The Australian Aviation Galleries: The Chinook

Approach a random person on the street and ask their thoughts on the F-35 Lightning II; in truth, they’ll likely look at you blankly. Mention a Boeing 747, and if you’re lucky, a few more polite sorts might mutter something about a double-decker that takes you on a big holiday. But go up to anyone — anyone! — and mention a Chinook, and you can guarantee they will know exactly what you’re talking about, with a vivid image of the banana-shaped twin rotor perfectly formed in their minds. I will say it right now: the Chinook is the most recognisable and bravest thing man has ever sent to the skies. It’s the GOAT.

No, don’t stop me now; I’m in full flow. To Avgeeks, the CH-47 is a heavy-lift helicopter, but to everyone else, a heavy-lift helicopter is a Chinook. It is to rotary what Dyson is to vacuum cleaners, iPads to tablets, and Google to internet search. It simply transcends the rotary business altogether. Why? Because since its first flight almost 60 years ago, it has been the Army’s ultimate team player, with missions as varied as carrying wartime Boston bombers from the jungles in Papua New Guinea to lifting Wessex helicopters for the RAN alongside hurling wounded soldiers out of warzones. At one point, it even transported an enormous statue of Australian aviation pioneer Lawrence Hargrave onto Mt Keira at Wollongong.

But first, let’s cover the basics. The first prototype, serial 59-4982, flew on 21 September 1961, but its DNA goes back even further. In 1960, Boeing bought Vertol Aircraft, a helicopter manufacturer in Philadelphia that already had a Chinook in the works for the US Army. The first Chinook, therefore, was the YHC-1B tandem-rotor transport helicopter billed as a medium-lift helicopter for the Army. Under Boeing’s stewardship, it evolved into the more modern CH-47A that entered service in 1962. Four years later, the CH-47B debuted with an upgraded airframe and T55-l-7C engines. It piled on the pounds, growing from 4,969 kilograms to 18,144 kilograms. Finally, a C version followed, developed in response to the US Army’s request for a helicopter to transport a 7,000-kilogram payload 30 nautical miles.

But really, its entry into the public imagination came during its starring role in Vietnam. During the final, dragging days of the war, one Chinook is reported to have carried 147 refugees in a single lift. For many, its “angry palm tree” design and memorable name — coined after Native Americans in the Pacific north-west — became the iconic image of a controversial conflict.

Australia placed its first order for 12 in 1972, with its delivery coming in October the next year. No. 12 Squadron was formed at RAAF Amberley in September 1973 and became a dedicated Chinook unit. The 12 were serialled A15-001 to A15-012, known to Boeing by the model number BV-165. Yet in 1989, the then Australian defence minister announced they would be withdrawn on cost grounds and replaced by Black Hawks. No. 12 Squadron was disbanded, and the RAAF Chinooks lined up to be sold.

Yet, months later, that decision was spectacularly reversed, as it became clear the Black Hawks simply couldn’t compete. The country was offered a deal — to swap its now ageing C variety with the more modern CH-47D that had played a major part in the Persian Gulf War. The D featured composite rotor blades, new transmissions, rebooted avionics and a rebuilt airframe estimated to last three decades. A final deal for four was agreed upon, and today, the helicopters are in the custody of the C Squadron of the Army’s 5th Aviation Regiment, based in Townsville. RAAF’s one that got away, you could say.

The latest iteration, the unimaginatively titled CH-47F, features a digital cockpit that keeps the Chinook flying until at least the 2030s. While Australia was the first international customer, now it’s one of 19, making it one of the most enduring helicopters ever made. The secret of its success? It’s simple. If you need something doing, then you need a Chinook.