THE , ‘NIGHT MARE ENGINE
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication 3rd Class Jason Waite
By Lt. Conor Cross, HSM-35 Lt. Conor Cross
The MH-60R Naval Air Training and Operating Procedure Standardization (NATOPS) Flight Manual defines a compressor stall as “an aerodynamic disturbance of the smooth airflow pattern through the engine” often attributed to distortion of or damage to the mechanical components of the engine compressor. Cockpit indications include a “rapid increase” in turbine gas temperature (TGT), a “hang-up or rapid decrease” in the rotation speed of the gas generator turbine, or a “loss of power.” Perhaps the most discussed indication of a compressor stall in the MH-60R community, though, is the sound the stall produces. This sound, described by NATOPS as “barely audible to muffled explosions,” is modeled in simulators and by instructor pilots alike as a repetitive “popping” sound. It is a sound no one hopes to hear outside of training, but is a sound now familiar to aircrew members of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 35, Det. 2 Night Mares.
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