Editing Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight (section)

==Design==
[[File:US Navy 021023-N-5471P-004 A CH-46 "Sea Knight" helicopter carries supplies to the Mobile Bay during a replenishment at sea (RAS) with the USS Camden (AOE 2).jpg|thumb|Sea Knight carrying supplies, with its tricycle landing gear silhouetted]]

The ''Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight'' is a medium-lift tandem-rotor [[transport helicopter]], furnished with a set of counter-rotating main rotors in a tandem-rotor configuration. It was typically powered by a pair of General Electric T58 turboshaft engines, which were mounted on each side of the rear rotor pedestal; power to the forward rotor was transferred from the rear-mounted engines via a [[drive shaft]]. For redundancy, both engines are coupled so that either one would be capable of powering both of the main rotors in the event of a single engine failure or a similar emergency situation. Each of the rotors feature three blades, which can be folded to better facilitate storage and naval operations.<ref name="vect_CH-46">[http://www.airvectors.net/avch47_1.html "Boeing Sea Knight"]. Vectorsite.net, 1 August 2011.</ref> The CH-46 features a fixed [[tricycle landing gear]], complete with twin wheels on all three legs of the landing gear; this configuration results in a nose-up stance, helping to facilitate cargo loading and unloading. Two of the main landing gear were installed within protruding rear [[sponson]]s; the free interior space of the sponsons are also used to house fuel tanks, possessing a total capacity of 350 US gallons (1,438 L).<ref name="vect_CH-46"/>

[[File:US Navy 030205-N-4294K-003 U.S. Navy Lieutenant Jeremy Fischer from Virginia Beach, Va., looks out from his helicopter cockpit window.jpg|thumb|left|Looking out from a cockpit of a CH-46, at another]]
The interior of the CH-46 was largely taken up by its cargo bay, complete with a rear loading ramp that could be removed or left open in flight for the carriage of extended cargoes or for parachute drops. Various furnishings were normally provided to aid in its use as a utility rotorcraft, such as an internal [[winch]] mounted within the forward cabin, which can be used to assisting loading by pulling external cargo on [[pallet]]s into the aircraft via the ramp and rollers, and an optionally-attached belly-mounted [[Cargo hook (helicopter)|cargo hook]], which would be usually rated at {{convert|10000|lb|abbr=on}} for carrying cargoes externally underneath the Sea Knight; despite the hook having been rated at {{convert|10000|lb|abbr=on}}, this was safety restricted to less payload as they got older. When operated in a typical configuration, the CH-46 would usually be operated by a crew of three; a larger crew could be accommodated when required, which would be dependent upon mission specifics. For example, a [[search and rescue]] (SAR) variant would usually carry a crew of five (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Crew Chief, Swimmer, and Medic) to facilitate all aspects of such operations. For self-defense, a [[pintle]]-mounted 0.50 in (12.7&nbsp;mm) [[M2 Browning]]  [[machine gun]] could be mounted on each side of the helicopter.<ref name="vect_CH-46"/> Service in southeast Asia resulted in the addition of [[armor]] along with the machine guns.<ref name="CH-46_hist_USN"/>

The CH-46 was a partially [[amphibious helicopter]], and could land directly on  water and rest for up to two hours<ref name=NatGeo/> in calm water.<ref>Air Vectors. ''The Boeing Sea Knight & Chinook''. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20091003202506/http://www.vectorsite.net/avch47.html "Sea Knight In Military Service."]}} Retrieved on September 28, 2009.</ref> The rear [[sponson]]s hold two of the three landing gear units as well as self-sealing fuel tanks.<ref name=NatGeo>National Geographic. [http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/on-board/3654/Overview#tab-facts ''On Board Marine One: Facts.''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090906085555/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/on-board/3654/Overview#tab-facts |date=September 6, 2009 }} Retrieved on September 28, 2009.</ref>