Rooivalk

[Mac the Knife]

How good (or bad) is Denel's Rooivalk attack helicopter? Or should I be posting this in Mil?

[Chinook]

I had the pleasure of a 30 min famil on the Redhawk, and I have to say that compared to the Tiger and the Apache, it was the most functional of the three I sat in. It's a pilots machine, with a lot of sensible gear, and very little extraneous rubbish.

I love the Redhawk, and in another life I'd move the SA to fly it.

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Park it, tie it down, lock it, lets go to the pub!!!!!

[neverinbalance]

I've heard from a highly experienced engineer that it is a bas***ized Puma. As such it has the Puma's maintanance problems. I've no Puma experience so cannot comment.

[Mac the Knife]

Thanks fellers. Just curious. Launched a few years ago over here to much song and dance and I saw a semitechnical documentary that sounded very impressive. Saw one at an airshow recently doing the most extraordinary aerobatics for a helo. Met a pilot (Huey gunship) in a pub last year who swore that it was the meanest thing he'd ever flown.

Seems sad that it is likely to die. Perhaps the decision to market it as an integral weapons system rather than just as a platform was an error.

Nearest I've ever been (sob) is a couple of flips in a Bell and Bob Mason's "Chickenhawk".

[yogibear]

I am personal friends with one of the pilots who did the original flight testing on the Rooivalk and he assures me that despite what some people think the machine is a 100% non-Denel special i.e non raped and bastardised helo. Built from the ground up as a new airframe....
Pretty good flight manners as well.....Barrel roll...standard loop....about 50 to 60 knots sideways flight and many more....

As said by someone else...pity we wont be seeing more of it....

cheers

The bear..


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..AD ASTRA PER NOSTRUM..
(Dont pick your nose on finals)