Mi24D Hind by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - Halinski - 1:33 scale - CARD - Russian Attack Helicopter

[MEDDO]

Looks a bit lightweight but I think it might be a midair refueling boom but I could be wrong.  Great work 

[Dan Vadas]

Last things to complete were to glue the rotor blades into the central control :

 

The blades could be a problem as time goes by. I'm not very happy with the way they are fitted - the control arms seem too weak for the weight of the blades, so I wiped CA glue over virtually all the control arms to try to stiffen them up a bit. It worked to a certain degree but time will tell.

 

Danny

[Landrotten Highlander]

I think the 'probe' is actually a pitot tube.  This is used to measure the airspeed - must stay in undisturbed air as much as possible.

 

The way it works is as follows:  the pitot tube takes the total pressure (dynamic + static), while at the side of the aircraft/helicopter will be static ports that measure static air pressure only.  The speed dial detracts the static pressure from the total pressure, giving you an accurate indication of air speed.  In order to get accurate readings the total pressure in the pitot tube must be clear of any disturbances in air generated by features along the fuselage.

 

Please feel free to correct me if I am interpreting this wrong.

[Dan Vadas]

On 8/12/2019 at 4:45 AM, MEDDO said:

Looks a bit lightweight but I think it might be a midair refueling boom but I could be wrong.  Great work 

Do they actually refuel helos in midair? A scary thought with the blades whirring overhead .

 

EDIT - it seems they do : 

 

 

 

They can have that to themselves  .

 

Danny

[mtaylor]

I'd go along with LH as I too doubt that's a refueling probe with all the fins on it and it's location.  I'm thinking its a pitot tube for airspeed or something else to get inlet out of the prop wash.

[mtaylor]

Just now, Dan Vadas said:

Do they actually refuel helos in midair? A scary thought with the blades whirring overhead .

 

Danny

The USAF CH-53's have in-air refueling capability.  The tube is a lot larger (proportionatly to yours and is low on the fuselage.  

[Landrotten Highlander]

quick search on the internet calls this thing a DUAS probe.  lots of info on how to build these things in models, but no explanation for what they are.  Enquiring mind wants to know.

[Mirabell61]

Wonderful work Danny,

I`m totally amazed of the lot of technical parts, their function and how this was designed into the card model, let alone your skilled performance on the assembly, sehr gut gemacht !!   

 

Nils

[druxey]

A lovely model of an ugly character!

[MEDDO]

Forgot about the airspeed thingy.  There is a pretty cool video somewhere on YouTube of a 53 chopping its own refueling probe off😳

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, MEDDO said:

Looks a bit lightweight but I think it might be a midair refueling boom but I could be wrong.  Great work 

Think its the Pitot tube?

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

MH53's  would often team up with C-130s  and do budy up refueling.

 

OC.

[Dan Vadas]

On 8/12/2019 at 6:31 AM, Old Collingwood said:

MH53's  would often team up with C-130s  and do budy up refueling.

 

OC.

As seen HERE in this video. I know it's not a Hind in the video but the principle is the same.

 

Danny

[Dan Vadas]

On 8/12/2019 at 6:11 AM, MEDDO said:

There is a pretty cool video somewhere on YouTube of a 53 chopping its own refueling probe off😳

Found it (click HERE).

 

Danny

[popeye the sailor]

I have a friend in the air force who is a refueler on a C-130...........a lot of skill shown there  

 

the model is looking very good Danny.  odd that they didn't have you reinforcing the entire assembly.......the blades are reinforced.   has to be a lot of weight...........not of paper,  but the length doesn't do it any favors.  do you think a coat of flat lacquer would help?

[Dan Vadas]

4 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

Odd that they didn't have you reinforcing the entire assembly.......the blades are reinforced.   has to be a lot of weight...........not of paper,  but the length doesn't do it any favors.  do you think a coat of flat lacquer would help?

The wires go most of the way into the central part. In hindsight I probably should have painted the reinforcing piece with CA before skinning it. I think the card itself probably has a bit of flex in it - it wouldn't take much over that short distance to make a much bigger difference over the length of the blades. I think the only difference a coat or two of lacquer will make is to add more weight to the blades - I've already coated all the relevant control parts with CA, which improved the amount of "droop" in the blades. I'm reasonably happy with the result  .

 

If I were to build another helicopter I'd design my own system for attaching the blades. Nothing drastic, maybe just replace the card control reinforcing part with some brass tube silver-soldered together, which would then be covered with the kit skins.

 

I'm currently giving the model a coat of Model Master Semi-Gloss clear, pics of the completed model will be posted shortly.

 

Danny

[mtaylor]

Rotors do sage when they aren't spinning.  Compared to the weight they haul, they're actually pretty light all things considered.  When they're spinning, they go nice and straight and can actually bend a bit upwards. 

 

There's this video showing how not to do aerial refueling:

 

 

[Canute]

That probe sticking out front does several functions. It is part of the pitot static system for airspeed. The fins are for angle of attack (AOA) and I suspect sideslip for the helo. Looking at Soviet/Russian jets, they all appear to have similar probes to the one on the Hind. A simple yet reliable system.

 

We had a small cone shaped protrusion on the left side of the Phantom's nose, which was the AOA probe. The AOA gave us an audio signal as we approached stall condition. If the audio didn't get our attention, the frontseater got a foot massage as additional reinforcement. The right rudder pedal shook to get his attention.

[Landrotten Highlander]

1 hour ago, Canute said:

That probe sticking out front does several functions. It is part of the pitot static system for airspeed. The fins are for angle of attack (AOA) and I suspect sideslip for the helo. Looking at Soviet/Russian jets, they all appear to have similar probes to the one on the Hind. A simple yet reliable system.

 

We had a small cone shaped protrusion on the left side of the Phantom's nose, which was the AOA probe. The AOA gave us an audio signal as we approached stall condition. If the audio didn't get our attention, the frontseater got a foot massage as additional reinforcement. The right rudder pedal shook to get his attention.

Thanks for this information, inquiring mind has been satisfied

 

 

... for now...

[mtaylor]

On the CH-53, that is a refueling tube only.

[popeye the sailor]

even on plastic kits I've built in the past,  blade sag has always been a problem.   the long blade seems to amplify the weight.   I'd go back to my model weeks later,  to find that they have sagged to the shelf!  I have my fingers crossed that you have a good remedy for this Danny    this is one fabulous model you've built........I'm in awe of how it's coming out........you've mastered card with ease     here's a good question for you all :

 

  we all know that the pilot tube is an integral part of the craft.........much like the MAP sensor in an automobile.   is the refueling tube an integral part of the craft.......where is it stored when not in use, ........or...........is it fitted when the mission at hand is determined...........the duration of the mission,  and will it need to be refueled in mid flight?  {just play'in the devil's advocate here   } 

[popeye the sailor]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling

 

that is the one thing I cannot find........I wonder if Al still works at the garage?

[Canute]

Denis, most modern fixed wing a/c have retractable refueling equipment. USAF favors doors to receptacles in the body, most other airforces (including naval forces) favor a probe on the receiver and a drogue (basket) on the tanker. Same for helos. I think the USAF version stems from the 50s and Gen Curtis LeMay. Control and use of tanker assets.

 

Blades better droop, means they are flexible. It's like wings flexing; they better or the wings break off.

[herask]

Dan, another incredible build you have here. can't believe I didn't check shore leave section sooner. and, as Druxey said, very beautiful model of an extremely ugly (yet impressive) bird. well done! 

 

Denis

[Dan Vadas]

Thank you to all who have followed, Liked and commented on this build. It's much appreciated  .

 

Here are the final pics :

 

 

Cheers, Danny

[Old Collingwood]

That looks Superb Dan  you should feel rightly proud of what you have achieved  - congratulations mate.

 

OC.

[druxey]

Very impressive paperwork. Congrats on completing what was obviously a very challenging model, Dan. 

 

So, what's next?

[ccoyle]

It's a beast in real life and a beast of a model, too. Well done, Danny!

[GrandpaPhil]

Excellent!

[ccoyle]

20 minutes ago, druxey said:

Very impressive paperwork. Congrats on completing what was obviously a very challenging model, Dan. 

 

So, what's next?

He should find a kit of a Hughes OH-6 Cayuse for comparison!