First time seeing an apache up close and personal, fresh out of the Boeing factory in Mesa, AZ

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_oscrr_@reddit

Was this on Saturday? I’m also a cadet out of falcon but I didn’t see it.

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Ok-Beach6827@reddit (OP)

It was on Friday, it was next the CAE building across D6 intersection

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_oscrr_@reddit

Ah okay I wasn’t in on Friday but I’ll always keep an eye out

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LazyMarcusAurelius@reddit

pats helo: “you can put so many Hellfires and rockets in this thing“….

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When I was in high school, around 2008, they came on the intercom and announced that an Apache helicopter was going to land in the soccer field and that anyone who wanted to see it should come outside.

I go out to the soccer field with a ton of other people and we waited for a few minutes. Out of nowhere this Apache comes flying over the trees at like 300 feet AGL and then basically flies straight up and then whips the tail around to fly nose down, does a maneuver and lands right in the soccer field.

Pilots get out and start telling us all about the helicopter and how the nose cannon can engage targets from outside of a mile away. Instantly thought it was the coolest aircraft ever.

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Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit

Barbara Bush landed in a helicopter at my elementary school, then came inside and spoke to us in the assembly hall for a little bit. Then we went back out to watch it take off.

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DefundTheHOA_@reddit

Oh wow I didn’t know she was a pilot

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FaustinoAugusto234@reddit

She jockeyed slicks back in the Nam with the Air Cav.

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Rootsman64@reddit

It even comes with a rear view mirror to hang your air freshener. Nothing beats that scent of new car while blasting your enemies to kingdom come.👍😀

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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mangoadagio@reddit

that new Apache smell. Factory fresh!

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pablitoseba@reddit

I'd grab.

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festosterone5000@reddit

Don’t do it man!

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EntropicSpecies@reddit

No money for SNAP and healthcare. Billions for death and imperialism.

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aviation-ModTeam@reddit

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jay_in_the_pnw@reddit

So you want SNAP and healthcare and no way to defend that? What is it that you are asking for? What is the appropriate (if any) defense, border and immigration posture for the US?

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asmrhead@reddit

They're a brainrotted progressive, their position is that the US should go into infinite debt to fund the world as penance for being a successful nation founded by Fucking Huuuuuuyyyyyte Men.

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nighthawke75@reddit

The ones I see here by Corpus Christi Army Depot are the ones going for check rides, coming in to get serviced. And on rare occasions, with white ones on the rails, hunting for trouble.

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currymonsterCA@reddit

Did they leave the window sticker in the glove box? ;)

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i_eight@reddit

$0 down, 5% APR, 60 easy monthly payments of $250,000 (WAC)

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The_Canadian@reddit

5% APR

This is the army. Shouldn't that be 30% APR?

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kwaping@reddit

OP got to peel off the screen protectors

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veryfastslowguy@reddit

So fresh and so clean

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N2DPSKY@reddit

I've seen many in the Army, but never one so clean and pretty.

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DosEquisVirus@reddit

So, three hands are needed to fly this thing?

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HumanCStand@reddit

The metal panel next to the right hand screen is already scratched to shit 😭

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Misophonic4000@reddit

That's because it's matte paint to avoid reflections in all the canopy surfaces. If you've ever dealt with that kind of coating, you know the lightest brushing leaves a mark

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HumanCStand@reddit

Yeah I know exactly the kind of powder coating you’re talking about- you’d hope it last a few more hours than it has in this case. I know it must be a cost to weight thing

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Misophonic4000@reddit

It's a very light coating on aluminum

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zgohanz@reddit

Military grade

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Competitive_Cheek607@reddit

What’s the control with all the switches that’s shaped like a question mark? Above the cyclic. I can’t tell if that looks more like it was meant to be used by a left hand or right

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Drunkm0nk1@reddit

That is the co-pilot seat aka gunner.

Here is a quick description of what you are asking: The CPG gunner's cockpit is distinguished by a third screen in the center, which is intended solely for the TADS (Target Aquisition and Designation Sight) system. It is operated by a dedicated set of buttons on both sides called "Hand Grips" (Left Hand Grip and Right Hand Grip). Everything else is almost identical to the pilot's seat, with a few exceptions in the engine and lighting sections.

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muck2@reddit

Maybe it's a perspective thing, but that first picture makes it look really small.

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ArtisticCandy3859@reddit

Fun fact: You could fit three 747’s inside of one Apache.

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skibediah@reddit

they r very small. i hope you get to see one in person soon. its kinda shocking how small they are

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Ok-Beach6827@reddit (OP)

I had to take a couple steps back to fit it all in vertical orientation. But in person its really big!

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kwaping@reddit

Why not go horizontal?

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SimilarTranslator264@reddit

Probably takes vertical video too and wears sunglasses inside.

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Consistent_Load_2154@reddit

I was surprised when i got to AIT and the Apache was much smaller than i expected.

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LatinRex@reddit

New chopper smell?

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Awkward_Departure406@reddit

Wait…you can’t eject from an Apache. Is the canopy jettison system just if they crash and need to get out quick?

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Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit

Yep, usually pulled when you know you are about to make a controlled autorotation into water.

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TheFoulToad@reddit

Picture angle is deceiving. They are just over 15ft tall and about 50ft (fuseleage) long so they are decent size. The Cobra is a smaller light attack helicopter. First time I saw an MH-6 Little Bird, I was surprised how small they actually where. I mean, they are called Little Birds, but my first thought was how tiny they looked up close.

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ShellfishJelloFarts@reddit

Is it weird I was hoping the screen protectors would still be on the mfd to pull off

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mdang104@reddit

It’s so modern & antique at the same time.

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ripped_andsweet@reddit

I never knew they still made those, figured it was one of those things where production finished a while ago

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thunder_running@reddit

It's probably already broken

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unclefire@reddit

I live about a mile away from there and oddly enough rarely see them. See plenty of other interesting stuff though.

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Ok-Beach6827@reddit (OP)

I’m at falcon field, and also never see them, this was also a surprise to me!

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unclefire@reddit

Saw a Chinook flying the other day.

I'm guessing they either transport them (Apache) on trucks or they take off in another direction than typical runway directions. It's weird.

Side note: wife got a "discovery flight" as a present and we went up in an SR22. Man those things are small.

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