Over 20,000 helicopter hours

[hueyracer]

I feel kike a youngster again at only just below 8000 now...and will nevwr reach 20k until i retire..but 65k?


Lets assume he started flying at age 20 until he was 70-thats 50 years of flying.

This means he did 1300 hours a year-or 3.5 hours EVERY day in these 50 years....cant believe it...

[megan]

Took his his first and only flying lesson at age 17 huey. Quite believable given Max Conrad clocked 52,929.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?n...g=5183,6665664

Max Conrad | Master Aviator

[DOUBLE BOGEY]

Mr Conrad only spent 6.04 years actually flying!. What the hell did he do with the rest of his life?

[Um... lifting...]

Originally Posted by hueyracer

I feel kike a youngster again at only just below 8000 now...and will nevwr reach 20k until i retire..but 65k?


Lets assume he started flying at age 20 until he was 70-thats 50 years of flying.

This means he did 1300 hours a year-or 3.5 hours EVERY day in these 50 years....cant believe it...

According to all I've read he flew far more than 50 years, starting at 17 in 1933. He broke the record in 1983 (when he was 68 or so) with 53K-odd, which would be more like 1000 per year, which is about 20 per week.

Apparently it's all the man did or wanted to do.

There are a lot of power lines in Alabama, and he spent his working life looking at 'em out the window at 80 mph or so. Had a number of engine failures along the way, all of which he walked away from.

He was still actively flying at 80. Single pilot, mostly Class G airspace, low level, Cub, no instrument rating, no type ratings. I looked him up on the FAA website, and the date of his last valid medical was a couple months before he died.

I ain't saying he did and I ain't saying he didn't, but that would be one heck of a scam if he didn't. Probably the rural wide open spaces of a place like Alabama are the only way something like this could even be possible.

CNN - Alabama man loves to fly -- and it shows - December 31, 1998

https://news.google.com/newspapers?n...g=5183,6665664

Medical
Medical Class: Third, Medical Date: 6/1999
Certificates
COMMERCIAL PILOT
Date of Issue: 6/22/1962
Certificate: COMMERCIAL PILOT Print
Ratings:
COMMERCIAL PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND

In FAA land, you get a new Date of Issue any time anything is added to your certificate.

[Jabberwocky82]

A friend has 30 000, Vietnam start and then heli logging in Canada. The more astonishing thing imo is working out how many years they've been seated in a machine. My friend has sat his bum in a helicopter for the equivalent of ~3 years and 1 month...
I love flying, but I don't love it anywhere near that much.

[Old School Guy]

Was pretty common for the high time guys to have Viet-Nam then Heli-Logging experience. A co-worker retired a couple years back with over 31,000 hours. Have known several over the years with close to that.
My own route (for what it's worth), is Viet-Nam, Heli-Logging, Construction, and Firefighting.....coming up on 25,000 helicopter hours, most all in heavy machines.
Still just a high time student pilot....

[RVDT]

Bill Black in NZ retired with better than 25,000 which is not that unusual but for 13,000 of those in one particular AS350 ZK-HMY!!

When working in France one of our mechanics happened to ask one of the French pilots his total time which he responded "about 4000 hours".
The mechanic then pointed out that one of our senior pilots also had 4000 hours but it was in one of the B205's parked outside. I think the guy
had a total in the high 20's somewhere.

[500guy]

Originally Posted by RVDT

Bill Black in NZ retired with better than 25,000 which is not that unusual but for 13,000 of those in one particular AS350 ZK-HMY!!

When working in France one of our mechanics happened to ask one of the French pilots his total time which he responded "about 4000 hours".
The mechanic then pointed out that one of our senior pilots also had 4000 hours but it was in one of the B205's parked outside. I think the guy
had a total in the high 20's somewhere.

I said before that one of our pilots has about 16k in MD 500s about 90% of that is split between 3 aircraft....

[fijdor]

Originally Posted by RVDT

Bill Black in NZ retired with better than 25,000 which is not that unusual but for 13,000 of those in one particular AS350 ZK-HMY!!

When working in France one of our mechanics happened to ask one of the French pilots his total time which he responded "about 4000 hours".
The mechanic then pointed out that one of our senior pilots also had 4000 hours but it was in one of the B205's parked outside. I think the guy
had a total in the high 20's somewhere.

RVDT you are referring to A.Aska, passed away 1 or 2 years ago and flew almost to the end.
At the time (90/91) he had 18,000 hrs The 205 in question was C-GFHM, also he brought the first B205 in Canada.

JD

[RVDT]

JD,

Yup, dat guy.

Good memory.

[Capt Raj]

Congrats

Originally Posted by dan454

I had a goal of reaching 20,000 hours helicopter. I now have 20500 helicopter hours and 20705.5 total hours. I'm just wondering if there are many high time (helicopter) guys. I found a story of one guy in Calgary that has 21,000 hours, comments?

Congrats, that's a great achievement. You must be in an elite club now.