How dangerous are helicopters - and why are more of us trying to fly them?

[BigMike]

From New Zealand media:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-front-page-why-does-new-zealand-have-so-many-helicopter-accidents/F7RNKGOYBVD4ZPAGELV7DS6G2I/

"The Front Page: How dangerous are helicopters - and why are more of us trying to fly them?
By Damien Venuto (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/damien-venuto/)
25 Jan, 2023 05:00 AM3 mins to read

A horror crash on Australia’s Gold Coast served as a reminder of the dangers involved in flying a helicopter in this part of the world.While this tragedy happened across the Tasman, it could just as easily have happened in New Zealand. This country also has a long catalogue of helicopter crashes and close calls in its history.

In December, emergency services were called to a helicopter crash near Kai Iwi, Whanganui. And in the past week, we’ve also seen reports of a near-miss in Queenstown. Data from the end of 2018 showed that New Zealand had about 20 accidents per 100,000 hours flown. At the time, the country had about 900 helicopters flying about 250,000 hours annually.

Aviation commentator Peter Clark tells The Front Page (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1049-the-front-page-30038501/) podcast that data shows that helicopters are inherently more unsafe than other aircraft.

“There are a lot of helicopters in New Zealand per capita and we operate choppers in conditions that may be less favourable and pilots sometimes take risks,” says Clark.

The number of helicopters and hours flown looks set to increase as recreational travel picks up rapidly. Newsroom recently reported Auckland’s Waiheke Island has gone from 20 helipads in 2019 to 61 now. And more helicopters are flying to other holiday hotspots across Northland.

Clark says it isn’t surprising to see wealthy New Zealanders look for ways to escape the gridlock traffic in and out of Auckland. If this is managed appropriately with sufficient safety protocols and well-trained pilots, then the risk of tragedy should be limited.

“The congestion and infrastructure in New Zealand are causing the top end of the market to use a helicopter,” says Clark.

“There’s no problem if everything is well planned, the approach is unrestricted and we should only be using modern twin-engine machines. I don’t see any [greater] risk in the helipads, but when you have more and more helicopters, there is an increase in the possibility that an accident may take place.”

Clark explains that avoiding tragedy will largely depend on skilled pilots making good decisions and not taking unnecessary risks.

The influx of helicopters has also had a social impact, with community members vocal in their opposition to new helipad applications – and this fight isn’t likely to subside any time soon, particularly when the mode of transportation is perceived as dangerous.

So what are the main causes of helicopter crashes in Aotearoa? Exactly how dangerous are helicopters compared to other modes of transport? Are regulators permitting too many new helipads around the country? Do we have enough pilots to meet the growing recreational demand? And should Kiwis think twice before boarding a chopper for a quick spin?

Listen to the full episode of The Front Page (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1049-the-front-page-30038501/) podcast to hear Clark address all these issues and also offer some tips on what to consider before getting on a helicopter."

[KiwiNedNZ]

A horror crash on Australia’s Gold Coast served as a reminder of the dangers involved in flying a helicopter in this part of the world.

Really ??? What A Farq Wit. He knows nothing about the helicopter industry - and he obviously hasnt been to south america to see the way they fly there.

Sometimes people really just need to STFU and say nothing.

[SASless]

Please Ned....don't sugarcoat it....tell us what you really think!:D

[KiwiNedNZ]

don't sugarcoat it....tell us what you really think

Why would I change now SASless :)

[RVDT]

As an Irish mate told me once -

Sometimes it's better to remain quiet and just let people assume you are an idiot rather than opening your mouth to remove all doubt!

Possibly apples to most of the content from NZME.

[paco]

When you consider that the safest single-engined aircraft in the world is a helicopter..... (the 206, based on hours flown)

[teeteringhead]

When you consider that the safest single-engined aircraft in the world is a helicopter..... (the 206, based on hours flown) And if the donk does stop, it's pretty good at engine-offs.

[Dunhovrin]

Isn’t the cause of most helicopter crashes poor quality control when it comes to the knob on the control column?

[paco]

Yeah, the well oiled nut behind the wheel :)

[Robbiee]

From New Zealand media:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-front-page-why-does-new-zealand-have-so-many-helicopter-accidents/F7RNKGOYBVD4ZPAGELV7DS6G2I/

"The Front Page: How dangerous are helicopters - and why are more of us trying to fly them?
ByDamien Venuto (https://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/damien-venuto/)
25 Jan, 2023 05:00 AM3 mins to read

A horror crash on Australia’s Gold Coast served as a reminder of the dangers involved in flying a helicopter in this part of the world.While this tragedy happened across the Tasman, it could just as easily have happened in New Zealand. This country also has a long catalogue of helicopter crashes and close calls in its history.

In December, emergency services were called to a helicopter crash near Kai Iwi, Whanganui. And in the past week, we’ve also seen reports of a near-miss in Queenstown. Data from the end of 2018 showed that New Zealand had about 20 accidents per 100,000 hours flown. At the time, the country had about 900 helicopters flying about 250,000 hours annually.

Aviation commentator Peter Clark tells The Front Page (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1049-the-front-page-30038501/) podcast that data shows that helicopters are inherently more unsafe than other aircraft.

“There are a lot of helicopters in New Zealand per capita and we operate choppers in conditions that may be less favourable and pilots sometimes take risks,” says Clark.

The number of helicopters and hours flown looks set to increase as recreational travel picks up rapidly. Newsroom recently reported Auckland’s Waiheke Island has gone from 20 helipads in 2019 to 61 now. And more helicopters are flying to other holiday hotspots across Northland.

Clark says it isn’t surprising to see wealthy New Zealanders look for ways to escape the gridlock traffic in and out of Auckland. If this is managed appropriately with sufficient safety protocols and well-trained pilots, then the risk of tragedy should be limited.

“The congestion and infrastructure in New Zealand are causing the top end of the market to use a helicopter,” says Clark.

“There’s no problem if everything is well planned, the approach is unrestricted and we should only be using modern twin-engine machines. I don’t see any [greater] risk in the helipads, but when you have more and more helicopters, there is an increase in the possibility that an accident may take place.”

Clark explains that avoiding tragedy will largely depend on skilled pilots making good decisions and not taking unnecessary risks.

The influx of helicopters has also had a social impact, with community members vocal in their opposition to new helipad applications – and this fight isn’t likely to subside any time soon, particularly when the mode of transportation is perceived as dangerous.

So what are the main causes of helicopter crashes in Aotearoa? Exactly how dangerous are helicopters compared to other modes of transport? Are regulators permitting too many new helipads around the country? Do we have enough pilots to meet the growing recreational demand? And should Kiwis think twice before boarding a chopper for a quick spin?

Listen to the full episode of The Front Page (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1049-the-front-page-30038501/) podcast to hear Clark address all these issues and also offer some tips on what to consider before getting on a helicopter."

​​​​​This generation's obsession with safety is taking all the fun out of living.

[flash8]

When you consider that the safest single-engined aircraft in the world is a helicopter..... (the 206, based on hours flown)Could also be down to the calibre of S/E Pilots, Airplane vs Rotary, and 206 pilots likely far more experienced (in hours) than the average fixed wing piston pilot (most of the s/e).

[Carbon Bootprint]

I'm not going to take sides, but it was in this very forum I first learned that the definition of an optimist was "a helicopter pilot who stops smoking." :)

[Bell_ringer]

When you’re a landlubber you’re surrounded by idiots, when you get airborne, you’re surrounded by a superior form of idiot. When you fly helicopters, you get to avoid both. :E

[welshwaffu]

I think it's because the only part of a helicopter that isn't flight critical is the paint scheme and I wouldn't discount that either! :O

[SASless]

In sone sectors of the helicopter flying part of aviation....buyng green bananas could be considered a gamble.

[megan]

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1227x1631/reasoner_ca28b1a4b21594f507aa9f1b2a0aa921c6b0e14a.jpg

[albatross]

Well: Helicopters are the used for many tasks.
In many enviroments they are the last resort transport-wise.
You drive to a major airport to board a large airliner maintained in a huge hangar with a huge support structure. You take off into a well developed ATC system to fly to a smaller airport.
You board a large twin engined airliner, once again supported well, there to fly to an even smaller airport.
Then you board a float or skiplane to fly to a bush camp where the helicopter awaits beside a tent.
Operating at the pointy end with little or no support.
Hence you are at the end of the road operating the most complicated equipment in the harshest environment.

Have fun!

[SASless]

I have always said that helicopters start where the road ends.

That in a way is the special attraction helicopter flying holds upon those of us who have been to those really isolated places.

The joys of rolling your fuel drums around, standing them up, later hand pumping your fuel....not having any radio contact with the outside world for a week at a time.

Being not at the top of the Food Chain due to Bears....Brown and White holding the top spot.

Living in Tents and sleeping on the ground.....with a bucket for a bath tub.

Yes....glamorous work it was.

If you had a forced landing knowing it might be days before you were missed and no one really knew where to start looking for you.

[megan]

But there are compensations


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/956x768/ab240_fc58c5f750495c287e20ecd3ac8c1c3ab8ff9301.png
No, you can't go as a helicopter pilot on holidays

[paco]

It's always nicer to stop then land rather than the other way round :) Or take off without an undignified dash down the runway.

[Two's in]

The obvious additional level of excitement with helicopters is that the lifting surfaces are not only revolving at dizzying speeds, but are attached by hinges, dampers, bearing, nuts, bolts, locking wire and large dollops of engineering expertise. Compare this to a fixed wing where they cheat and use rivets, spars, bolts and welding. Having been an engineer before going flying, I often pondered how the the entire lift versus weight fight was being transacted thorough a single thrust bearing. Never bothered me (knowledge is power), but even today it's still some impressive engineering that fixed wing can only aspire to.

[Art E. Fischler-Reisen]

The obvious additional level of excitement with helicopters is that the lifting surfaces are not only revolving at dizzying speeds, but are attached by hinges, dampers, bearing, nuts, bolts, locking wire and large dollops of engineering expertise.

It gets really exciting when they're NOT..

[MechEngr]

The skill and judgement of the pilot makes a lot of the difference. I see pilots setting a skid on a tiny outcrop on a mountain side to let EMTs out, hovering precisely alongside high voltage lines, dropping Christmas trees onto trucks with the expertise of a surgeon, and then I see:

"There are good ideas. There are bad ideas. Then there's this idea."

https://imgur.com/gallery/D62ubSP

and I have to say - some of y'all are crazy. Fly safe and keep the Jesus nut secure.

[RMK]

"There are good ideas. There are bad ideas. Then there's this idea."

https://imgur.com/gallery/D62ubSP


In the comments section below that video, I liked "This is what Leonardo Da Vinci would have wanted"

[megan]

I see pilots setting a skid on a tiny outcrop on a mountain side to let EMTs outStandard stuff for a charter guy, remember dropping off surveyors from a 206 on a ridge line that was only a couple of feet wide but if you looked through the chin bubble it was 3,000' down to the valley floor.

What's exciting? Mate went on a back seat ride in a F-100 on a bombing mission, being an Army Sioux he was flabbergasted, in return took the jet pilot on a ride in his Sioux, he was flabbergasted, each thought that what the other did was the bees knees.

[SASless]

Both would have been bored silly with a Chinook flight but would have envied the In-Flight Food and Beverage Service.

[ShyTorque]

For a few years I flew SAR helicopters and for offshore stuff worked alongside fixed wing aircraft. Because of our relatively short endurance and their faster cruise speed, for more distant jobs they would take off first and do the searching. That often enabled us to be directed direct to the scene and pick up survivors, or recover what we could without wasting scarce fuel searching the area.

One of the senior fixed wing pilots was a very experienced, but through and through fixed wing, ex-RAF A1 QFI (RAF pilots know what that meant).

He once said to me how much he respected what we did. He said that in basic terms, aeroplane pilots go from A to B, then job done. Helicopter pilots go from A to B just to begin the difficult part of the job. I’d never thought of it in those terms before, but I think he’s right.

[Ascend Charlie]

Good fun taking vulcanologists into the crater of Karkar Island in PNG. Over the 6000' lip, land on the crater floor, and look up in dismay as cloud closes off the crater. Listening for rumbles underfoot, thinking of ways to blast off through the cloud, cruise for a minute to get clear of the hill, and then descend the 6000' back towards sea level. Luckily the cloud shifted before Karkar did anything silly.

[SASless]

Thinking about the thread title....got me to thinking back over my years of helicopter flying.....and the thought that keeps coming back Is that there is nothing any more dangerous than a bored helicopter. pilot.

Rarely does any good come from that.

Knowing helicopter pilots as I do....one thing for sure about the only thing we cannot resist is temptation.