Boeing CH47 Chinook Transport Helicopter

Have you ever looked around a mahoosive 100-foot-long helicopter that has twin rotors and can fly at 20,000 feet?

The Boeing CH47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter that first flew in 1961 and entered service the following year. The aircraft is still in production today and is in service with several militaries throughout the world such as the United States Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Force. The Chinook has seen massive success, with over 1,200 being built. While the Chinook was designed in the 50s, it wasn’t the world’s first tandem rotor helicopter transport. The British Bristol Belvedere first flew 3 years earlier and saw service with the RAF between 1961 and 1969. Even this wasn’t the first – apparently Nicolas Florine flew the first tandem rotor helicopter as far back as 1927.

The Chinook was designed to replace the massive single rotor Sikorsky CH37 Mojave which could carry 26 fully equipped troops. Modern Chinooks can carry between 33-53, depending on the layout.

The Chinook has a range of approximately 400 nautical miles, however it can be fitted with ferry tanks which extend the range to 1,200. It can cruise at 160 knots and has a maximum take-off weight of around 22,000 kg, which is over 3 times the payload of the Avro Lancaster Second World War bomber.