AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions

Developed and deployed in a short time due

to the pressure of the Vietnam War, Bell¿s

AH-1 Cobra performed well; but Army

planners believed a better attack helicopter

would be needed in the next war. In 1976,

Hughes Helicopter¿s YAH-64A prototype

bested the Cobra in firepower, performance

and range, and won the competition to

replace it. It would be 1982 before

production commenced, but eventually over

1100 would be produced including the

advanced AH-64D Apache Longbow.

Dubbed the Apache, the AH-64 is a four-

blade, twin-engine, tandem-cockpit design

with tailwheel landing gear. The AH-64

features double and triple-rendundant

systems that ensure maximum survivability

in combat, and an awesome array of

weapons that can include Hellfire missiles

and a 30mm M230 Chain Gun that can be

slaved to the pilot¿s head movements via a

helmet mounted display (IHADSS).

The Apache first saw combat during the

invasion of Panama in 1989, and

conducted the first attack of Operation

Desert Storm in 1991, flying into Iraq to

destroy enemy radar systems. AH-64s are

credited with destroying over 500 tanks

during that conflict. They continued their

service in Bosnia and Kosovo, in Operation

Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring

Freedom in Afghanistan. The AH-64 is now

also deployed by the United Kingdom,

Israel, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia,

Japan and other air forces worldwide.

Created by the Army for the AH-64A

version of the Apache, this unclassified

pilot¿s flight manual runs over 600 pages,

and contains chapters about aircraft

systems and procedures. It is reprinted

here in its entirety.