Info Request - Trial Lesson

[gizmocat]

Hi All,

After a fantastic half hour (each) stick time in a 206 a fortnight ago up in Blackpool, a friend of mine and myself seem to have been bitten by some kind of funny looking insect, which has a fan on the top !!

We are both 500+ hour MS Flightsim helo pilots (duck :eek: ) but needed to do the "real thing" :D (Big thanks to Andy if he hangs around here).

Question is, my mate has been surfing and found a place where we can fly a Bell 47. Price looks OK for half an hour, but I'd be interested in comments about reliability, safety etc. from the guys, and lassies, "in the know". Company is "Hields Aviation" running from "oop north" in the UK.

All comments gratefully received.

TIA,
Martin

Edit - only spelt the company name wrong, 500 lines "i" before "e" !!

[md 600 driver]

you pays your money and takes your chance

i would not try there anyway

but i am biased i know the company well

[Whirlygig]

A Bell 47 is a great heli on which to learn; nearly as good as a Schweizer ;) ;) but I too, am biased!

I've not heard anything derogatory about Hields (until now!) so don't believe everything you read.

Cheers

Whirlygig

[Up & Away]

Now I wonder who you've been taking too??

Real thing ??...Bell47?? and why not the Hiller??

Joke maybe.

From a Bell206 fly a Gazelle to feel the real thing!!

If you can't afford that then fly a Hughes 269 know as the 300.

Can I keep the pot sturred?

[Heliport]

I don't know anything about the school you mention but a flight in a Bell 47 is a very good idea.
Reliability, safety etc? Bell 47s have long established reputation as a safe reliable helicopter.
Gazelle? Wonderful helicopter, but a waste of money at your stage - unless you're a passenger and it's being flown by an experienced Gazelle pilot showing you what it can do.

Whirlygig
'Don't believe everything you read'.
I assume you mean that as general advice rather than as advice not to believe any particular contributor.
Should gizmocat believe you've never heard anything bad about the school? :confused:

[gizmocat]

Thanks for the replies.

I was more interested in the reputaion (read safety / reliability) of the company, as I read a lot of horror stories here.

Heliport and U&A, I agree with you about the Gazelle, I'm ex mil, and have had a fair bit of time as a back- seater in most mil heli's, my time in a Gazelle was great. Not as good as a particular night flight over "the plain" in a Puma, when three members of my "stick" threw up, but that's another story ;-)

MD, ok, you say you are biased, and I accept that. Would you care to drop me a PM with your reasons ? ALA etc.

Thanks again all.

[Whirlybird]

Hields generally have a pretty good reputation in this part of the country. But I daresay MD 600 may know something I don't, and I doubt if there's a single helicopter school anywhere that doesn't have its detractors. Your choice; have fun. I've been meaning to go up there myself to have a go in the Bell 47 and maybe the Hiller, so let us know how you get on.

[empty pockets]

could anyone tell me what the going rate would be for, as heliport suggests, a passenger ride in a gazelle with an experienced pilot? are there any operators close to me oop north?

cheers;)

[empty pockets]

as an afterthought, are there any other helis that could offer a similar experience but for less money!?

as an FAA junglie wannabe with no heli hours, i thought it would be a good experience before attending the selection board.

[airborne_artist]

ep

How close are you to applying to join the Navy? Have you been on/offered an acquaint trip?

[Tony Chambers]

its a nice heli and i agree with others that the gazelle is also v good. hields is a member of the BHAB so their reputation should be v good. your best bet is to visit them before you fly and talk to their ops and instructors. prices throughout the UK are pretty much similar for half an hour generally £230.

[md 600 driver]

tony chambers are you saying normal rates for a bell 47 is 230 per hour 460 per hour or is that for the gazelle ,the post was about bell 47 from hields [dont think they have a gazelle anymore as the owner sold it its down at redhill at the moment ] best check with them .

arnt you the guy that posted /wanted to know the rental rate for a boeing 609 tiltrotor

empty pockets as you are local and if you want a gazelle ride pm me but "" I CANT CHARGE YOU AND YOU WILL HAVE TO BE CLASSED AS CREW ""
well i shouted that in case anyone missunderstood and wanted to report me [bob]
regards steve

[Tony Chambers]

£230 for half hour for the 47 is about average, sorry if i wasnt clear. it was a general qoute about the gazelle being a good heli, and yep i was asking about the 609.
so you operate a gazelle im looking to take my ppl or cpl sometime this year and purchase a gazelle.

[empty pockets]

a_a: I am right at the beginning of the recruitment process, with the first interview in a couple of weeks. I asked to be put forward for the aquaint course and was told I'd be considered for it depending on the outcome of the interview. I did manage to organise a visit to Yeovilton and sat in the lynx, but didn't get airborne :(

md 600: a pm is on the way, as fast as I an type! It only goes to back up the recent comments made on this forum that rotorheads is such a tight knit community and really does encourage us young wannabes.

:ok: :ok: :ok:

[Whirlygig]

Tony,

Please could you confirm from where you got a price of £230 (ex VAT or inc VAT). That seems astronomical to me. Bell 47 rates are similar to Schweizer rates and I would have thought an average training rate would be £230 per HOUR (ex VAT, ex landing fee).

Cheers

Whirlygig

[Heliport]

Tony Chambers

I'm puzzled. On what do you base the advice you're giving about helicopters and helicopter training?
"im looking to take my ppl or cpl sometime this year and purchase a gazelle"?
Are you an ex-Mil helicopter pilot?

"hields is a member of the BHAB so their reputation should be v good."
The BHAB is a fine organisation which does a great deal of valuable work for the industry. It doesn't follow that the reputation of every member of the BHAB is good.

Recently you asked:
"does anyone have any information about chartering a boeing 609 tilt rotor in the uk"
Boeing hasn't yet produced a civil tilt rotor, and withdrew from the Bell-Agusta 609 programme about 5/6 years ago.
The prototype Bell-Agusta 609 has only just completed its first flight tests. It won't be in production for a few years yet.

Two days ago you said of the Merlin "great heli i have worked with the raf on many occasions cant fualt it at the moment."
No doubt it is a great helicopter. Have you flown it?


Heliport

[Tony Chambers]

whirly that was an average all inclusive, since my last comment i have a confirmed price of £180 all inc.
Empty pockets where abouts are you i could probably organise a gazelle ride for the grand price of nowt with the army, if your interested pm me and we can look at organising some famil flight for you.