Rigging a Helicopter

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On the way home from USITT, @dvsDave and I spent a couple of hours at the Udvar-Hazy Air Museum near Dulles.

Umm I wasn't so sure about walking under this.
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Yep it's a single hanging point. Zooming in...
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Zooming in further from a side catwalk location. Is it just me, or is the mouse missing?
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Nearby they had one of the original Flying Tigers hung and you could see the mouse.
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@egilson1 @What Rigger?
 
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Just riffing: we know it's dry- no fuel or fluids. The engine itself may not even be in it. So there's some possible weight savings. My curiosity is the design factor. Did they use one, or go with the MBS? Let's say that's 1/2" 6x19. MBS is 13+ tons or so, and WLL is about 2.5 tons approximately. So, yeah, definitely curious about the most important thing: how much does it weigh sitting on the ground?

Also I freaking LOVE that museum.
 
Just riffing: we know it's dry- no fuel or fluids. The engine itself may not even be in it. So there's some possible weight savings. My curiosity is the design factor. Did they use one, or go with the MBS? Let's say that's 1/2" 6x19. MBS is 13+ tons or so, and WLL is about 2.5 tons approximately. So, yeah, definitely curious about the most important thing: how much does it weigh sitting on the ground?

Also I freaking LOVE that museum.

Empty weight is 5,083 lbs, 2.54 tons, assuming they didn't strip any of the interior or engine.
 
Also, it was a long way up there and looked pretty heft from a distance. It could easily be 3/4" or larger cable.
 
Also, it was a long way up there and looked pretty heft from a distance. It could easily be 3/4" or larger cable.
Okay, so....3/4" could be 5.5 ton "capacity" depending on what manufacturer website we look at (i'm bouncing around several because I'm too lazy to go pull the Wire Rope Users Manual off the shelf. I have coffee here. Don't judge me.) and I'm looking at Fastenal right now. They don't list any MBS that I see. Some tables online show 6X12 as having a 4.9 ton capacity, and again not finding a whole lot of MBS or WLL info at the moment (again, I'm being very Dude about this).

So, as usual, when it comes to rigging something, the answers aren't always cut and dried and "it depends" plays a factor. Would I personally walk under it? Sure. Because I actuall already have when I was there last (ok, this aircraft wasn't there, but I walked under all that other stuff up in the air). I'm also pretty sure that the one person here who has "picked an actual spacecraft" on his resume will show up and illuminate us some more. 😀
 
Man! Talk about a point load!
 
I'm still worried about the lack of mousing. The first thing in my brain is, if that simple step isn't done correctly, and it sure appears that way, what else isn't done correctly. @dvsDave did you get a picture that shows the shackle on the helicopter more clearly than mine? Do you see mousing?

I'm also pretty sure that the one person here who has "picked an actual spacecraft" on his resume will show up and illuminate us some more. 😀
Last I heard he was hanging out at a rest stop in Jersey listening to Janet Jackson. :angel:
 
Mousing a shackle is one of those things that can be hotly debated. Most shackles not in water tend to tighten under load, not loosen. Using a shackle on a wire rope choke might lead to loosening if the pin is used against the down leg of the choke, but that’s a specific application where even then it’s unlikely to roll the pin out.

Point being, the evidence that shackle pins work themselves out is anecdotal at best. If it was a real issue, every road shot and tour would mouse their shackles every load in.
 
Mousing a shackle is one of those things that can be hotly debated. Most shackles not in water tend to tighten under load, not loosen. Using a shackle on a wire rope choke might lead to loosening if the pin is used against the down leg of the choke, but that’s a specific application where even then it’s unlikely to roll the pin out.

Point being, the evidence that shackle pins work themselves out is anecdotal at best. If it was a real issue, every road shot and tour would mouse their shackles every load in.
Interesting, I had not heard that. The more you know! 🌈
 
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Mousing a shackle is one of those things that can be hotly debated. Most shackles not in water tend to tighten under load, not loosen. Using a shackle on a wire rope choke might lead to loosening if the pin is used against the down leg of the choke, but that’s a specific application where even then it’s unlikely to roll the pin out.

Point being, the evidence that shackle pins work themselves out is anecdotal at best. If it was a real issue, every road shot and tour would mouse their shackles every load in.
OK, teach me: "Most shackles not in water tend ..."
What is the water effect? All I can think of is that the water will take weight off so the pin has no weight holding it down and increasing its friction.
 
Just speculating but would loctite be appropriate for semi-permanent installations? If so, would it be visible from the ground?
Loctite would not be visible at all, because it fills the voids in the threads. You may be thinking of "torque stripe" aka anti-sabotage lacquer (one of my fave terms to use), which will be visible used as an external indicator of something starting to move or rotate.
 
My least favorite bit might be the weld tab it's hanging from on the roof truss.
Just for clarification, the pipe that that tab is on is about 12" in diameter. It's hard to tell from here, but the roof truss is freaking enormous. There's a minimum of 2-3 meters between each pipe of the triangular truss. The scale is hard to fathom, but in the next couple of weeks, maybe I'll get out there again and shoot some more pics. Maybe I'll even grab a zoom lens.
 
OK, teach me: "Most shackles not in water tend ..."
What is the water effect? All I can think of is that the water will take weight off so the pin has no weight holding it down and increasing its friction.
So in water you have the flow of the water itself, the potential lack of load, as well as the movement of all the hardware that can position the pin in a valuable position. And the. There is the lack of ability to easily visually inspect the pin.
 
Just for clarification, the pipe that that tab is on is about 12" in diameter. It's hard to tell from here, but the roof truss is freaking enormous. There's a minimum of 2-3 meters between each pipe of the triangular truss. The scale is hard to fathom, but in the next couple of weeks, maybe I'll get out there again and shoot some more pics. Maybe I'll even grab a zoom lens.
You live 5 minutes away. We need better photos of the helicopter's rigging and the truss.
...And bring a banana for scale! :mrgreen:
 
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You live 5 minutes away. We need better photos of the helicopter's rigging and the truss.
...And bring a banana for scale! :mrgreen:

I'll bring a zoom lens, a tape measure and a laser rangefinder. The zoom lens is actually the hardest part, I sold all my big camera gear.
 
Maybe see if you can chit chat with the facilities guy. Im sure it has to be inspected on a somewhat regular basis. Just find an employees door and walk around with a clipboard til they scoop you up.
 

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