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

What would you do..

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

What would you do..

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 15th Jun 2005, 07:45
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
What would you do..

If you were informed you aircraft had hit a tree by ATC would you:

a) continue, board your pax and depart using the phrase "It'll be alright I'm not going far"

b) Shut down have a look to make sure it's all OK then continue

Answers on a postcard to...
magbreak is offline  
Old 15th Jun 2005, 09:41
  #2 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It didn't actually happen to me. I stood and watched it in disbelief (it wasn't a small tree!!), then phoned ATC where the incident happened..
magbreak is offline  
Old 15th Jun 2005, 13:45
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Harwich
Age: 65
Posts: 777
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Come on, Mag, you're making a point aren't you?
Hilico is offline  
Old 15th Jun 2005, 18:39
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: White Waltham, Prestwick & Calgary
Age: 72
Posts: 4,156
Likes: 0
Received 29 Likes on 14 Posts
Shut down and call and engineer?

Which part hit?

Phil
paco is online now  
Old 15th Jun 2005, 19:20
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: In my tank engine
Posts: 203
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Cool

Hi Paco

A tree engineer or heli engineer

I would also shut down and call the engineer, I hit a few pigeons a few years ago on take off, Put 2 big dents on the underside of each main rotor (Fist size) Better safe than sorry.

Last edited by ThomasTheTankEngine; 15th Jun 2005 at 21:54.
ThomasTheTankEngine is offline  
Old 15th Jun 2005, 21:21
  #6 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
No point to make.

Just after some opinion on what others would have done. Several of us stood there not believing what we'd seen and the aircraft just departed without shutting down for a look at what damage had been done (if any), but surely better to check than to assume.

The main blades hit the tree.
magbreak is offline  
Old 15th Jun 2005, 21:38
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: N20,W99
Age: 53
Posts: 1,119
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I once saw a C-130 hit the rudder of an ATR72 with its wing tip as the C-130 was taxing to an active runway, the C-130's Nav light fell to the ground, and the ATR had a "bite" in its rudder as big as watermelon,

Now once this happened, someone ran out of the C-130 with the engines still running, looked at the wingtip, picked up the broken nav light and ran back into the aircraft . . . . .
About 3 minutes later after taxing to the active, the C130 was airborne.

I have video I got with my handicam of this incident as it happened.
BlenderPilot is offline  
Old 15th Jun 2005, 22:21
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: London
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It amazes me there are so many lunatics out there who are prepared to go air-borne with an even greater possibility of the piece of tin they are travelling in falling apart.
There must be some sane Helo drivers out there. Or am I just a coward?

H.
hemac is offline  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 02:27
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Caribbean
Posts: 171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wink

Call an engineer.

Take the rest of the week off.
Jed A1 is offline  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 06:54
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 5,197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
hemac

A sweeping response for someone who's been learning to fly helicopters for almost two weeks.

Heliport is offline  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 07:10
  #11 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: OS SX2063
Age: 54
Posts: 1,027
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Magbreak

Wasn't Tuesday afternoon was it ?

Personally i'd go with the shut down and call an engineer option, assuming the type wasn't cleared for tree cutting !

V.
VeeAny is online now  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 07:35
  #12 (permalink)  
TheFlyingSquirrel
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Anyone seen that giant pink tree, in the middle of the open field down by the M23/M25 junction? Wierd !!
 
Old 16th Jun 2005, 07:55
  #13 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
May have been!!
magbreak is offline  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 08:03
  #14 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: in Cyberspace
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Mr Squirrel,

It's red and it's art. The little Spankfaarts want it redone in purple next.

The Red Tree

V
Vankem Spankfaart is offline  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 11:11
  #15 (permalink)  
TheFlyingSquirrel
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Well it looks pink from 1500' !!
 
Old 16th Jun 2005, 11:32
  #16 (permalink)  
Blame My Parrot
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Somerdorset, UK
Age: 69
Posts: 227
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
......and what colour do you perceive the fields to be?

VG
VitaminGee is offline  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 12:36
  #17 (permalink)  
Gnome de PPRuNe
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,637
Received 300 Likes on 168 Posts
Thans for the red tree thing, I had been wondering...
treadigraph is offline  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 18:18
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
There is really only one answer to this question; the pilot has no choice. Here's what the U.S. FAA says about it:
Sec. 91.7

Civil aircraft airworthiness.

(a) No person may operate a civil aircraft unless it is in an airworthy condition.
(b) The pilot in command of a civil aircraft is responsible for determining whether that aircraft is in condition for safe flight. The pilot in command shall discontinue the flight when unairworthy mechanical, electrical, or structural conditions occur.
Does "hitting something" equate to loss of airworthiness? I think it would be successfully argued by the FAA (in their certificate action against the pilot) that once he became aware that he'd hit something with his aircraft, he could not be certain that the aircraft was still airworthy. Therefore, he would require him to land. Further, it would be a weak argument for the pilot to state, "Well, yeah, I knew that we hit something, but I was sure it didnt cause any structural damage."
The Rotordog is offline  
Old 16th Jun 2005, 19:21
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: London
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Heliport

A sweeping response for someone who's been learning to fly helicopters for almost two weeks.
A sweeping response, how so?

I don't think pilots have exclusive right to common sense, in fact from some of the posts on this forum it appears that a lot of them are devoid of it.

I would like to think that when I have been flying for years and have thousands of hours in my log book I would still have the smarts to realise that having just hit something in my aircraft it might be a good idea to at least check it before taking off, if at all.

I hope you have too.

H.
hemac is offline  
Old 18th Jun 2005, 20:28
  #20 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Den Haag
Age: 57
Posts: 6,266
Received 336 Likes on 188 Posts
Maybe it was this guy doing some freelancing on his days off:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...hreadid=170302

212man is offline  


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.