What was your scariest moment in a helicopter?
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Pleasure flying duties at an air display in N. Yorkshire RAF base. The agreement (and also published in the Pilots notes) was that the area to the east of the main runway would be "protected" for the PF operations, which would take place all day long whilst the air show was in progress. The weather was foul, and all the air show participants everybody were putting on their "flat" performances. I was happily trudging off out to the east a couple of miles, turning round and returning, hour after hour, all very mundane. Until a Tornado four-ship departed, turned right instead of left, and passed me two in front, two behind with a separation I still have nightmares about. Being a conscientious sort, I reported this to the controller, who replied "Standby". That was the last I heard from him.
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Thankyou to all the contributors to this thread, all of us have learned a great deal.
Im still shaking my head about the towing plane between the two helis, now that is scary.........
Im still shaking my head about the towing plane between the two helis, now that is scary.........
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Flying a Hughes 500 from a tuna boat in the Pacific. 45 miles from the boat in "not so nice weather" I had a Mr transmission chip light! nothing to do but fly back to the boat. There's no search and rescue out there!
Another Hughes 500, flying straight and level at around 400 feet over dense forest. A sudden, and very loud bang, accompanied by a strong vibration and smoke in the cockpit. I put out a mayday call on our HF radio, again, another remote location. Fortunately found clearing to put the machine into, and landed without further damage. It turned out to be a drain tube falling into the oil cooler blower fan. I really thought the helicopter was going to fall apart. That was the first time I have ever been in the air wishing I was on the ground.
Another Hughes 500, flying straight and level at around 400 feet over dense forest. A sudden, and very loud bang, accompanied by a strong vibration and smoke in the cockpit. I put out a mayday call on our HF radio, again, another remote location. Fortunately found clearing to put the machine into, and landed without further damage. It turned out to be a drain tube falling into the oil cooler blower fan. I really thought the helicopter was going to fall apart. That was the first time I have ever been in the air wishing I was on the ground.
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This took place in the summer of 1999. I was conducting a law enforcement search in an MD500D down a narrow river canyon in Northern California. I was PIC but another pilot was flying while I was looking for a cabin cruiser on the river.
We were cruising at approximately 60 KIAS. While looking out the left side I observed a powerline tower on the left river bank with powerlines crossing the canyon immediately ahead of us. I fortunately reacted by yelling "wires" and rapidly lowered my collective with the heel of my left hand while changing my view to the front.
The powerlines passed within ten feet above the main rotor.
My partner is still buying me dinners for that one.
We were cruising at approximately 60 KIAS. While looking out the left side I observed a powerline tower on the left river bank with powerlines crossing the canyon immediately ahead of us. I fortunately reacted by yelling "wires" and rapidly lowered my collective with the heel of my left hand while changing my view to the front.
The powerlines passed within ten feet above the main rotor.
My partner is still buying me dinners for that one.
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While searching for something else I came across this old thread. We've got many more members now than in 2001 so I thought it might be worth bringing it to the top.
TC
Now you've got the hang of posting pics, what were you going to post? (Third post)
Let the stories roll .........
TC
Now you've got the hang of posting pics, what were you going to post? (Third post)
Let the stories roll .........
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My first ever solo cross-country flight took me down the beach from Fort Lauderdale to Watson Island, Miami (a garbage strewn grass field posing as a heliport).
At the time, there was a small helicopter tour company operating out of a quonset hut there, with two six foot grass mounds in front for helipads. Never having been there before, I nervously hovered over and onto one of the mounds, assuming that this was the local FBO where I would be promptly provided with fuel and refreshments.
Shortly a person appeared, gestured to me and then walked up to the helicopter. I uncupped my right ear in happy anticipation of the cordial exchange that was sure to follow, pilot to service person. His words, after leaning into the aircraft to get as close to my ear as possible: "GET... THE... F%&#*... OFF... MY... PAD!". I nearly crapped my pants.
At the time, there was a small helicopter tour company operating out of a quonset hut there, with two six foot grass mounds in front for helipads. Never having been there before, I nervously hovered over and onto one of the mounds, assuming that this was the local FBO where I would be promptly provided with fuel and refreshments.
Shortly a person appeared, gestured to me and then walked up to the helicopter. I uncupped my right ear in happy anticipation of the cordial exchange that was sure to follow, pilot to service person. His words, after leaning into the aircraft to get as close to my ear as possible: "GET... THE... F%&#*... OFF... MY... PAD!". I nearly crapped my pants.
Last edited by rotorusa; 8th Aug 2003 at 02:44.
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I'd just finished a days mustering in a H-300 at a remote Quennsland cattle station on Cape York Peninsula. After re-fuelling and packing my swag, etc; into the machine, I departed to the south. While climbing to 500 AGL I called flight service with my details. No sooner had I got my acknowledgement from Cairns FS than the sky went dark. I looked up to see a B-52 from Guam directly overhead about 200 feet above screaming away on exactly my heading. Talk about 'aluminium overcast'! Australia had agreed to allow the Yanks to conduct low level long range navigation exercises over northern Australia at the time. They didn't monitor our frequencies and wouldn't give any more than vague details about where they would be and when to the Australian authorities. I hate to think what would have happened if I'd departed just one minute earlier. Somebody later told me that the purpose of the nav-ex's was to practice 'radiation runs'. The pilots would fly with lead shutters over the windscreen. Sole reference to the outside world via closed circuit television. Scary.
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Mr Selfish
That is of course good advice. Trouble is, that particular incident happened prior to transponders being required for ops in CTA in Oz. The majority of GA a/c here simply didn't have them. Especially those operating 99% of the time in the bush where these nav exercises were conducted. Today it would be different.
That is of course good advice. Trouble is, that particular incident happened prior to transponders being required for ops in CTA in Oz. The majority of GA a/c here simply didn't have them. Especially those operating 99% of the time in the bush where these nav exercises were conducted. Today it would be different.
First jolly in Canada as boss of said S76.
Called out at 10pm back at about 12...Fly past beautifully clear airport. Land at hospital. Hour later climbing out vertically, hear controller reporting fog? Eh!? Look to left and sure enough plenty of fog submerging the airport 5 miles away. Hmmm, that wasn't reported. Land, call controller and asked him to call us when it clears or vis becomes really good (note to self: Fog never clears in Canada at night)
45 mins later phone call..."3.5miles vis here, good to go!" SWEET, home to comfy sofa, TV etc.....
Launch over to airport with increasing suspicion that the controller has forgotten his glasses this evening. Sure enough it isn't pretty...scan instruments...**** only 400lbs...oh well back to the helipad.
Can you guess what happens when you lift off into saturated air with a 10000lb helo...? It mixes a lot of fog...
Two approaches to helipad...No vis...no good. Quick decision and a race back to the airport. Try there...No good. DAMN.
Rock:ME:Hard place.
Cojoe starting to show signs of concern now....
Time for fast command decision... Righto, get me the nearest approach now.. time to break minimums or end up practicing IFR auto technique.
Line up for nearest approach (LOC/VOR) and trying to figure out what the hell is going on with the navaid. Cojoe has selected wrong freq. Sort that out. T
ell cojoe to get **** togther and call out ROD and Radalt...tis time for offshore IFR technique time...
Decend into fog more focused on ROD/airspeed than ever before, seconds pass and the lead in lights (on full bore...) materialise. Check ROD, thanks to GOD, focus and land.
Ground taxied for about 400 metres cause I really didn't have the energy to hover.
Called out at 10pm back at about 12...Fly past beautifully clear airport. Land at hospital. Hour later climbing out vertically, hear controller reporting fog? Eh!? Look to left and sure enough plenty of fog submerging the airport 5 miles away. Hmmm, that wasn't reported. Land, call controller and asked him to call us when it clears or vis becomes really good (note to self: Fog never clears in Canada at night)
45 mins later phone call..."3.5miles vis here, good to go!" SWEET, home to comfy sofa, TV etc.....
Launch over to airport with increasing suspicion that the controller has forgotten his glasses this evening. Sure enough it isn't pretty...scan instruments...**** only 400lbs...oh well back to the helipad.
Can you guess what happens when you lift off into saturated air with a 10000lb helo...? It mixes a lot of fog...
Two approaches to helipad...No vis...no good. Quick decision and a race back to the airport. Try there...No good. DAMN.
Rock:ME:Hard place.
Cojoe starting to show signs of concern now....
Time for fast command decision... Righto, get me the nearest approach now.. time to break minimums or end up practicing IFR auto technique.
Line up for nearest approach (LOC/VOR) and trying to figure out what the hell is going on with the navaid. Cojoe has selected wrong freq. Sort that out. T
ell cojoe to get **** togther and call out ROD and Radalt...tis time for offshore IFR technique time...
Decend into fog more focused on ROD/airspeed than ever before, seconds pass and the lead in lights (on full bore...) materialise. Check ROD, thanks to GOD, focus and land.
Ground taxied for about 400 metres cause I really didn't have the energy to hover.
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Had tq limiting problem. So go for a flight to see. Pilot is about 50ft agl. Pulls collective and rotor drops drasticaly. He keeps pulling to show me how much it will droop. At 85%rrpm I grab onto the seat for the hard landing, he finaly drops collective we fall a bit and then recover. Go back, change tcu and this time load heli with ballast. Same pilot lets his cojo fly this time. Rotor droops to 79%rrpm about 10ft agl as I'm enthusiasticaly telling the pilot that he can put it down, then the heli settles on the ground with a bit of a thump and a small dance.
Was doing flour bombing in a 172. We come in about 10ft above the lake, pull up to clear the trees, and fly tree top to a small clearing were the pilot had succesively dropped a wing 10+ times for the passenger to open the window and drop the bag of flour onto the circle. Well This time I have the window open, ready, when he drops the wing too soon, and we smack a wing. We managed to land back at the field, and inspect the plane. Big dent and some tearing to the l/e of the right wing. Still has a large branch sticking out.
Flying in a glider as a young kid, when the bimbo who was flying decided that she didn't like her approach and decided to go around. She banked so hard that the wing was a few feet off the ground. We made a 180, before we ran out of air and landed hard.
Flying in a 412 we finish the test flight, and pilot decieds it is a good time to hot dog. We chase this fox on the ground until copilot says trees! Pilot pulls up hard, copilot yells DUCKS! Pilot banks hard, and then levels out and flys home calmly. We land and spent many hours removing green from the blade tips.
Was doing flour bombing in a 172. We come in about 10ft above the lake, pull up to clear the trees, and fly tree top to a small clearing were the pilot had succesively dropped a wing 10+ times for the passenger to open the window and drop the bag of flour onto the circle. Well This time I have the window open, ready, when he drops the wing too soon, and we smack a wing. We managed to land back at the field, and inspect the plane. Big dent and some tearing to the l/e of the right wing. Still has a large branch sticking out.
Flying in a glider as a young kid, when the bimbo who was flying decided that she didn't like her approach and decided to go around. She banked so hard that the wing was a few feet off the ground. We made a 180, before we ran out of air and landed hard.
Flying in a 412 we finish the test flight, and pilot decieds it is a good time to hot dog. We chase this fox on the ground until copilot says trees! Pilot pulls up hard, copilot yells DUCKS! Pilot banks hard, and then levels out and flys home calmly. We land and spent many hours removing green from the blade tips.
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I was in Navy Sea King 5 years ago, at Lorient in France. We were computer trimming, so we did some auto's. ATC cleared us from 3500' to ground over the active runway... Naturally we questioned the instruction, 3 times, but were assured we were clear on the active, so from 95kts and 111% Tq, we dumped the lever and sat back to enjoy the descent... only to be rudely interrupted by a howling banshee, who was in fact our radar operator in the back, screaming "Break right". Needless to say, our P1 and hero, grabbed an armfull of collective, a shedload of right cyclic garnished with a hefty helping from his boot and we duly banked high hard and handsomely to the right, thus avoiding an "Atlantique" which ATC had cleared for take off while we were in auto's, and was blazing a course straight up our vertically descending chuff.
I remember looking out over Lorient and thinking "this is a dumb place to die"
Thankfully our observer that night felt the need to mess about with the radar and spotted the impending doom, so here's to you wherever you are Jules
PS French ATC were a trifle sheepish about the incident
I remember looking out over Lorient and thinking "this is a dumb place to die"
Thankfully our observer that night felt the need to mess about with the radar and spotted the impending doom, so here's to you wherever you are Jules
PS French ATC were a trifle sheepish about the incident
Students trying to kill themselves!
Jepp, been there too...
When doing first supervised solo with my student from Nigeria (in Calif), I asked multiple times if the student was ready for solo, and having convinced me through abilities I let him go (with about 30 hours). The student did his circuit and ended up in an extremely unstable hover, about 200' AGL, before he did a go around. On the next pass hedid a quasi normal approach about 500' further down than the pad we were working from. Had to change my pants after.
Or when teaching hovering here in Canada, over a bog/swamp when the student decides it is time to push the cyclic all the way forward. I swear the tips weren't more than a quarter inch from the ground! I had to shout "LET GO OF THE CONTROLS"
for him to release, and when I finally got controls, I calmly said "I have controls" and we went home to change underwear again!
When doing first supervised solo with my student from Nigeria (in Calif), I asked multiple times if the student was ready for solo, and having convinced me through abilities I let him go (with about 30 hours). The student did his circuit and ended up in an extremely unstable hover, about 200' AGL, before he did a go around. On the next pass hedid a quasi normal approach about 500' further down than the pad we were working from. Had to change my pants after.
Or when teaching hovering here in Canada, over a bog/swamp when the student decides it is time to push the cyclic all the way forward. I swear the tips weren't more than a quarter inch from the ground! I had to shout "LET GO OF THE CONTROLS"
for him to release, and when I finally got controls, I calmly said "I have controls" and we went home to change underwear again!
Bugsmasherdriverandjediknite
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Being a newbie rotorhead but a well seasoned fixed wing pilot I decided it was time to have a bash at these whirlymagig thingys, after all, it cant be that hard for a 4500hr mustering pilot with plenty of machine operating experiance. after chastizing the instructor for talking to me like I was a abinitio idiot (a point that was later proved beyond all doubt) and telling him how rediculess it was for me to have to do all these hours for a licence conversion coz I have read .all the books and have all the theory on why it flys sorted and I can work the rest out myself, we wandered all out to the choppa. well I managed to get it starrted and yoinked a big handfull of collective in, cause thats what the book said made it go up and it all turned to sh1t from there. we did about 720deg and managed to climb and then decend a few feet before the instructor decided I had learned my lesson and showed me I really knew frig all about whirlymagiging after all. after about ten or so hours they kindly reconected the cyclic ( or so it seemed) and I can tame the little beasty now. well it doesnt sound all that hair raising but for a bloke that can operate almost any sort of earth moving equiptment and flys "hands on, seat of the pants" all day, it was a big eye opener. 
Thanks Dave and Derick for putting up with me whilst I learned how to drive that tricky lil bugga.
Oh, for a fixed wing pilot , 0 airspeed is pretty hard to get used to and that very first auto.......... well you would be suprised how long you can yell the word sh11111111t.
Thanks Dave and Derick for putting up with me whilst I learned how to drive that tricky lil bugga. Oh, for a fixed wing pilot , 0 airspeed is pretty hard to get used to and that very first auto.......... well you would be suprised how long you can yell the word sh11111111t.
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Wiz:
I know the feeling! While at Ft. Rucker, trying to hover a TH-55, my instructor said "I want you to remember how you just did that."
I, of course, asked "why?"
"Because when you learn to fly, you won't be able to!" he said, as he continued to enjoy the 20 acre whirling tour we were on.
I know the feeling! While at Ft. Rucker, trying to hover a TH-55, my instructor said "I want you to remember how you just did that."
I, of course, asked "why?"
"Because when you learn to fly, you won't be able to!" he said, as he continued to enjoy the 20 acre whirling tour we were on.
A couple of memorable events....
In thick cloud...enroute to the Ninian Field from Sumbrugh...Co doing the nav board....me keeping the biggish markings aligned...... looked up and out.....in time to see a BAH 61 whiz by in the opposite direction....guy in left seat wearing a wooly pully ....the other guy with a white shirt and necktie pulled loose, and a ball cap....neither one looking out. Later thought I must have been hallucinating.....was the only one of the four that saw it happen. Co asked me if I was okay...seemed my control touch had gone....hard to say you are ok....with your stomach in your throat! I must have turned blue before I got my breathing restarted.
Ferrying a Hughes 500 to Lafayette, Louisana from Deadhorse, Alaska.....at the end of a summer flying season. Landed at Cedar City, Utah for some quick maintenance. Headed south towards the airport at the Grand Canyon.....very...very...very hazy day. No attitude indicator...no airspeed indicator....maintenance stop had been wasted.....thus cruising at the extreme altitude of maybe 300 feet....maybe. Map on my knee...trying to make things fit the map....wondering just where the heck is this thing called the Grand Canyon. Needing two hands to re-fold the map...cyclic between my knees...head in the cockpit...map up in front me....pulled the map down as I got it folded....looked out and .........Nothing! I had flown off the north side of the canyon and went from 2-300' to 4-5000' in a flash.....
Was able to keep a glimpse of the north rim....panic turn to get back maintaining reference....landed....and took a long time to get over my mild case of jitters. It took an hour for my knees to quit shaking.
In thick cloud...enroute to the Ninian Field from Sumbrugh...Co doing the nav board....me keeping the biggish markings aligned...... looked up and out.....in time to see a BAH 61 whiz by in the opposite direction....guy in left seat wearing a wooly pully ....the other guy with a white shirt and necktie pulled loose, and a ball cap....neither one looking out. Later thought I must have been hallucinating.....was the only one of the four that saw it happen. Co asked me if I was okay...seemed my control touch had gone....hard to say you are ok....with your stomach in your throat! I must have turned blue before I got my breathing restarted.
Ferrying a Hughes 500 to Lafayette, Louisana from Deadhorse, Alaska.....at the end of a summer flying season. Landed at Cedar City, Utah for some quick maintenance. Headed south towards the airport at the Grand Canyon.....very...very...very hazy day. No attitude indicator...no airspeed indicator....maintenance stop had been wasted.....thus cruising at the extreme altitude of maybe 300 feet....maybe. Map on my knee...trying to make things fit the map....wondering just where the heck is this thing called the Grand Canyon. Needing two hands to re-fold the map...cyclic between my knees...head in the cockpit...map up in front me....pulled the map down as I got it folded....looked out and .........Nothing! I had flown off the north side of the canyon and went from 2-300' to 4-5000' in a flash.....
Was able to keep a glimpse of the north rim....panic turn to get back maintaining reference....landed....and took a long time to get over my mild case of jitters. It took an hour for my knees to quit shaking.
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Flying a 500 in the Mojave desert, attempting to go over the mountains to a request for us. It was cloudy, some light rain, but no thunderstorms or anything that looked worse then I have seen numerous times before. First attempt at the direct route failed due to turbulance, so I went for my favorite canyon pass that I normally use for this type of situation. I just get into the canyon and find myself in a great updraft. VSI is pegged at over 3K' a minute and I have the collective on the floor. Now I am worried as that cloud above is getting really close, and fast, the helicopter is not really responding well, and about the only thing reliable on the instrument panel is the engine instruments. Was able to do a 180 and get out of it just as I was punching into the cloud deck. We went back to the hangar and set down for awhile after that.
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8 ship Blackhawk form in trail, landing in long thin valley. All aircraft touching down at pretty much same time. Me in #4, with tailwheel on ground knowing #5 about 1 rotor behind, when #3 decides he wants to come backwards, so begins to fill my windscreen with nothing but rotor blades. Now I know what a fish in a blender must feel like.
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Doing the snow trials in the S-76 at Des Moins Iowa, flying 2 hours with ceiling 100 feet obscured, vis 1/8 mile in snow, blowing snow and fog, doing continuous ILS approaches with missed approaches, so I can keep close in case an engine quits. We have a TV strapped to the center console to show if snow is building up on either engine firewall. 99% of each circuit is hard white IMC, broken up only by 10 seconds of the approach light display at the bottom of each circuit.
Controllers change shift at 4 pm, and new controller asks our intentions on this next approach. With 450 pounds of gas (50 minutes) I tell him we'll make this a full stop. He says nocando, the airport is closed, there are 15 inches of snow on all runways and taxiways, and the plows are everywhere. Unsafe, you know.
My cross check gets somewhat sticky while I picture a twilight auto into the winter wonderland below. I say that I cleared this with the tower chief 4 hours ago, we are experimental and its ok. He says airport manager owns the airport, and we must go somewhere else. I say there is nowhere else I can get to, I am coming in. He reads FARs to me. I say that is too bad, I'm coming in, do I have to declare an emergency to get him to understand?
One more very quiet ILS then he says the tower chief (at home by now with pipe and slippers) forgot about us up there, but he agrees I am owed a full stop.
(Wasn't it George Carlin who said "Never get on a non-stop flight? You want it to stop somewhere!")
The new landing clearance says "pilot discretion" six times in one sentence, and warns of plows and obstructions. I make the next one at 50 knots, end up in a running hover. Out of the fuzzy world come 4 snow plows abreast coming at me on the main runway. They stop, I land. Where are the taxiways? I look at airport diagram, realize I am lost, call on ground freq and ask for a follow-me truck. He gets lost. My crew finds me with the truck they are driving, we slowly taxi back to the ramp, takes about 1 hour.
When I shut down, I could not get out, my knees were still shaking. Piece of cake.
Controllers change shift at 4 pm, and new controller asks our intentions on this next approach. With 450 pounds of gas (50 minutes) I tell him we'll make this a full stop. He says nocando, the airport is closed, there are 15 inches of snow on all runways and taxiways, and the plows are everywhere. Unsafe, you know.
My cross check gets somewhat sticky while I picture a twilight auto into the winter wonderland below. I say that I cleared this with the tower chief 4 hours ago, we are experimental and its ok. He says airport manager owns the airport, and we must go somewhere else. I say there is nowhere else I can get to, I am coming in. He reads FARs to me. I say that is too bad, I'm coming in, do I have to declare an emergency to get him to understand?
One more very quiet ILS then he says the tower chief (at home by now with pipe and slippers) forgot about us up there, but he agrees I am owed a full stop.
(Wasn't it George Carlin who said "Never get on a non-stop flight? You want it to stop somewhere!")
The new landing clearance says "pilot discretion" six times in one sentence, and warns of plows and obstructions. I make the next one at 50 knots, end up in a running hover. Out of the fuzzy world come 4 snow plows abreast coming at me on the main runway. They stop, I land. Where are the taxiways? I look at airport diagram, realize I am lost, call on ground freq and ask for a follow-me truck. He gets lost. My crew finds me with the truck they are driving, we slowly taxi back to the ramp, takes about 1 hour.
When I shut down, I could not get out, my knees were still shaking. Piece of cake.