Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Aircrew Forums > Rotorheads
Reload this Page >

Helicopters & Geocaching

Rotorheads A haven for helicopter professionals to discuss the things that affect them

Helicopters & Geocaching

Old 18th Jan 2005, 18:20
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wink Helicopters & Geocaching

Howdy,

Are there any other pilots out there who are also Geocachers? For those who aren't familiar with Geocaching...
Geocaching has been called, "the sport where YOU are the search engine" and is currently in 213 countries. It is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache.
You can learn more about Geocaching on the Geocaching Website (click here). Before GPS came along, "letterboxing" was pretty big in the UK (and still is from what I've read). Anyway, I've been thinking about creating a "Helicopter Only" Geocache... something on a pinnacle or rooftop heliport where you would need a rotorcraft to get to. Aircraft have been used in Geocaching before, but not as the only way to get there. The first person that found this cache (click here) got a $1000 prize. And this link (click here) shows the folks that left that Geocache using a helicopter for placement (note the Huey in their profile). There are some crazy cache locations, like this one (click here) in Antarctica (still unclaimed - I wonder why).

My questions and comments are... Are any other pilots Geocaching? What do you think of a helicopter only Geocache? Hmmmm... perhaps I just let too much of my geekiness slip out.

R2
RDRickster is offline  
Old 18th Jan 2005, 18:32
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Downeast
Age: 75
Posts: 18,267
Received 467 Likes on 191 Posts
Now you done it.....nearest cache is 0.7 miles away....another way to keep idle minds busy!
SASless is offline  
Old 18th Jan 2005, 20:33
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Redding CA, or on a fire somewhere
Posts: 1,956
Received 50 Likes on 15 Posts
Funny this post comes up right now. There I was rained out for two days and searching the internet and just joined a few days ago. So I have not found any yet or placed any, but had the same idea. Here is one that I found while searching the site
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache...2-78367ec1189b
As for a helicopter only Geaocache, I was thinking of doing the same thing, but here in Kauai it would be hard for people to get the permits for off airport landings. (We have a few regulatory "issues" that we have to deal with out here.
Gordy is offline  
Old 18th Jan 2005, 21:37
  #4 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

Thanks, Gordy... I didn't know about that one. Most caches are some kind of physical box, but some (like the one Gordy posted) can be a little different. Hey SASless, according to the Geocache posted by Gordy, all you need is to grab one of the GPS units out of that slick you sometimes fly and take a digital picture of your own airfiled with GPS in hand. That'll be one down your first day!

Actually, I wonder how many of you have been to most of the airfields or heliports listed on that cache already?
RDRickster is offline  
Old 18th Jan 2005, 22:06
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Redding CA, or on a fire somewhere
Posts: 1,956
Received 50 Likes on 15 Posts
The type of cache I linked to is a Locationless (Reverse) Cache.
"Locationless caches could be considered the opposite of a traditional cache. Instead of finding a hidden container, you are given a task to locate a specific object and log its coordinates. A scavenger hunt of sorts, it involves collecting waypoints of various objects around the world. Due to the nature of locationless caches they do not come up on the nearest cache page. You can find them at their own location. "
Check out the different types of caches here

http://www.geocaching.com/about/cache_types.aspx

There are even webcam caches---is this cool or what!!
Gordy is offline  
Old 19th Jan 2005, 05:11
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Over here
Posts: 1,030
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I cache, but not with a helicopter.

I've pretty much left geocaching.com for terracaching.com. The head frog is a little too arrogant for me, and his moderator frogs are no better. The terracaching site is growing faster than the frog site did in the same amount of time.
Gomer Pylot is offline  
Old 21st Jan 2005, 16:14
  #7 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs down GA Aiport Security - No Challenge?

Okay, so I'm in the area by KGAI and thought that I would try this "reverse" Geocache thing where you log an airport by taking a picture and showing the coordinates. It's not the normal Geocache where you find a box of goodies under a tree for your kids or something, but I thought it would be fun to share with my fellow Geo-Nerds anyway... especially since this one (click here) was aviation related.

So, here I am at Montgomery Airpark (GAI) just a few minutes north of Washington, D.C. I have a camera in one hand and a GPS in another. I was wandering around the area taking pictures and getting coordinates from my GPS. I fully expected to be questioned by someone in the area, but nobody seemed to care.

Now, I wasn't acting sneaky... I was in plain sight and dressed casual. So, I suppose it would be natural for nobody to really take notice. HOWEVER, I start walking though towards the flight area... taking pictures and holding a GPS in the air to get readings. The flight area had a fence around the perimeter, barbed at the top, with a security code to open the gates.

So, I walk RIGHT THROUGH an open security gate, which was supposed to remain closed, taking pictures and holding a GPS in the air... and NOBODY looked at me twice. At this point, somebody should have asked me who I was, what I was doing, and to present some I.D. At least, that's what I expected to happen. Doesn't anybody pay attention to the GA Airport Watch Program (click here)?



P.S. Thanks, Gomer Pylot, I'll check that group out, too.
RDRickster is offline  
Old 21st Jan 2005, 22:50
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Redding CA, or on a fire somewhere
Posts: 1,956
Received 50 Likes on 15 Posts
RDRickster, or should I say "Mighty Tiggers".
Hey I just checked what you posted on geocaching, (cool find). There is an easier way to find if someone has logged the location already, download this program---it works really well.

http://factsfacts.com/geocachingsoft/locationless.htm

Aloha
Gordy is offline  
Old 22nd Jan 2005, 01:50
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Over here
Posts: 1,030
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I don't see the point of worrying about someone having a GPS around an airport. After all, the FAA publishes the coordinates of every airport, and the associated runways and navaids, and it's freely available on the web. Why bother to wander around with a GPS when you can get the numbers from anywhere? The TSA has gone overboard.
Gomer Pylot is offline  
Old 22nd Jan 2005, 12:07
  #10 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

Gomer Pylot, normally I would agree; however, the security gate was open to all the aircraft and I was able to just waltz in. The only reason I had a GPS was because it was part of that cache requirement (to display coordinates of the field in the picture). The thing was that nobody even challenged me, and my behavior given the circumstances was out of the norm.

Gordy, I had to change my Geocache name after the whole family started getting into it, including the wifey. The little ones get pretty excited about "looking for treasure."
RDRickster is offline  
Old 22nd Jan 2005, 20:25
  #11 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Texas
Posts: 512
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
RD, I don't think your actions were at all out of the norm. I see people wandering around airports with cameras all the time, and a handheld GPS can easily be mistaken for a cell phone, which everyone has these days. Granted the gate shouldn't have been open, but at small airports there just isn't the money for professional security, nor really the need for it. How much damage can a terrorist do with a C172? We're badly over-reacting, and need to get on with our lives.
GLSNightPilot is offline  
Old 22nd Jan 2005, 21:00
  #12 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

Good points, but if there is an GA Airport Watch Program - we should endeavor to participate. Most of the things that the TSA does is total window dressing anyway, but I would rather do something voluntarily then be mandated to the level of ridiculousness. Recently, they almost made small GA aircraft participate under the same security screening program that commercial airlines follow for checked baggage! There is no significant threat from small aircraft, but that hasn't stopped the TSA from regulating GA aircraft. If we demonstrate that we take aiport security seriously, then it is better for everyone concerned... right? Is it really an over-reaction to ask someone for I.D. and to follow the bare minimum concerning security protocols?
RDRickster is offline  
Old 25th Jan 2005, 20:11
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Redding CA, or on a fire somewhere
Posts: 1,956
Received 50 Likes on 15 Posts
So I knew I would find a way to combine the two!!!!
Helicopter is AS350B2 left seat PIC

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.a...9-35e2bb6e2541
Gordy is offline  
Old 25th Jan 2005, 20:26
  #14 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

Now that's one helluva first find, helocat... and in an AS350!
It's probably never been done that way in Geocaching before.
RDRickster is offline  
Old 26th Jan 2005, 08:48
  #15 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
here's a few geocopter cache logs from oz

http://ideology.geocaching.com.au/senwen
http://ideology.geocaching.com.au/endurance
http://ideology.geocaching.com.au/yerranderie
http://ideology.geocaching.com.au/comin
R405 is offline  
Old 26th Jan 2005, 13:09
  #16 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

Awesome photos of "Geocopter" caching (nice term)!

Now, I want to see a cache on a high degree pinnacle or something where you would HAVE to use a helicopter (unless you are some kind of lunatic rock climber with a death wish). Anybody?
RDRickster is offline  
Old 19th Nov 2010, 12:47
  #17 (permalink)  
sss
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: uk
Posts: 191
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Before the demise of virtual caches I did look at trying to create one that you could do from the London heli routes but not from google earth. Unfortunately virtuals disappeared before getting round to do it.
sss is offline  
Old 19th Nov 2010, 13:13
  #18 (permalink)  
LH2
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Abroad
Posts: 1,172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
somebody should have asked me who I was, what I was doing, and to present some I.D
And here we have one more person who actually demands to be surveilled. Then people wonder why we have the kind of world we have

One despairs.
LH2 is offline  
Old 19th Nov 2010, 16:14
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Redding CA, or on a fire somewhere
Posts: 1,956
Received 50 Likes on 15 Posts
I am planning on landing at this one on m way out to contract next year:

Helicopter please
Gordy is offline  
Old 19th Nov 2010, 16:52
  #20 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: uk
Posts: 1,658
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Been geocaching a while now but not by helicopter as yet. I'm led to believe there was once a cache on an offshore installation in the North Sea. I could always leave one out there one day for a laugh, i'll keep a Nano in my flight suit I think.
helimutt is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.