The stability of the FAMET's CH-47F Chinook, the largest Spanish military helicopter

The "Colonel Maté" Base in Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, is home to the Transport Helicopter Battalion V (BHELTRA V).

A FAMET pilot explains in detail the CH-47F Chinook helicopters of the Spanish Army
An elephant as agile as a gazelle: the great display of a Spanish CH-47F helicopter

That unit of the Spanish Army's Airmobile Forces (FAMET) operates the largest military helicopters in Spain: the Boeing CH-47F Chinook. Since April 2025, its fleet has consisted of 17 of these aircraft, and the Battalion is awaiting the delivery of one more. This afternoon, Fly By Wire Aviation (a YouTube channel I recommend you subscribe to) published an interesting video showing these giants in flight:

As I mentioned to the video's author, this is the first time I've seen the complete process of closing the rear ramp of a Chinook, even though I've been seeing all kinds of images of these helicopters for many years. CH-47s usually fly with the ramp open, either fully (with the lower door down) or partially (with the upper segment folded), which is why it's not common to see images like this.

Another aspect that this video allows us to appreciate is one of the characteristics of this aircraft. Despite its weight (11.1 tons empty) and being a large helicopter (its fuselage measures 15.6 meters long and 3.78 meters wide, and its rotors have a diameter of 18 meters), the CH-47F is a very stable helicopter, largely due to the configuration of two large tandem rotors, unlike most helicopters, which have a main rotor and a tail rotor to control the aircraft's rotation about its vertical axis.

In addition, the CH-47F incorporates a Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS), manufactured by BAE Systems, which provides enhanced stability to the aircraft, as well as automatic flight and handling functions, reducing the workload of its pilots, increasing their performance, and improving their situational awareness, especially in adverse weather conditions.

The DAFCS functions as a digital brain comprised of a series of computers and software that act as intermediaries between the helicopter's manual controls and the rotor blades. This system includes an automatic hovering function, which is especially useful when operating CH-47Fs with external loads—those suspended from the helicopter's lower hooks by slings. Thanks to this system, the CH-47F can handle heavy loads with remarkable stability, even when compared to much lighter helicopters.

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Main image: Fly By Wire Aviation.