IamA AH-64D Apache Helicopter mechanic. It is the baddest gunship in existence and I'll answer anything you want to know about it. (Within reason)

How do you feel about individuals who sexually identify as Apache Helicopters? Edit, have you ever wanted to fly these majestic helicopters? I bet it'd be super tempting.

I personally identify as an AH-64D Apache, my pronoun is Lord of Death.

I actually do plan to fly apaches at some point, once I get my eyes corrected I will be submitting my warrant officer packet and hope I end up with my airframe of choice.

Mr McDeezee, let's say I'm on a roof and and an Apache is hovering a few storeys below. What happens if I throw a cinder block into the blades?

Also what is your opinion on this game?

Well the rotor blades wouldn't be happy. I doubt it would crash the helicopter. But it would definitely do internal damage to the blades and cause a lot of people to hate you.

And that game looks hysterical.

What is your favourite feature of the apache? and what is a cool fact about helicopters most people dont know?

The 30mm auto cannon is the gun that sits on the bottom on the apache and it is terrifying in its capabilities. Not only does each round have a 5m kill radius, they also explode while on fire. The 30mm gun is also controlled by the gunner's helmet, so that wherever the gunner looks, the gun does too.

Something most people now about helicopters is that the loud sound the rotor blades make come from each blade slamming into pockets of air. What most people don't know is that each blade is finely adjusted to fit into the empty pocket of air left by the blade in front of it. For this reason helicopters with 4 blades make less sound than helicopters with two because each blade breaks up less air. Which is important to know because apaches have very quiet blades. You'll more likely see it before you hear it and by then it's already too late.

Where can we find the best (and newest) combat footage of your grand machine? YouTube and LiveLeak have pretty much dried up, and lack new material.

That's a really good question and I don't have a good answer, I'll see what some of my pilots have to say

Who's responsibility is it to clean them up, maintain the weapons systems etc?

As a mechanic I'm responsible for conducting washes. We do in depth washes every other month.

The weapons are the job of our armament personnel, though I've helped out before. They take the gun apart and clean it and perform regular inspections on the rocket pods and missile racks.

What is the most difficult part of the helicopter to maintain/repair?

It varies, so there isn't one good answer. The transmission is a lot of work but it's more or less simple. Fuel cells are a hassle because a lot of stuff has to be removed to get to them and there is a lot of gear and training required to work inside them. Personally the hardest task I've done was replace a vertical stabilizer. Because we had to remove the intermediate gearbox and the tail rotor gearbox as well as the horizontal stabilator to even get to it.

will you be reenlisting? if not what kind of jobs will you pursue...

I haven't decided yet, I still have 3 years on my contract and want to become a pilot, though if I get out I'll probably stay aviation, either getting my a&p license or a degree in aviation science

In your opinion, does it take a "special kind of soldier" to serve as a warplane pilot, i.e. besides specialized training, must they possess certain personality characterics other than a grunt in the mud? As a potential candidate for Apache Flight School, do you see yourself with these traits? (Please forgive me if I articulate in a disrespectful manner. No disrespect intended.)

Do I think just anyone could get through flight school? No. It's a matter of how bad someone wants it, it's a lot of hard work and effort, and I know I have what it takes. But I have to be selected for it first.

On a personal level, what are a few of your favorite films?

I really enjoyed Arrival, and I'll always love Fight Club, and Primer