Dogs in helicopters. No, really!
The Veloceraptor of Lounge Lizards
Join Date: Jan 2005
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I regularly fly with a black lab on the back seat of the 355. He is restrained by a normal car harness and is invariably asleep in about 2 minutes. I also used to fly a border terrier who would sit in the chin bubble and enjoy the view, he and I would go for walkies while his master played polo.
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Join Date: Dec 2001
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Let me get this straight...your CAA guy says the trusty Police K-9 is unrestrained cargo? Does he consider a seeing eye guide dog to be unrestrained cargo as well?
renamed as "criminal work". It basically means biting people very hard and hanging onto them. They have been known to do this at unexpected and inopportune moments (not mine, of course 
)and could be a contributory factor in an "interesting" flight profile 
Passion Flying Hobby Science Sponsor Work
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Dogs
My dogs has about 1000 hrs in R44.
Its a Beagle, sit in the back on very short trips (15'), and in a cage that just fits between seats in the back and is strapped with the seat belt.
Longest flight 6hrs...
As others told in the thread : she goes in a kind of semi-sleep.
I wandered if she really likes it, but on long trips needing refueling she tends to stay under the heli (even garding it), and is really mad if I pretend leaving here behind.
Was a few moths ago on Isle of Wight, and the dog really put up a 'barking stand' to defend her heli against a B206 that landed just nearby....
So I think she likes it.
d3
Its a Beagle, sit in the back on very short trips (15'), and in a cage that just fits between seats in the back and is strapped with the seat belt.
Longest flight 6hrs...
As others told in the thread : she goes in a kind of semi-sleep.
I wandered if she really likes it, but on long trips needing refueling she tends to stay under the heli (even garding it), and is really mad if I pretend leaving here behind.
Was a few moths ago on Isle of Wight, and the dog really put up a 'barking stand' to defend her heli against a B206 that landed just nearby....
So I think she likes it.
d3
Was it the dog...or the handler that left his mark? My experience has been the dog is the smarter of the team.
, I didn't want to get too close to the handler though someone told me he bites!
Many years ago, just as I was learning the ropes to fly (and work) with the police something happened that accelerated that learning profile - especially with dogs:
I was hovering over a football ground one night doing crowd control (in an AS355) when one of the engines decided to surge. Even with backing off power, the surging continued, so I shut the bugger down and stuck the cab into the first available landing site nearby, which was the local hospital landing pad.
We couldn't get an engineer out to check the engine over, so we elected to cadge a lift back to base with one of the police dog vans.
The journey was 40 minutes and we (the crew of 3) sat in the back on the van floor with 4 dogs in cages, stacked up in front of us, barking and howling non stop.
I had my back to the cages while the other 2 officers sat opposite and facing the dogs. The dog immediately behind me went very quiet for some time and kept pacing back and fore in his cage (German Shepherd).
The others were barking and howling non stop giving us all a headache. Occasionally I would wallop the cages with a backward motion of my arm to try to shut them up.
After about 15 minutes in this uncomfortable and cold van, the dog immediately behind me shoved its ar*e right up against the cage face and discharged about a gallon of liquified dog sh*t out throught the mesh causing it to splatter even more...directly onto the back of my head and back!!!
I could feel it running down my neck. The lads opposite initially stared then burst out into fits of laughter and didn't stop for the rest of the journey. I tried to stop the van but the driver couldn't hear me.
By the time we were 'dropped' off, the diahorrea had caked and I was now walking like a cardboard cutout.
The lads ran to open the base up and turn the shower on - only to find it wasn't working!!!! So I had to drive home and ended up showering in full flying kit plus leather jacket in my home shower at 3am in the morning.
How do you explain that to the family in the morning when they wander into the bathroom at 8am????
Apparently the dog had a 'jippy' tummy and had been cra**ing all day.
They have never let me forget that incident to this day
I love police dogs (not)
I was hovering over a football ground one night doing crowd control (in an AS355) when one of the engines decided to surge. Even with backing off power, the surging continued, so I shut the bugger down and stuck the cab into the first available landing site nearby, which was the local hospital landing pad.
We couldn't get an engineer out to check the engine over, so we elected to cadge a lift back to base with one of the police dog vans.
The journey was 40 minutes and we (the crew of 3) sat in the back on the van floor with 4 dogs in cages, stacked up in front of us, barking and howling non stop.
I had my back to the cages while the other 2 officers sat opposite and facing the dogs. The dog immediately behind me went very quiet for some time and kept pacing back and fore in his cage (German Shepherd).
The others were barking and howling non stop giving us all a headache. Occasionally I would wallop the cages with a backward motion of my arm to try to shut them up.
After about 15 minutes in this uncomfortable and cold van, the dog immediately behind me shoved its ar*e right up against the cage face and discharged about a gallon of liquified dog sh*t out throught the mesh causing it to splatter even more...directly onto the back of my head and back!!!
I could feel it running down my neck. The lads opposite initially stared then burst out into fits of laughter and didn't stop for the rest of the journey. I tried to stop the van but the driver couldn't hear me.
By the time we were 'dropped' off, the diahorrea had caked and I was now walking like a cardboard cutout.
The lads ran to open the base up and turn the shower on - only to find it wasn't working!!!! So I had to drive home and ended up showering in full flying kit plus leather jacket in my home shower at 3am in the morning.
How do you explain that to the family in the morning when they wander into the bathroom at 8am????
Apparently the dog had a 'jippy' tummy and had been cra**ing all day.
They have never let me forget that incident to this day
I love police dogs (not)
TC,
I always heard dogs were good judges of character. Your Observers did not happen to buy Phideaux a big old T-bone steak afterwards did they?
I always heard dogs were good judges of character. Your Observers did not happen to buy Phideaux a big old T-bone steak afterwards did they?
Its funny i just seen some dude in a ENG A-Star in San Fran with a mut in the back lifting off . the back seats were covered in animal hair it was awful .
How would it effect the dogs hearing i wonder???
hate to have a dog float past if the engine failed
How would it effect the dogs hearing i wonder???
hate to have a dog float past if the engine failed
Most men married more than a month with quickly identify with the label oft associated with canines as 'man's best friend.' Never have met a dog who didn't sympathise with my side of the story - especially with biscuit in hand!
Wonderful creatures who somehow bring-out the better part of our humanity. No flying operation should be without one!
Helitrans Ecureuil, LN-OGL, dropping-off snow partridge hunters in the wilderness west of Kiruna near the Swedish-Norwegian border, photo by Jonas Larsson
Ah partridge, almost as pleasant as pheasant!
Wonderful creatures who somehow bring-out the better part of our humanity. No flying operation should be without one!
Helitrans Ecureuil, LN-OGL, dropping-off snow partridge hunters in the wilderness west of Kiruna near the Swedish-Norwegian border, photo by Jonas Larsson
Ah partridge, almost as pleasant as pheasant!
Join Date: Apr 2005
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TC,
Brilliant story! Somewhat reminds me of Robyn Davidson's story about trying to get a pet crow and watching one fly over from a tree full of crows and perch on a branch next to a sleeping bird, inch out next to it ever so slowly then start cawing and flapping it's wings loudly. The sleeping bird startled, fell off the branch as the nearby tree of crows erupted into a loud cacophony of flapping wings and loud caws. I've seen too much to not think animals don't have a sense of humor.
Savoia,
Too right! They do bring a good vibe to the operation. Brill pic BTW!!
Mine used to accompany us on utility jobs. She'd always wander off exploring but show up when the heli landed and run round the front of the A-star and stand up on the step so the pilot could scratch her head then off for more exploring.
When we'd shoot off for a bit, we'd return to find her sitting dutifully by the fuel trailer.
In the a/c she'd sit on the rear seats and look out the window for 15-20 min then curl up and go to sleep. Never a bit of trouble!
I hear the doggie ear muffs really do make a diff for your canine companion's comfort though.
Brilliant story!
Somewhat reminds me of Robyn Davidson's story about trying to get a pet crow and watching one fly over from a tree full of crows and perch on a branch next to a sleeping bird, inch out next to it ever so slowly then start cawing and flapping it's wings loudly. The sleeping bird startled, fell off the branch as the nearby tree of crows erupted into a loud cacophony of flapping wings and loud caws. I've seen too much to not think animals don't have a sense of humor.Savoia,
Too right! They do bring a good vibe to the operation. Brill pic BTW!!
Mine used to accompany us on utility jobs. She'd always wander off exploring but show up when the heli landed and run round the front of the A-star and stand up on the step so the pilot could scratch her head then off for more exploring.
When we'd shoot off for a bit, we'd return to find her sitting dutifully by the fuel trailer.
In the a/c she'd sit on the rear seats and look out the window for 15-20 min then curl up and go to sleep. Never a bit of trouble!
I hear the doggie ear muffs really do make a diff for your canine companion's comfort though.
aeromys - classic footage!! 
I've been taking my English Springers up for years - they're always excited at the prospect, then fall asleep within 2 minutes of lifting. They lie in those plastic dog beds, secured with a normal chest harness. The only time it gets a bit lively is when my wife starts throwing the ball for them..
I've been taking my English Springers up for years - they're always excited at the prospect, then fall asleep within 2 minutes of lifting. They lie in those plastic dog beds, secured with a normal chest harness. The only time it gets a bit lively is when my wife starts throwing the ball for them..