Originally Posted by
photonclock
That rant aside, as the videos posted above by others demonstrate:
- A Blackhawk can in fact stop on a dime (so whatever you're suggesting Mike Blackstone was wrong about, it certainly wasn't that).
- Obviously that shouldn't be the plan, but it still a legitimate question to ask, in the context of an emergency, and when every other safety precaution has already failed, why couldn't it be done? Other poster's rationalize: at the low altitude, there's nowhere to go. The videos demonstrate otherwise. You can stop a Blackhawk 50 feet above the ground in seconds. If deviating in any direction is a risk, why didn't ATC just say "PAT25 slow to stop and hover!" – as a Very. Last. Resort?
To respond to your assertions, a medium helicopter cruising at ~100kias at night, over water, possibly on NVGs does not stop on a dime nor come to a 50' hover in seconds. Even the YT vids don't show anything to support such a claim since they are daytime, slow speed start to the manoeuvre and pre planned. Hardly the night time emergency stop being called for here, whereas IMO a 180 would achieve a better collision avoidance than an attempt at a fast stop
My experience? 15,000 hours rotary with at least 4-5,000 hours below 200', 1,500 night hours, Mil/Civil mix of mediums (21,000lb) down to horrid little clockwork toys.
No further online discussion from me, but it would be interesting to know your pilot qualifications to post here with such assumed authority, please?