Most unusual application for a helicopter?
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 30
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From: South West
Cabair
Yep, they certainly are but something a great deal bigger. Brilliant design so if the banner causes any problems, it and it's stabilisation weight can be released and then dropped with no danger to those on the ground. Several big sponsors using the system. Usually underslung from AS355.
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,119
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From: N20,W99
Weird Flights?
1.- I once took a police officer in Bell 407 to his girfriends apartment in the morning to wait until she came out, he pasted computer cut vinyl signs all over the helicopter saying he was sorry (I didn't ask for what) and we had to follow her all the way to work all over the worlds most crowded city, while he called 1000 times on the cell phone to apologize and when the call did go thru she would just hang up on him, needless to say she was really hot looking from the air, I can just imagine the marvels she did up close!
2.- I had to drop fake money for contestants all over a golf course for an MTV show.
3.- I took a guy to his girlfriends home where she was having a party so that he could deliver his promise ring to her, we landed in the patio which was really tight and I was taking it slow, he was so excited he jumped while I was still about 10 feet up and broke his leg.
1.- I once took a police officer in Bell 407 to his girfriends apartment in the morning to wait until she came out, he pasted computer cut vinyl signs all over the helicopter saying he was sorry (I didn't ask for what) and we had to follow her all the way to work all over the worlds most crowded city, while he called 1000 times on the cell phone to apologize and when the call did go thru she would just hang up on him, needless to say she was really hot looking from the air, I can just imagine the marvels she did up close!
2.- I had to drop fake money for contestants all over a golf course for an MTV show.
3.- I took a guy to his girlfriends home where she was having a party so that he could deliver his promise ring to her, we landed in the patio which was really tight and I was taking it slow, he was so excited he jumped while I was still about 10 feet up and broke his leg.
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 171
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From: midcoast US
Looking low-level over corn fields for an escaped (expensive) stud bull. We spotted it a couple of times, but it would run from the mighty R22, natch. (Imagine his view, nothing but green leaves in his face.) I wouldn't have guessed that a large bull could be so invisible in a field of corn. 
Joined: Sep 2002
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,721
Likes: 636
From: Great South East, tired and retired
Hovering over an air force bowling green to dry it out for the inter-service bowls competition .
Racing a Pilatus Porter around a trotting track - the Porter was fastest from start line to finishing post, but he couldn't stay over the track on the corners.
Carrying prize-winning ducks from the Royal Easter Show to the boss's farm - it was north, and the ducks would have flown south if they weren't in the chopper.
Sling-loading a lounge suite to the balcony of a high-rise apartment
Tossing equipment (electric fans, desk lamps, broken tools) from a Board of Survey into the waters of Stockton Bight so nobody could hand them in again and get a new one in return - some of the items were recognised as having been through the Board 3 times, so this was one way to make sure they didn't do it again. And we had to carry an official who certified that we didn't keep any items to recycle!
Culling feral animals (pigs, foxes, rabbits) that were on high ground during a flood, a rifle out each of 3 doors and me with the cyclic between my knees and a 38 in hand out the 4th door, plugging away at pigs. The first round goes into its rear haunches as it runs away, then it turns side-on to see what the mild annoyance was, and another 5 rounds put enough holes in a pig to make it sink in the water.
Chasing a snake off the runway - caution, snake turbulence.
Most useless application for a helicopter - carrying politicians.
Racing a Pilatus Porter around a trotting track - the Porter was fastest from start line to finishing post, but he couldn't stay over the track on the corners.
Carrying prize-winning ducks from the Royal Easter Show to the boss's farm - it was north, and the ducks would have flown south if they weren't in the chopper.
Sling-loading a lounge suite to the balcony of a high-rise apartment
Tossing equipment (electric fans, desk lamps, broken tools) from a Board of Survey into the waters of Stockton Bight so nobody could hand them in again and get a new one in return - some of the items were recognised as having been through the Board 3 times, so this was one way to make sure they didn't do it again. And we had to carry an official who certified that we didn't keep any items to recycle!
Culling feral animals (pigs, foxes, rabbits) that were on high ground during a flood, a rifle out each of 3 doors and me with the cyclic between my knees and a 38 in hand out the 4th door, plugging away at pigs. The first round goes into its rear haunches as it runs away, then it turns side-on to see what the mild annoyance was, and another 5 rounds put enough holes in a pig to make it sink in the water.
Chasing a snake off the runway - caution, snake turbulence.
Most useless application for a helicopter - carrying politicians.
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,697
Likes: 0
From: eastcoastoz
Snake transport?
In outback Queensland a while back, a bloody big Brown Snake had decided that we were a snake taxi and that he'd use our services.
(Perhaps he thought he'd go see his girlfriend or something.)
It took a full extinguisher bottle of CO2 to persuade him to do it by other means.
It would have been an interesting ride if we'd discovered him while airborne.
In outback Queensland a while back, a bloody big Brown Snake had decided that we were a snake taxi and that he'd use our services.
(Perhaps he thought he'd go see his girlfriend or something.)
It took a full extinguisher bottle of CO2 to persuade him to do it by other means.
It would have been an interesting ride if we'd discovered him while airborne.
Last edited by Stanwell; 24th October 2015 at 12:10.
Joined: May 2002
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 18,633
Likes: 1,072
From: Downeast
Sling loading Dunnys and the contents for the National Park Service.
Certainly the most glamorous job I ever had other than perhaps scattering the remains of dead Salmon along the upper reaches of streams for the US Forest Service.
People avoided you in the Pub afterwards following each long Day's Work.
Certainly the most glamorous job I ever had other than perhaps scattering the remains of dead Salmon along the upper reaches of streams for the US Forest Service.
People avoided you in the Pub afterwards following each long Day's Work.
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 181
Likes: 0
From: Thaïland
have carried a drowned dead man, picked up on the reef on a lost island in the basket outside, it's count ?
If not : retrieve videotapes of a canoe race in a bucket hanging from a rope in the middle of the Pacific...
If not : retrieve videotapes of a canoe race in a bucket hanging from a rope in the middle of the Pacific...
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 927
Likes: 12
From: Germany
Blowing halon out of the streets of a town in a valley, after the fireextinguishingsytem of a big company flooded not only the industrial hall but also the streets around.....
And something similar, also a town in a valley, with toxic fumes after a fire with an inversion weather with no wind....
and it worked - fire services were happy ;-)
And something similar, also a town in a valley, with toxic fumes after a fire with an inversion weather with no wind....
and it worked - fire services were happy ;-)
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 386
Likes: 4
From: steady
Originally Posted by BOBAKAT
If not : retrieve videotapes of a canoe race in a bucket hanging from a rope in the middle of the Pacific...
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 83
From: Gold Coast, Australia
I've done the dunnies drop (perfectly positioned on a boulder at the top of Mt Buffalo with the best view over the valley 
) but the annual call at the end of summer, from Parks, to longline out the full long drop toilets was something to keep on at least a 200' line.
Triple loads: how about a triple flag fly, at night, low level to be spotlighted at the AirShows DownUnder?
900+ft of bird netting to go over a fishpond?
Using Helitacks to fly water from the nearby river to fill a buoywall so the firetrucks could avoid driving down to the river
) but the annual call at the end of summer, from Parks, to longline out the full long drop toilets was something to keep on at least a 200' line.Triple loads: how about a triple flag fly, at night, low level to be spotlighted at the AirShows DownUnder?
900+ft of bird netting to go over a fishpond?
Using Helitacks to fly water from the nearby river to fill a buoywall so the firetrucks could avoid driving down to the river
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 83
From: Gold Coast, Australia
skadi,
Done in 1969 with a Wessex at Portland using the winch, running directly at Chesil Beach until lifting over the grockles at the last moment!
No doubt a repeat of it being done by a Whirlwind even earlier
Done in 1969 with a Wessex at Portland using the winch, running directly at Chesil Beach until lifting over the grockles at the last moment!
No doubt a repeat of it being done by a Whirlwind even earlier
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,017
Likes: 165
From: Hobe Sound, Florida
High Drink
This is dated, but may be of interest to both the long line pilots and the H-2/H-3/H-60 dipping community.
In the late 60's early 70's the DOD folks came up with a requirement to be able to keep an H-3 in a hover at 10,000 ft for extended periods. Hence the design included a 10,000 ft long flexible refueling hose. So the idea was to lift off, haul the hose to 10,000', engage the " Hover " coupler in the AFCS, and sit there for 8-10 hrs, all the while taking on fuel from below as needed. It didn't stop with the concept. The hardware was built and flight tested, as I recall, at the Augusta Ga Airport. Pilot was Kurt Cannon. You all can imagine the challenges. I do not recall why it did not go forward, but can think of a good number of reasons.
In the late 60's early 70's the DOD folks came up with a requirement to be able to keep an H-3 in a hover at 10,000 ft for extended periods. Hence the design included a 10,000 ft long flexible refueling hose. So the idea was to lift off, haul the hose to 10,000', engage the " Hover " coupler in the AFCS, and sit there for 8-10 hrs, all the while taking on fuel from below as needed. It didn't stop with the concept. The hardware was built and flight tested, as I recall, at the Augusta Ga Airport. Pilot was Kurt Cannon. You all can imagine the challenges. I do not recall why it did not go forward, but can think of a good number of reasons.