Aero Linx: The Combat Helicopter Pilots Association (CHPA) The Combat Helicopter Pilots Association (CHPA) was incorporated as a Non-Profit, 501 (c) 19 veterans organization in Washington, D.C. on 7 Jan 2005. CHPA is dedicated to multiple goals: To organize and unify U.S. and specified Allied Coalition armed forces rotary wing aviators from all service branches who have flown helicopter combat missions in support of U.S. and Allied national interests; To remember and honor our aviation comrades lost during helicopter combat operations; To conduct national and regional social activities; To conduct charitable activities r

Discrete Code As used in the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS), any one of the 4096 selectable Mode 3/A aircraft transponder codes except those ending in zero zero; e.g., discrete codes: 0010, 1201, 2317, 7777; nondiscrete codes: 0100, 1200, 7700. Nondiscrete codes are normally reserved for radar facilities that are not equipped with discrete decoding capability and for other purposes such as emergencies (7700), VFR aircraft (1200), etc.

"We purchased them in order to increase our presence in our current markets—specifically construction, the oil and gas industry, and aerial firefighting. As former military aircraft, they will be operated by Columbia Helicopters under FAA Restricted Category regulations. As such, we won't be permitted to use them in a passenger transport role, but we should be able to deploy them to meet our other project requirements." Source: Todd Petersen, Vice-President, Marketing, for Columbia Helicopters --- which is expanding its fleet of heavy lift, twin-rotor aircraft with the acquisition of five Boeing CH-47D helicopters, formerly operated by the US Army.