Big Ship Engine Tour - Random Post

Not related to racing, but thought I'd share. Maybe interesting if your a wrench monkey gearhead like me.

Been at the port of Busan receiving 24 of the latest E Model Apache helicopters into South Korea. Getting them off the ship, unfolding the blades, and getting them caught up on inspections, and then a test flight to ensure they are ready for the flight to Camp Humphreys. All of those helicopters have now arrived and its time to retrograde 24 older D Model aircraft out. We will receive them at the port and fold them and strap them into place on the ship. Its lot of work. But along the way got to meet some great guys on the ship who were nice to give us food in their dining hall deck everyday (better than MRE's) and always there to run a forklift when we needed it (above and beyond their contract, to the point of actually taking on liability...something that I just never see with contractors these days).

The engine tour was pretty crazy. Here are some pictures. Basically its a 9 cylinder 2 stroke compression ignition turbo charged engine (with a cam driven exhaust valve) that runs heavy fuel (tar like substance with a little kerosene mixed in and has to be heated to 200* before it'll even flow through the pipes). The stroke is 2.5 meters or 8.2ft. Each crank journal has its own door that you can crawl into the crankcase, and the intake pipes have their own crawl spaces (crazy story of how a dude went missing and was found in there later). Direct drive to a 15 foot propeller with a max RPM of 98. Generally best efficiency is acheived at 90rpms.

Please don't laugh at me in the pics, I only wanted me next to the items to show some kind of scale.

This is the exhaust valve / head:

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The crankcase:

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The Turbos (there are 3 of these...3cylinders per turbo each producing around 28psi but massive CFM):

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The ship itself:

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The mission:

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The Ship Captain, First Mate, and My Team:

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This mission is my last hu-rah here in Korea. I'm in the beginning phases of closing shop and moving to Texas. Good times to come.

As others have told you already we appreciate your service! You will not find a better group of guys to race with. The guys you will be racing with love our country and our Vets. They will put you in the weeds though in a race at the drop of a hat. LOL


JJ

Thank you to you and your group for all that you do!!
That is crazy the size of the valve and crank. Safe travels back home!!

Ya so absolutely winning in regards to the coolest things done today. Talk about a massive engine.

Super cool you were allowed to take those pics. I rode an amphibious carrier once, was an awesome experience. Just have that full carrier on my to do list before I punch, but the odds aren't looking all that great at this point.

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Originally Posted by michaelmosty

Thank you to you and your group for all that you do!!
That is crazy the size of the valve and crank. Safe travels back home!!

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As a senior warrant officer and test pilot, I have the best job in the world. I have bosses and they rely on me to do my job but the great thing is that as long as my work gets done and my management and processes are running smoothly, no one is ever up my ass. I’m not directly in charge of soldiers when they F-up I’m not standing before the boss and handling paperwork bla bla bla. I have a specific technical purpose in the Army as do all warrant officers and if you just do your job typically there ain’t no drama.

Often ill say that it’s hard to believe the Army pays me to fly these things. Shouldn’t it be the other way around. Now, if I can be half as good a racecar driver as I am a test pilot, Ill be seeing all you guys in my rear view mirror. But as it took me about 15 years to get to this point in the air, I’m know that my stick and rudder skills in a helicopter will not directly translate into racecar driving, but I’m hopeful to show a little rookie talent when the time comes.

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Super cool you were allowed to take those pics. I rode an amphibious carrier once, was an awesome experience. Just have that full carrier on my to do list before I punch, but the odds aren't looking all that great at this point.

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Ive spent a few weeks aboard different various Naval vessels. Navy culture was a shock to me. But this particular ship "Cape Hudson" is nothing special....its just a merchant marine government owned contract operated cargo ship. So there wasnt anything "secret" about it or else I wouldnt be posting it. Now....if I post it's shipping schedules, contents, and such, that'd be a problem. Anyhow, I got 5 more years before I retire and find myself looking for a real job.

Super jealous of you for getting to fly those. I think my recruiter screwed me way back when or at least left some options out.

Thanks for sharing.

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Originally Posted by centerville

Super jealous of you for getting to fly those. I think my recruiter screwed me way back when or at least left some options out.

Thanks for sharing.

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There is a little known program within the Army that allows anyone off the street to apply for Aviation Warrant Officer and attend Army flight school. It is often referred to as “STREET TO SEAT” as well as “HIGH SCHOOL TO FLIGHT SCHOOL”. No college required. If anyone has high school or college age kids who might be interested let me know. The Army is short 731 pilots and recruiting is up.