NZFF

As much as I'm enjoying sitting at home playing FS every day, reality has to cut in sometime. I'm heading back into the Pacific tomorrow for another contract on the Hughes 500. You'll still see me occasionally on here but it'll be infrequently. Stay safe guys and girls.... are there any girls here???

Have a Great Cruise .. plenty off photos , just to keep me on my toes .. maybe another Pacific Smoothie

ATB, Nick.

So I'm back for a limited time. 44 days at sea, a full boat and 120 hours of flying. The helicopter is getting a bit of a birthday today.


Our 'kitchen' on the boat


Our 'bathroom' on the boat. No sink and I can't sit on the karzi...


My ride. Genuine OH6 converted to an A model. No holes that I can find so I don't think it saw combat.


Little winch / crane about six foot away from the tail rotor, and.....

An antennae a little over five feet from the right skid makes this a 'one way in' kind of a ship.

I just love these photos of home ... I'm going to need to paint another Helicopter ... seriously brilliant photos

Blades getting painted on the way here.



Drive train in pieces.


Engine with exhaust off.


Connection between engine and main rotor gearbox.


Main rotor gearbox.


Oil tank.

Lucky no taggers with spray cans on the blades .. that could get to look a little horrible once moving I am a little worried .. the Tube "do not scratch or dent" Hmm thought it would be a little stronger than that.

No that's the driveshaft between the engine and the main rotor gearbox. The tail rotor is driven directly off the main rotor. It's thin to keep it light

Yeah re read the post .. amazing still to keep the material so light.

Great bunch of photos and it looks warm to

They only really get damaged if you mishandle them in maintenance. It's usually got a cover over it

If the internet was any good I'd show you a video of snorkeling up here

Nick I'll pass .. me and water .. really the ocean and me don't mesh to well

It's like being in a bath up here. It's great. There's a B24 that crashed in the lagoon. I have to go and find it one day. There's a DC3/C47 and a UH1 that were sunk for the purposes of diving.

Convair to the B-24 .. things you get to see in the wallowing depths

Majuro B-24
There's a lot of this sort of stuff up here obviously but some of it is really hard to get to

When I was engineering I made a lot of lures for Commercial Fishing Tackle Supplies , all sort of fishing gear for in the Pacific , Doug Reich own his little back yard business got around the spots which you mention .. again I,m a bird not a fish .. I can't swim full stop .. get a puddle on the footpath I take a wide berth .. he told me I should get up there , no tech stuff .. what would I do in the evenings

You'd do alright in the sea. you'd be much more buoyant but any way.... You get kind of suckered into life up here, Island Time was invented here I reckon

.. I would like the temps ... guess would be a great life style change