Originally Posted by
Ascend Charlie
After 15,000 hrs, mostly in hand-flown, unstabilised choppers, I have some problems. Helicopter seats, particularly the B206, have zero adjustment, so there is almost no way to get into a really good position for a flight. In the Hueys as well, there is a large coaming over the instrument panel (keeps sunlight off the instruments, stops them reflecting in the windscreen at night) which requires the head to be held high. But the collective is set low down, so we slump into the seat and lean to the left to hold it. Slumped down, leaning over, head held up with a helmet on top (not a lot of noise attenuation in those days either), bounced up and down at 1:1 frequency for thousands of hours, and most Huey pilots have lower back and neck problems.
I have 3 lumbar vertebrae fused together by themselves, and the same in my neck. Uncomfortable to bend over or turn my head more than 45 degrees. Arthritis in my hands and knees add to the joys of still walking the planet. The Dept of Veterans Affairs acknowledges the back, neck and hearing problems, and pays me barely enough to buy a carton of Boag's anaesthetic each fortnight, which takes some of the discomfort away.
I don't think a helicopter can weld your bones together and if you did that much bouncing around, you needed better mechanics!