Some Chinook pictures from Korea

rpiereck

New Member
Only my second post here at jetcareers, but I figured I'd share some pictures:

One of our Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters looking sharp at the ramp in Camo Humphreys, Korea. The aircraft looks extra nice because it just came back from reset maintenance at Korean Airlines (KAL) Maintenance Facility in Gimhae Intl (RKPP) in Busan, South Korea. The airframe was stripped bare and had all cracks and stuff fixed, new wire harness and tons of other new parts installed. Almost a new aircraft!
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Looking out of the bubble window of a Chinook on base to land on rwy 36L, RKPP; the coast of South Korea below.
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On final, runway in sight:
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KAL Maintenance, Gimhae, South Korea: you can see the tail of a 747 inside the first large hangar: they perform pax to freighter conversions here and there are usually Korean Air, United Airlines and other airlines aircraft going through the conversion here.
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Tail end of a Chinook under maintenance, already has the new paint
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Front end of the same aircraft
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A KAL aircraft taking off on rwy 18R
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Waiting for the pilots to show up...
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Crewchief on his seat during flight back to "The Hump"
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This is me sitting on our maintenance mule, the Gator, loaded with toolboxes, boxes of oil, food, water, gear, etc. I am a Chinook technical inspector and we had a DART (Downed Aircraft Recovery Team) setup in advance of a mission going out. We stay on standby in case anything breaks or an aircraft does a precautionary landing or worse anywhere in Korea. We just drive our Gator into a Chinook and fly away. We love our Gators.
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I think they are all in chicago smashin beers and what not havin a great time....while i sit in my living room and type on my computer :rolleyes: ....oh well, BEER 30 it is:rawk:
 
Awesome man. Looks like a fun job.

If I ever get my rotor add-on, id love to get to try a few of the military-type choppers. Blackhawk and Chinook are right at the top of that list.
 
Ian will post when he gets back this afternoon from Chicago. I'm surprised that they let the Army do maint at a foreign civillian maint facility. The Navy had depot level maint facilities set up for the different airframes.
 
Trust me it's not just the Army doing maintenance there... Korean Airlines has been doing work for the US military for a long time. I'm sure those Navy depot workers get paid at least twice as much as an A&P mechanic working for Korean Airlines, their prices are a lot cheaper than in the US, it's no wonder United Airlines and others do their 747 pax to cargo conversions there.

Read this about Gimhae: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/kimhae.htm.

More on the maintenance of B747 there: http://www.skynews.co.kr/article_view.asp?mcd=170&ccd=6&scd=9&ano=25; this airticle is written with typical Korean flair...
 
Fantastic photos!

I swear, little by little, we're becoming "ChinookCareers.com" because there are a lot of you guys around the site!
 
Fantastic photos!

I swear, little by little, we're becoming "ChinookCareers.com" because there are a lot of you guys around the site!
[Insert evil laugh here]

And hey, welcome to JC rpiereck! Great pics - makes me miss flying the line.

If you're a TI at Humphrey's I'm thinking your commander must be CPT N. M.! If so, tell him I said hi! We spent 18 fantastic months together in varoious sandboxes, and went to flight school together. In fact I know most of the company grade officers over there right now.
 
[Insert evil laugh here]

And hey, welcome to JC rpiereck! Great pics - makes me miss flying the line.

If you're a TI at Humphrey's I'm thinking your commander must be CPT N. M.! If so, tell him I said hi! We spent 18 fantastic months together in varoious sandboxes, and went to flight school together. In fact I know most of the company grade officers over there right now.

Ian, thanks for the welcome.

Yes, CPT M is my commander, he's been our commander for a year now, and after going through all the trial and tribulations of being a new commander, cussing all commanders before him for leaving him the caompany the way it was, he is doing ok! He is a very good guy and one of the most caring commanders I've ever seen.

Were you ever stationed here in Korea with the Blackcats or Innkeepers? I am assigned to D Co "Aces" right now, under this new GSAB model. I sure miss the old way of doing things, this GSAB stuff is a big mistake! Anway, thanks for the welcome and I'm glad I brought you some memories of the ####hooks!
 
Ian, thanks for the welcome.

Yes, CPT M is my commander, he's been our commander for a year now, and after going through all the trial and tribulations of being a new commander, cussing all commanders before him for leaving him the caompany the way it was, he is doing ok! He is a very good guy and one of the most caring commanders I've ever seen.

Were you ever stationed here in Korea with the Blackcats or Innkeepers? I am assigned to D Co "Aces" right now, under this new GSAB model. I sure miss the old way of doing things, this GSAB stuff is a big mistake! Anway, thanks for the welcome and I'm glad I brought you some memories of the ####hooks!

Yeah, we went through the GSAB transition at Campbell... and it sucked. Never was assigned to Korea, but I know all those guys either from Campbell or the Career Course.

He is a very good guy and one of the most caring commanders I've ever seen.

That sounds like him!
 
With regards to the last picture, what's the "Tool Room"? Is that where the local Civil Air Patrol meets?

??? are you being sarcastic? :sarcasm: :confused:

US Army mechanics do not own their tools like civilian A&P guys, so we have a TOOL ROOM which is full of all kinds of tools necessary to perform helicopter maintenance, everything from screwdrivers and sockets to powerdyne torque wrenches and pressure cleaners.
 
??? are you being sarcastic? :sarcasm: :confused:

US Army mechanics do not own their tools like civilian A&P guys, so we have a TOOL ROOM which is full of all kinds of tools necessary to perform helicopter maintenance, everything from screwdrivers and sockets to powerdyne torque wrenches and pressure cleaners.

I was - sorry, didn't think it needed the :sarcasm:, but guess it did :)
 
Welcome to the site! I remember my days at the Hump. Just left last July and ETS'd. Though I was over at Zoeckler Station on the other side of the field. You guys still getting a lot of protests over the land expansion?
 
You guys still getting a lot of protests over the land expansion?

Fortunately the stupid protests have stopped, and all the farmers have been moved out, now there are trucks after trucks full of dirt driving there and starting to fill the site. That old middle school has been demolished too. Wre you with the MI Bn and the fixed wing aircraft? I can't wait to leave the Hump, I've been here since 2002!
 
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