Hi all.
Without wanting to sound like a total novice I have a Q for you rotary types....
I was flying last week (fixed Wing pilot),and a large helo had departed shortly before me.As I was in the climbout I heard the helo pilot call up with a problem of some sort,I think he had a door open or similar(his words were along the lines of "the groundcrew have not secured the a/c properly"
)
He proceded to ask the radar controller where he could go asap to sort it,and was advised of a dissused helo base nearby which he then confirmed as showing on his gps.A short conversation ensued as to wether he could land there to which the controller told him he was unsure of the place's status,this went on with pilot asking if he could land there legally etc,but the atc man rightly avoided advising him too much. In the end he returned to the initial base to sort it,I think he parked on the cross runway,got out and fixed it himself......
Here comes the question:
Why could he not put it down either in a field/car park or this old base etc,surely the advantage of VTOL is there to be used.Fair enough it was a bit big,but no soft ground around with the current hot weather to cause a problem?
As a fixed winger listening in,I said to my pax,why not put it down and have a look-or is it not that simple in commercial ops?
Cheers Mark.
