Tag Archives: Kaman

K-Max Ready To Fight The Fire

I have never shot an airborne K-Max.  I have seen them flying – indeed one flew over the house during the pandemic and I looked out of the window as it came low over me but no camera was handy.  It is a bit of a problem for me that I have not yet shot one flying.  I did manage to get close to one recently, though.  The Bolt Creek Fire broke out up near Index and a number of fire fighting helicopters were drafted in.  They were based at Harvey Field in Snohomish so just up the road from me.  I went up to see what was afoot.  Sadly from a photographic point of view (and from many others too), the fires had resulted in so much smoke in the area, the visibility was too poor for anything to fly.

Instead, I was able to chat to the crews and walk around the helicopter as it sat on the field waiting to see what would happen next.  The orange paint scheme is pretty conspicuous as if the unusual configuration Kaman knows best was not conspicuous on its own.  The airframe is minimal – space for a pilot, engine, fuel and transmission and not much more.  From every angle, it is a strange looking beast.  However, it is so interesting.  A few weeks later it had moved to Arlington from which it eventually ferried home.  Of course, that happened when I wasn’t there so I continue to wait for the chance to shoot one airborne.

Sunny Huskie

I almost didn’t make it to the Olympic Air Show in Olympia this year.  I had been on the road and picked up a cold that had left me feeling pretty crummy.  The drive down and back was not appealing if I was feeling bad but, when I woke up on the Saturday, I didn’t feel too rough.  I wasn’t going to get up and out early to make it inside for the show but there was the chance of meeting up with the guys to shot in the afternoon and that is what I did.  No need to walk much and the drive wasn’t too energetic so I could go with it.

The main reason for going was the Huskie.  Last year I got my first experience of it flying but the light had been pretty flat and overcast.  This year the forecast was for sun so I didn’t want to miss the chance to shoot it in good conditions.  I’m glad I went.  The display was a nice routine but restrained as you would imagine for something that only flies one weekend a year.  It came close to us on a few occasions so I was able to get some shots.  If they flew a little later in the day, that would be good but I got what I went for.  It may not have been the greatest idea, though, because I felt decidedly crap on the Sunday.  I guess the cold had not run its course after all.

Seasprites Don’t Show Up Too Often

The first time I ever heard of the Kaman Seasprite was in the 1980s when Airfix released a new kit of the SH-2F variant.  I thought it was a cool looking model but I wasn’t very aware of what it was used for.  It was already getting towards the end of its time in service with the US Navy with the SH-60B Seahawk becoming the platform for shipboard helicopters.  A few export programs went forward but these were not particularly successful.

I am not sure whether I have ever seen a Seasprite for real prior to visiting Evergreen at McMinnville.  They have a corner that is stacked with helicopters.  A Seasprite is one of the collection and I was pleasantly surprised to see it.  Given the number of airframes they have in this corner, everything is jammed together.  This made it hard to get a nice angle on the Seasprite but I was able to get a few shots anyway.

The Only Airworthy Huskie

This one is about as rare as something gets.  If you are the only airworthy example, the only thing that is going to beat you is the only example at all.  The Kaman Huskie is a neat little helicopter.  It features the Kaman intermeshing rotor design which removes the requirement for a tail rotor and results in a pretty compact configuration.  These used to be in widespread service with the US forces.  Now they are scrapped or in museums.

This one lives in Olympia and it comes out to fly at their annual air show.  Apparently, there are only about 14 hours left on the rotor blades and there are no more blades so the flying is rationed carefully to get a few more years out of her.  Kaman’s rotor blade design includes control surfaces on the blade so these are not a simple item.

Seeing her towed out was a lot of fun and I was delighted when she taxied out and took off for the display.  What a fascinating shape and something genuinely different.  I was so pleased, even if the light was rather sketchy.  A cloudy Huskie is better than no Huskie at all.