Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe
Here is a Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe heavy-lift cargo helicopter or, as it is popularly known, the "Skycrane". The United States Army eventually purchased 105, designating them CH-54. Used in Vietnam for transport and downed-aircraft retrieval, it was highly successful, thanks to the "adaptable" nature of the module system. The Skycrane can not only hold its cargo up and tight against its center spine to lessen drag and eliminate the pendulum effect when flying forward, it can also winch vehicles up and down from a hovering position, so the helicopter does not need to land. The CH-54 entered service in the early 1960s and was retired in the 1990s. Today, Erickson Air-Crane of Central Point, Oregon operates the largest fleet of S-64 helicopters in the world under the name Erickson S-64 Aircrane. These can be equipped with water-dropping equipment (some also have foam/gel capability) for firefighting duties worldwide. After obtaining the type certificate and manufacturing rights in 1992, Erickson remains the manufacturer. A personal observation: when I look at this helicopter, it looks like it is taking off even though the rotors are not moving. Probably some kind of optical illusion because there is no central fuselage.
Size: 6917px × 4611px
Location: Tucson, AZ
Photo credit: © B. David Cathell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: air, aircraft, arizona, army, az, bdavid, ch-54, crane, downed, downed-aircraft, helicopter, museum, pima, retrieval, sikorsky, sky, skycrane, space, tarhe, transport, tucson, usa
