wow,
lots of heat!!
a. I saw personally what can happen if a 15000 hr+ pilot getīs in, one to close (I posted some of it on previous threads - related to instruction). Obviously he must have done something right to get to 15000+. Maybe he got just to confident. Maybe he was in Vietnam and "never came back". I heard stories of vets working on tunaboats, freaking out the guys in the crowsnest by flying straight on the bow of the boat and pull up in the last split sec to avoid heavy damage. Plain stupid. I also like to lighten up now and then and "show off", BUT: first to show off your skills in helicopters you need some professional helipilot, who is familiar with that machine to judge your skills and in most cases, the maneuvers required to prove your "stuff", donīt look like anything (is that a double negative...
?) thrilling to a regular nonflying person.
second, if I wanted to "cool off", I would go max speed at about 20 ft (I did some fumigation work and was trainened to fly low - in cropdusting it is about 3 feet above the crops...) above the waves (thatīs where everybody could see me - not in front of the boat at 3 feet where only the mast crew saw the idiots...) aiming about 100ft beside the boat, starting an easy pull up about 100ft ahead of the bow, again - BESIDE the boat, and let the heli zoom steep. The "show" was enjoyable by everyone, as everyone saw it and did not get in any (possible) harms way! - you want to be "the one hell of a guy" not the "idiot who scared everybody to death". Maybe thatīs just SOME Ex-Vets (by no means all including! There are always the few black sheep that screw up the whole club).
Some older guys (with 15000+ hrs, he canīt be very young anymore...) seem get the need to "proove" just one more, even if they already know the limits of the machine, if they donīt know their own - thatīs when the s*** hits the fan.
b. To FD, congratulations that you caught yourself before you started to throw more and worse names at people.
I think this is too important an thread, to be canceled by mods, so, please letīs keep it civilized (even if heated
).
c. Whatever the pilots reason for giving thrill rides this way, FAA and courts will (hopefully) take care of it, if these pilots donīt learn it (by mistake or whatever...), they will end their career in a mess one way or the other. I canīt imagine the guy having a calm counscious (it would haunt me forever...)
I observe, that may pilots feel that passengers get a thrill out of getting an aircraft to the ultimate limite - most regular skydivers and regulars wonīt notice the difference of scratching the ground before a steep pull up or turn, or flying the whole thing at lets say 25+ feet. As metioned, to judge the skill, one would have to be a pilot oneself - and then I would question good judgement on that particular stunt.
c2. On the other side, it is stupid (in my humble o...) to compare this particular typ of rides to cropdusting or any other fast and low typ of work - there it is necessary to be able to perform the work, to get your pax a thrill you do not have to fly that close to the ground (There it is your own thrill your a seeking. Then you should be by yourself in a remote and safe - for others - place)
It was mentioned, the pilot did circles around the unhappy chap on the ground - so he must have seen him. If you still put your rotor low, you are way to overconfident-even with 15000+.
I and other instructors (airplane) have a similar problem at our training airport - uncontrolled and completely open to the puplic - no fence - hence sometimes people all over the place - soccer, jogging, biking, walking the dog, you name it, it is nuts, however you have to get on with the job somehow. I still have it easier than the fixed wings! - note: A solution - big fence and guards are in the planning stage!
Cropdusters will be able to confirm: If you fly with booms on a heli, you will get into "flying" them instead of the rotor, so if you bank you will do so around the tip a boom and not roll the heli about its logitudinal axis, this way the boom stays of the ground and the rotor never even gets near it. If you adopt this way to fly low [even without the spray boom] you will never get the rotor low.....Did Mr. 15000+ ever do some cropdusting?
d. I believe in showing students (commercial) some extreme maneuvers, as they might be required to do some in their career, and there is nothing better than to have a headstart by being told how NOT to do it (I didnīt, so I had to learn by trial and error, luckily it got never out of hand!) . One thing I preach, is to NEVER bank more than 30 deg close to the ground - slow down to turn faster or pull up. On a small heli you most likely need quite a bit more than 45 deg to level the bladetips with the skids, however on a thumbnail showing the 412 on this thread, it seems to be just at 45 and the tips seem at or below the skids! It seems 412 have the rotor fairly low to the ground compared to their rotor diameter....
e. Personally I think Mr.******* asked for trouble, and he got it!
However he still maybe a very competent (as in able to control and master the machine...) and skilled pilot, I would not judge him without knowing him! FD!!
To get back to the start:
f. Any word of who is the fellow with the chopped fingers?
g. What group was/is he with?
h. Is he already playing the strings again?
i. Is there any significant difference in the sound?
j. How did this happen, any news?
k. Did the pilot get an award or fired?
l. to FD: My name is Thomas Jakits, I make (barely...
) a living flying helis, have a family I love (and avoid crazy stuff for their sake if not mine...), still got more than a good share of hairy situations (more than once induced by my own arrogance or negligence) in my short career, was lucky to survive and tell and learned from each and everyone (no more arrogance and negligence while flying...).
Now you are free to criticize!!
Aaaaand your turn to face up and tell your true name,
!!
Semd me an e-mail to confirm my word, if you need!
3top
(.....īcause I like to fly there!!)