Over 20,000 helicopter hours

[dan454]

I had a goal of reaching 20,000 hours helicopter. I now have 20500 helicopter hours and 20705.5 total hours. I'm just wondering if there are many high time (helicopter) guys. I found a story of one guy in Calgary that has 21,000 hours, comments?

[fijdor]

Congrats to you, well done.

JD

[mustering guru]

Plenty in OZ chasing Moo Cows around with over 20k. I know a couple that have 25K

[Old Farang]

Sir Richard will take some beating:

Staff and pilots | Southern Lakes Helicopters, Fiordland, New Zealand (http://southernlakeshelicopters.co.nz/general-info/staff-and-pilots)

Sir Tim Wallis may be up there, along with Bill Black. Dick Deaker for sure has more, but he is a very modest fellow and would probably not own up to it,

Aerial Hunter: The Dick Deaker Story | Stuff.co.nz (http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/culture/books/lifestyle/3207656/Aerial-Hunter-The-Dick-Deaker-Story)

There are probably many more in NZ.

As posted above, many mustering pilots in Oz. But no matter where, it is no mean feat!

[SASless]

One of the Pilot Tea Rooms I used to hang out in between flights had a staff with many Old Git's with well over 20,000 hours and ten years or more to go before Retirement.

I once flew with a fellow who had 13,000 hours in just one Type of Helicopter.

The laugh was he was my Co-Pilot and I had about 500 hundred hours on type.

I paid close attention when he offered some advice or commentary.

[Canuck Guy]

I believe there was a fellow flying EMS in Canada with over 30,000 hours in helicopters.

[TipCap]

22,044 on retirement in June 2009. 17,501 P1 Day, 1,468 P1 Night, 3,969 IF

and loved every minute of it!!

[Paul Cantrell]

Back in the early nineties I was sitting in the outer office of our local flight examiner while a buddy was inside getting quizzed for his CFII. A nice older couple was sitting with me, speaking French. He appeared to be in his 70s...

After a while I introduced myself and asked why he was there... He told me he was a Canadian pilot renewing his American CFI. I asked a little about his background - he owned an agricultural application company in Canada flying 206s.

At one point I asked him how many hours he had, and he said "oh, I don't really know, I stopped bothering to log them back in the sixties". So of course I asked him how many hours he had back then, and he said he stopped logging when he hit 30,000 hours (30 years prior!).

Was it true? Dunno, never asked the examiner about it, but I can believe it...

I've flown with quite a few high time guys and I've learned lots of tricks that I try to pass onto students, but the one thing I've noticed with the high time guys... They don't rush. They'll fly at Vne for sure, and they can get a lot done in a short amount of time, but they don't rush or cowboy... they fly with an economy of motion that I try hard to emulate but probably will never totally achieve.

I did an IFR flight with one of our local FAA guys, Bill Wicks, quite a few years ago... he was a Chinook pilot in Vietnam and had lots of hours and experience, and was the guy who gave me my first 135 checkride. Anyway, we're going to takeoff into a low overcast and he asks whether he can do the takeoff. Of course! He taxies out onto the runway at a walking pace... sets it down on the centerline, adjusts this, checks that... Meanwhile I'm aware of the guy on approach talking with tower and keep waiting for tower to basically tell us to hurry up but they didn't. And when he was good and ready we lifted off and punched into the overcast.

The lesson I took away was not to be in a rush, take your time, and do it right.

Doesn't look likely that I'll ever hit 20,000 hours but my goal is to try to fly like a 20,000 hour pilot! Congrats dan454!

[helihub]

Ulf Grinde, Co-owner and Chief Pilot of Jamtlands Flyg in Sweden retired in autumn 2015 with over 32,000 hours flown.

Helikopterpiloten Ulf Grinde lämnar över spakarna (http://www.op.se/jamtland/ostersund/helikopterpiloten-ulf-grinde-lamnar-over-spakarna)
(you'll need a translate program like Google Translate if you don't speak Swedish)

[Nigerian Expat Outlaw]

There was a pilot in Eket, previously in Escravos (Nigeria) and many other places from Colorado who retired with over 30,000. He started in Vietnam. A mutual friend of ours, Sasless.

Congratulations dan454 !

NEO

[dan454]

Thanks for all of the info guys. The next time someone says that helicopters are dangerous ask them "then why are these guys still alive?" I wonder how that should be translated in fixed wing hours, ideas?

[B2N2]

Fixed wing all SE and ME piston but I met this guy who had 52,000 hrs.
Started when he got his Commercial at 18yrs old and had basically flown 1000hrs/year ever since.

[2leftskids]

A few years back now I was talking to a mustering pilot and the subject of hours came up. He had a little over 10,000 hours nearly all on the R22. I asked him if he thought he was still learning anything past the 10,000 hour mark? "No" he said. "Just sticking my head further in the noose"

[spencer17]

22.500 helicopter and counting.

[jimcarler]

A few years back now I was talking to a mustering pilot and the subject of hours came up. He had a little over 10,000 hours nearly all on the R22. I asked him if he thought he was still learning anything past the 10,000 hour mark? "No" he said. "Just sticking my head further in the noose"

This noose quote strikes a chord...

20,000 is no mean feat however you get there.

[500guy]

I am humbled every time I go to work.

At my company we have 16 pilots with an average level of helicopter flight experience of 10,500 hours. We have one pilot at 25k one at 23k one at 21k one at 17k and one at 15k. most of the rest of our pilots are in the are in the 4k-9k range. Only one is below 4k and hes at 2800

And as for type, one has 16k on type a and one has 12k on type (500's). The average time on 500s is 4k across the company. 500's are all we operate.

Thew more striking statistics are an average level of external load experience of 6,200 hours, and average powerline construction experience of 3200 hours!

And that is not to mention, we had pilots of 24k, 23k, 17k and 14k helicopter experience retire in the past few years!

[Um... lifting...]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Long_(aviator)

Granted, he was an airplane guy, but he finished up with 65,000+, most of it in a Piper Cub below 200' looking at power lines. No instrument rating and took one flying lesson in 1933. Some of his logbooks were (and may still be) on display in one of the FBOs at KMGM.

[500guy]

There is guy named Joe Brigham in New Hampshire that is over 40,000 hours in helicopters. Mostly in Bells, Most of it Ag and powerline patrol. He is quasi retired. I believe he still does check rides.

[Um... lifting...]

I know of Joe and we have several mutual acquaintances, though I've not met him. He was at one time an examiner in the AW139, among other things, and may still be. Most of the higher-timers I know well are more in the range of 15K.

[megan]

I am humbled every time I go to workNo need to be 500. Everyone started off with zero. :) I was fortunate enough to have worked in what was basically an airline type job in the offshore, and so built a few hours. SIL, on the other hand, is in a job where he is lucky to crack 350PA. Retired with 19.1K, of which 11.4K was in the 76, and 6.2K Huey in its single and twin formats. The industry even gives out nice little mementos to hang in your man cave, if your into that sort of thing.

[hueyracer]

I feel kike a youngster again at only just below 8000 now...and will nevwr reach 20k until i retire..but 65k?


Lets assume he started flying at age 20 until he was 70-thats 50 years of flying.

This means he did 1300 hours a year-or 3.5 hours EVERY day in these 50 years....cant believe it...

[megan]

Took his his first and only flying lesson at age 17 huey. Quite believable given Max Conrad clocked 52,929.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19990720&id=4YAfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AH4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5183,6665664

Max Conrad | Master Aviator (http://maxconrad.com/)

[DOUBLE BOGEY]

Mr Conrad only spent 6.04 years actually flying!. What the hell did he do with the rest of his life?

[Um... lifting...]

I feel kike a youngster again at only just below 8000 now...and will nevwr reach 20k until i retire..but 65k?


Lets assume he started flying at age 20 until he was 70-thats 50 years of flying.

This means he did 1300 hours a year-or 3.5 hours EVERY day in these 50 years....cant believe it...

According to all I've read he flew far more than 50 years, starting at 17 in 1933. He broke the record in 1983 (when he was 68 or so) with 53K-odd, which would be more like 1000 per year, which is about 20 per week.

Apparently it's all the man did or wanted to do.

There are a lot of power lines in Alabama, and he spent his working life looking at 'em out the window at 80 mph or so. Had a number of engine failures along the way, all of which he walked away from.

He was still actively flying at 80. Single pilot, mostly Class G airspace, low level, Cub, no instrument rating, no type ratings. I looked him up on the FAA website, and the date of his last valid medical was a couple months before he died.

I ain't saying he did and I ain't saying he didn't, but that would be one heck of a scam if he didn't. Probably the rural wide open spaces of a place like Alabama are the only way something like this could even be possible.

CNN - Alabama man loves to fly -- and it shows - December 31, 1998 (http://www.cnn.com/TECH/science/9812/31/tt.record.pilot/index.html?_s=PM:TECH)

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19990720&id=4YAfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AH4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5183,6665664

Medical
Medical Class: Third, Medical Date: 6/1999
Certificates
COMMERCIAL PILOT
Date of Issue: 6/22/1962
Certificate: COMMERCIAL PILOT Print
Ratings:
COMMERCIAL PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND

In FAA land, you get a new Date of Issue any time anything is added to your certificate.

[Jabberwocky82]

A friend has 30 000, Vietnam start and then heli logging in Canada. The more astonishing thing imo is working out how many years they've been seated in a machine. My friend has sat his bum in a helicopter for the equivalent of ~3 years and 1 month...
I love flying, but I don't love it anywhere near that much.

[Old School Guy]

Was pretty common for the high time guys to have Viet-Nam then Heli-Logging experience. A co-worker retired a couple years back with over 31,000 hours. Have known several over the years with close to that.
My own route (for what it's worth), is Viet-Nam, Heli-Logging, Construction, and Firefighting.....coming up on 25,000 helicopter hours, most all in heavy machines.
Still just a high time student pilot....

[RVDT]

Bill Black in NZ retired with better than 25,000 which is not that unusual but for 13,000 of those in one particular AS350 ZK-HMY!!

When working in France one of our mechanics happened to ask one of the French pilots his total time which he responded "about 4000 hours".
The mechanic then pointed out that one of our senior pilots also had 4000 hours but it was in one of the B205's parked outside. I think the guy
had a total in the high 20's somewhere.

[500guy]

Bill Black in NZ retired with better than 25,000 which is not that unusual but for 13,000 of those in one particular AS350 ZK-HMY!!

When working in France one of our mechanics happened to ask one of the French pilots his total time which he responded "about 4000 hours".
The mechanic then pointed out that one of our senior pilots also had 4000 hours but it was in one of the B205's parked outside. I think the guy
had a total in the high 20's somewhere.

I said before that one of our pilots has about 16k in MD 500s about 90% of that is split between 3 aircraft....

[fijdor]

Bill Black in NZ retired with better than 25,000 which is not that unusual but for 13,000 of those in one particular AS350 ZK-HMY!!

When working in France one of our mechanics happened to ask one of the French pilots his total time which he responded "about 4000 hours".
The mechanic then pointed out that one of our senior pilots also had 4000 hours but it was in one of the B205's parked outside. I think the guy
had a total in the high 20's somewhere.

RVDT you are referring to A.Aska, passed away 1 or 2 years ago and flew almost to the end.
At the time (90/91) he had 18,000 hrs The 205 in question was C-GFHM, also he brought the first B205 in Canada.

JD

[RVDT]

JD,

Yup, dat guy.

Good memory.

[Capt Raj]

I had a goal of reaching 20,000 hours helicopter. I now have 20500 helicopter hours and 20705.5 total hours. I'm just wondering if there are many high time (helicopter) guys. I found a story of one guy in Calgary that has 21,000 hours, comments?
Congrats, that's a great achievement. You must be in an elite club now.