Thanks for the input
Well, the owner at Blue Hill Helicopters took over my training once CFI began, and because we didn't agree with the training plan going forward, I left the school for the competitors across the street. Hi Steve! I like Steve but there's a reason your very own CFII, Adrian, did not list you as a reference either, and he worked for you for years. But let's not get childish on a public forum, shall we?
To SilsoeSid regarding simulated instrument--helicopters being dynamically unstable make the associated autopilot systems very expensive, and none of the three primary helicopters used for flight training (Robinsons R22, R44, and Schweizer) are FAA approved for IFR flight. None of my "simulated instrument" time was in a simulator but rather was simulated in that I was wearing a hood and simulating IFR flight by not using outside visual references. You can still get vestibular illusions and the first time you fly at night you notice it's much harder. Also, I spoke to a pilot who did some real IFR flight in a helicopter for a few hours and he told me, despite being a very experienced pilot, that the vestibular illusions were so severe it was unnerving.
I do understand the emergency procedures in the PoH, and I admit I made mistakes, but neither my student pilot (a German F1 race-car driver who knows engines very well) nor I felt particularly unsafe, but on paper, going against the PoH is a nono.
The helicopter would still be sitting out there if I didn't do what I did, and furthermore, I can't help but think most pilots would have done exactly what I did. I've seen a pilot fly a helicopter halfway into a hangar because we couldn't get it up an icy incline. I've seen a Robinson test pilot demonstrate low G (he has earned it, being a super-pilot with tens of thousands of hours). I've heard airline pilots lie about having the weather information and I've heard people have long conversations both on Approach AND Class Bravo tower frequency. And I don't see people using checklists. Not for Robinsons or Schweizers. Yet I do see some flight schools cross the line from training excellent students to the immoral zone of keeping them as long as possible in order to maximize revenue, with no interest in finishing the student.
I will never make the mistakes I made on that flight ever again, and just because I see other people doing things the wrong way doesn't mean it's okay for me to do it too.
I appreciate the input, and also the scolding that I deserve.
For legal purposes everything I wrote is fiction. :-)
Well, back to driving a taxi until the next job. Not much work out there for CFIIs not having been hired from within (the flight school I work at is very very low volume because the competition is excellent at internet marketing).
By the way, the Garmin 796 is the bomb. Did you know that at one point, a pilot in KPYM was on a flight plan, talking to approach, and still got in trouble for busting a Presidential TFR? His briefer didn't warn him, nor did approach. So in order avoid legal liability for busting a TFR, you HAVE to call FSS. I don't see people calling FSS very often, so does that mean we're all gambling with our pilots licenses every time we go flying? They need to fix that. If your Garmin unit fails to display a TFR, or even if you go to TFRcheck.com, does not constitute "checking" for TFRs. Even going to FAA PilotWeb does not release you from liability. You have to talk to FSS on the phone or frequency. This is my understanding. Is this correct?
Here's to not wearing a suit and sitting in a cubicle. ...or being stuck at a flight school that keeps you forever.
Cheers,
Colin