Bootneck

I suppose most of us, especially those who wore service uniforms, were lucky enough to discover our 'line'. That point at which we knew it would be suicidal or stupid to continue aviating. Military pilots were given the opportunity to find their break even point on many occasions, the loss of friends and colleagues may have tempered our enthusiasm, but not for long; the dreaded attitude of Get the job done, usually won.

I assume many of us sat in front of our PCs have at one time driven on, while feeling the nerves jangle in the pit of the stomach.

Which is why, if I may be presumptious, I'd like to ask a pilot a question.

If you were flying a Robinson, dark plum coloured, along the top of the cliffs west of Portreath this morning at 1100ish, were you entirely happy with your situation? Lurching along 50' above the deck, torrential rain and a cloudbase at an estimated 150-200' (generous assessment), admittedly the vis was about 600m.

Was it worth it? At 1400 I heard a small helicopter leaping around the western side of our village. Once again the weather had clagged in, the rain was bucketing down. I hope the aircraft was put down safely. Look down the other threads in this forum, how many commence, '(Aircraft type) crashes.... lost'. Sometimes it's worth sitting down and watching the world go by, rather than becoming a statistic.

Boring old phart? Moi?

DeltaNg

As a St.Mawgan based helicopter pilot, todays decision making was simple. No flying - bar a miracle all day. I'm very surprised a single engine chopper should be braving the horrendous conditions today.

Hang up the headset and put the kettle on. Nuff said.

Whirlygig

Silsoe Sid, which forum is this? I am agog at some of those comments!!

I was flying today with an instructor in Norfolk in marginal conditions for my ability and it was hard work and not really enjoyable so I can't think why any private pilot would even want to start. If I was a SFH PPL, I wouldn't have got out of bed.

Cheers

Whirls

Whirlygig

Thanks SS - I'd forgotten about that place!!!

Cheers

Whirls

Wee Willy Winky

Truro airfield is quite close to Portreath, and it is also to the western side of Truro.

I believe it is owned by a CAA examiner, who by a bizarre coincidence also happens to own / fly an R44 commercially, G-YIIK, which could be described as plum coloured.

Flying in such conditions as described might not be considered by many as 'HeliMagic'.

WWW
caput inter nubila condit

Bravo73

Now, now, Sid, that's not very fair of you.

If you read the comments in context, there's actually some very sage advice in those two HT threads (including from yourself )

The thread starters weren't advocated 'launching into cr*p conditions because you've always got a get-out'. They were discussing the options IF conditions did deteriorate more than forecast. (And, yes, we've all been there.) The fact that the 'CAA will prosecute if you land due to wx' myth was debunked actually added to the flight safety issues.


What a load of garbage. If you were so worried about the posters' attitudes, why didn't you just post again in the actual thread rather than sensationalise it over here?

ManOnTheSticks

WWW, I don't think it was the Truro machine, I haven't seen it around for a while and there has been a deep purple R44 in the south west over the last week.

Hilico

Who remembers the first a/c type to fly in on the first day of Helitech 2005?

And who remembers the flood of other a/c types once the cloudbase lifted?

Hover Bovver

I also seem to remember that it didnt fly out again either , I guess they must have turned the lights off on the motorway !

VeeAny

There is an R44 that occasionally comes past my house near Liskeard, down or just above the not very deep valley near us when the weather is crap.

There is no way he is legal (within 200ft of the houses), and often I wonder if he is safe, if he had an engine failure he'd probably take out a couple of houses in the village as sometimes he comes straight over the top of it (gross dramatisation I know). He clearly gets away with it. The machine doesn't fit that description though, white with blue markings in a Robinson standard paint scheme. I've even considered sending the photos to the authority (yes I have some), but decided against it as I feel that sometimes we all do something which others consider stupid but don't necessarily need hanging for it.

I am a participant in one of Sids Helitorque thread, not to big up landing in a field but to point out that sometimes its a better option than continuing and crashing, and on at least one of the occasions in my post I shouldn't have got airborne but didn't understand what I was launching into (the Shap landing if you read it).


GS

edfern

Red and white striped plums? what exotic fruit you must have!

G-YIIK has been in wellesbourne since December, and was sold on to someone who crashed it in manchester subsequently.

Helimagic??? you must be on helimagic mushrooms to confuse the two craft!

[email protected]

Sid, unfortunately the inability to read met forecasts is not confined to R22 pilots - we had a Robin (4 seat FW) appear on the runway at Chiv a few weeks back while the cloudbase was 2-300' in heavy rain and 25kts blowing from the West. The Robin was one of 5 French aircraft that launched from Cork, trying to get to Exeter and did so based on the Exeter TAF which was OK for the period. What they forgot to consider was the very active cold front occupying the space between Cork and Exeter and the 5 aircraft ended up spread to the 4 winds with most landing in S Wales. Our Robin tried to get to Eaglescott but couldn't get through because of the low cloud, turned back towards the sea thinking they might have to ditch and suddenly saw several thousand feet of runway beneath them. We looked after them for the night and I think they were rather chastened by their near-death experience - strangely they paid a great deal of attention to the met the next day.

I share your concerns about the gung-ho mentality of some in the PPL market, partly 'cos you and I are the ones who get to go and pick up the pieces when they push on too far!