How High Have You Been (legally!)?

[Vortex what...ouch!]

What’s the highest fellow pruners have flown in a helicopter.

I once flew a 206 to 11,500 and an R22 to 6,000 feet.

Have to say I didn’t like it waaay up there :uhoh:

[Captain Lai Hai]

20,000' in a MD 500ER in PNG

[Whirlybird]

Flew over some 10,000 ft mountains when I was in the US, landed at Big Bear at 6000+ ft. It didn't feel "way up there", since we were quite close to the ground, but I learned lots about density altitude, being hot and high in underpowered helicopters, etc. Lots of fun too. :ok:

[SASless]

Used to throw the beer into burlap sacks, wet them down with water.....stow them in a breezy place......then up to 12,000 feet agl in a Bell 206 and Alouette III. Was in my twenties then.....would drink hot beer now! Don't know if I am wiser or just more openminded about adversity.

[KENNYR]

10,000Ft ASL in hover OGE for 2 1/2 hours in Gazelle during OPs in UK.

[46Driver]

I've taken both a Bell JetRanger (TH-57) and a Boeing SeaKnight (aka, the Phrog CH-46E) up to 10,000 - maybe a little more :) - but Navy/Marine Corps limits are 10,000 ft without supplemental oxygen. I think the Army guys are allowed to 12,000 or 14,000 ft. Curious that the different branches of the services have different altitude restrictions.

[Marc Tower]

OH-58C at 10,000 with the doors off over Ft. Bliss, Texas. This was about 1 month after flight school and only there for a moment just to check it out, then a very long auto, with a slow, high power recovery.

[newswatcher]

When I was in Nicosia with my father, during the mid-50s, I seem to remember an RAF Wessex Whirlwind trying for an altitude record over Nicosia airport. Can't remember the altitude, although 20k feet seems to nag me, or even whether it was successful.

Can anyone help?

[Lefthanddown]

FL100 in a 22. Wouldn't want to do it again though!

[NickLappos]

In forward flight, regularly to 17000 feet in tests, in Comanche, S-76, H-60. Once to 21000! Air is skinny up there.

Landings and H-V work at 11,000 feet, engine cuts and autorotations.

[SASless]

Nick....only the air is skinny up there.....sorry!

[headsethair]

Earlier this year in the UK a Jet Ranger went to 20,000 ft over Oxfordshire. But, in the words of the song, "wasn't me".

[C4]

17500' in a Puma for a para-drop... Scary, even in a big machine.....

[Lu Zuckerman]

Many years ago the Raytheon Company in Santa Barbara, California proposed a satellite that did not require the use of a booster rocket to raise it to orbit.

The satellite employed helicopter rotors that were turned by an electric motor. The motor in turn was powered by radio waves.

It was envisioned that the helicopter portion of the assembly would raise the satellite to orbital altitude (Approximately 22,000 miles) and then a small solid rocket would bring it into a circular orbit.

That's why an electronic engineer should never work as an aerodynamics engineer.


:E

[Hilico]

Was it Pierre Boulez who took a Llama up to FL460 in the early 70s? The story I saw said it had been stripped down to save weight. The canopy entirely frosted over in cold. When he eventually lowered the collective the engine (never tested at that height) flamed out, and with no relight system he started the world's highest ever autorotation. Of course he couldn't see anything, and tried to keep straight by reference to the sun. He knew it hadn't worked when the sun was level with the cockpit floor, but he pulled out of it, the frost went at lower altitude and he landed successfully. Unless anyone else knows any better, and it wouldn't surprise me.

Most posters have mentioned how scary it is. OK, neophyte's question time, apart from heli pilots' natural tendency to worry when above jumping-down distance, what is it that worries you? Controls near their stops? Unexpected divergences?

[46Driver]

Nic,
You were discussing the pros and cons of the compound helicopter in a separate thread. Does the compound have any ability to go higher and does the wing interfere with an autorotation? Finally, do you think the Marine Corps is going in the right direction with the MV-22?

[Nigel Osborn]

Twice went to 18500 in a Wessex Mk 5, first time over Cornwall at night, the second at Labuan, Borneo. In Papua New Guinea we used to land a Hiller 1100 on mountain tops for P & T, I think Mount Wilhelm was around 14000, which is the highest in PNG.
Never used oxygen; don't have to when you are young, do you???:O

[tecpilot]

Several times up to FL 180 to test and to use special surveillance and observation equipment inside and outside (hooked pod) the helicopter. During the flights the ship was sometimes heavy overloaded and needed more than 45 min to climb up to the end level (take off in 1000 ft). Climbing only at Vy and level flight 20 percent around Vy. Never used oxygen, but we (the pilots) were all pressure chamber tested. But as a helicopter driver you feels so alone at such an altitude and good ol earth is so far away...

Remember me on the up to 10 minutes autorotations with the very cold cabine due to the idling engines.

[CAC Runaway]

Took a Gazelle to FL190 on oxygen (absolute celiing). Vmax of 55 KIAS and Vmin of 45 KIAS. Significant vibration increases and very sloppy control response. Feels a long way up!!

[Vfrpilotpb]

once took a little R22 up to 7500 north of Blackpool little thing struggled to get there, felt really spookie at that height, nil wind so tried a long gentle auto down it seemed to take for ever, never been there since!:oh:

[B47]

12,000' in a Bell 47 Sioux a few months ago as an experiment.

Even at that altitude still going up like a lift and had a consistent ROC of 950'/min (down to the turbo of course), but without oxygen, thought we'd better stop there.

[John Eacott]

Nigel's escapade over Cornwall reminded me of the height climb in the RN wings syllabus, when we were taken to 10,000ft (gasp!) in a Whirlwind 7 to be show effects of controls. 1 hour scheduled for the sortie, parachutes, the lot, out of Culdrose. 30 minutes for the old girl to stagger up there, then various flight regimes, finishing with a demonstration of the stick shaking as retreating blade stall was approached. Long, long auto down.

Years later I found the instructors were just as nervous as us, and a surreptitious kicking of his cyclic was the stick shaking demonstration!

Operate all the time up around 9-10,000 ft in the Oz Alps, don't even think about it these days ;)

[Straight Up Again]

15,000' a few times doing tests in a EH 101, oxygen & chutes etc.

As an aside the Hypoxia course at Boscombe Down was great fun, just like getting drunk, but with no hangover. And I now know that I can't do many jigsaws at 25,000' without oxygen!

[NickLappos]

46driver,
A compound should have a slight advantage on altitude operations, since it cruises in autorotation, and uses the rotor in a much more unloaded mode, but it generally swaps the lower load on the rotor for more speed, at the same degree of stall. This means that it should have the same altitude characteristics, but should be 20 to 40 knots faster, or for identical speed, should go a few thousand feet higher.

regarding the V-22 and USMC missions, the customer choses the aircraft's properties and we build them. Imagine the way you'd treat a swimming pool designer if he started insisting that you didn't want the deep end over there !

Time will tell what the V-22 can really do, so far, the glowing wishes of the salesmen has not met the cold light of reality, but the woeful predictions of the naysayers hasn't been realized, either.

[cyclic flare]

Flew an R22 to 10,500ft up mont blanc france. I will try and scan the photo. Met a another pilot at the airport cafe at Le Touquet on the way back and he told me ha had flew the r22 upto 17,500ft and if was still climbing.

Yes and i believed him knowing his other antics.

[Thumper2]

Toed in at 14000 ft to drop off Aspen's Pitkin County rescue team to do a body retrieval. 214B was suckin air that day, was just west of Snowmass.

[N409BH]

As a former test pilot, I flew many different models up to and above the published flight manual limits (normally 18,000 ft.) and just like Nick Lappos, we did various system failures while flying at the CG and speed limits.

Always had parachutes above 12,000 due to the possibility of a fire or failure that would require a quick landing, which you can't do from way up there. Also O2 above 12,000 ft.

Some locations where we did the testing, we had commercial airliners below us as they descended for landing. ATC would call, "traffic is a helicopter above you at FL180", which got some interesting responses from the airline crews over the radio.

[misterbonkers]

12000ft in a Bell 47.

Had breakfast, dinner and lunch on the way up!

[llamaman]

I'll kick off with 19,500 ft, Mi-17 MTV. Controls were a bit sloppy mind!

[misterbonkers]

12000ft in a Bell47G3B1 to check out the turbocharger. It worked well all the way up. Just took a while to get there... Still - I was hour building at the time!

Bizarre feeling when descending - passing down through 3000ft I didn't want to go any lower as it already felt like I was too low.

[Camp Freddie]

Been a lot higher in other types, but definitely the one I liked the least was 8000ft in an R22 😳

[Thomas coupling]

5' 9" officially. [And 12000 feet without oxygen in a Wasp]. So that makes it: 12,005 and 9" in total. (I was standing up at the time).
However this was an ICAO answer based on PA. The actual temperature was colder than ICAO @ 12000. And the DALR was a little > than 1.98/1000' so the DA height was: 14,569'

[Pofman]

TC as you know there is always some smart arse but I could not resist.
I am sure it is the Hogmanay effect and you meant the ELR was > than 1,98C not the DALR which is fixed at 3C.
Happy New Year.

[toptobottom]

Pofman - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
:D

[Hughes500]

10k agl last year with an underslung glider for James may's toy story. Seemd rather high with no door on looking down at glider and the beach below !!!
Took 18 minutes to get down

[flapping pilot]

11'300 ft amsl with a R22! Was feeling like in the coffin corner!!

[Thomas coupling]

Pufman: Close but no banana!
I didn't say the DALR was 3 degrees/100', did I?
I said it was a little greater than 1.98 degrees :=.

You have assumed old boy! Never assume...........

If you look real close...you'll notice that the DA calcs are are even more bollo**s :ok:

Typical yank reaction: jump in first and question it later. HNY :E

[soggyboxers]

18,600 feet flying over Mount Damavand in Iran in a 212 1978 (at 200 feet agl)

[ka26]

13,000 ft in a R22, overflying italian alps..

[CharlieOneSix]

You have assumed old boy! Never assume...........

Typical yank reaction: jump in first and question it later. HNY :E

Wrong to assume he's a Yank old boy! Never assume.......Look at his profile - ex-RN and ex-Police Pilot (Met Police actually). He's 100% British.

[Thomas coupling]

C16: Now how did u assume he was MET then? Am I to assume you know him:ouch:
If he's ex-RN and ex-police, I must know him too. The plot thickens - just like vegetable stock. HNY2U.

[soggyboxers]

TC,
You've got it completely wrong this time. Pofman is 100% British, was one of my RN instructors (he sent me on my first solo in a Whirlwind 7), along with myself and a few others here, was one of the founder pilots of BCalH when he was flying Bell 222s and Bolkow 105s for the Met Police. He was an ab-initio instructor at the Bristow Training School in Redhill and has impeccable credentials.

[206dvr]

13,000 odd feet on a topping check in a UH-1H. (New engine.) Ground was 12,500 feet below me. And usually I'm within 200 feet of terra firma!

Was the most uncomfortable feeling ever! and I'm due to do it again soon!!! :eek:

[TipCap]

Can't beat Soggyboxers but I managed 18500' over Zagross Mountains in an AB206A (I think it was EP-HAY) in Iran in 1973. FM said it could do 20000' but ran out of "puff" and a little concerned seeing a DC6 fly below me :)

[212man]

He was an ab-initio instructor at the Bristow Training School in Redhill and has impeccable credentials.

...and still at the Bristow Academy!

Highest I've been in a helicopter was FL130 from Tangier to Agadir in an EC155. ATC wanted me at FL190 but I declined. I'm convinced they thought I was in a Beech Baron E55!

[albatross]

16000 very quickly in a 206 cause I had to talk to someone very far away.

11000 in a 47G2 also an up and down.

12000 in a 212

[GuilhasXXI]

3000ft :uhoh:

[Gemini Twin]

20,000 ft Dec. 1978. Turbine Bell 47 flight test. OAT -40F and -40C! Take off altitude was 180 ft asl.

[ericferret]

The high alt airtest for the Scout and I would imagine for the Wasp went to around 12.000.
We used to wear parachutes as they reckoned if we caught fire at that altitude it would be largely ashes that hit the ground. There was no parachute training provided. I suppose the theory was that 12,000 gave you plenty of time to work it out on the way down!!!!!!!
Probably right as well.

[Jet Ranger]

Close to 13.000' in B212, with 6 fuc*ing skydivers who jumped out.:yuk:

JR

[Vertical Freedom]

Highest flight 24,900'amsl which was 23,000'pressure altitude :cool:

Highest landing & take off 22,800'amsl which was 27,000' density altitude:eek:

All in AS350B3+ :ok: ooooow yaaah

Happy Landings

VF

[army_av8r]

14,000 PA (14,500 indicated) in an OH-58D Kiowa. over 1000 FPM rate of climb at 60 knots and Max TGT. (VSI stops at 1000 FPM! lol) no Oxygen so thats where the fun ended...

[fijdor]

21,500 ft PA (25,000 DA) working the top of the Chilean Andes (every day for 3 1/2 months). Aircraft was a Bell 205 with 205 blades and -17 engine.
Highest landing 16,000 ft PA. Never checked the DA but I would assume close to 19,000 ft.
I know the question does say "legally"


JD

[rotorfan]

Nothing worth mentioning in my experience. But, I must know from the R22 drivers posting above, did you lean the mixture to get enough power to get that high? In my training at 1000 ft. MSL, I was taught to push mixture full-rich, set-it-and-forget-it. The thought was that if you leaned too aggressively and killed the engine, there was no flywheel (read "prop") to keep it spinning for a bit, things could go bad too quickly, so just fly full-rich full-time. I would think that would be too rich to have sufficient power to get much above 10,000 ft.

[Colibri49]

20000ft in an Alouette III without oxygen on my 21st birthday. Couldn't make 21000ft and was feeling peculiar in the head. Must have been even more stupid then than now to attempt such a thing. Controlling rotor rpm in autorotation at that altitude is scary. The controls seemed to be very poor in response. I scared myself witless.

[Flingwing47]

16,500' in a 206A over beautiful seaside base camp Pelikawa on Manus island in the '70s to cancel SAR with Madang by VHF..no HF working that day.
Of course the box in the cargo hold (which just happened to hold some fragile items full of liquid) cooled down nicely in the time it took to get up there....;)

happy hovering !!

[lelebebbel]

I went to 800ft AGL once without oxygen. I think the sky was starting to turn black above me. Almost hit a satellite on the way down.

[206dvr]

LOL. Loving it. 800' ! I feel that way above 200'..... The curse of the ag pilot.

[Ascend Charlie]

Some people think that the air gets thinner at altitude, but it doesn't.

It gets thicker.

Just look at the aircraft that fly at each level. The machines down low are flying through thin air, and are blunt and knobbly with lots of drag-creating devices hanging off.

Those that fly at high altitude where the air is really thick are pointy things with sharp swept wings.

The sky gets dark at altitude because the light can't get through the thick air.

Spaceships need lots of power to push through the thick air to get into orbit, and once up there, they just skim along on top of the air layer.

So, helicopters have trouble getting to altitude because the rotors hit the thick air and can't get through it. Like stirring a treacle pudding.:8

[RMK]

Close to 13.000' in B212, with 6 fuc*ing skydivers who jumped out

14000 in Mi-8 with 26 skydivers - though I was jumping, not piloting

[topendtorque]

We had a pilot once, turned up over base at 5,000 feet plus, telling us all on the radio how fantastic it was way up there. You might say that he was reminded of the seriousness of a fan drive failure and that it would have meant a full down EOL. After a few curse words he descended.

Years later I happened across a remark he had authored either on a blog or thread such as this as to how he had thought is was great bein' way up there and also as high as a kite on dope. So yeah, how high was he?

I sincerely hope that he looks back on that particular incident with some serious misgivings of his own sanity, if not some well deserved shame.

Ascend Charlie has nailed it, he was right up there in the thick airspace.

[toptobottom]

AC - that makes perfect sense to me. That explains why I get out of puff when I'm exerting myself at high altitude; it's all that thick 'treacley' air slowing me down.

Maybe that's also why Ethiopian long-distance runners are so good? Suddenly they're down from the mountains and in the thin air: less resistance = faster speeds.

And, as if even more evidence was needed, that explains why asteroids burn up as they hit the thick air next to outer space. You hardly ever see an asteroid burning up in the lower atmosphere - there's no resistance as the air's too thin. :8


13,000' in an EC120 for me, no dramas and the 60kt tailwind was useful. The one that made me decide enough was enough was 10,000 in an R44 - although it was still climbing nicely and had power in reserve, it just didn't feel comfortable...

http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab71/prooner/Misc%20Heli/10000small_zps7e2e26eb.jpg

[RedhillPhil]

When I was about twelve I smoked two of Grandpa's full strength Weights following a sisterly dare.
High? I was floating around the room!

[Geoffersincornwall]

19,150 feet doing what G-SPEY was famous for.

G.

[SASless]

Working in Iran made for some high flying.....used to routinely cross a Pass at 14,300 during crew changes in an Alouette III. One of my Base Camps was at 7200' and the work was up hill from there.

Fastest rate of Climb ever experienced was "0".....flew off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in very hazy conditions....went from 100' AGL to just shy of 6,000' in about 0.2 seconds....and that is FAST...faster than some rockets!! (Had the Map held up in front of me trying to figure out where the Canyon was....and did not see the Lip until it was passing behind me.)

[Winnie]

Trying to do a power check in a Bell 206L3 in Dryden Ontario...

Kept going up and up and up. I started down again at 14.500' because the trees were small and the thing was STILL doing over 1000'/min UP.

Did not get a good number either.

Rutinely cruise at 9500 feet tho. The 214ST doesn't mind!

[nigelh]

Highest I went was in Egypt in a 47 3b1 ..... No idea how high as the only instruments working were airspeed and rrpm !! Over the desert I still thought I was well over 1,000 ft agl looking down at trees and valleys .... Turned out they were tiny shrubs and ridges in the sand !!
Ps TC ..... 5' 9'' .... I knew you had to be a short arse :ok::ok:

[llamaman]

Great stuff everybody; a pleasant change from some of the slightly drier subjects seen recently and an inspiration for wannabe Rotorheads. Keep 'em coming!

[Brilliant Stuff]

Okay I will ask, what is G-SPEY famous for?

[toptobottom]

nigelh: TC ..... 5' 9'' .... I knew you had to be a short arse http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/thumbs.gifhttp://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/thumbs.gif

Too funny! :D

[Shawn Coyle]

20,000 in a Gazelle on the ETPS course. wearing parachute and sucking oxygen.

[Geoffersincornwall]

What TV series involved a 'runner', a very nice 'rear end' and state of the art live and mobile communications set-up that depended on an airborne relay station?

G.

[TipCap]

so you were at Zagros too SAS?

Was the Allouette BF? Paul Berengier flew that one.

When I was there, we just had 206 AY and 204 AM

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv287/kernow_lad/B206AZagross1971.jpg

http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv287/kernow_lad/205Zagross2.jpg

[TipCap]

Anneka - yay

CastleAir?

[toptobottom]

Here's a clue (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/411031-infamous-treasure-hunt-landing.html)...

[SuperF]

tip cap

Civil 204 or ex Military UH1F?

[TipCap]

It was an Augusta Bell 204A. 44' rotor blades and powered by a RollsRoyce Gnome 1000 engine. Can't remember too much else as it was 40 years ago now :D

[SASless]

Passed by Zagros but never landed there. Worked on the Hi-Tension Power Line contract for BICC I think it was called. Also worked the Papa Charlie Contract, and a land based oil rig for a while. Spent some great time at the Saipeim Pipeline job.

Loved the Alouette III....a real honest helicopter...ugly as yer Mate's older sister....but a real workhorse.

[joecub]

Landed my Enstrom at 11,100, da was 13,200. not to bad for 205hp. Had it to 11,800 looking at other spots.

[BlenderPilot]

According the the GPS 18,531 FT AMSL . . . . . for a photo shoot of Pico de Orizaba, Bell 407.

[robin303]

Test flights in Cobras doing HIT checks. 14,500' :ooh: Pretty strange used to flying NOE.

[tartare]

Errm - that'd be Jean Boulet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Boulet) at FL46 in the Lama.
More info ici (http://www.latinaero.com/news/defence/2011_02/nws_dfc_110217-001.html).
Pierre Boulez is the froggy modern music composer.

[212man]

At the controls of a Lama, Jean Boulet reached an altitude of 12,442 meters on June 21, 1972. A record which still stands today.

at FL46 in the Lama.


Not sure where the other 520 ft went - were you privy to the QNH that day?

[SASless]

Is there anything out there today that can beat that Record?

[Um... lifting...]

Friend of mine was flying along in a Dauphin at FL300, but then his turn for the chemical toilet came up in the C-130 and he got out.

[MightyGem]

Landed on a Swiss mountain top at 12000. Was surprised when the instructor said it was OK to shutdown(used to Gazelles with, I think, an altitude limit of 10000 for start).

10k agl last year with an underslung glider for James may's toy story. Seemd rather high with no door on looking down
Know what you mean. The only time I've been reall uncomfortable flying was in a 206 at 10000' with no doors and moderate turbulance. :sad:

with an underslung glider for James may's toy story
Wondered if a ppruner was involved.

[SASless]

Um.....I have sat in the cockpit of a genuine Japanese Zero fighter....at -140 feet or so in Truk Lagoon.....to show some perspective here.

[Um... lifting...]

Corsair for me, just off Koko Head, Oahu in 110'. 'Sat' wouldn't really be true, as the seat was long gone.

http://www.oahuscubadiving.com/images/corsair.jpg

Have also landed an actual flying helicopter offshore about 120' below sea level, but that ain't what we're talking about here.

[Letsby Avenue]

Same as MG, 12500'onto Grossglockner plus we used to throw paras out at 17000' All pretty scary...

[Aesir]

Friend of mine was flying along in a Dauphin at FL300, but then his turn for the chemical toilet came up in the C-130 and he got out.


Yess been there :p Flight level 360 in a Hughes 300C.. pretty funny, the captain on the B747 Cargo asked me to check the altimeter on the Hughes :E Didn´t fool me though, told him it would probably show 7-8000 feet.

[Aesir]

Fred North | World Altitude Record – 42,500FT (http://www.fred-north.com/?page_id=338)

This guy´s been up pretty high.

I have myself been to 12500´ and only about 1500´ agl (can´t trust the radalt over ice) in a B212 over the Greenland icecap.

The 212 does´nt mind the altitude, Vne just about goes down to normal cruise speed anyway.

[Thax]

Just before the mighty Bell 47 Sioux was retired from 'operational' service in the RNZAF (circa 1986), an attempt was made to reach the promulgated service ceiling (20,000ft). Our AvMed folks stipulated portable oxygen (of course) and two pilots, which cut down the odds slightly. Still, they made it to 19,600ft PA. Bruce/Pete: If you're out there, you may still have the photo.

[Hawkeye0001]

Regularly cruising between 7500ft - 10500ft in an R-44 in East Africa; 12500 ft up the slopes of Kilimanjaro a few times - collective tucked in the armpit, that is. Vibration is rather annoying at anything more than 65kts though and controls become somewhat insensitive up there, too.
Highest LZ in a 44 was ~7600ft (some 10,000ft DA) on a crater rim with 2 pax and 24gal of juice

[topendtorque]

Have also landed an actual flying helicopter offshore about 120' below sea level, but that ain't what we're talking about here.

That's interesting so I'll bite, how or more particularly where did that happen?

[Um... lifting...]

Lots of chaps (and a few ladies) have. Goes on all the time.

Caspian Sea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspian_Sea)

[heliski22]

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg138/heliski22/dublin009.jpg

[prehar]

In an Chetak ( HAL Allouette III ) level flight at 25,000 ft in the Himalayas . In a Cheetah ( HAL Lama ) landings at 20,000 ft ISA + 30 about 23500 ft density altitude .... and it amazes me that we don't run mountain flying courses for the others in India !!

[johned0]

10k AGL on a beautiful gin clear day, in an R22. A little weird but the most amazing view. The earth looked like a 250 thou map laid out below.

How about turning the question on it's head - How Low Have You Been (legally!)?

This is 250' AGL and the QNH is set correctly ;-)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8359949502_b3c29b564e_z_d.jpg

Fly safe in 2013, everyone.

John

[toptobottom]

The lowest I've ever been was 0' AGL. Not very pleasant, I can tell you; I felt nauseous and dizzy :E

[Tailspin Tommy]

It all started in 1969 when assigned to an ARA unit. We used to hold at 500 to 6000 waiting to prep LZs for the slicks. Standard Purple Heart issued for facial rash from wearing oxygen mask.

Routinely filed from 8500 to 11500 in the guard and reserves to take advantage of winds aloft (OH-58, UH-1H). About the same altitudes in the S76 offshore GOM. 15,000 just for grins over Leeville, in a 206A. Max altitude in an S-62 was 1500 feet and 73 knots. Retreating blade stall buffet at 74 knots. 41,000 in a Citation 2. Reminded me of the S62 ride.