I got a phone call from the CP of a Helicopter Company in Anchorage, Alaska during which he interviewed me and offered me a job flying Hughes 500D's, Gazelles, and a Cessna 206. The primary question asked was "How much flight time do you have in a Hughes 500?".
I stated "about 300 hours but it was in the Army on OH-6A's...".
I was hired over the phone...told to make my way to Anchorage and given a Start Date. Upon arrival we immediately climbed into a nice Hughes 500D and did all the formalities to include Under Slung work, Pinnacles, Ridgelines, Mountains, EOL's, Tail Rotor Failures....the whole thing and did that in just less than two hours flight time.
Upon landing back at the Company Flight Line the CP asked what I thought of the 500D as compared to the OH-6 (500C) and I said it was much better but a bit stiff on the controls from what I remembered.
The CP said...."If you had remembered to remove the Frictions...the controls would have been a lot easier to move!".
I looked at him and asked...."Frictions?".
He pointed them out...demonstrated how they functioned and asked me just how many Hours in the 500 I really had.
My response was...."How long did we fly today?".
He reckoned if I could fly as well as I did with the Frictions on....I would have no problem with them off.
The next day I was off to the Unga Island in the Shumagin Islands about a Thousand miles from Anchorage within sight of the Aleutians on the one clear day each year.