An old forestry pilot gave me a tip one time that saved my bacon later on. The topic was "what to do if there ain't nothing but Trees under you...".
He said when it sank into your adrenal charged brain that you were going into the trees no matter what you did.....the best bet was to get there with bags of Rotor RPM and in a good position to have some control over the ending. His view was far better to make a good crash landing into the trees rather than a very poor crash landing just shy of a clearing.
One evening just at Sundown in Alaska....late in the Summer Season when it actually got dark....I lofted off Mount Neuhaeuser near Tok. I had taken a TV Repair crew up to work on the Village TV repeater. As I hovered for takeoff...an unusual but not terminal change in sound to the engine was heard....did several power changes and noted everything was still hunky dory....and departed.
Upon lowering the Collective to start the descent.....the Donk Died Abruptly....leaving me at about 9,000 feet too high for things ilke that to happen. After determining I was now in an unpowered Gyrocraft....I began a search for a place to park.....and determined there was not much in the way of options beyond big tall trees or short small bushy trees. After a bit i did see a bit of a clearing.....no big trees and lots of very soft looking Pussy Willows. I opted for that cushy looking spot.
Well into the fun and games it became very plain I was not going to make it to the clearing of choice....and from out of the remnants of an alcohol ravaged brain....came the guys advice. "Put the Collective down....get to your max glide airspeed.....and when committed to where you are going...go full down on the Collective....do a hard Flare....build your Main Rotor RPM as much as you can....and as your airspeed runs out pick the softest thing you can to land onto/into."
I did that....and as I was going to make that last decision....I saw there was a small line of trees between me and the clearing filled with Pussy Willow....and having flown the same aircraft all Season....knew....in my heart....I could do a Pop UP over the trees.....and did so. I crossed the line of trees....leveled the aircraft and did a vertical authoritative landing into the Pussy Willows.
Two days later after helping with an engine replacement...I flew the aircraft out of the bush and finished the Season. Not a mark on the aircraft shy seat cover damage.
Key lesson learned was to get to the end with lots of Rotor RPM...and with enough airspeed to be able to maneuver the aircraft to the best place possible. In logged over forest areas....pay very much attention to old tree stumps...as they can be hard on your hind end if they punch up through the bottom of the aircraft.....or cause you to roll over if only one skid or wheel lands on them.
New young trees are good targets.....very tall...hard trees are bad targets.
Land vertically....perhaps as some have suggested...tail first....but I would suggest landing flat. If the nose falls through and the tail hangs up....the shorter a distance the nose (and you) have to fall the better.
There are two places to look for when in hilly country....Tops of hills or in the creek bottoms....as they tend to be flatter than the hillsides....and rolling down a hillside is not considered good form.
Last edited by SASless; 11th May 2012 at 17:52.