Ridiculously large amount of information, documents, news, history etc. etc. relating to Chinooks: Boeing H-47 Chinook helicopter - Current News and History. (As the note says, it is a lot easier to navigate on IE, via a top-left pop out menu) ~A
I went straight to that as well . One of those sites where the more you click the deeper it gets, amazing amount of stuff in there. Interesting Vietnam attack here: 242nd ASHC Boeing CH-47 Chinooks destroyed by satchel charges in the Republic of Vietnam.
On my second tour (of three) in the Falkland Islands (1992), I had qualified for some downtime and was to be flown to a R & R center (A shelter made out of an old Iso container) on Weddell Island. A Chinook picked me up and just before we got there the Loady told me: "When the ramp goes down, run 50 yards, hit the ground and position yourself on top of your Bergen with your back to the Helicopter. Do not get up until the downwash subsides." I followed the loadys instructions. I waited and waited and waited. Still lots of downwash. Finally looked around and the Chinnook had long gone. This was just wind. Spent two days freezing my ass off and walking around sideways in the South Atlantic Wind. LOL
My first ever flight was in a Chinnok from Keevil airfield to somewhere on Salisbury Plain back in spring of 1986.
There is the crash at the Mull of Kintyre in 1994, which has remained controversial. Just a starter: 1994 Scotland RAF Chinook crash - Wikipedia and a 2021 article: NEIL MACKAY’S BIG READ: Could new mobile phone link finally solve mystery of the Chinook tragedy? During the Afghan campaign 2001-2014 it was public knowledge that the loss of an entire laden Chinook would have a dramatic impact on public opinion. This partly explains why they were often accompanied by Apache attack helicopters, although the Chinook was faster than them. US SOF lost at least one Chinook in eastern Afghanistan, with a complete team aboard.
Dan M: Google says I am wrong: Apache 365 kmh and a Chinook 315 kmh. I blame my memory of a BBC documentary on the RAF Chinooks in Afghanistan, in the casualty evacuation role and the commentary.
