Welcome to my site. I am a retired Marine Corps helicopter pilot who spent most of my career flying the venerable CH-46 "Phrog."

The Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight (aka "Phrog" because of its resemblance to the amphibian when viewed head-on, especially on short final) is a medium-lift tandem rotor cargo helicopter, used by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to provide all-weather, day-or-night assault transport of combat troops, supplies and equipment. Assault Support is its primary function, and the movement of supplies and equipment is secondary. Additional tasks include combat support, search and rescue, support for forward refueling and rearming points, CASEVAC and Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP).
Introduced into the Fleet in 1964, the "Phrog" has been the workhorse of Marine Corps helicopter aviation for over 45 years, from Vietnam to the Global War On Terror. In 2006, the first CH-46 squadrons began the transition to the MV-22 Osprey, a phased process that will ultimately convert all Marine CH-46E/CH-53D squadrons to this revolutionary new aircraft. The CH-46's operational history will be symmetric in that HMM-265, the first Marine Fleet squadron to transition to the then-new aircraft, is scheduled to be the last to operate it.

Although the last Phrog will leave operational service in the not too distant future, it will live on in the memory of the aircrew and maintenance personnel who were fortunate enough to have been associated with this magnificent machine.














