First scare.....

[KikoLobo]

Flying along in a jet ranger with 2 passengers, i suddenly heard what i perceived as a mild pitch noise not asociated with any of the frequencies i know... Suddenly i start perceiving a burn smell, like smoke without smoke. The noise intensified. and so does the burn smell..... I saw a nice dirt field on my ass (mini soccer field), as i was flying over the city... I called the mergency on the radio, reported my position, and shut the master off, generator off, and open the vents immediately. I landed without insident, shut down, fuel valve off, battery disconected, and called the authorities to let them know i was OK.

The mechanic came, found out a broken vent blower and checked all the helicopter very well, without finding anything else wrong.

I started the ranger, pick it up for a while, blow some dust to the reporters while looking at parameters and fly home (with the mechanic on board offcourse!), and what's the first thing i do when i get home :

Get ready for this one :

Write a post to PPRUNE!! (jejejeje)...

After all everything went OK. But the newspapers and the media really took the story to another level.... They mentioned things like crash landings, people hurt, paramedics arriving to check the site (which never did)..

I took the time to speek to the reporters when they did arrived and tried to explain that this would be the equivalent of pulling your car over, only to find a small stone in the tires, and moving along. But i cannot pullover on a heli so i landed to check my "TIRES".. I told them that everything was a precaution and that everything was perfect. They saw me took off and what do they publish???? jesus... NOT A SINGLE WORD I TOLD THEM.

But any how.. The precautionary landing went well, and the heli was healthy to move it back home the same day.

It did scared the **** out of me while enroute, but i did the procedure as per POH, and i am glad i heard the voice of my instructors on my head all the time... FLY THE DARN THING.... FLY IT!! LOOK OUTSIDE.... LOOK OUTSIDE... NO CABLES?, NO.... WHERES THE WIND FROM???? AREN'T YOU CALLING FOR HELP?, etc, etc, etc... Thanks MIKE and JIM for all your great teachings.....

If i find the same problem again, i will do the same!

[Nigel Osborn]

Well done. Look forward to your next 100 scares!:ok:

[996]

I note you called the authorities. I had a similar occasion some years ago and I telephoned the ATC unit I was working at the time of landing, my operating authority, the local Police, the local Fire & rescue bods. I then sought out the local land owner to appologise for inconvenience but the cops did that for me and the nice gent [landowner] arrived out of curiosity and provided a flask of coffee and a few cream buns his missus had made. No reporters on the scene at all and I was there for over 5 hours. The Police were contacted by the press later that day. They handled them and subsequently I presume it was not news worthy. Lot of people to call I know but there is a benefit from doing so.

[MK10]

so which was it???
did you post here first??
or Helitorque???
just interested, cos you,ve told those guys the same??
mk10

[The Rotordog]

Kiko, not to second-guess your actions (which were fine), but why did you have the defog blower on in the middle of the day? Was it raining? As you gain experience in the 206, you'll find those poor blower motors always changing rpm and therefore the pitch of the sound they produce. It can be quite unnerving if you're not used to it. And they are, as you discovered, not all that durable. I think Bell put them in just so they could say, "Yep, we gots ourselves a windsheild defogger." ...Not that it ever really worked in that role.

[KikoLobo]

Kiko, not to second-guess your actions (which were fine), but why did you have the defog blower on in the middle of the day? Was it raining? As you gain experience in the 206, you'll find those poor blower motors always changing rpm and therefore the pitch of the sound they produce. It can be quite unnerving if you're not used to it. And they are, as you discovered, not all that durable. I think Bell put them in just so they could say, "Yep, we gots ourselves a windsheild defogger." ...Not that it ever really worked in that role.

It was a bad thing on my part to leave the antifog on... I admit to that, i landed and one of my passengers was complaining about the heat inside the cabin, and even though the anti fog, does not provide much air, it is a psicological bomb for them to think somethins is at least moving inside.

I forgot to turn it off.


As for looking forward to my next 100 scares... i trully hope not, but if they come i will sure make my best to keep em only as scares :)

And as far as where did i post first, i posted on both sides at the same time using two computers in sync (yeah right :) ). I am a regular visitor of both sites and my point was that the first thing i did was make a post. Sorry if i hurt some ones feelings :)

Thanks!