Leaving Rotary Wing Behind

[Ewan Whosearmy]

I've recently taken the plunge and decided to nail my flag to the fixed wing mast. I haven't flown a heli in a long time, so it's not really much of a decision.

But feeling nostalgic about the good old days of hovering, I dug out my log book and started doing a 'where are they now' for the airframes I flew during PPL(H) training in 1998 and for the following few years.

Here's the skinny:

• Of six R-22s, five have CAA accident reports against them, and four have been written off.
• The Bell 206 I did my TC on has crashed and been written off
• The Hughes 500C I did my TC on has also crashed, killing three in the process.

Reading the accident reports, inexperience seems to be the biggest factor in them all (although, in two cases, the accidents involved highly experienced instructors), so perhaps I should be grateful I didn't become a statistic myself...

[ersa]

Suggest you stay in bed

[Robbiee]

I too have been considering defecting to the wing that doesn't spin around. Banner towing actually seems like it could be a fun job, if I take the plunge maybe I'll try that?

I have also known an R22 that bit the dust, it got rammed from behind by a plane on a night xc. The 206 I flew for a while is also no longer with us, but I don't know the particulars of that crash.

Its a strange feeling to hear that something I once flew has crashed.

[Ewan Whosearmy]

Originally Posted by ersa

Suggest you stay in bed

Nope. Got some aeros to fly.

But thanks for the contribution to the conversation. You're obviously very clever!

[Sir Niall Dementia]

Originally Posted by Ewan Whosearmy

I've recently taken the plunge and decided to nail my flag to the fixed wing mast. I haven't flown a heli in a long time, so it's not really much of a decision.

But feeling nostalgic about the good old days of hovering, I dug out my log book and started doing a 'where are they now' for the airframes I flew during PPL(H) training in 1998 and for the following few years.

Here's the skinny:

• Of six R-22s, five have CAA accident reports against them, and four have been written off.
• The Bell 206 I did my TC on has crashed and been written off
• The Hughes 500C I did my TC on has also crashed, killing three in the process.

Reading the accident reports, inexperience seems to be the biggest factor in them all (although, in two cases, the accidents involved highly experienced instructors), so perhaps I should be grateful I didn't become a statistic myself...

I also fly over on the dark side, my list of sadly gone machines from my logbook includes 3xH269, 1xAS350, 3xAS355, 1xA109, 3xS61 (one of which I was in when it met it's end) 3xAS332, I can't help thinking ERSA's advice would have made a lot of sense in my case! But you're right about experience levels, experience is hard won, but experiences can finish everything very quickly.

Enjoy your FW time, something I really notice is that on the occasions I fly an aeroplane well it never tells me so the way a helicopter does.

SND

[skadi]

...and how many cars you have driven in your lifetime are still accident free ?

skadi

[Sir Niall Dementia]

Originally Posted by skadi

...and how many cars you have driven in your lifetime are still accident free ?

skadi

Not many, and most of those were my fault!

SND

[Vertical Freedom]

5 Rotorcraft destroyed that I've flown in the past....Helicopter prangs are a tad more serious than cars biggles, I don't understand the point of the comparison?

Stiff-Wing is where the big money & security is; sadly the skills of Helicopter flying is not appreciated nor appropriately rewarded


Keep Her in the green
VF