Helicopters and Wheel Chocks

[loftustb]

Possibly a very silly question from a fixed wing bod who knows nothing about helicopters.

Saw an A109(?) lifting recently without removing the wheel chocks. Is this normal, or should someone have been waving to say "you've forgotten your chocks matey"

[MOSTAFA]

interesting to know he checked the brakes!!

[IHL]

When the company I worked for implemented a policy of ALLWAYS chocking the aircraft. Pilots on occaision would forget to remove the chocks. That resulted in the following question when we /they got back to base: wheres the chocks ? oh #*%^ !

[jayteeto]

In my RAF Puma days, the crewman who left his chock behind usually arrived back at base to a Dayglo chock as a reminder. On detachment I saw a lot of customised 'specials' that could never be missed and left behind!!

[Balloothebear]

As an appi at 22 Squadron (SAAF) after towing out the Westland Wasp you would have to put the wheel's in the "tea trolley" configuration..............then she would'nt go nowhere for no-one.
The Allouette iii had a set of chocks onboard,should the responsible person forget to either install or remove them,penalties were called upon in the Sqd bar at the end of the week,pity that, as a few guys always used to go home "ratfaced";)

[RobboRider]

I read an interesting snippet in (I think it was David McMullins book "Chinook" but my memory may have got it wrong) - how when he was a crewie in an RAF Chinook - Took off for a mission and when they arrived back the machine came to a hover then was about to just put down. He got on the intercom and hung out a window or through some sort of visual position and began directing the pilot with a lot of "forward a foot, back a foot, left right etc etc" Finally put him down.

When the pilot got stroppy and asked why all the directions for a simple landing he had to 'fess up that he'd left the chocks behind so when they came back he got the pilot to put down back on the chocks!

[Shawn Coyle]

If it was an older A109, then the chocks may have been necessary, as the wheel brakes take their pressure from one of the flight control hydraulic systems, which bleed down if left for long periods. So, if you're single pilot, unless you walk the blades around to build up the hydraulic pressure before you start the engines, you have no brakes when you first start. If you're by yourself, how do you then get out to remove the chocks after starting???

[[email protected]]

There are countless stories of people forgetting their chocks but there is an apocryphal story from Wessex SH days following a formation departure from a field LS during an exercise. One of the pilots glanced down at the field as they turned after take off and said ' Oh look at that...some idiot's left his crewman behind in the field' (no reply on intercom)' ..crewman.........CREWMAN!!!'

[ShyTorque]

Crab,

I think that was "Stan" Smith..... :ok:

I once spotted my own (Puma) chock on our return to the same Salisbury Plain HLS (crewman had said chock was on board on departure). I landed as close as I could to it and during shutdown told the crewman "Clear for chock".

"ER, er..." was his reply.

I climbed out and noticed the chock had gone but was now under our mainwheel!

Crafty beggar. So I asked him if he had seen that "other" chock that some "******" had left behind. He just smiled a silly grin, as he now knew that I knew! :D