STOL Grassoppers t/o & land under 100 feet--who needs helos?

A great video proving our point: if these STOL aircraft once in the air can get over 200+ mph....you have to ask what's the benefit of more expensive, louder, slower, IR hotter exhaust VTOL helicopters?
For example, the U.S. Army designation UV-18 Twin Otter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Canada_DHC-6_Twin_Otter

Quote:

"Maximum speed: 183 knots (210 mph (340 km/h))"

We used to have UV-18s so there's no excuse why the Army doesn't have some NOW to resupply and maneuver small recce teams in Afghanistan.

Moreover, a smaller diesel piston-engined STOL plane can be engine exhaust muffled to be ZERO offering no MANPADS SAM infared signature and be co-located with the ground maneuver units they are providing maneuver air support. The words of former Iraqi Coalition Authority Director of Air Ops, Major General George Molan, Australian Defence Forces:

"Even in this, the highest technology war in history, there is a role for a man in a light manoeuvrable aircraft who can use his initiative, report and transfer data, remain on station with the ground troops day and night and most importantly, establish a personal relationship with the warriors.

I do not accept the argument that a manned aircraft cannot be used ... due to the threat. I believe that this argument has been confused by the control of training and operations of the aircraft by the U.S. Air Force in Iraq.

The threat to the pilot of ... aircraft in Iraq operations ... is far less than to the equivalent Soldier on the ground in an equally expensive and complicated armoured vehicle. The benefit in having a pilot in the loop in talking to troops on the ground is priceless, particularly in less highly technically advanced armed forces.

The threat to a pilot manoevring low to optimise his effectiveness is not at all unreasonable in an Iraq-like insurgency. Threat is relative and should not be judged by highly sophisticated U.S. standards."

http://www.combatreform.org/USARMYAVIATIONDIGEST/grasshoppersmustreturn.htm
http://www.combatreform.org/killerbees2.htm

In WW2, the 11th Airborne did an airborne troop insertion with L4 Grasshopper Cubs...

http://www.combatreform.org/paratrooper.htm

And Piper Cubs armed with 2.36" bazookas killed German tanks in WW2:

http://www.combatreform.org/killerbees.htm

Want to know more?

Our book, "Air-Mech-Strike: Asymmetric Maneuver Warfare for the 21st Century" is ONLINE for FREE skyjacked by Google!

http://books.google.com/books?id=RCWtHnYZ0LMC&pg

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• stol
• grasshopper
• ww2
• army
• bush
• pilot
• observation
• attack
• uv-18
• twin
• otter
• piper
• cub
• rosie
• rocketeer
• 2.36
• bazooka
• liaison
• iraq
• afghanistan
• recon
• recce
• special
• forces
• resupply
• stealth
• vtol
• estol

[dynmicpara]

bnther36 is wrong; STOL grasshoppers are available like the twin-engined UV-18 that fly over 200 mph. Moreover, if the U.S. military specified over 200 mph speeds, a single-engined STOL grasshopper could be obtained. Don't be narrow-minded and anal.

[flanksteak2]

I assume these aircraft have barely enough fuel to make a go-around and one very malnourished pilot.

So how do they handle a well-fed pilot, his buddy, their sons and 3 days worth of camping gear?

[dynmicpara]

You ASS U ME wrong. Watch all the bush pilot videos here on youtube! The point is they can land anywhere and out-perform helicopters--without making operators go broke.

[flanksteak2]

Dude, WTF?

Looks like little Bees taking off.

[dynmicpara]

KILLER bees is exactly what we need.

[fl4048]

but what if there was a massive rainbow?

[dynmicpara]

The STOL pilots would fly into the rainbow and crash 'n burn...oh wait! that's what HELICOPTERS do in the movies. Sorry.

[xjet]

Perhaps the only real disadvantage of a STOL over a helicopter is that if you're approaching right on the stall with a STOL, you run a much greater risk of dropping a wing due to turbulence or wind-sheer than is the case with a heli. There's also the issue of accessing areas with steep approaches or high trees/obstructions. The STOL approach in the video was *very* shallow and the climbout is nowhere near as vertical as a heli. But great stuff all the same!

[rodrigo100330]

now the airbus a380 is a runway

[dalgetty]

I think the disadvantage is that only one PPL pilot in a hundred could do this, whereas anybody with HPPL would manage to do comparable work

[MegaAfroGuy]

you can drop your son off at a football game with that

[dimzi101]

Wow, that could land in my driveway!

[Prasopchai]

What's with the massive beef against helis here? :S

[epicentyr]

@rodrigo100330

Now THAT is a video that I would love to see.