http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/15/us/hawaii-military-aircraft-collision/index.html
Gatorfan told me in a thread recently that he flew lots in the back of 53s during his career, and alluded he felt safer in the 53s than on other helicopters.
Night formation flight is always tricky. There are small lights at the end of each rotor blade to denote the tip-path-plane of the spinning rotary-wing, and small luminous strips at key points on the fuselage for you to reference on. Controlling the rate of closure of the wingman's aircraft as it joins on a lead aircraft is key; especially at night.
If you ever wondered what a mid-air collision between two helicopters might be like, just take two table fans, remove the wire shrouds protecting the fan-blades, turn the fans on, and push them together.
Gatorfan told me in a thread recently that he flew lots in the back of 53s during his career, and alluded he felt safer in the 53s than on other helicopters.
Night formation flight is always tricky. There are small lights at the end of each rotor blade to denote the tip-path-plane of the spinning rotary-wing, and small luminous strips at key points on the fuselage for you to reference on. Controlling the rate of closure of the wingman's aircraft as it joins on a lead aircraft is key; especially at night.
If you ever wondered what a mid-air collision between two helicopters might be like, just take two table fans, remove the wire shrouds protecting the fan-blades, turn the fans on, and push them together.