊, we will never have such a design in this modern day. THANKS.

[@vesawuoristo4162]

Great video , thanks!

[@RolftheRed]

LOL... Wow. Cool, never knew anything about this. Thanks!

[@SamAhrens-jr7rd]

As an old 206/407 mechanic... I can't imagine the vibration problems with that thing!! geez!

[@Doberman300]

I have seen pictures of this heli before, but I had no idea it was so freaking massive. Good lord what a monster.

[@billbright1755]

Beautiful old bird. The forward fuselage is reminiscent of the Budd Conestoga. Only all welded stainless steel aircraft.

[@bted72]

"When they moved livestock....." and "Then they used Chickens" not what one would expect to hear when discussing a Vietnam-era Helo. It makes sense in context but still..... . :D

[@butchs.4239]

My pick would be the Martin PBM-5A Mariner as the only surviving example left anywhere is there at Pima. It's also inside so it'll be a nice contrast to the other aircraft you've covered so far.

[@derbuckeyetribe9789]

Awesome video Sofi! Good to see you and your channel are doing well. (almost 150k subscribers!) You hit Gold on this one! I thought I knew most of the strange and interesting vehicles. The CH-37 is a new animal to me.

[@russellnixon9981]

Great presentation never seen or herd of this aircraft before, which makes this chenille so good,

[@oom-9779]

you best tank mom ever

[@monkeyboy48391]

Go to Robbins AFB Museum in Warner Robbins, Georgia. It has the specific SR-71 Blackbird that still holds the airspeed record.

[@mattgeans3758]

If you're ever in the San Diego - check out Classic Rotors in Ramona. One of only 4 Rotary Wing museums in US or worldwide. and if you'd like to get an up close of the grandchild of this first heavy lift and first dual engine helicopter, I can see about hooking you up with one of the CH-53E squadrons at MCAS Miramar to see the triple engine monster with the 79' diameter main rotor.

[@bigsarge2085]

Cool!

[@ronaldlee3537]

Kudos to Jack, very informative.

[@briancox2721]

I heard radial engine, and thought, "oh God, they never kept that thing cool and flying for long."

[@OlSgtLove]

Hey Sofi , pretty cool and definitely one of kind helicopter, that help break ground for others and the technology to come . Always enjoy what you bring to us all . Neat to see . Best Regards to you .

[@whodatsaddle]

Very cool! My brother served in HSC-84. 84/85 were the real deal!

[@Sofilein]

Right on

[@user-jq2rf4nf3o]

9:00 a coupling not a clutch, the clutch in question is the round housing to the left 27:27 That 53 has 6 blades S-58 is my favorite Sikorsky At the Pima Museum just out side along the road way you can still dig up aircraft pieces from when the scrap yards were in operation there

[@sqr2024]

Great videos, looks very good at what you are doing.

[@canuck600A]

Great job

[@johnkennerson1070]

Nice video, As a former Marine my MOS was ground crew or Helicopter Support Team. I’ve been out of a very long time but try and keep up with Marine aviation. That being said, two things. One is the MH-53 Pave Low is based on the CH-53D, so it is configured with a 6 blade main rotor instead of seven like the CH-53E and K model. And two…It only has has 2 engines rather than 3. Love the info on the CH-37. I didn’t know anything about it. Oh yeah. I’ve seen lots of video of the King Stallion flying with its landing gear retracted as well as with it lowered. I know they mostly fly with the gear extended while carrying an external load. I’m out of the loop so maybe the production model is none retractable

[@LCafran]

Great presentation and channel. I love all aviation.

[@ShaunNielsen]

I need clarification on the statement at 24:09; "...if you had one (rotor blade) shot away you could still reliably fly the aircraft." I saw a helicopter lose a blade in the hover at a private field in 1989 and the imbalance tore the engine, transmission and rotor shaft out of the aircraft.

[@ronaldcooper7609]

No way will a rotor head survive a missing blade. I read that the aircraft was supposed to have turbine engines, but there was lots of radial engines available so they cut costs.

[@knowone6214]

yep and I saw a ch46 eat itself on the deck and made 2 little helos at MCAS Santa Anna...and I worked in those Blimp Hangers there

[@cojoe99]

25:08 The new ch-53K Does indeed have retractable landing gear… plenty of pictures/info about it’s landing gear on the web.

[@luciusvorenus9445]

Very Cool to learn about this unusual helo!

[@PMMM9]

Great discussion.

[@jeremycrisp4488]

Heyhey you're in my state! Welcome! Hope you enjoyed your stay. Tucson is alright I guess.