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Old 13th May 2006 | 10:48
  #126 (permalink)  
FairWeatherFlyer
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 228
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From: London, UK
BC Helicopters have a small manual that accompanies their mountain course.
The thing i would note is that the principles are fairly simple and derive from the basics of confined areas with the added fun of genuine limited power, unusual winds/turbulence, the potential to get eaten by a hungry bear.
I did the course for fun last summer and it's a great chance to improve your general skills and start to learn about mountain flying. I'd emphasis the practical aspect - the principles are simple but the practical application is harder as real situations combine a lot of aspects in ways a textbook cannot cover or convey. And i would emphasis the start as it takes time and tutored practise to become proficient. I didn't do any snow or high winds but i did lose/adapt my ingrained habit of flying airfield style rectangular circuits (!) and learnt a lot about making approaches as safe as is possible given terrain, wind, trees, etc. Surface/slope analysis is fun too - you can arrive in your clearance and find a range of nasty obstructions, loose dust/ash, not as flat as you thought surfaces.
Don't know if anyone makes one, but a video with commentary would be good for teaching.
British Columbia scenary is very impressive too, so if you fancy a change from the likes of good old flat Florida, have a look at http://www.bchelicopters.com/ or give em a call - they're very friendly.
(One other general note, there's some structural difference in rotary careers in canada wrt other parts of world - the instructors i met had huge amounts of experience - another plus point for the nation.)
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