mind where you park

[rogerpenney]

The PA28 I fly recently visited a GA airfield and parked in a line which included several microlights. Weather fine with 5 knot wind. Pilot departed to fill up with egg and chips when there is a commotion outside. He goes out to see two microlights on their backs and another embedded in the starboard wingtip of the Cherokee. I think it was a Thruster, anyway it thrusted itself into the glassfibre wingtip. Moral of this story, not only do you have to make sure your own craft is secure but look at others around you. I note when flying in the USA that all aircraft are tied down after flight even between slots. This airfield is near high ground which may have caused some sort of down draught etc.

[QDMQDMQDM]

An utter b*stard at Villefranche sur Tarare -- the President of the helicopter club, in fact -- landed his R44 right next to my cub while it was sitting at the pumps, pushing the rudder to the stop and lifting it up by the tail and swinging it round. He could easily have landed it a good distance away -- there was no reason at all to park right next to me. Then he had the temerity to b*llock me for not having tied it down (I had left it at the pumps and gone to pay!). I completely lost it with him, but a) it did not penetrate his thick skull and b) I did not feel any better.

I'm alaways amazed though, how few people tie their aircraft down, or even chock them when leaving them overnight.

David

[BEagle]

Flew a Bulldog up to Cranwell once and was instructed to park in line with everyone else. Nearby was some grunt Lynx helicopter, rotors running. We parked as intructed and were just climbing out when the stupid grunt idiot lifted into a high hover. The controls thrashed about, the aeroplane threatened to turn over, the passenger nearly fell off the wing - I told him to sit on the wing root. I got back in, switched on the radio and just said to ATC "Get that damn pongo out of here - he's hazarding my aircraft". "He's holding for an ac on 3 mile final" came the reply. "GET HIM OUT OF HERE BEFORE YOU CAUSE AN ACCIDENT!" I politely responded. Fortunately Corporal-of-Horse Dungeater and his horrible clattering contraption then departed....

Too often have we heard of the dangers of light ac and helicopters being operated in close proximity. A helicopter at Kidlington killed a friend of mine when his PA28 was turned over by turbulence - so I don't have much time for people who don't know what their rotorwash does to others.

[Monocock]

Not wishing to turn this into a "rotorbashing" but I must admit I have experienced some particularly arrogant flying by helicopter pilots at my local base too.

Their so called "taxi-hover" is often no more than a antipidean bush flying sweep across the field at low level, often with scant regard for parked (and even taxying) aircraft.

Saying that, it does look good fun!:}

[SlipSlider]

QDM, I had a feeling of deja-vu when I read your post! Similar thing happened to me a few weeks ago, at an airfield not far from you, when a small helicopter hover-taxied about 10 feet high very close to my a/c at the fuel pumps. One of the smallest helo's, but the downwash was still slamming the flying surfaces around. A little thought (also known as 'airmanship'?) and he could have passed well clear.

On the other hand, at North Weald Air Britain fly-in I noticed a larger rotary running up near my a/c so I made sure I was around to hold on tight as he lifted away. This time the pilot made very sure he routed well away from any parked aircraft, and hover taxied a matter of inches high until he was clear - good airmanship.

Again, not wishing to "rotor-bash", but I have personally seen several other instances recently of thoughtless rotary operations. Is awareness of the effect of downwash on light aircraft part of the H-training? Any comments from rotary pilots?

Slip

PS QDM at the stalls at various fly-ins I've been looking for but still not found a copy of Jack Parham's 'Flying for Fun' for you - are you still after a copy?

[david viewing]

So why don't we tie down in the UK? It even seems to be a matter of honour amongst some experienced UK pilots I know not to tie down, when the same thing is virtually a capital offence in the US!

[QNH 1013]

It happens so often (Helicopters moving too close to light aircraft) that I have to conclude that it is their training that is at fault. The alternative conclusion would be that most rotary pilots don't give a damn about light aircraft and I find that difficult to believe. It can be a nightmare for those of us with light wood and fabric aircraft.

[bluskis]

Too much money and not enough sense may explain it, but that may be unkind. Perhaps their winter sport is snowboarding.

[treadigraph]

Similar problem at Shoreham a few years ago: was pax in a PA-28, I was inside sitting on the rear seat while the pilot completed the walk round: door was a little ajar when a Jet Ranger hover-taxied past fairly close - downdraught blew the door open to full extent with a bit of a bang. Pilot completed checks, all got in, closed door, and we taxied to the fuel pumps. Tried to open door.... !!!!!! Absolutely no way would it open. Fortunately the refueling guy was able to open it from the outside. Would have been fun had we not needed fuel and then ditched or crashed somewhere...

An engineer repaired it, a split pin in the latching mechanism had broken apparently...

[SlipSlider]

David V, I'm sure not even a US pilot would tie down at the fuel-pumps.....:D

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Why on earth would you tie an aerolane down during brief intervals between flights, unless it is a very windy day?

If you have hover-taxying helos in mind, this sounds like blaming the victim, not the perpetrator. The answer is to teach airmanship to any pilot (not just helos) who don't have it. I've never flown a helo, but when I checked out in the Yak 52 it was emphasisied to me what that 360hp prop blast can do to aircraft parked behind - it can literally blow them away if high power is used in inappropriate circumstances.

SSD

[rotorboater]

In a defence of helicopters, I was alway's trained to hover taxi very low and at low speed, anything else is dangerous to us as well as other people.

One of the problems we do have though, is that quite a few airfields insist we taxi down the taxi way's and therefore sometimes pass quite close to other parked aircraft but I think most of us make every effort to keep away as much as possible, unfortunatly though a lot of airfields do share the pumps with fixed and rotary and we need lot of fuel!

[172 driver]

a lot of airfields do share the pumps with fixed and rotary and we need lot of fuel

Which is why we've just obtained a shiny new AVGAS bowser at Goodwood - so that it's no longer necessary for helicopters to taxi near the pumps.

[MLS-12D]

Then he had the temerity to b*llock me for not having tied it down (I had left it at the pumps and gone to pay!)The best defence is a good offense, I guess. What an :mad:!

[Davidt]

Tie down at the pumps!

I was taught never to apply the brakes whilst refuelling on the basis that if a fire kicked off you had a chance at least of saving the aircraft by pushing it out of the way.So who would tie down at the pumps?

Not all helis are ars*holes , parked next to a ex-military type and the pilot came up to my window tapped on it and asked me to put my gust lock on and secure the doors whilst he started p and left. A gent.