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Old 3rd August 2013 | 14:49
  #13 (permalink)  
500 Fan
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Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Ireland
I am with SASless on this one. If in doubt, there is no doubt, just land it.

I think I have made 5 or 6 weather-related precautionary landings up to now, as a PPL. Only one of those resulted in the Gardai being called and they couldn't have cared less. I think a helicopter-related call was something out of the ordinary for them and with nothing but a parked helicopter to deal with, they were happy.

The most memorable precautionary landing I made occurred in some field near Athenry. I landed and shut-down with the weather closing in. I hadn't spotted the farmer's tractor until I was just going into the field. I got out and apologised for landing in his field and explained why I landed. He was delighted. He got on the phone to his wife and five minutes later his wife and kids arrived with tea and fruit cake and I waited out the weather in their car. If you have to land off-airport, do it in Ireland. No-one seems to care.

I did get slagged-off for regularly making precautionary landings but it seems ridiculous not to use this option when faced with bad weather en-route. I can't see what the police, IAA, land-owners or anyone else can do to you that is worse than death. There is very little worth worrying about that they can even do legally. If, as a commercial pilot, the heli owner and passengers aren't happy with your decision-making, if they search hard enough, they probably will find a pilot that will push on through and will kill them!

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