How High Have You Been (legally!)?
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: In the Haven of Peace
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TC,
You've got it completely wrong this time. Pofman is 100% British, was one of my RN instructors (he sent me on my first solo in a Whirlwind 7), along with myself and a few others here, was one of the founder pilots of BCalH when he was flying Bell 222s and Bolkow 105s for the Met Police. He was an ab-initio instructor at the Bristow Training School in Redhill and has impeccable credentials.
You've got it completely wrong this time. Pofman is 100% British, was one of my RN instructors (he sent me on my first solo in a Whirlwind 7), along with myself and a few others here, was one of the founder pilots of BCalH when he was flying Bell 222s and Bolkow 105s for the Met Police. He was an ab-initio instructor at the Bristow Training School in Redhill and has impeccable credentials.
Join Date: Dec 2006
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13,000 odd feet on a topping check in a UH-1H. (New engine.) Ground was 12,500 feet below me. And usually I'm within 200 feet of terra firma!
Was the most uncomfortable feeling ever! and I'm due to do it again soon!!!
Was the most uncomfortable feeling ever! and I'm due to do it again soon!!!
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Cornwall
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Can't beat Soggyboxers but I managed 18500' over Zagross Mountains in an AB206A (I think it was EP-HAY) in Iran in 1973. FM said it could do 20000' but ran out of "puff" and a little concerned seeing a DC6 fly below me 
Last edited by TipCap; 2nd Jan 2013 at 21:39.
He was an ab-initio instructor at the Bristow Training School in Redhill and has impeccable credentials.
Highest I've been in a helicopter was FL130 from Tangier to Agadir in an EC155. ATC wanted me at FL190 but I declined. I'm convinced they thought I was in a Beech Baron E55!
The high alt airtest for the Scout and I would imagine for the Wasp went to around 12.000.
We used to wear parachutes as they reckoned if we caught fire at that altitude it would be largely ashes that hit the ground. There was no parachute training provided. I suppose the theory was that 12,000 gave you plenty of time to work it out on the way down!!!!!!!
Probably right as well.
We used to wear parachutes as they reckoned if we caught fire at that altitude it would be largely ashes that hit the ground. There was no parachute training provided. I suppose the theory was that 12,000 gave you plenty of time to work it out on the way down!!!!!!!
Probably right as well.
Top of the World
Highest flight 24,900'amsl which was 23,000'pressure altitude 
Highest landing & take off 22,800'amsl which was 27,000' density altitude
All in AS350B3+
ooooow yaaah
Happy Landings
VF
Highest landing & take off 22,800'amsl which was 27,000' density altitude
All in AS350B3+
ooooow yaaahHappy Landings
VF
Last edited by Vertical Freedom; 3rd Jan 2013 at 11:32.
14,000 PA (14,500 indicated) in an OH-58D Kiowa. over 1000 FPM rate of climb at 60 knots and Max TGT. (VSI stops at 1000 FPM! lol) no Oxygen so thats where the fun ended...
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21,500 ft PA (25,000 DA) working the top of the Chilean Andes (every day for 3 1/2 months). Aircraft was a Bell 205 with 205 blades and -17 engine.
Highest landing 16,000 ft PA. Never checked the DA but I would assume close to 19,000 ft.
I know the question does say "legally"
JD
Highest landing 16,000 ft PA. Never checked the DA but I would assume close to 19,000 ft.
I know the question does say "legally"
JD
Nothing worth mentioning in my experience. But, I must know from the R22 drivers posting above, did you lean the mixture to get enough power to get that high? In my training at 1000 ft. MSL, I was taught to push mixture full-rich, set-it-and-forget-it. The thought was that if you leaned too aggressively and killed the engine, there was no flywheel (read "prop") to keep it spinning for a bit, things could go bad too quickly, so just fly full-rich full-time. I would think that would be too rich to have sufficient power to get much above 10,000 ft.
Last edited by rotorfan; 3rd Jan 2013 at 03:06.
20000ft in an Alouette III without oxygen on my 21st birthday. Couldn't make 21000ft and was feeling peculiar in the head. Must have been even more stupid then than now to attempt such a thing. Controlling rotor rpm in autorotation at that altitude is scary. The controls seemed to be very poor in response. I scared myself witless.
cold drinks ??
16,500' in a 206A over beautiful seaside base camp Pelikawa on Manus island in the '70s to cancel SAR with Madang by VHF..no HF working that day.
Of course the box in the cargo hold (which just happened to hold some fragile items full of liquid) cooled down nicely in the time it took to get up there....
happy hovering !!
Of course the box in the cargo hold (which just happened to hold some fragile items full of liquid) cooled down nicely in the time it took to get up there....
happy hovering !!
Last edited by Flingwing47; 4th Jan 2013 at 22:23.
I went to 800ft AGL once without oxygen. I think the sky was starting to turn black above me. Almost hit a satellite on the way down.
Some people think that the air gets thinner at altitude, but it doesn't.
It gets thicker.
Just look at the aircraft that fly at each level. The machines down low are flying through thin air, and are blunt and knobbly with lots of drag-creating devices hanging off.
Those that fly at high altitude where the air is really thick are pointy things with sharp swept wings.
The sky gets dark at altitude because the light can't get through the thick air.
Spaceships need lots of power to push through the thick air to get into orbit, and once up there, they just skim along on top of the air layer.
So, helicopters have trouble getting to altitude because the rotors hit the thick air and can't get through it. Like stirring a treacle pudding.
It gets thicker.
Just look at the aircraft that fly at each level. The machines down low are flying through thin air, and are blunt and knobbly with lots of drag-creating devices hanging off.
Those that fly at high altitude where the air is really thick are pointy things with sharp swept wings.
The sky gets dark at altitude because the light can't get through the thick air.
Spaceships need lots of power to push through the thick air to get into orbit, and once up there, they just skim along on top of the air layer.
So, helicopters have trouble getting to altitude because the rotors hit the thick air and can't get through it. Like stirring a treacle pudding.