The pilot of the Comanche is a soldier first and a pilot second. We aimed to reduce the 'housekeeping' a pilot has to do and beef up the tasks directly related to combat. The aircraft flies like a dream, Lappos said. It can dive at angles in excess of 70 degrees. The tail rotor is enclosed, making it safer if the chopper comes into contact with trees, for example.
Pilots doing the maneuver pop up from cover, view the area ahead and quickly drop back.
Gen. Tom Garrett, commander, Total Army Personnel Command, and an aviator. That's when you put your rotors into the trees. This includes assigning Army pilots and maintenance people to the project to get input from people in the field. He's been in the field changing black boxes on an aircraft while holding a flashlight in his mouth, and he knows whether that dog will hunt. This aircraft is a full generation ahead of anything on the drawing boards.