HEMS crews.... What do you do when you're sitting waiting

[Flyting]

I'm flying HEMS now and the days are getting longer and the calls fewer...
What do/can/have you done to pass the time - and possibly make a few extra $ or €...?

...................and please don't tell me to read a good book :}

[Geoffersincornwall]

As a survivor of a couple of HEMS operations (and the founding pilot of the UK's first) I know exactly where you are coming from - you don't just need a good book - you need THREE GOOD BOOKS as in the Jack Mawgan Trilogy - written by? well yours truly.

You can find out more (and download a booklet on how we set up the Cornwall HEMS in 1986 for free) at Geoff Newman (http://www.geoffnewman.co.uk).

G :)

[heloguy412]

EMS. Earn money sleeping.:zzz: I couldn't do it. Too boring for me.

[Jet Ranger]

Doodle jump or Angry Birds :E

[Devil 49]

Nap. Watch movies. Read. Update weather brief. Read. Work on side projects, right now I'm making the "perfect" Leatherman tool/flashlight ("torch") belt holster/clip. Read. Plan the next vacation. Read, looking for a good book on Second Sino-Japanese War...

[GoodGrief]

Trading stock options.

[Stationair8]

Make sure everything is spot on with the machine and equipment first and then sit back wait for the phone or pager to go off.

Enjoy the slack days and catch up on some rest because busy days are just around the corner.

[Fareastdriver]

Learn to play Uckers.

[MightyGem]

What do you do when you're sitting waiting
Errr...sit and wait. :E

[Sloppy Link]

Welcome to the world of VHR/QRA/SAR. Crosswords/old films/COD/eBay. Never ending trail of admin. Surfing PPRuNe. If you have the entrepreneurial skill to make money from the Internet, you wouldn't be in HEMS in the first place.

[mickjoebill]

Errr...sit and wait. :E

Editing gopro footage from previous job?

Mickjoebill

[krypton_john]

Take tourists on scenic flights!

[Mach2Plus]

Cornwall--you aren't neighbors with Mr. LeCarre are you?

[Geoffersincornwall]

When I did a stint on the PZ-Scillies shuttle we would fly past his door every day, sometimes 6 times a day!!

Do you think Cornwall breeds good authors ? or just nurtures them in a kindly way?

G :}

[Flyting]

Boys.... I know how to sit and wait - learnt that in Africa years ago. And have an external drive full of old movies and music that I have seen a few times. Now that I have the ability to do something in the time in between (which means I have a good internet connection) I'd like to use it constructively.

Machine can't get checked or cleaned more than it is...Paperwork is always up to date...exercise machines are well utilised...:eek:

If I'm in this for the long haul I don't want to sleep through it, especially because we rotate 7/7 :E

[fly911]

I'm flying HEMS now and the days are getting longer and the calls fewer...

When the calls get few enough, the base may close, so it's extremely important to know when to accept a call and when to turn it down. Study the NTSB record of all HEMS accidents for clues on how to avoid being put on that list. Jot down interesting lessons learned and share them at safety meetings with the other pilots. Before long, you will be the base safety officer and will have lots less time on your hands. Then when a base manager slot opens up, you can move right in and make a better salary. (Unless you're working for Air Methods).

[Exascot]

Chat to a future King and work on your Knighthood :E

[topik22]

Send lots of CV's to helicopter companies where You are sitting in helicopter ...(offshore:))))

[Non-PC Plod]

Study human factors & CRM, and qualify as a CRM ground school instructor ( thats what I did whilst waiting for the phone to ring). It may help you stay safe, and it may earn you a few quid/euro/$

[jayteeto]

Wot he said

[fly911]

logicfreezone: I really hope potential base closure through lack of calls never features in anybody's go/no go decision making

Keep hoping.....


.

[fly911]

A sad testimony to the flawed US HEMS model
LFZ, I wish there were an answer to this. When the company says that we need 30 flights a month to break even, and you've seen bases close due to lack of flights, it's natural to want to make that flight, if at all possible, especially if it's near the end of the month and your base only has 28 flights so far.

I've seen pilots getting a military pension turning down flights because it's dark out side. Period. And maybe rain forecast for tomorrow. They can be super cautious to the point that they should be doing something else. Then there's the poor slob with a mortgage and three kids relying on that paycheck. He/she really doesn't want that base to close.

Please go back and read my original post. No one is saying that you should take a flight when the weather is below minimums (Your minimums. Not VFR minimums). I've turned down flights that I later felt I should have taken. Then there were flights I accepted that I soon realized I should have turned down. My advice to a pilot with time on his hands, is to review other pilots' mistakes so that you don't turn down flights that you could have accepted, but more importantly that you don't accept flights that you should have turned down.

Believe me, it's great if there's no pressure. But pilots get paid to manage pressure.