Originally Posted by
JustinHeywood
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An interesting topic and video is posted, followed by commentary on a spectrum from the doom merchants to the ‘nothing to see here folks’; the know-nothings and the much worse know-a-little types.
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H 'n' H will be viewed as one of those highlighted in the quote above then, probably the 3rd!!!!
Joking aside, I found
aa777888's input fascinating as I've never been professionally involved in that aspect of helo ops - apart from a ride in an Alouette at a showground when I was 9 and a similar flight in a Jet Ranger when I was 49 (or something like that!) at an airday. I was fascinated in the Jet Ranger flight to watch how it was operated/routed as, by then, I had been involved in RW aviation for 3 decades and had a FW CPL/IR. I'd also met my Robbo pal by then! I can now add a further decade of FW aviation to that - now, sadly, medically brought to an end! But I also see
[email protected]'s viewpoint - but our backgrounds are probably similar in terms of risk and when we would go for it.
Trust me, my personal view is that I'd not partake in the flight exhibited in the video. Why? Because it scares me! Is that sort of flying killing lots of people? No, it isn't. Would there be time to sort out a problem if it developed? Doesn't seem that way to me - that's my view! Could that sort of business be operated differently and still make money? Probably not and, as
aa777888 says,
"Ride concessions can be and are done safely all of the time. Other professionals, including regulators and underwriters, agree that this is so." so I'd not suggest ending them. It's just not for me!
Could you guys who do such work for living assess that vid and draw some conclusions for your own decision-making in the future? Maybe hearing someone like me go "WTF?" might cause someone to go "Hell, I've been doing this for 25 years, looks OK to me .... but, hey, I'll just watch that Vid again and see what that plonker (me,
H 'n' H) is on about"! A friend of mine died on a low level Navex flying a route he'd instructed on several times. His complacency meant he was 6 ft lower than normal at one point ... 1 really special bloke (and his student) gone in an instant!
Why was he extra-special? A few years previously, as an Engineer, I'd asked him to stop flying a certain legal flight manoeuvre which I know he enjoyed (and it "looked good", I'll give him that!) but was potentially not helping some long-term structural issues we were having. Instead of bawling me out he agreed he'd not actually looked at it that way ... and he never did it again ..... well, bless him, not while he was in sight of me! Had he/his crew/pax been under fire I'd have expected him to fly that way - and more - to get 'em home safely - sod the long-term structural issues!
Anyway, that's my humble contribution .... and
H 'n' H will crawl back under his rock! Till next time that is! You know, I think I'll go and have a beer - in memory of the 2 guys on that fateful Navex - may they RIP!
