The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion: The Helicopter That Broke All the Rules

[@megaprojects9649]

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[@px7321]

Bro share your views on PAF particularly their new Aircrafts including JF-17 Block 3 and J10 C. Also compare it with Euro fighter typhoon and other same concept aircrafts. @megaprojects9649

[@Sean2002FU]

Simon, Thank you for this one! The CH-53 is a beast! A true, down to the bone beast! When I served in the Marines. I was fortunate enough to catch a ride on several helicopters...and by far the most impressive was the Super Stallion! The Chinook running second. The military pushed that bird to it's limits regularly...sometimes with bad consequences. I'd fly on that bird anytime asked to, without hesitation!!! Thanks for rekindling the memories !!!

[@jeffk464]

Very cool, I was a mechanic on the H-53, yep I remember 0358. The thing is they like to break down a lot and I mean a lot, it was the highest maintenance man hours per hour of flight in the Air Force. By the way the H3 that it replaced was supposed to be super reliable. I think the Flettner 282 was the first working helicopter, it doesn't really resemble modern helicopters though, also it was invented by the bad guys.

[@georgedoolittle9015]

Actually has a very weak Service Record compared to US Army Aviation pretty much non existent record in point of fact. Still maybe upon Battle Space Ukraine could be very impressive Cold War Warrior machine.

[@FS2K4Pilot]

Um, 7500 shp? The 53D was good for over 8500, the 53E was good for over 13,000, and the 53K is good for over 22,000. The 53K, however, gets 7500 shp from each engine.

[@michaelmorrigan614]

I was an Avionics technician on the V-22 and worked closely with the CH-53 guys because of us being in an experimental squadron testing out new technologies before the fleet got it. Both aircraft have their own job to achieve, and they are good at them. The Osprey’s main selling point is its ability to get in/out of a battlefield as quickly as possible. The 53 on the other hand can steal your entire house if you dare piss one of them off

[@mattstudios5892]

As a current 6326 (v-22 avi) I can concur.

[@crewchief5144]

@@michaelmorrigan614 Or you could hate life and be me...a 6323 that turned into a 6176. I wanted to fly in the early 2000's but there were no boat spaces for Shi77er crew chiefs. I was a fully-qualified A/O and even got my AGI sign-off. I jumped ship to the Plopter and retired not long after my only deployment on it. We did a lot of cool missions but there's just nothing like a Shi77er. I been through 302 twice and would go through four more times before going back to 204 EVER!

[@scottallberry6713]

The osprey is just as likely to kill the crew and cargo as it is to fly...

[@crewchief5144]

@@scottallberry6713 I have over 3,000 hours, never one Class A mishap. I have no idea what level of experience you're making that statement from, but you're obviously not from the V-22 community.

[@Britcarjunkie]

@@crewchief5144 Uh - wasn't it just last year that they were grounded for a while, due to some major crashes?

[@kevinm3751]

As a former Marine I have rode in, repelled out of, been water deployed from and even tethered from and screamed through the treeline on the Super Stallion and I can say it was some of the most memorable times of my career in the Marines. It is without question my all time favorite air frame in the Marines!

[@NegativeROG]

Thank you for your service.

[@longshot398]

NO SUCH Thing As a former Marine, ether you are or you aren't.

[@everettputerbaugh3996]

@@longshot398 There are 10's of thousands of former Marines, but no EX-Marines. Ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure. Thousands of more metaphors, too. [What's a metaphor - to help a nauga hide. - Mork from Orc]

[@badlt5897]

This is the alpha of helicopters. The ride on a Stallion is sublime.

[@longshot398]

@@everettputerbaugh3996 Well the Marines i served with don't believe in former or ex. Either you are or aren't. That's just the way it is with us salty old Marines.

[@ItsSeanTheProducer]

All my life, I've lived less than 2 miles from the Sikorsky Aircraft plant here in Stratford CT, so I've seen every type of helicopter (and other aircraft) that they've made for the past 50 years. For most of my childhood, I was used to seeing the original Sea Stallions pass overhead. In the early 1980s, I heard something flying toward me that I could almost feel before I heard it. When I first saw the Super Stallion, I couldn't figure out why it sounded so different than the other CH-53s that I had seen. Then I realized how relatively small the cockpit was compared to the rest of the helicopter, and my mind could wrap around the size of the aircraft that I was seeing. I'm now in my mid-50s, and I still love the sound of the Super Stallion coming toward me from a distance (as well as the UH-60 Black Hawk and the S-92 Super Hawk). One year at the local air show (at the Sikorsky Airport, of course) the show was started late after a fog delay. You could feel the ground shaking, but the fog blocked your view of what was coming. Then, breaking out of the fog bank right at the end of the runway was a Super Stallion with a Black Hawk on either side, flying in perfect formation at nearly top speed, only about 100 feet off the ground. I've had closer encounters with Sikorsky helicopters in my life, but I will never have one that cool again. It was as if they had planned the fog from Long Island Sound *just* for the effect at the beginning of the show. And to top it off, after landing, all 3 helicopters taxied over and parked right in front of me. Just a perfect air show for my father and me. Side Note: The photo of the Sikorsky plant in this video is the original plant on South Main Street, which hasn't been used by Sikorsky since the 1950s, I believe. The new(er) plant is about 10 miles away on North Main Street, right next to the Igor Sikorsky Memorial Bridge (can you tell that Sikorsky means a lot to the town of Stratford?). Igor himself is buried about 1/4 mile from my house near the top of St. John's Cemetery on Nichols Avenue (for all of you Sikorsky fans).

[@shaunhickey7233]

Awesome!

[@montecorbit8280]

What do you think of the CH-53K King Stallion?? It's bigger and more powerful....

[@chiefslinginbeef3641]

God bless did 8 yrs in army...I'm never living in the northeast or a city again.

[@kinuorthel8096]

I only understood the size a little bit after realizing it can fit 30+ people inside, must be a great and cheap spot to live if you're a motorhead, unless the real estate broker finds out.

[@briandix4633]

I used to drive over that bridge all the time in the late 90s. I grew up in southington, had the Warthogs fly over all the time and test flights from Sikorsky. I remember seeing the Comanche sitting on the ramp a few times. And a Pave Hawk hovering near where I worked

[@BradKarthauser]

Three Super Stallions flew over our house a couple years ago at about two hundred feet. The house started shaking a minute or so before they flew over. I ran outside in time to see them fly over my head. Amazing.

[@PeterSlack83]

The latest model, CH-53K has enough internal space to carry a Hummv....

[@randybentley2633]

​@@PeterSlack83Dang it, you beat me to it! :shakes my fist: =)

[@Rotorhead1651]

I was a helicopter mechanic in the USAF back in the early 80s. I worked on the 2-engined version. You could feel the raw power emanating from them from 200 yards away.

[@velzekt]

Must have been an amazing repair bill and destruction of local wildlife.

[@northwestgaming4049]

​@Rotorhead1651 my dad was a ch-53 crew chief out of Tustin CA. These machines where the main reason I joined myself. Very impressive.

[@jeffreyfarlow9862]

This man’s sweater demands respect. Kneel before the light blue sweater!!

[@sih1095]

Interestingly it went from blue blue to shirt to blue jumper? 🤔

[@jeffreyfarlow9862]

He films the ads separately

[@sih1095]

@@jeffreyfarlow9862 it not an ' ad', it's sponsor sting. And continuity would be nice..

[@sof5858]

🎽

[@kevincutway]

Nothing like a sweater in june....holy cow

[@kiwidiesel]

You are the big boy in town when your individual rotor blades have a greater lifting capacity than the entire wing of many aeroplanes. Then add 6 more leaves and turn on the spin cycle. Amazing what you can do if you beat enough air into submission with brute force. The part where that 53 snipped it's refueling probe off was an engineering masterpiece of brilliance as the articulating ability of the rotor disc to do that so lightening quick and then return to normal position for the flight mode without unduly upsetting the aircraft dangling below by just a shaft. Bravo

[@Big.Ron1]

Very cool. Years ago when I was a contractor for a defense company we were at a base with a couple airplanes doing some testing and a detachment of Marines was there as well with a couple of these big helos. It was just us and them. When you see one of these monsters taxiing out alone it is awe inspiring to watch them take off and a few hours later return. We were not part of their detachment but were using the next door hangar so got to know each other while being neighbors for a couple weeks. While we were civilians, those Marines treated us like brothers. They let us look at, climb on, and get in that big helo. Sadly due to security clearances and all we couldn't reciprocate but they understood. They offered to take us flying but we didn't have the time. This was my only time around the big Marine Sikorsky. An amazing machine. Thank you.

[@ScottKent]

As a Marine Corps corporal in the infantry I remember the CH-53D (or as we called it, the CH-53 Drops like a rock). Always running up to it first, taking a knee and directing others aboard while taking head count...then running down the ramp, taking a knee and making sure no one turned right coming off the helicopter while again taking head count. Flying around Mt. Fuji (from Camp Fuji) and watching out the little windows as the rotor caused small snow storms on the mountain even from a distance. Still my favorite helicopter for missions.

[@ShortArmOfGod]

Weird how different units handle them. We boarded and exited out the right numerous occasions. It's perfectly safe for foot mobiles to exit right, considering the blades are nowhere near you. I think the prohibition comes from vehicles obviously not wanting to exit right and the Marines, in their usual dumbass fashion, decided that applied to things it never needed applying to.

[@ScottKent]

@@ShortArmOfGod Were you using the old D series too? It probably was just an over abundance of caution in my unit, but hey, it worked.

[@FlexibleToast]

You have to build and maintain those good habits. And yes, it's easier to just make a blanket rule.

[@blakethegreatone2058]

​@@ScottKentI was in 3/1 L Co. And we did the exact same thing back in 2008-2012.

[@ShortArmOfGod]

@ScottKent D's and mostly E's.

[@fjufjufjfjf]

One thing I know about the CH-53…. It’s always leaking hydraulic fluid on the inside. A crewman once told me that if I ever got into one that wasn’t leaking, to get off. That means it’s out.

[@MrPig40]

That's why we call them Shitters! Lol

[@gando121]

So just a small problem!

[@hippiesaboteur2556]

​@@MrPig40I always was under the impression devil dogs called them shitters due to the long black cloud of smoke that always trails aft of them.... honestly I could see both being appropriate & totally justifiable reasons lol. These are constantly in the air around where I live, as MCAS new river (along with MCAS cherry point a half hour away) is located here

[@MrPig40]

@@hippiesaboteur2556 I heard several origin stories for that nickname over the years. Another one I heard was that there was a crashed Jolly Green at the end of a runway somewhere in Vietnam that was reporposed as a bathroom, aka shitter....

[@adamhurst9491]

They say that about all of the military helicopters. I was never scared of flying on 53s. The 47s were the scary ones during my time 2002-2007

[@bush_wookie_9606]

This helicopter had my back so many times from Favela to high-rise and even Afghan

[@bengreen2380]

It’s not a pavelow 🥴

[@beejay7665]

He’s talking Call Of Duty: MW2 😂

[@xaderalert]

Pave Low is the special operations variant of this aircraft, so yes, it kinda is

[@RCAvhstape]

@@xaderalertThis video is specifically about the E model Super Stallion. Pave Low, Sea Stallion, and King Stallion are all part of the H-53 family, but they differ in many ways.

[@hanisk2]

That’s not a pavelow man😂

[@toddreynolds238]

My first navy squadron was HM-14 airborne mine countermeasures. The MH-53E has a special place in my heart. It was tough enough that one of ours survived being hit be a Cessna and still carried her crew to safety. Awesome bird.

[@newffer]

I am a Plank Owner of HM-16. Hello brother

[@dmillhoff]

"survived being hit be a Cessna" !!!!!

[@toddreynolds238]

@@newffer Go Sea Dragons. 👍

[@matthewbyrd398]

I was in HM-14 from 1985 to 1991

[@donaldhoward8090]

Was in HM-15 Blackhawks. 91 to 95. Got to fly in them a few times. Things could move.

[@jnmrn4069]

I was volunteering at a makeshift hospital outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti after their earthquake in 2010. A Navy CH-53 came in to take patients out to the carrier USS Carl Vincent and hospital ship USNS Comfort. Watching that beast land was very impressive. It caused quite a dust storm (I understand why they call it the “hurricane maker”). We loaded about 14 patients on and watched it take off. Hueys and Blackhawks had been coming in in pairs every day, so that had become routine. The docs, nurses and staff (mostly U.S. volunteers) had to come out and watch this big machine come in. It made me proud to see the difference the U.S. can make in a third world country during a crisis.

[@ekim72]

Having served from '93-'97 in a marine infantry helo company I was fortunate to fly in the 53e quite often. The most memorable flight I had was when we were doing assault training into a mount facility on pendelton. I heard from one of the crew chiefs that the lead pilot on our bird was the wing CO. A bird colonel. That made us feel a little better because we normally were flown around by 2nd lieutenants and generally wondered if we were going to make it. As we were getting near our LZ the colonel dove down to treetop leval before heading into some canyons approaching the LZ. I briefly looked out the window trying to see if we were close to the LZ when we were put into a steep banking turn I saw the rotors shave off some bushes on an outcropping in the canyon. I never looked out the window again after that. I once heard that you should never fly with someone who is crazier than you are. That colonel was certifiable with the skills to back it up. Memories. Semper Fi. Great vid keep 'em coming.

[@DavidGarcia-zu3hl]

It is very, very unlikely that you were EVER flown around by a 2ndLt. Six months thru The Basic School, an inevitable delay for Marine Officers to begin flight school, usually a few weeks to a couple of months, then probably eighteen months in flight school, and THEN another four months or so learning how to fly your fleet aircraft....there were no 2ndLts at that point in time. None. 1st Lts? You bet.

[@ekim72]

@@DavidGarcia-zu3hl So the pilots who were 2lt's that we talked to every so often were figments of everyone's imagination?

[@DavidGarcia-zu3hl]

@@ekim72 I never saw any 2Lts in my squadron or any other squadrons in the fleet. Any squadron in MAG-16 at MCAS Tustin, except the two training squadrons (one for Sea Stallions and one for Sea Knights), working with other squadrons while on three deployments, served from 87-to end of 94. The time required between TBS, ground school, flight school, and the RAG, takes two years or more, They Get Promoted. The full bird would have been the Group CO, not the Wing CO, who is typically a two star.

[@dongquixote7138]

It sounds more like the whole thing is a figment of your imagination. There are probably a lot of things in the military I haven't heard of, but "infantry helo company" sounds made up. And even if the helo pipeline was fast enough in the 90s for 2nd Lts to be in the fleet, there wouldn't be two in the cockpit. The aircraft commander would be a senior 1st Lt at least, but more likely an O-3 or above.

[@ekim72]

@ In a Marine Expeditionary Unit the land element at the time was made up of a Infantry Battalion. The three infantry companies were designated by what mode of transport they used to get to shore. The first company used helicopters, the second used RHIB’s, the third used Amtrac’s. Hence the name “Infantry helo company”. As for the pilots. Every training exercise we did with the helicopters was also a training exercise for the pilots. Yes the P.I.C’s were usually captain’s or above. As for the co-pilot’s they were mostly 2nd Lt’s, who did the majority of the flying to build up their hours. Hope this explains everything for you. Cheers.

[@DopetheWind]

Sikorsky engineer here. While capacity is the 53's party trick, their real value is pilot workload reduction and operational consistency. The CH-53K, in particular, is designed to operate near it's limits in almost all conditions, not just ideal ones. Ultimately, that is what the military is paying for, not just capacity, but all of it, all the time, and anywhere. (This correspondence does not contain technical information.)

[@keithwilliams6007]

Truth. A friend who served as a crew member said it was, by far, the smoothest rotor-ride---like a Mercedes compared to a Jeep. He said a pilot buddy had to up-train when he became a civilian again as he was so accustomed to the CH-53's effortless performance throughout its flight envelope.

[@ragnarbaron6090]

I was alpha 1/3 2002-2006. Same marine battalion that had a platoon from Charlie company go down in a 53 in 2005 killing the entire platoon and crew. Just wanted to say thank you for building such a great helicopter, that incident aside they were reliable as hell even in the shamal storms. Not sure how you guys took it when it happened but war is war and bad shit happens. Keep working hard to perfect the design, you are literally keeping guys alive.

[@Fred-vy1hm]

Who killed lieutenant Van Dorn?

[@JoshuaKoitzsch]

Worked on H-53’s from 2000 - 2004, these are workhorse. However breaking them down for overseas deployment was a daunting task.

[@MrPig40]

Gotta love those C-5 breakdowns!

[@matthewbyrd398]

@HVAC Quality Assurance SAFETY wire.

[@thetangieman3426]

My dad flew the OG Sea Stallions during the late 60's and early 70's. One time at request of the State Police they picked up a pregnant woman who was stranded on the highway following a pile up. The hospital landing pad was too small for the 53 so he landed at a playground a block away and the local FD drove her the last block. There was a newspaper article about and everything. It was pretty cool having GI Joe as a Dad.

[@brianpesci]

The USAF parajumpers were in the barracks next to ours at Kadena back in 77-79 and I saw the Jolly Greens taking off from the inflight kitchen often. Of all the aircraft that did touch and go practice the HH-53 was one of the coolest to watch! Only the SR-71 and the BUFFs that were at Kadena when typhoons hit Guam were more impressive when taking off. Hats off to the USAF parajumpers who could drink the Marines under the table on BC street.

[@Z3MusicOfficial]

I was a 6173 (Enlisted Aircraft Crew Chief) on the CH53-E. This was awesome to see.

[@Rotorhead1651]

I was USAF, 43150C. Crew Chief on MH-53H Pavelows.

[@L33tSkE3t]

Thank you for your service. 🇺🇸

[@Snipe4261]

I'll never forget the first time I saw a CH-53E landing an taking off up close when I was in the Marines. The extreme size of these machines and their quality of looking powerful, no matter what they're doing, is a visually and emotionally potent combination. The only thing I can compare the experience to is the first time I saw an American supercarrier in port, gargantuan and towering over everything around it.

[@Rotorhead1651]

I was in training as an Air Force helo mech at Sheppard AFB IN '82 , when I watched a Super Stallion perform a hammerhead stall. I took me a couple of minutes to get my jaw up off the floor.

[@nickizcool20]

As a Navy Corpsman I had the pleasure of riding some of those CH-53 beauties. Awesome helo, we had plenty of room for all of our gear. Was super awesome when the back cargo door drops down and we run out the back. Felt like a movie.

[@jnbfrancisco]

I have watched many of Simon's videos. This is the first one that I know something about because I was an avionics technical representative on the CH53E for the US Navy from 1984 to 1988. He did a good job.

[@Mighty_Atheismo]

Glad to hear! I know on some of the other channels the research gets called out for being dicey

[@jnbfrancisco]

@@Mighty_Atheismo I will trust him more now.

[@usonumabeach300]

These are the most unique sounding helos I've ever heard. The turbines drown out the whump of the blades, it's akin to how different the A10s sound from other jets.

[@trepan4944]

"What's your primary weapon?" CH-53: "Horsepower....all of the horsepower"

[@hanschristianben505]

I remember reading from an article that the -E can actually outturn an AH-1… scary 😳😳

[@terrydodds333]

I was a CH-53E crew chief in the Marines for 11 years and I can say that I loved every minute of it. I have 2000+ total flight hours with 500+ combat hours. That helicopter was absolutely amazing. I miss my time on the CH-53E.

[@joshm3484]

Photos don't really show how huge it is. Imagine a large city bus, that flies, and can land on the water and float like a boat.

[@nonenowherebye]

I got to fly on a couple of them while a contractor in Iraq. I likened them to flying in a 30 man steel Sauna, while you're slowly basted in a fine mist of hydraulic fluid.

[@blakethegreatone2058]

​@@nonenowherebyethat's a great way to put it. Lol

[@AlRoderick]

​@@nonenowherebyeso it's like an American city bus.

[@tasteradio1060]

the artist doesnt show it. Sad

[@ONEDVSDVIT]

so its really the length of a road train.

[@patwentland6191]

I see these helicopters regularly. I love watching them drag the naval mine detection sleds. Between these, the twin rotor CH-47 Chinook and the Ch-53D SeaStallion I think these are some of the most incredible rotary wing designs ever built.

[@MrPig40]

The Navy mine sleds are pulled with MH-53s....

[@Shy_Knee_Side_Up]

The Super Stallion is a beast. I'm a huge fan. People think the Chinook is to top heavy lift chopper, but this beast reigns.

[@hippiesaboteur2556]

Amen & ooh rah

[@gregparrott]

I see comments about personal experiences seeing/hearing the Super Stallions. Mine was on a moonless night while camping in a forested section of the high Sierra. The trees likely suppressed any overhead sounds until with only a couple seconds notice, one Stallion flew past. The roar got me out of the tent in time for a second and a third, all flying at tree top level with lights out. Just enough light to make out their silhouettes. This was near the marine's mountain warfare training center near Bridgeport, California. I drove over there a couple day later and saw a bunch of CH-53 and V-22 Osprey's on the tarmac. The marines carry 90+ lb packs while traversing the mountains, hoofing it at speed up steep terrain at ~8000 feet. They are brutally tough 'mutha's', and earn much respect..

[@sgt.grinch3299]

What a magnificent airframe. I flew many times in the 53E and the 46. I served at MCAS Tustin from 1983 to 1990.

[@toma1846]

I was in HMH-361 from 81 to 84. I was their armorer. I took care of the XM218 50 cal door guns. Good times

[@TheJohn8765]

Thank you for being an aviation nerd like me, Simon. Quality content as usual!

[@santa1563]

I carried these several times on C-17s (usually the sea stallion variant) and it was always super stressful to winch this beast on board 😰 it was also one of the cooler things I got to do as a loadmaster 😏

[@Mighty_Atheismo]

Man... my girlfriend would hate me if my job title was loadmaster.

[@BrandonMaloney-c1d]

@@Mighty_Atheismonot after she sees those checks, pension and only about 1.5 percent of the population in America gets to be apart of the military.

[@fisheye42]

At 1:14 …good lord that photo is ALL the impressives! Dual refueling, flying low-ish over water, while each is carrying a swinging pair of Humvees! Great job all teams there.

[@gershsgaming8673]

Some of my first assignments as a Design Engineer were working on the 53E and 53K. What an absolute BEAST. Proud of the work I've done on both.

[@hippiesaboteur2556]

You work aboard FRC (East or west)??

[@erikmontville4413]

Fantastic episode! I served on an amphibious ship for 4 years and we had plenty of '53's and '46's on board. Only one was lost during 2 deployments. Our berthing was under the flight deck and when they took off, you definitely felt it. When they land on deck, the flight crew has to stand at an angle so they don't get blown overboard. Also, we were the deployment group at Mogadishu and if I remember correctly, that baby was born aboard our ship as we had a full hospital bay. You did miss the relief mission of the Mt Pinatubo volcano eruption in 1991 when the '53 was instrumental in moving the Phillipine people from Subic Bay to Cebu.

[@zwinmar21]

Also the Kosovo deployment in 99 followed a couple months later by Turkey earthquake relief.

[@kuzlich]

Thank you for the little tour of Igor Sikorsky's history. I want to add that in the USSR Sikorsky had a friend - aircraft designer Konstantin Kalinin. Sikorsky tried several times to persuade Kalinin to move to work in the USA, but Kalinin refused. Sikorsky built a successful company, lived to a ripe old age, and was buried with full honors. Kalinin was shot in 1938 on far-fetched charges of anti-Soviet activities and espionage (the court session lasted 10 minutes without witnesses and the defense). That's the story of two aviation engineer friends

[@geoffberry5260]

I had the pleasure of travelling in this massive aircraft many times in Afghanistan (and much preferred it to the Osprey). What you don't mention is the operating idiosyncrasy that causes the engines to leak large amounts of lubricant all over the inside, often causing small oil puddles which sloshed around on the floor during flight. You could easily identify the USMC flight crew for the Stallions in the rec areas because their uniform flight suits were darker due to the lubricant permanently impregnated in the material. Most of my outer kit also changed colour after the first few flights and the bags have never changed back. After the first flight, I asked the Crew Chief about this; his response has stayed with me to this day, "We don't mind the lub over everything, 'cos when it stops leaking, this bird will fall out of the sky." For some reason after this, I was always happiest when a Chinook came to collect us from a remote area. 😁

[@JohnMann858]

Can confirm both their lifting capacity and the massive rotor wash these things throw! What an amazing machine to sling a load under!

[@legionboom4679]

When I was stationed on aircraft carriers I would sometimes stand watch in the Combat Information Center, located underneath the flight deck. When a CH-53 would hover over the deck, it felt like every single rotor blade was smacking me on the top of the head...through the armored steel flight deck. It was crazy. It changed the air pressure in the space.

[@Silveralways1]

I was a T64 engine mechanic for the CH-53E in the Marines in early 90's. This aircraft was amazing to ride in.

[@scottstoecklin7451]

The King Stallion is here my friends. Flying out of Sikorsky field in southern Connecticut, I've seen (heard ... hard not too) a few flying around Connecticut in "shake-down" flights. They are LOUD!

[@callmebarlow6681]

Oohrah! I was in an air assault company and rode in these constantly. IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THEI SHOWCASE! all 3 varieties are insane

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:45 - Chapter 1 - The super stallion 2:00 - Mid roll ads 3:30 - Chapter 2 - The manufacturer 6:50 - Chapter 3 - Background 12:00 - Chapter 4 - Development 14:20 - Chapter 5 - Design 17:10 - Chapter 6 - Battle honours & operations 19:50 - Chapter 7 - The future - Chapter 8 -

[@Darth-Claw-Killflex]

Pathetic.

[@SadisNic]

Having been a mechanic on the 53e, this video was amazing to watch and brought back lots of memories.

[@MrPig40]

A fellow 6113!

[@SadisNic]

@@MrPig40 A bold assumption I wasn't airframe or avi lol but a correct one

[@mrsagang9211]

Proud to be a design engineer on the 53K. Comparing it to the 53E isn't fair to that aircraft because it was redesigned from the ground up. Some really impressive engineering and manufacturing innovations went into developing the 53K.

[@Micruv10]

Worked on the K as well!!

[@DaveQZ85]

53K crew reunion!

[@ronbaning5278]

Of all the helicopters I have flown over an almost 40 yr rotary wing career, the Super Stallion was far and away my favorite! Fast, powerful, nothing else came close in the performance department and that includes the UH-60 and the AH-64. She was a bit of a maintenance queen though. We would hot refuel most of the time because it seemed that on shutdown is when things would break…lol. Also did two WestPacs with her and really enjoyed flying her off of the ship….an awesome machine!

[@alexglanowski695]

I had the fortune to be able to work on the MH-53 in the AF; in fact, I've worked on the one pictured, 4428! She was one of my favorites! 😁

[@MichaelBrown-pq7li]

I swear if I see another ad for surf shark I am going insane. I will not by the product just because of how many times I have to watch the ad on a video that already has ad volume jacked to the max. Great job Simon - keep rolling the dollars.

[@bobpond6381]

Living in Connecticut in the 1960s and 1970s it was great when what we guessed were test flights of many Sikorsky helicopters flew over us.

[@ravanalti3740]

I’ve never clicked on a video faster in my life. I was a mechanic and aircrewman from 2014 to 2019 on the Shitter. She’s a big beautiful dirty hard working b**** and America is lucky to have her!

[@mixnmatchflavourbleach2313]

I just realized it looks like an absolute roided out Sea King I love it

[@timengineman2nd714]

It came from the same "stable"

[@Rotorhead1651]

The S-63 (SH-3 Sea King/HH-3 Jolly Green Giant) airframe was the S-64's (MH/CH/HH-53) older sibling. I've worked on both.

[@ShirleyStabile]

I have flown 53 over 20 years and have 5000 hours in them. Great aircraft. Flew them in combat, rescue missions in earthquakes, typhoons and hurricanes. Been to 20,000 feet in the Peruvian Andes took them on the first shipboard deployment in the Caribbean.

[@theresaashley1346]

Simon, you absolute LEGEND!!! I fixed these when I was in the Marine Corps from 2002 to 2007.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

Very impressive 👍😲 Thank you for your service.

[@Metallica4Life92]

that clip of the Super Stallion smashing its refueling probe into its rotor blades is harrowing

[@dalemenk895]

When I was in boot camp, we were told that the reason this beast could fly was that it beat the air into submission.😁

[@rohesilmnelohe]

They weren't wrong 😂

[@SnorlaxDaCat]

Worked on and flew in these amazing machines back when I was in the Marines from 03-08 and I loved them. Happy to see you doing a video on these amazing pieces of engineering. One of the cooler thing I got to see was one of our CH-53E lifting a crashed MH-53J ( Air Force Pavelow 3 which is a modified CH-53D).

[@Rotorhead1651]

2 corrections: 1- The "J" models were the Pavelow IVs, and 2- All Pavelows were modified "C" models, with the exception of acft tail #68-4433 which was originally an "A" model, modified into a "B" in order support the aux fuel tanks, then into the very first Pavelow ever, and the ONLY YMH-53H. My first duty assignment was 20th A.M.U., 834th AGS, 1st SOW, Hurlburt Fld. AFB, '82-'84 & '85-'87.

[@LV_223]

Hey Simon, I just wanted to point out that you guys actually showed the new CH-53K several times. You can tell by the sponsons. Other than that, great video!

[@hanschristianben505]

I think it still is all good, since they discussed the King Stallion in the last part

[@MrPig40]

Several of those weren't Kilos, they were Navy MH-53s. They also don't have drop tanks. Typical for this crappy channel.

[@LV_223]

⁠@@MrPig40to be fair, even as a Sikorsky engineer I mistake one older 53 model for another. Unless you actually serve with them or directly had your hand in building them, it’s easy to mistake one for the other. The K is very distinctive to me, however that is probably because I had a direct hand in building them. For example, at 14:09 we see CH-53K aircraft 03, which I directly worked on at MCAS New River. Good times.

[@MrPig40]

@@LV_223 Lucky dog!

[@imswiney56]

I was the intelligence chief for one of the CH-53 squadrons at Miramar a few years ago after I spent time at an infantry battalion flying in a few of them. It is truly awe inspiring just how large and powerful these aircraft are. Great crew, awesome pilots, and an amazing community.

[@patrickdurham8393]

I loved flying in them when I was in the Marine Corps. Badass machines.

[@larryclarke06]

I flew and worked on the MH-53E (Sea Dragon). I love seeing anything about any of the 53 airframes!!! Please do one on the Sea Dragon and the role it plays in the Navy.

[@steveyountz1757]

'1:34 this Beast can produce 7 500 horsepower'...........Don't you mean per engine?

[@ccllrr424]

My father flew the HH53 in Vietnam (Air Force), was mainly rescue, but he opened up to me year later and stated they many of the high tech equipment that we have today he carried in his HH53. Back then vacuum tubes where used, so the high tech transistor & chips weren't fully used so the equipment was large and heavy at that time (1970-1971). So the HH53 was and still is an incredible piece of equipment.

[@bryanst.martin7134]

3 times the capacity at half the speed, still wins. By 33%! Oh, wait, what is cost per flight hour? 1/2?

[@recoil53]

But at half the speed, don't you need double the flight hours for the distance?

[@bryanst.martin7134]

@@recoil53 Yes and with 3 times the load capacity it still wins. And realistically, this doesn't include the return trips to reload the smaller aircraft.

[@recoil53]

@@bryanst.martin7134 I'm not saying it doesn't win, I'm saying cost per flight hour isn't a win.

[@bryanst.martin7134]

@@recoil53 Do you have specs? I don't yet, but worth a look.

[@recoil53]

@@bryanst.martin7134 Nope. Just going by what was said here.

[@retirednavychief6983]

The Navy also had Super Stallions. Our 'utility' squadron in the Phillipines once picked up a broken CH-53E with another CH-53E in order to fly it back to Naval Air Station Cubi Point next to Naval Station Subic Bay. The only thing a Super Stallion isn't good at is at-sea rescue...the rotor downwash while in a hover low enough to effect a rescue is pretty severe. I crewed H-1s, H-3s, H-46s, and H-53s in my Navy tours. I loved them all.

[@brentdallyn8459]

Very versatile, I saw one turn itself into a truck once.

[@hippiesaboteur2556]

Lmfao. More than meets the eye

[@stevenscoggins170]

Here on the Florida panhandle, I get to see CH-53s on a fairly regular basis, along with TH-73s, UH-60s, CH-47s, UH-72s, MH-65s, T-45s. 11:55 F-15s, F-16s, F-18s, F-35s, A-10s, AC-130s, V-22s, and occasionally, Eurofighter Typhoons. I don't ever see F-22s anymore, so I guess they were all transferred to Langley AFB, VA. Not only do we have the world's most beautiful beaches, but our plane spotting opportunities are on point.

[@hussain7675]

Slightly surprised you did not mention any failed missions of this lovely helicopter, it would be certainly interesting how the only other nation that operates them is Iran (excluding Japan because its a recent addition)

[@samadams164]

Germany has them, as well. o7

[@bryanst.martin7134]

They are damned expensive, and need highly qualified pilots with years of experience. When they say the US spends as much on War prep compared to all other nations combined, half of that is training. Stress is debilitating in combat, reflex is king. If you have to think, your dead.

[@hussain7675]

@@samadams164 true, and Israel

[@AA-xo9uw]

Incorrect, Hadji. The Iranians do not operate the Echo.

[@AA-xo9uw]

@@samadams164 Incorrect. The Germans do not operate the Echo. They fly the Golf which are modified Deltas.

[@SwearingenTurnings]

I spent quite some time on board these beasts back in the mid-90's while stationed in Hawaii. They're impressive.

[@jimwalls904]

They are massive! A number of years ago I was at a training event that included several different types of heavy lift helicopters. Had several CH-53 birds take off very close to me and fly right over my head at about 50 feet. I can agree with the reference as a hurricane maker!

[@BigMobe]

Been in a few during my service. If the pilot pulls full collective while just transporting troops it's like riding in a rollercoaster. When I saw that thing during in very first scene of the first Transformers movie I knew something serious was going down. The V-22 is set to replace the CH-46. I believe the only reason a CH-53 cannot carry a C-130 is because of the tail.

[@Rotorhead1651]

It can if you cut the tail off. 😈

[@AA-xo9uw]

Sea Knights were replaced by Ospreys long ago.

[@trollbot3728]

I worked on the original first draft designs of the King Stallion back in the mid 90's. Happy to see it finally being the real deal. Chef's kiss.

[@jasondessin8962]

The very first 53 was test flown and did a barrel roll and a loop. I'm sold just on that. One of the best helicopter designs ever made.

[@zamach9894]

Finally, I have been waiting for first quality and interesting movie about CH53

[@KonwTheTrut]

i worked in this plane in the marine corps from 2000-2004. i was in hmh-465 over at miramar. went to iraw twice there. these planes will forever be a part of me. thanks for doing a video on this.

[@marineone7507]

I guess I am old because I remember when HMH-465 was up in Tustin. I eventually ended up with HMH-464 in New River.

[@KonwTheTrut]

@@marineone7507 haha yeah. up where that hangar just recently burned down. sad stuff. i joined the squadron in the early 2000s and by that point, the Marines had already moved from Tustin to Miramar. close enough time to hear all the stories.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

19:14 I'm a plank owner in HM-15 gonna give the Sea Dragon a little cover here. It's working in a very dangerous environment (down low), add to that it towing minesweeping Arrays behind it at slow speeds. This adds up to high mishap record. We lost a crew in low fog the the first year we started operating the platform. We managed a high sortie completion rate above 70% with a 90% minesweeping gear ready status.

[@goaliechris500]

This was my first helo ride when I joined the US Navy. I fell in love with it. you feel the power when she lifts off.

[@Jason-7212]

I was in the USMC 90-94 and had a good friend of mine in at the same time. We referred to the CH-53E not as the CH-53 Echo, but as the CH-53 Wrecko. The running joke was that any time you boarded a USMC 53 if the gearbox was not leaking oil you turned around and got off of that aircraft because the gearbox was out of oil. According to that friend of mine whose job in the Marine Corps was working on the Rotor heads and Gearbox of the CH 53 and CH 46 aircraft the problem with the CH53E was simple. When they redesigned the CH-53D into the CH-53E they uprated the redesigned the rotor dome, added a third engine, uprated the engines from 3,825shp each to 4,380shp each, they added a third shaft into a transmission for the third engine that was ordinally designed to handle two engines with a shp of only slightly higher than the ones installed. So you ended up with a gearbox that was trying handling more than 50-60% more total shaft horsepower from three engines in a design that was originally for 2 engines. And people wondered why the gearboxes kept locking up or coming apart? THAT is why we called the WRECKOS, I can remember once getting on a 53 and watching the Crew Chief unstrapping the 5 gallon bucket from the middle of the floor, walking out the back ramp and climbing up the side of the aircraft to poor the oil BACK into the aircraft. I watched it happen. I was sitting in an Air Defense position about 150 yards away during that training op at MCAS Cherry Point.

[@jdmmike7225]

I see these all the time here in Sikorsky's home of Stratford CT and they are always impressive. The Super Stallion and the Osprey were built for very different missions.

[@The_blindpizzaguy1300]

I live by one of the top 10 emergency military hubs for military aircraft, and I’m always sitting outside in the summertime and one morning I had just finished my breakfast and went outside and I could hear the rumble of the CH 53 super stallions from a mile away. My mom was also out there watering the plants. And she goes. Is that a helicopter I hear” and I said yes I’m not sure if it’s civilian and military yet it’s not close enough. Well, within a minute, I heard the whistling turbine in the roar of rat tail rotor, and there were two of them flying side-by-side, and I had had my audio recorder out there because well I always carry it out with me, and so I captured the perfect pass of those helicopters.

[@chuchuchip]

You did not mention the mine sweeper operations of the RH-53D. I was an AE in HM-14 . Later in 1981- 82 the MH-53E was specifically designed for minesweeping with several types of gear. I remember my 1st Med Cruise we competed with the NATO fleet (HM-14 vs. ships) to find mines. Wee were finding mines from WW2. One wound up on our Quarter Deck in Norfolk, Va. hanger space. Flew cross country, to Puerto Rico many times & any flight deck that a 53 could fit on, to train squadron & ship for Airborne Mine Countermeasures. I miss those days.

[@jonpattison]

I spent 4 years in a Marine Air Traffic Control squadron ('79-' 83). I still remember the CH-53s practicing auto - rotating. Underneath, the sound is like a giant machine gun shooting thunder. The whole world shakes.

[@matthewbyrd398]

I was in Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 (HM-14) for six years. Started with RH-53D and transitioned to the MH-53E. Beautiful machines, but TONS of manhours to keep them flying! Still, wouldn't trade one day of it! Vanguard!!

[@CowboyCree63]

I thoroughly enjoyed my 5 years working on these babies, they definitely are, and always will be, impressive!

[@THEHYDROFYRE]

Having worked on MH-53Es, they are amazing powerhouses but you are definitely correct with the maintenance per flight hour. It was hard to keep those bad girls in the air. It also took the navy forever to fix the fire issue.. crappy wiring choice.. It was great for keeping costs down but in the long run it wore down and became brittle. I am excited to see what the "K" model has in store.

[@chriswhite3692]

Always loved this aircraft design. It just oozes capability.

[@BradMoutoux]

I was aboard the Tarawa years back. We had these. It's awesome to watch them take off., They don't really lift off. They lift off a little but and kinda dump off the side. Then you see them gain altitude and go. They are some pretty bad ass helos. And BIG. I was on Aircraft Carriers as well. And though they were on them, the greatest concentration were on the Amphibious Assault Ships.

[@ccllrr424]

My father flew the Air Forces's HH-53, same bird overall. He flew Rescue in Vietnam he was one of the Jolly Green Giants or Big Ugly Friendly Fellows (BUFF). I use to climb through them as a kid. Great pieces of Equipment.

[@lirrobinson8377]

I was on an amphibious ship when I was on active duty. We were told to tie off to the rail when they flew over the stern gate station of the ship.

[@michaelb6420]

Nothing like watching the test flights up and down the Housatonic!!! The sound & echo is ALWAYS FN IMPRESSIVE!!!

[@corpnut2906]

I flew in a 53E into the embassy in Liberia right off the deck from the LSD-41 USS Whidbey Island as part of Operation Sharpedge to re-enforce the US embassy with Kilo Co 3/8 back in 90. loved fast roping out the back with a dragon(M47) atgm on my back.

[@bryanst.martin7134]

A shipmate who had rode on one said there was a sign in the rear that said "Vehicles please turn left upon exit." 3 Turbines offers a lot of encouragement...

[@its_jjk]

It's to avoid the tail rotor

[@fumblerooskie]

The venerable Sikorsky Sea King is my favourite all-time whirlybird. I got to see an old variant of it while visiting the U.S.S. Hornet in Alameda, California.

[@marcomcdowell8861]

Definitely felt safer on one of these than on a 46 or Osprey...and that sound the rotors made...chef's kiss!

[@DEATHrocket777]

Hi, former MC-130H Combat Talon II (USAF) maintenance crew chief here! Really cool to hear about the Pave Low III having terrain-following radar, considering my bird had that (they're getting retired, if they're not already). Cool to see how far back some technology goes.

[@DEATHrocket777]

Fun side note, the MC-130P Shadows (Papas) did not have terrain-following radar, instead opting for just enough space in the cargo compartment to fit their pilots' enormous balls.

[@MightyDrakeC]

My uncle was in the Marine squadron that introduced the CH-53E variant. I should have gotten more stories from him. One story, I think he was in Europe carrying a howitzer, and they flew into whiteout conditions. The pilot immediately suffered vertigo and was behind the aircraft. My uncle was copilot, and his role in that situation was to call out altitude. Apparently, his calm call-outs helped the pilot orient himself and recover the aircraft. He said that the crew also told him that they felt that he had things under control. The other story, they were flying back to base in San Diego. The pilots got a call from the crew in back saying that the telltales along the tail rotor shaft housing were popping out. They were only five minute from landing, but decided to put it down immediately. After inspection, I guess a bearing was failing, and someone determined that it probably would not have lasted the extra five minutes back to base. The telltales did their job, and the pilots made the correct decision. There were a couple of things that pushed my uncle to retire early. One was, the squadron wasn't going to be deployed as he had expected, and he saw himself stuck behind a desk for at least another year, with few opportunities to fly. And, I heard through my mother that he had lost some friends in a crash and that hit him pretty hard.

[@majcrash]

I saw one of these carrying a Harrier by cable at Camp Pendleton in the 90s. It's been my favorite helo ever since.

[@roninart7094]

I was a MH-53 Crew Chief in the 90’s, thanks for the video!

[@justinhaase8825]

My brother spent a few years as a flight nurse. I’m at a double level 1 trauma city and can basically ident med helos on sound…but also we have a mainly Blackhawk AVCRAD…those random Chinooks or Apaches are fun to hear. Love fixed wing but rotary has seen a lack of development.

[@ChaJ67]

If you ever get into helicopters, a big thing is disk loading. Disk loading, the load put on the disk area of the main rotor blade spinning, is an essential aspect of the ability of the helicopter to do an auto-rotation. An auto-rotation is like what you see with one of those tree seeds that spins as it descends down. In a helicopter this is a key safety feature allowing a helicopter that has lost power to maintain control and potentially land. It is a bit of a tricky thing to do with a helicopter designed for it because you need to fall at a rate with the rotor blades set at the right pitch (slightly negative usually) so that the blades spin fast enough to tread the air. For the actual landing, you reverse pitch back to a positive pitch angle to halt the descent and the kinetic energy in the rotor blades keeps the blades spinning fast enough for long enough to make a safe landing as in the blade angle of attack stays small enough to keep a laminar airflow over the rotor blades. The key thing here is you don't want a blade stall, which is turbulent airflow over the rotor blades, usually due to the blades spinning too slowly and the angle of attack needing to be too high to keep the helicopter in the air. So while you see the blades still spinning during a blade stall and if you are flying can possibly orient the blades into the airflow while falling depending on the helicopter you are flying, if the blade speed gets too low, you will just fall like a rock no matter what until impact with the ground and it becomes very hard, if not impossible to get the blade speed back up to the point of doing a safe landing before impacting the ground. When you get into either large scale R/C helicopters where there is a fair amount of kinetic energy there and a light disk loading or some commercial helicopters where the man sized helicopter has a lot of kinetic energy in the rotor blades and again a relatively light disk loading, there are a lot of interesting things you can do and of course with the R/C helicopter, you may feel a bit more adventurous as you are not going to necessarily kill someone, including yourself by trying it out. For example coast around significant distances unpowered or even take off and land multiple times with the engines (or electric motor for R/C) turned off. So getting back to the Super Stallion, what the pilots have told me is they are not designed for auto-rotations. The engineers to get to that more compact profile you talk about decided that adding the 3rd engine was enough to not need the ability to do an auto-rotation. In other words, they just added raw power and shrunk down the disk area with the help of an extra rotor blade to have a very high disk loading. The Super Stallion pilots I have talked to said that every Super Stallion pilot they knew who attempted an auto-rotation crashed. The thing is these helicopters have complex gear boxes with 3 inputs from the 3 engines and so something goes wrong mechanically, which the 3rd engine setup exacerbates the problem and the helicopter goes down. The pilot attempts to do an auto-rotation with the gear box problem and the blades stall and the helicopter plummets to its demise.

[@patrickabas1112]

just an excellent production, lots of info, love it