Words on various birds?

[DonQuixote23]

When I first started racing/riding motorbikes I (naturally) started off with old heaps of junk and then it was always great fun to progress and get to ride newer/better/different pieces of machinery. Personal favourites were found, others disregarded as crap and yet others felt odd and peculiar in one way or another. It was very interesting to read others opinions on how they felt about different models, and give a bit of bashing or praise back.

Now with a single hour in a 300Cbi I'm not really in a position to give any opinions about helicopters, but it would be fun to hear your personal stories about the different helis you've flow. Which ones are dog-slow and horrendous looking and which ones are sleek, swift and divine.

[Bravo73]

Birds?

I only know two types of birds: one is the feathered kind, the other is the curvaceous kind.

Neither of those definitions apply to any helicopter that I know. :confused:

[DonQuixote23]

If you've got any tasty stories about women, please feel free to share them as well. Besides bikes and helicopter, I count those birds among my greatest interests.

As the rookie I am in this business, I took the advices given in the "Chopper captain pay" thread where it clearly said that "bird" is a perfectly accepted word for helicopter, while chopper is not. So please give me due respect for the rhyming title of this thread. :8

[Bravo73]

Well, you were given a bum steer, I'm afraid. Calling a helicopter a 'bird' is as bad as calling it a 'chopper'.

'Helicopter' or 'aircraft' = ok. Pretty much anything else = :yuk:.


:ok:

[DonQuixote23]

Haha, ok, thanks man. Thought I was among friends here but it is clear you've got to be careful who you trust. ;)

[MightyGem]

Calling a helicopter a 'bird' is as bad as calling it a 'chopper'.
Unless your an American of course. :E

[Whirlygig]

'Helicopter' or 'aircraft' = ok. Pretty much anything else = http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/pukey.gif.Bravo, Bravo.

Abbreviate to "heli" if you must or "helo" if you're ex-Navy.

Back to the original question ... I like Schweizers, they're cracking little helicopters that are ideal for training. They're forgiving and manoeuvrable. They ain't quick but who cares when you're doing doughnuts at ten feet. Similarly, I have a soft spot for Jet Rangers ... they're not the fastest machines, but they have character.

Just like my Bonneville :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[alicopter]

Well, I suppose riding a "Bonneville", vibrations wise is a bit like sitting in an heli... .....
Personally, I love the Alouette 2 (Lark 2) so am not offended if you call it a "bird". (but I also like the EC120 and Ecureuils (Squirrels) might not appreciate.) Safe flying all. Al

[krypton_john]

I feel it is also acceptable to call a helicopter a 'ship', no?

[Bertie Thruster]

Out of my bunch of choppers; the Gazelle. Winged but not a bird!:O

[Bravo73]

I feel it is also acceptable to call a helicopter a 'ship', no?

IMHO, no. Ships are found in the sea. ;)


Here you go Bravo! :)

Bleurch. :yuk: But I guess that there's always an exception to every rule... :ok:

[md 600 driver]

Bertie

It's the chicken leg that makes it a bird

[170']

Call 'em anything you like. We'll catch on ;)
We used to call them heli-co-peters
Welcome to Pproon...

[Devil 49]

I like the term "helo" better than the tongue-twisters helicopter, aircraft, rotorcraft and copter, even though I was never a "squid" (stirring up the anthill). I might inadvertently call my ride of the day "the airplane" but never "chopper" (associated with bikers or wannabes) and unless I'm being cute, never a "bird".
All around favorite helo would be the Hughes/MD 500, although I've got very little time actually flying them.
Next in line would be harder, depending on what tool was needed- a dead heat of the Hughes 300B, UH 1, any Bell 206, and AS350 (once disparagingly called the "Rubber Duckie" in the Gulf of Mexico). Might like the 407, but never sat in one. Definite dislike of the "Double Duckie"- AS355 series E thru F2, with 10 years in'em.

[DonQuixote23]

From looks only the MD 500's egg-shape is cool. It looks... fast and nimble.
People seem to like the 300, but no mention on the R22. Good I guess, as my training will be primarily in 300Cbi's.

What is it that makes the AS350 such a good high altitude heli? Does the 355 work just as well?

[jayteeto]

Owls........ Sneaky little gits. Two night owlstrikes, they didnt display ANY lights..... gits

[Devil 49]

"What is it that makes the AS350 such a good high altitude heli?"
The B3 version has a lot of engine.

"Does the 355 work just as well?"
Mebbe the Turbomeca (N model?) but the Allison/RR engines- not so much. Kinda wheezy...

[DonQuixote23]

"The B3 version has a lot of engine."

;) OK, lots of power - obvious solution.
Thought that it might be due to special rotor blades or fueling system or other black magic...

[RotaryWingB2]

The Alison engineers are crap. TBM all the way in the 355, pity they don't do a P&W version.

[detgnome]

'cab' is a perfectly acceptable term of reference....

[Bravo73]

'cab' is a perfectly acceptable term of reference....

... for a taxi.

:E

[Brilliant Stuff]

Drehflügelluftfahrtzeug :ok::ok:

[DonQuixote23]

Glad to see that we are sticking to the main subject of the thread ;)

[Whirlygig]

Drehflügelluftfahrtzeug... it's easy for you to say that Brill :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[carsickpuppy]

I've heard pilots refer to them as choppers/aeroplanes/helos etc. and no bolt of lightning came crashing out of the sky to smote them down... Personally, I'd prefer it though, if the pronouns "her" and "she" were only used when discussing the female of a species.. Just my opinion :hmm:

The 500 is sleek and swift, probably not divine though, I'm not sure manufacturers can engineer that in to a bird.

[Whirlygig]

Personally, I'd prefer it though, if the pronouns "her" and "she" were only used when discussing the female of a species... and me :p

Cheers

Whirls

[arismount]

They all look good from the inside.