DB Chopper
I think I must have subconsciously ignored the risk of engine failure because it was a twin. When I reached transitional lift, I allowed the helicopter to climb too quickly . Having two engines doesn’t mean you can ignore the consequences of one failing - as Sandy Helmet has explained.
BTW, my error produced amusement and a bit of leg-pulling, not a sudden
'I have control!! It wasn't that bad.
too young to die
I didn’t intend to be disloyal to my fellow PPLs, and hope I wasn’t. It would be surprising if qualified professionals (commercial and instructors) weren’t
in general better pilots than us. They’ve been trained to a higher standard, usually fly many more hours, and operate in places and conditions we generally don’t. It would be a little worrying if they hadn’t learned a few things over the years. For most PPLs (and I certainly include myself) most of our effort/concentration is taken up flying the helicopter; for professionals, flying the helicopter is a given - they operate. Big difference.
I entirely accept that some PPLs have a truly ‘professional’ approach to their flying and fly like professionals. But I can think of only two with whom I’ve flown. Ironically, I met each of them when I defended them against CAA prosecutions! One found himself caught up in a ‘Nimby’ campaign against a helipad at a South Coast boatyard (CAA withdrew the prosecution during the trial); the other was the pilot in the much-publicised Norfolk hotel incident where a lady claimed she was “blown through the air” by downwash (CAA withdrew their ‘reckless’ allegation during the trial.)
TC
Good question - but I can’t answer it.
Isn’t it a little like an elephant?
Difficult to describe, but you know when you see one!
