Tom Cruise flying the AS350

[solent]

Interesting video of Tom Cruise flying the AS350 for his latest movie role.

What do you guys think?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Um0aZKbpe1Y

[MajorLemond]

I just saw this, and I have to say even though I am convinced the guy has lost his marbles with all the scientology stuff,

I was impressed!

[Bravo73]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Um0aZKbpe1Y

[helicrazi]

So he's being paid to do that,does that mean he needs a cpl? Maybe he already does?

[Jarvy]

I know his stunt coordinator (not the one on here) and Tom does his own flying in his own helicopter. He rents his 350 as well as his own biz jet back to the film company increasing his revenue stream.
The funny thing is none of the film crew or other actors will fly with him as his flying is, lets just say interesting!

[chopjock]

helicrazi
Maybe he already does?

Yes he does.:ok:

[Thomas coupling]

Why does he need a CPL?

3 months training, flying 8hrs a day makes hime eligible to do what he does. A PPL would have only taken him around a couple of weeks at the most!! The fact that he goes where lesser mortals fear to tread ("Spiral manouevres???") is entirely his decision.

Live by the sword etc etc.....:}

I'm not jealous - honestly...

[PDR1]

I just saw this, and I have to say even though I am convinced the guy has lost his marbles with all the scientology stuff,

I was impressed!

^^^What he said!^^^

I probably wouldn't like the guy personally, but as a pilot he's clearly no playboy-dilletante and gets nothing but respect from me. Ditto Harrison Ford, except that I thing I'd like him personally as well*.

PDR

Even if he DID choose to marry someone who could have been voted "the women whose name could most easily be mistaken for a gastro-interinal disease"

[ShyTorque]

I probably wouldn't like the guy personally

From personal experience, you might, actually.

[Lonewolf_50]

Even if he DID choose to marry someone who could have been voted "the women whose name could most easily be mistaken for a gastro-interinal disease" Are you referring to Mimi Rogers? (http://i2.wp.com/radaronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/tom-cruise-mimi-rogers-divorce-scientology.jpg?resize=980%2C551)

[PDR1]

No - Harrison Ford's wife

PDR

[PDR1]

From personal experience, you might, actually.

I don't tend to get on with religious people of any stripe - I tend to come over all Chris Hitchins, and then the relationship heads downhill quite rapidly.

PDR

[rotorspeed]

My experience echoes Shy's. TC is a top bloke - loves driving any sort of machinery, works hard to learn and no prima donna either, being courteous to others. With his enthusiasm too, he's a great ambassador for our helicopter industry.

[muermel]

Looks very professional to me :-)

[rotorrookie]

He is actually very different type in person than what the media wants to make out of him, unless he starts talking about the Scientology scam bs....

[helicrazi]

Why does he need a CPL?

3 months training, flying 8hrs a day makes hime eligible to do what he does. A PPL would have only taken him around a couple of weeks at the most!! The fact that he goes where lesser mortals fear to tread ("Spiral manouevres???") is entirely his decision.

Live by the sword etc etc.....:}

I'm not jealous - honestly...

Because he's being paid...

[helicrazi]

helicrazi


Yes he does.:ok:

Thanks! Thought he must have!

[ShyTorque]

I don't tend to get on with religious people of any stripe - I tend to come over all Chris Hitchins, and then the relationship heads downhill quite rapidly.

PDR

I'm agnostic, so I back well away from those with any sort of evangelical disposition, but I'd be very surprised if he even mentioned religion, unless you chose to make an issue of it.

[PDR1]

Fair enough.

PDR

[RVDT]

Heard on the qt that the MR sleeves needed replacing along with a few other bits and bobs. Overspeed?

[Maff]

Whilst not knocking his flying, remember that for this film they had a full AS350 cockpit replica setup in the studio with a green screen where you can do whatever flying you like, with Tom flying in that setup as well as in the real machine.

All may not be what it seems on YouTube. :-)

[TWT]

Shortly after 'Top Gun' was released Tom Cruise came into a studio I was working at for an interview. Very courteous and respectful guy. No ego on display whatsoever.

[Ascend Charlie]

From personal experience, a very nice guy, no ego apparent, happy to talk with the lowest in the social order (helicopter pilots) and learn what he can.

[Sepp]

My experience echoes Shy's. TC is a top bloke - loves driving any sort of machinery, works hard to learn and no prima donna either, being courteous to others. With his enthusiasm too, he's a great ambassador for our helicopter industry.

I concur. I had the very great pleasure of driving him around for a week (fixed wing, I'm afraid, people). He was eager to learn how we did what we did, and why, was pleasant company without exception, courteous and mindful of our needs as well as his and generally, as you say, a top bloke.

[Jelico]

Heard on the qt that the MR sleeves needed replacing along with a few other bits and bobs. Overspeed?


From what I hear overspeed is an understatement... I think all the dynamic components were scrapped.

[Aesir]

Tom is a good guy. Very courteous. He bothers to learn the names of the people working with him on assignments and greets you with your name every morning which amazed me since he must meet hundreds of people every year in his work.

He approaches flying with a very humble & professional attitude and is eager to learn and his son did also fly with me and had the same character attributes.

[Stab Bar]

I think that as is common in our media-driven world he's fallen out of favour rapidly since his Scientology exploits have become public. Any time you mention him now he's likely to be dismissed as a whacko, but I don't think anyone can deny he's consistently good in his film roles, and it sounds like he's a decent bloke in real life.

They would have had to watch themselves with that spiral descent close to the terrain if there was indeed a big overspeed - I can just imagine the cliffs looming up and the good old 'servo transparency' rearing its ugly head just as you were trying to pull out.

[helicrazi]

He hasn't done bad for a boy with roots off Flint

[cyflyer]

I admire Tom Cruise, I think he's probably a good pilot, especially after seeing him in American Made, but that spiral/roll manouvre in the clip, no way ! So near to the ground ?
The most experienced stunt helicopter pilot in the world wouldn't have done that. Far too dangerous. Maybe at a higher altitude...Would insurance companies even allow that even if the pilot was crazy enough to do it ? I think thats got be a studio/sim set up shot.

[breakdip]

...but that spiral/roll manouvre in the clip, no way ! So near to the ground ?...

Was it? Although I do not know the exact height of the drop, from the footage on Youtube it seems sufficient. Tom, and specifically the movie pilots, are experienced aviators. They know exactly the height loss of certain manoeuvres and whether it is foolish or professional.

Excellent ambassador for our industry! "I feel the need..."

[havick]

I admire Tom Cruise, I think he's probably a good pilot, especially after seeing him in American Made, but that spiral/roll manouvre in the clip, no way ! So near to the ground ?
The most experienced stunt helicopter pilot in the world wouldn't have done that. Far too dangerous. Maybe at a higher altitude...Would insurance companies even allow that even if the pilot was crazy enough to do it ? I think thats got be a studio/sim set up shot.

They probably self insure.

[mickjoebill]

From what I hear overspeed is an understatement... I think all the dynamic components were scrapped.

Unlike the many rumours talked about here, this pilot has been named.
Just saying.....

Mjb

[chuks]

Last time it was John Joseph Travolta supposedly holding variously a command rating for a Boeing 707, a CFI ticket, an FE ticket, and so on and so forth. He was being put forth as Superpilot then.

All faa.gov showed was this:

JOHN JOSEPH TRAVOLTA

8720 NE 16TH TER
OCALA FL 34479-3404
County: MARION
Country: USA
Medical Information:
Medical Class: First Medical Date: 2/2018
MUST WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES FOR NEAR AND DISTANT VISION.
BasicMed Course Date: None BasicMed CMEC Date: None
Certificates
PRIVATE PILOT

Certificates Description
Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT
Date of Issue: 6/5/2011

Ratings:
PRIVATE PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE

Type Ratings:
P/B-707 P/B-720 P/CE-500 P/CL-600 P/EA-500S
P/G-1159 P/HS-125 P/LR-JET


Limits:
ENGLISH PROFICIENT.
AUTHORIZED EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT: SO-G2.
B-707 SIC PRIVILEGES ONLY.
CE-500 (VFR ONLY).

That's not much when compared to what has been claimed as Travolta's qualifications.


When you go to faa.gov and insert Mapother, Thomas (Tom Cruise's birth name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV) in the search box you get back this:

THOMAS C MAPOTHER

Address is not available
Medical Information:
No Medical Information Available
Certificates
PRIVATE PILOT

Certificates Description
Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT
Date of Issue: 8/27/1947

Ratings:
PRIVATE PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND

Talented guy, but I doubt he got a PPL in 1947. That must be his father or his grandfather, since "Tom Cruise" was born as Thomas C Mapother IV

Searching a bit further gives us this for Cruise, Thomas:
THOMAS CRUISE

Address is not available
Medical Information:
Medical Class: First Medical Date: 12/2016
BasicMed Course Date: None BasicMed CMEC Date: None
Certificates
COMMERCIAL PILOT

Certificates Description
Certificate: COMMERCIAL PILOT
Date of Issue: 4/1/2016

Ratings:
COMMERCIAL PILOT
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER
PRIVATE PRIVILEGES
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND


Limits:
ENGLISH PROFICIENT.

If that's Tom Cruise the movie star then, yes, he does hold a CPL Helicopter.

That said, it would be pretty surprising to see a major movie star doing his own flying, but for insurance reasons, not necessarily for lack of skill or qualifications. If the star were to wipe him- or herself out part way through a multi-million dollar movie then the whole thing usually either would go down the toilet or else need some very high-level fakery.

The financial risk to a studio would normally mean that when you see a star such as Cruise doing something really, really dangerous then that was either done using a "green screen" or else it was done by someone else entirely.

If you go onto Youtube you can find an interesting short documentary about the making of the latest "John Wick" movie starring Keanu Reeves. There's an action scene involving a lot of really hairy stunt driving in a new Ford Mustang, when you can see Reeves behind the wheel. What you don't see, though, is a stunt driver doing the actual driving from a station up on the roof of the car!

The thing about this combination of Scientology and Hollywood is that it seems to square the amount of BS that supports the image of a big star such as Cruise is, and such as Travolta was. David Letterman did an interview with Cruise where he baited Cruise into claiming that he took his young children on technical rock climbs. Cruise was way out there on very thin ice then, but he just kept on with the nonsense, not backing down an inch despite laughing rather nervously.

Aviation is catnip for those who want to fantasize, and for those who want to believe in fantasy. Put some guy in the left seat of a real Boeing 707, wearing four bright gold stripes, and Sha-zam! he's a Captain. The FAA may not agree, but who bothers to check with them?

[f0xhunter]

He certainly looks young for someone who got their PPL in 1947! Nice research... not.

[rotorrookie]

We used to do this spin/decent show-off maneuver in the AS350 during heliskiing sometimes,:rolleyes: but usually not that steep of a nose down attitude like in the video, no need for that. Kept speed at 60-80 kts 60-70° bank with nose probably 45°down and with 40-50% Torque to maintain Mr rpm
It drops like a piano in that attitude, faster than in auto and you would like to have some 2000 feet below you at least
And for sure your are killing the MR frequency dampers if you do all the time.:ugh:
But the clip looks legit, not like some green screen fake and that waterfall looks like at least 1500 feet drop so Tom had good ground clearance when he comes of it.

[chuks]

This Prune thing ....

What I ended up with was this, "Talented guy, but I doubt he got a PPL in 1947. That must be his father or his grandfather, since "Tom Cruise" was born as Thomas C Mapother IV"

Followed very shortly by this:

"He certainly looks young for someone who got their PPL in 1947! Nice research... not."

Indeed, indeed ....

[southerncanuck]

We made most of the mounts used on the helicopters for this movie, my business partner was down on location for a few weeks and said TC was super nice and very interested in the mechanics behind the mounts themselves.
Good on him for wanting to do it himself.

[RVDT]

It's Queenstown NZ FFS.

Not like nobody has ever shot a movie in that region using a helicopter.

I recognise a few faces in the clip. There is a wealth of experience and "advice" available.

When it comes to aerial filming equipment that is the home of the Shotover camera developed by John Coyle who also developed the Cineflex.

Of course you can't do a movie in that area without including Sutherland Falls!

http://thegallivantpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Sutherlandfalls_1.jpg

As for the "spiral descent" - no big deal if done properly. I have seen guys in a H500 do it and actually climb in that attitude. You have to be
light though.

I like Toms headset - maybe it got in the way of face time.

[megan]

Loved his attempted manslaughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecwh7g5GnP0

[Watson1963]

Helo stuff starts at about 6min. No narration, just lots of clips.

Found myself watching the rest, including great parachute drops from a C-17.

A very clean 350 with beefy camera mounts!

https://youtu.be/A4OYdWtyClg

[Outwest]

The guy has good hands and feet for sure, very smooth.

[hunterboy]

Seems the real deal.....a good team player

[chopjock]

It was all looking great and professional except for the silly Hollywood lights in his skydive helmet...

[HeliHenri]

We trained like Tom Cruise (http://www.wired.com/story/mission-impossible-fallout-helicopter-stunt-tom-cruise/)

[Devil 49]

I can just imagine the cliffs looming up and the good old 'servo transparency' rearing its ugly head just as you were trying to pull out.

With dual hydraulics, one gets a 'limit' caution panel light before the servo transparency. I don't know what happens after that?
Never had a servo transparency issue with dual hydraulics. Singles? Oh yes! and it can be very inconvenient.

[Leonardo84]

It's amazing. How many flight hours would he have?

[Ascend Charlie]

He has been flying for quite a while, he owns a P-51 Mustang too. I gave him a helicopter lesson back in 2003, he already had a good feel for flying.

[belly tank]

I really enjoyed that video and outtakes. Despite what people think he is certainly one talented person. Half his luck!.

[IBMJunkman]

Tom took James Corden skydiving last week.

https://youtu.be/G1wsCworwWk

[southerncanuck]

Helo stuff starts at about 6min. No narration, just lots of clips.

Found myself watching the rest, including great parachute drops from a C-17.

A very clean 350 with beefy camera mounts!

https://youtu.be/A4OYdWtyClg
Very proud of our team at Meeker-Airfilm for making all the mounts you see used on the rotary wing assets. lots and lots of design and machining went into this project!

[Thomas coupling]

Have to say - nothing against this guy at all, so no grudge to bear but the film in general was quite implausible from the start and simply got worse.
The helo shots went from ridiculous to appalling.
Nothing looked right, these so called spirals did not come across as anything spectacular and portions of the action like trying to ram hiis helo into the other or surviving the horrendous mid air were absolutely pathetic.
overall it didn't show him at his best and certainky didnt do anything to attribute to his training as a helo pilot.
He flies the damn thing with wvery caption lit up and with the entire gearbox and engine aflame and still flies as if it was business as usual.
an insult to the industry and i couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Sheer junk overall. Don't waste your money - go see The Equaliser2 instead!

In la la land where they issue FAA CPL,s... does one have to sit all the exams we need to sit in easa land?
If so - does one honestly believe that TC sat all those exams AND passed them first time....with his filming schedule?
Give me a break. Something doesn't add up.
Did he really fly 200hrs and all those exams just to fart around in a helo on sunny days???

[aa777888]

Only two written exams and two checkrides between hour #1 and CPL in the US.

[aa777888]

Can't say it's THE Tom Cruise, but searching on his name in the FAA database brings up all the right answers. It looks like he was already a commercial fixed wing pilot, so he would only have had to do the private and commercial helicopter checkrides with the minimum amount of rotary wing flight hours. With his money and dedication he could have banged that out in a month or two.

[Planetary]

My understanding is that there were two overspeed incidents, neither of which occurred during filming. The most serious, at 465rpm resulted in replacement of the starflex and the sleeves. The other required only an inspection. AFAIK no other dynamics were replaced.

[cattletruck]

Haven't seen the movie but saw some previews and the line that caught my attention was when the token bimbo says to Mr Cruise "You can fly a helicopter?". No buxom wench asks me "You can act?" then wants to bonk my brains out because she has a few minutes spare in her agenda.

[9Aplus]

Movie is boring..
Flying stunts are ok, but bit unrealistic.
CGI rules nowadays....

[Sumpor Stylee]

With regard to his exams etc he does indeed hold an FAA CPL. It was completed in the U.K. at a facility that only has approval for EASA PPL at Denham though. Not sure whether the FAA allows just anyone to teach the course or whether you have to have specific approvals etc. Maybe said PPL RTF does meet the requirements. Or whether the specific instructor should be teaching CPL courses anyhow... but he passed the test required so best of luck to him. Let’s ask AnFI and see what he knows....