PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Informal heli nights UK (including arrangements)
Old 27th Jan 2008, 17:22
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jellycopter
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: UK
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I too am up for this. It's a great idea. West Midlands is best for me.

A couple of words of caution however, based upon my own relatively brief (20+ years) in aviation:

1. Broadly speaking, the sort of person that is going to make space in their diary to attend and hopefully benefit from such a 'safety' gathering is also, in my opinion, likely to partake in other safety-related practices. Be that bed-time reading of AAIB bulletins or stumping up a few hundred quid to fly with an instructor for refresher/advanced training on a regular basis. To some degree therefore, I believe these evenings would be 'preaching to the converted'.

2. All the 'war stories' in the world won't stop the same mistakes being repeated time and time again. There is no substitute for experience, and as a PPL(H), one can only truly, and safely, broaden ones' personal flight envelope by flying with someone with significantly more experience and the ability to impart their knowledge effectively. Just flying with your instructor does not necessarily cut it; he may have a few thousand hours but if they are all spent in the circuit or local flying area in an R22/H269 it doesn't count for a great deal. There are numerous highly-experienced instructors in the UK that fit the bill but they tend to be a little more costly than your average flying school FI - but it's usually money very well spent.

3. The best training and best equipment still count for nothing when a pilot makes a conscious (or sub-conscious) decision to fly/continue to fly when all the evidence is pointing to it being a bad idea.

I'll see some of you soon at one the venues I hope.

John Jackson
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