In this DCS video, I’m pleased to introduce you to our CH-47F and instruct you on how to start it up. Please note that the cold start instructions are valid for July 2024 but may change during development during the early access period.

The CH-47F is a powerful and fast heavy-lift helicopter with a tandem rotor arrangement that can operate at high elevations. It has a long and distinguished service dating back decades, but our CH-47F is based on one operating in the 2011 to 2013 period. It has the capability to haul internal loads, including infantry, pallets, small vehicles, and it’s capable of moving large cargo using the external triple cargo hook system. It is powered by two T55-GA-714A engines that are each rated at 4,869 shaft horse power. You call, we haul!

For self-defense, the CH-47F includes side-door and tail ramp gunners. It will also include a radar warning receiver, a missile warning system, and countermeasures. Please note that some of these will be included later in the early access period.

The CH-47F is an exceptionally easy and natural helicopter to fly and includes a force trim system to alleviate sustained controlled forces on the cyclic and pedals. The Digital Advanced Flight Control System, DAFCS, will see feature additions during early access development like the flight director.

As the mission of the CH-47F centers around transport, you’ll also be able to load and unload cargo.

Let’s jump into the cockpit now. The pilot sits here in the right seat and the co-pilot sits in the left seat. Both seats feature cyclic for pitch and roll control, thrust control levers for adjusting rotor lift, and directional pedals to control yaw. The pilot on the controls is responsible for flight controls during Visual Meteorological Conditions, VMC, and maintains focus outside the aircraft to navigate, maneuver against threats, and avoid terrain hazards. The co-pilot, not on the controls, has the job has all the pilot in command controls and can assist with situational awareness and manage the navigation and communication systems, among other tasks.

The cockpit can be broken down into four primary areas. The Center Console, the Canted Console with the Control Data Units, or CDUs, the Instrument Panel dominated by two Multi-Function Displays, or MFDs, for each pilot and a center, shared MFD, and the Overhead Panel. We’ll come back to these in the startup. Behind us is a mass of circuit breaks on the two Power Distribution Panels, or PDPs. Please consult the manual for a complete description of all the cockpit controls.

Okay, that’s a brief introduction and general layout of the cockpit, let’s know how we start this bird up. Again, though, as the module develops, some of this may change.

You can find a comprehensive list of all the interior prechecks, but for the sake of keeping this video short as possible, we’ll jump to starting up the hook.

We’ll first need to start the Auxiliary Power Unit, or APU. This is a small engine in the aircraft that we’ll use to start the two engines.
Looking up, we’ll use the overhead panel for the bulk of getting the engines started.
● Set the Battery (BATT) switch to ON.
● Verify that the UTIL PRES light is on.
● Set the APU switch to the RUN position for five seconds, then to the START position for two seconds, and then back to the RUN position.
● If you’ve successfully started the APU, the green APU RDY light will illuminate, and UTIL PRES light should extinguish within 30 seconds.
● Set the APU generator switch to ON.

Now it’s finally time to start the engines. We’ll start with engine 1 and then engine 2. It’s best to start engine 2 within three minutes of starting engine 1 to avoid engine damage.

● Set the L MAIN FUEL pump switches to ON.
● Set the XFEED switch to OPEN to allow the left tank to feed both engines fuel.
● ENG COND lever to GROUND.
● Now press and hold the ENG START switch until the Ng is greater than 12% as indicated on the Powertrain MFD page, here. You can then release the switch and the engine 1 Ng should stabilize around 55% within 45 seconds. Oil pressure for engine 1 should be greater than 5 PSI.
● We’ll now repeat these steps for engine 2, again, within three minutes of starting engine 1.
● Next, advance the ENG COND levers to FLIGHT and the NR value for the rotor both engines should be 100%.
● With both engines running up to speed, set the GEN 1 and GEN 2 generator switches to ON. Wait two seconds between turning them on.
● We can now turn off the APU GEN as the engine generators provide all the power we need.
● Turn off the APU.
● Finally, we’ll check that all POWERTRAIN indications are in the green.

In the next CH-47F video, we’ll learn about ground operations, taxi, and takeoff.

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