Notes from Heli-Expo 2019
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Notes from Heli-Expo 2019
So I tried to post this on the "bad" JH board, but it kept giving me an error message that the word "rape" is not allowed. Which was strange since I didn't use that word. Aaaaanyway, here's my first-time-visitor's account of my day at Heli-Expo.
After descending into what seemed like the depths of Hades, we finally got down to the exhibit floor. It was pretty well-attended, although itw as an older crowd than I expected. Not too many young people. And no music! What's up with that? As far as exhibitors, all the usual suspects were there in two giant cinder-block halls. And walk? Dang, I should have worn more comfortable shoes. Rumor had it that Matty Z had already fled the scene, escaping back up to NYC where it is friggin' WARMER than here in Atlanta. Chuck Aaron got up on stage, whipped it out (his notes) and gave a speech on what a big...mustache...he has. And he has! Afterward, I got him to autograph my arm in magic marker. I think he actually wrote "Justin Bieber" though. I don't know, I was pretty drunk at the time (drat that free beer!). But it's gone now because I took a shower when I got home last night and inadvertently washed it off. Oh well...
Didn't get to meet Lyn Burks of JustHelicopters and Vertical. Maybe today. Did get to meet some pretty cool pilots, some of whom I've only "spoken" to online.
"Blackhawk Row" was pretty interesting! Plenty of 'em, although it appeared that there was an empty parking space for one more. Hmm, wonder what happened to it. Blackhawk down? I'm stumped.
Reports were that some operators were actively and aggressively recruiting pilots. Any warm body with a CPL was fair game. One operator's rep was standing outside their booth, giving a spiel like a used-car salesman, "Come on over! If you've got a license, we've got a job for you!" Well...young pilots, not 63 year-old me. "Move along, old man!" the car salesman said to me. "Let me talk to that young buck behind you." I turned around only to see a 62 year-old guy behind me. There was an airline booth there too, recruiting helo pilots with offers of sign-on bonuses and free toasters. The helicopter operators were shunning them and mean-mugging them like crazy. I heard one operator yell at them, "Go home, n-word!" Harsh! Must be a lot of animosity there.
Bell Helicopter had a big display. Almost all their stuff was there - but no 525 or 609 though (which I know...it's not technically a Bell Helicopter product anymore. There was a huge screen with a CGI video of their overgrown quadcopter zooming around some city, in and among the skyscrapers but never landing! Very impressive! I asked the girl at the counter where such a thing would land? She said, "Rooftops." And I went, "Oooooh, that might be tough in some cities." And she just winced and nodded in agreement but did not say anything. These drones are a pipe dream, I tell you. The 505 was there. Meh, about what I expected...either a big 206B or a small 206L. No salesmen that I could talk to about it though. On one 505 the paint on the exposed tailboom attach bolts had been worn off, clearly by tools, indicating that the tailboom had been off one (or more) times. Bell should leave stuff like that unpainted.
Finally, we were drinking in a bar after the show. Someone suggested that we go crash the Robertson Helicopter after-party. Someone else wisecracked that, "We don't have to crash it, it'll crash itself!" Which was pretty funny and I wish I'd thought of it. We all laughed.
And I have two more days of this? I may just go today and then bag it. Having the show here in Atlanta was probably a mistake. Next year, I suggest they have it in some place more fun (and warmer!). Like California. I'll speak to Matty Z about it.
After descending into what seemed like the depths of Hades, we finally got down to the exhibit floor. It was pretty well-attended, although itw as an older crowd than I expected. Not too many young people. And no music! What's up with that? As far as exhibitors, all the usual suspects were there in two giant cinder-block halls. And walk? Dang, I should have worn more comfortable shoes. Rumor had it that Matty Z had already fled the scene, escaping back up to NYC where it is friggin' WARMER than here in Atlanta. Chuck Aaron got up on stage, whipped it out (his notes) and gave a speech on what a big...mustache...he has. And he has! Afterward, I got him to autograph my arm in magic marker. I think he actually wrote "Justin Bieber" though. I don't know, I was pretty drunk at the time (drat that free beer!). But it's gone now because I took a shower when I got home last night and inadvertently washed it off. Oh well...
Didn't get to meet Lyn Burks of JustHelicopters and Vertical. Maybe today. Did get to meet some pretty cool pilots, some of whom I've only "spoken" to online.
"Blackhawk Row" was pretty interesting! Plenty of 'em, although it appeared that there was an empty parking space for one more. Hmm, wonder what happened to it. Blackhawk down? I'm stumped.
Reports were that some operators were actively and aggressively recruiting pilots. Any warm body with a CPL was fair game. One operator's rep was standing outside their booth, giving a spiel like a used-car salesman, "Come on over! If you've got a license, we've got a job for you!" Well...young pilots, not 63 year-old me. "Move along, old man!" the car salesman said to me. "Let me talk to that young buck behind you." I turned around only to see a 62 year-old guy behind me. There was an airline booth there too, recruiting helo pilots with offers of sign-on bonuses and free toasters. The helicopter operators were shunning them and mean-mugging them like crazy. I heard one operator yell at them, "Go home, n-word!" Harsh! Must be a lot of animosity there.
Bell Helicopter had a big display. Almost all their stuff was there - but no 525 or 609 though (which I know...it's not technically a Bell Helicopter product anymore. There was a huge screen with a CGI video of their overgrown quadcopter zooming around some city, in and among the skyscrapers but never landing! Very impressive! I asked the girl at the counter where such a thing would land? She said, "Rooftops." And I went, "Oooooh, that might be tough in some cities." And she just winced and nodded in agreement but did not say anything. These drones are a pipe dream, I tell you. The 505 was there. Meh, about what I expected...either a big 206B or a small 206L. No salesmen that I could talk to about it though. On one 505 the paint on the exposed tailboom attach bolts had been worn off, clearly by tools, indicating that the tailboom had been off one (or more) times. Bell should leave stuff like that unpainted.
Finally, we were drinking in a bar after the show. Someone suggested that we go crash the Robertson Helicopter after-party. Someone else wisecracked that, "We don't have to crash it, it'll crash itself!" Which was pretty funny and I wish I'd thought of it. We all laughed.
And I have two more days of this? I may just go today and then bag it. Having the show here in Atlanta was probably a mistake. Next year, I suggest they have it in some place more fun (and warmer!). Like California. I'll speak to Matty Z about it.
Heli Expo
Gordy,
Great picture, that along with self driving cars, motorways in the sky around major cities, mobile phones, etc, etc..... we saw it all before in comics as kids! Who would have thought!!
FH1100Pilot,
Very funny post😎 Yes it is rather chilly here at the moment, suggest you find a hospitality booth with a fine Scotch to warm the cockles of your heart rather than the ****e beer generally provided at the GWCC.
Great picture, that along with self driving cars, motorways in the sky around major cities, mobile phones, etc, etc..... we saw it all before in comics as kids! Who would have thought!!
FH1100Pilot,
Very funny post😎 Yes it is rather chilly here at the moment, suggest you find a hospitality booth with a fine Scotch to warm the cockles of your heart rather than the ****e beer generally provided at the GWCC.
Thread Starter
Days two and three of the show were non-eventful. Someone was asking for pics, but honestly there was nothing noteworthy to take pictures of! Bell did not bring a 525 or the new tilt-rotor thingee they're working on, Agusta did not bring a 609, Sikorsky did not bring the Raider. Not even models! Kaman had a little model of a Kmax but not the real thing. Airbus did have a 145 with the new five-blade rotor. They also had a little model of their X-3 compound helicopter. For a helicopter show, there sure weren't many helicopters! There were Blackhawks aplenty...firefighting ships, obviously (minus one). There was a (the?) Coulson-Unical CH-47. (The thing about taking pictures though...the lighting was terrible and there were always people in the way.)
I was talking casually with a guy at the Van Horn Aviation booth about the blades they make for the 206. I haven't flown a ship with the Van Horn blades yet, but both guys I was with had. The discussion was really interesting! The Van Horn blades really do change the flying qualities of the 206, and some pilots (ag pilots, particularly) sometimes have trouble adapting. Since we weren't customers per se, I didn't want to monopolize the guy's time. So I introduced myself as we departed. And he goes, "Nice to meet you, I'm Jim Van Horn." And I was, like, well it was one of those times that leave me momentarily speechless. The man himself! You never know who you're talking to at these conventions!
I got to spend some time with Chuck Aaron. He's hard to miss or mistake for someone else. Chuck provides an aerobatic course in the Bo105 now. He had his ship there. It has a tiger motif and the interior company that did it was always close by. letting visitors know that they did other aircraft besides Bo105s. Chuck is a cool guy, especially when you get him talking about his past, the days before Red Bull.
Finally, I also got to sit down for a while with Matt Zuccaro, who's been president of the HAI since 2005. I used to know Matty (as everyone called him back in the day) since the 1970s. He preceded me by almost a decade at a charter operator in New York called Island Helicopters. Then he went to the N.Y. Port Authority for a while...and then onward and upward some more, culminating in being president of the HAI in 2005. Most of his peers are long-since retired from flying. I'm a bit younger than he, so I remember the old days, and we got to reminiscing about the times and the people who've made up the industry over the years. Lordy, the things he's done! He's a humble guy, but he's quite an inspiration to pilots who aspire to one day do something more than just wiggle the sticks.
I grew up in NYC but left that market in 1984, so Matt and I haven't really interacted in a long, long time - and although we've met more than a few times, honestly we didn't know each other and weren't "friends." But it was good catching up with someone who was also there in the early 1970s, what was really the beginning of the whole civilian turbine helicopter industry. Kind of made me feel old. Him too, unfortunately.
I told him that I loved his "Land The Damn Helicopter!" program but didn't like the watered-down "Land and Live" version the HAI ultimately settled on. Here's where Matty got really animated - he's still passionate about it because pilots keep pushing weather when they really ought to just take advantage of the fact that we're in HELICOPTERS and can land anywhere (pretty much). We talked about just such an accident with an aircraft that was headed for this very show. He said another ship got caught by the weather and did put it down to wait. Next day they resumed their trip and made it to the show in time for the load-in.
Matt laughed when he said that when he does these "Land and Live" presentations, they always put out a selection of t-shirts and stuff with both the "Land The Damn Helicopter!" and "Land and Live" slogans. He said that he NEVER comes back with any "Land The Damn Helicopter!" stuff. It *all* goes. But they always end up with leftover "Land and Live" stuff. So you see which message makes the better impact. Says I, don't water crap down!
All in all it was an interesting show. I had debated on not going because conventions like these are really not for me. I'm not the target market for any of the stuff on display. In fact, when I went to look at one of these "firehawk" UH-60s, an eager salesman came over. "We're just looking," we said. "Oh, just looking? Never mind then," he said before literally brushing us off and quickly walking away. My friend and I were, like, damn!
Other than that...oh wait! I'll tell you my experience at the Bell exhibit in a later post ;-)
I was talking casually with a guy at the Van Horn Aviation booth about the blades they make for the 206. I haven't flown a ship with the Van Horn blades yet, but both guys I was with had. The discussion was really interesting! The Van Horn blades really do change the flying qualities of the 206, and some pilots (ag pilots, particularly) sometimes have trouble adapting. Since we weren't customers per se, I didn't want to monopolize the guy's time. So I introduced myself as we departed. And he goes, "Nice to meet you, I'm Jim Van Horn." And I was, like, well it was one of those times that leave me momentarily speechless. The man himself! You never know who you're talking to at these conventions!
I got to spend some time with Chuck Aaron. He's hard to miss or mistake for someone else. Chuck provides an aerobatic course in the Bo105 now. He had his ship there. It has a tiger motif and the interior company that did it was always close by. letting visitors know that they did other aircraft besides Bo105s. Chuck is a cool guy, especially when you get him talking about his past, the days before Red Bull.
Finally, I also got to sit down for a while with Matt Zuccaro, who's been president of the HAI since 2005. I used to know Matty (as everyone called him back in the day) since the 1970s. He preceded me by almost a decade at a charter operator in New York called Island Helicopters. Then he went to the N.Y. Port Authority for a while...and then onward and upward some more, culminating in being president of the HAI in 2005. Most of his peers are long-since retired from flying. I'm a bit younger than he, so I remember the old days, and we got to reminiscing about the times and the people who've made up the industry over the years. Lordy, the things he's done! He's a humble guy, but he's quite an inspiration to pilots who aspire to one day do something more than just wiggle the sticks.
I grew up in NYC but left that market in 1984, so Matt and I haven't really interacted in a long, long time - and although we've met more than a few times, honestly we didn't know each other and weren't "friends." But it was good catching up with someone who was also there in the early 1970s, what was really the beginning of the whole civilian turbine helicopter industry. Kind of made me feel old. Him too, unfortunately.
I told him that I loved his "Land The Damn Helicopter!" program but didn't like the watered-down "Land and Live" version the HAI ultimately settled on. Here's where Matty got really animated - he's still passionate about it because pilots keep pushing weather when they really ought to just take advantage of the fact that we're in HELICOPTERS and can land anywhere (pretty much). We talked about just such an accident with an aircraft that was headed for this very show. He said another ship got caught by the weather and did put it down to wait. Next day they resumed their trip and made it to the show in time for the load-in.
Matt laughed when he said that when he does these "Land and Live" presentations, they always put out a selection of t-shirts and stuff with both the "Land The Damn Helicopter!" and "Land and Live" slogans. He said that he NEVER comes back with any "Land The Damn Helicopter!" stuff. It *all* goes. But they always end up with leftover "Land and Live" stuff. So you see which message makes the better impact. Says I, don't water crap down!
All in all it was an interesting show. I had debated on not going because conventions like these are really not for me. I'm not the target market for any of the stuff on display. In fact, when I went to look at one of these "firehawk" UH-60s, an eager salesman came over. "We're just looking," we said. "Oh, just looking? Never mind then," he said before literally brushing us off and quickly walking away. My friend and I were, like, damn!
Other than that...oh wait! I'll tell you my experience at the Bell exhibit in a later post ;-)
Thread Starter
As you might imagine, I spent a LOT of time hanging around the Bell exhibit, hat in hand (so to speak). I was looking for BellBlade, or Nigel...someone to talk to about the lonely 505. But the Bell people were ignoring their little bird (and the 429, come to think of it). And "little bird" is a misnomer. The 505 is big! Bigger than a 206B of course, and quite a bit larger than the R-66.
While waiting for the ghostly Bell reps, I eavesdropped on the people who were climbing in an out of the 505 - which was not all that easy with those stupid forward door posts that come back so far. It really is hard to get into the copilot seat with the duals installed. Then again, which helicopter is easy to get in and out of? I have to tell you, the reactions I overheard were rather, umm...unenthusiastic. One full-time professional pilot (MD500) was particularly unimpressed. But keep in mind, MD500 pilots don't like any Bell, old or new.
Questions...I had questions! Like, what is the real-world fuel burn at MCP? And what is the IAS at MCP? Do they usually run it at MCP, or do they use some lower power-setting that gives them better fuel consumption, a flatter cabin attitude and lower vibration?
I used to fly a 206B for a guy. He and I mostly flew alone, but sometimes he'd want to take friends along. It would not have mattered if we had an S-92 - he would've found a way to fill all the seats. I was 200 pounds, he was 220. In the back we'd have his girlfriend/future wife, and some other guy and his wife - say 490 pounds in the back seats. I wanted to see if the 505 could handle such a load. Spoiler alert: It cannot.
Bell gives you a really neat c.g. calculator in the G-1000. Plug in the numbers and it'll give you a graphic depiction of your c.g. Well...take a look at the picture below. It might be hard to see on your phone, but the loading scenario described above is what I entered. Even on your phone you can probably see that the c.g. would be way forward of forward limit. Gross weight is okay, but that thing is nose-heavy! Which stands to reason: Everything is forward of the mast. And these numbers are for the ship, N505CQ which had the bare-bones interior - really spartan, no interior panels, no carpet. I wanted to do the same with the 505 at the Mecaer booth - the one with their fancy (and good-looking!) interior. It's got to be even more nose-heavy. But they wouldn't let me near it. Had it roped off like the Mona Lisa or something.
If I were operating a 505, I'd ballast the thing so the empty weight c.g. was as far aft as possible. And actually, maybe 505CQ's was set up like that - I forgot to check where the c.g. would be with just me in it by myself. But again, I couldn't have asked a Bell rep if I wanted to.
Aaaaanyway, seeing the 505 "in the flesh" hasn't changed my opinion of it much. I'd like to fly one! A Bell demo ship showed up in my hometown not long ago. I wrote about it on Facebook, and someone from Bell (who obviously wasn't familiar with me) reached out to see if I wanted a ride? I said of course! But I think whoever was flying it must've recognized my name and told the other guy, "No way!" In any event, it hung around for a couple of days and then left without me hearing peep from the pilot. No matter, I'll find someone who'll let me fly theirs. Or not, I don't care, really. The guy I used to fly for is still deliriously happy with his 206B.
It might be hard to see, but here we have 420 pounds in the front seats, and 490 in the back. You can maybe see that the c.g. index is forward of the limit. Trouble is, you have no way of offsetting the cabin load, as the baggage compartment is right under the mast and doesn't change the c.g.
After walking our feet off all day, we repaired to a place near Heli-Expo called Der Biergarten, where the beers were huge and the food was awesome. That's yours truly in the middle with my friends Brandon (left) and Nate (right). Great guys and great pilots, but boy can they drink! Good times, man, good times.
While waiting for the ghostly Bell reps, I eavesdropped on the people who were climbing in an out of the 505 - which was not all that easy with those stupid forward door posts that come back so far. It really is hard to get into the copilot seat with the duals installed. Then again, which helicopter is easy to get in and out of? I have to tell you, the reactions I overheard were rather, umm...unenthusiastic. One full-time professional pilot (MD500) was particularly unimpressed. But keep in mind, MD500 pilots don't like any Bell, old or new.
Questions...I had questions! Like, what is the real-world fuel burn at MCP? And what is the IAS at MCP? Do they usually run it at MCP, or do they use some lower power-setting that gives them better fuel consumption, a flatter cabin attitude and lower vibration?
I used to fly a 206B for a guy. He and I mostly flew alone, but sometimes he'd want to take friends along. It would not have mattered if we had an S-92 - he would've found a way to fill all the seats. I was 200 pounds, he was 220. In the back we'd have his girlfriend/future wife, and some other guy and his wife - say 490 pounds in the back seats. I wanted to see if the 505 could handle such a load. Spoiler alert: It cannot.
Bell gives you a really neat c.g. calculator in the G-1000. Plug in the numbers and it'll give you a graphic depiction of your c.g. Well...take a look at the picture below. It might be hard to see on your phone, but the loading scenario described above is what I entered. Even on your phone you can probably see that the c.g. would be way forward of forward limit. Gross weight is okay, but that thing is nose-heavy! Which stands to reason: Everything is forward of the mast. And these numbers are for the ship, N505CQ which had the bare-bones interior - really spartan, no interior panels, no carpet. I wanted to do the same with the 505 at the Mecaer booth - the one with their fancy (and good-looking!) interior. It's got to be even more nose-heavy. But they wouldn't let me near it. Had it roped off like the Mona Lisa or something.
If I were operating a 505, I'd ballast the thing so the empty weight c.g. was as far aft as possible. And actually, maybe 505CQ's was set up like that - I forgot to check where the c.g. would be with just me in it by myself. But again, I couldn't have asked a Bell rep if I wanted to.
Aaaaanyway, seeing the 505 "in the flesh" hasn't changed my opinion of it much. I'd like to fly one! A Bell demo ship showed up in my hometown not long ago. I wrote about it on Facebook, and someone from Bell (who obviously wasn't familiar with me) reached out to see if I wanted a ride? I said of course! But I think whoever was flying it must've recognized my name and told the other guy, "No way!" In any event, it hung around for a couple of days and then left without me hearing peep from the pilot. No matter, I'll find someone who'll let me fly theirs. Or not, I don't care, really. The guy I used to fly for is still deliriously happy with his 206B.
It might be hard to see, but here we have 420 pounds in the front seats, and 490 in the back. You can maybe see that the c.g. index is forward of the limit. Trouble is, you have no way of offsetting the cabin load, as the baggage compartment is right under the mast and doesn't change the c.g.
After walking our feet off all day, we repaired to a place near Heli-Expo called Der Biergarten, where the beers were huge and the food was awesome. That's yours truly in the middle with my friends Brandon (left) and Nate (right). Great guys and great pilots, but boy can they drink! Good times, man, good times.
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FH1100 Pilot. I have to say I really like your style of prose and the way you communicate so freely on this forum. I have enjoyed immensely reading about your visit to HAI. I think you have a novel or two inside of you (forgive me if you have already made one). Keep it coming.
DB
DB
I was talking casually with a guy at the Van Horn Aviation booth about the blades they make for the 206. I haven't flown a ship with the Van Horn blades yet, but both guys I was with had. The discussion was really interesting! The Van Horn blades really do change the flying qualities of the 206, and some pilots (ag pilots, particularly) sometimes have trouble adapting. Since we weren't customers per se, I didn't want to monopolize the guy's time. So I introduced myself as we departed. And he goes, "Nice to meet you, I'm Jim Van Horn." And I was, like, well it was one of those times that leave me momentarily speechless. The man himself! You never know who you're talking to at these conventions! ;-)
I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Van Horn and getting a tour of his facility in Phoenix last year. A very nice gentleman and a fascinating place to visit. He was one of the main men behind the development of the NOTAR system and had some fascinating things to say about it and many other things.
500 Fan.
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I was at the bar behind you, BTW - small world.
This was my 30th Heli-Expo, and many thanks to all who stopped by Robinson's booth to say hello, including King Schools' Martha & John (traveled via their Falcon 10):
Fly safely!
Thread Starter
Wow Pat, you got to hang out with way cooler people than I did! No, I take that back, I wouldn't trade Brandon and Nate for anyone, even the Kings - who by the way almost ran me over at the show. I rounded a corner and here they come! They were charging along on those short little legs like the place was on fire. I started to say, "Oh, you're John and Mar..." but they brushed past me like Lady Gaga dodges the paparazzi going into the club. I was, like, was it something I said? (I think John had to pee really bad or something, I don't know. Either that or Martha forgot that they left the Falcon running out at DeKalb Field.) Anyway, they didn't even slow down. So I snubbed them! I said, "The heck with you Kings! You know, that's only a name, you're not really royalty!" But I don't think they heard me. So I looked for someone else to pester. I thought I saw Matty Z., but maybe not...whoever it was, he saw me and quickly ducked behind a curtain with one of the many geisha girls that were inexplicably roaming around, looking to make a quick buck. Ah but wait...there's Chuck Aaron! He couldn't escape.
At Der Biergarten we also had one of those ginormous Riesenbretzels and an order of them Reuben Rolls. Oh God was it good!. I forget which beer we were drinking...some heferweisenkanerspaten… After the fourth one, who cared anyway? I was glad I wasn't driving! Oh wait...maybe I did drive home, come to think of it, I forget. I thought about just ordering a salad, because I'm watching my figure (watching it expand, that is). But then I remembered that I actually have a penis and that dieting is for chicks. So I had the Saurbraten, which was awesome. No wonder Germans are so...err...bulky. I could (and should!) live in Germany if they actually eat like that all the time. Brandon had some Bratwurst platter that looked delicious. Every time the (decidedly un-German) waitress came over and asked how everything was, Brandon would say, "It's der vurst!" She'd roll her eyes and smile and pretend she hadn't heard that "joke" a million times. Today.
I'm actually looking forward to going to Heli-Expo next year in California. Not for the helicopters but for the food. Probably some really good eating out there in L.A.
Here in Pensacola, Florida our selection of restaurants is really pitiful.
At Der Biergarten we also had one of those ginormous Riesenbretzels and an order of them Reuben Rolls. Oh God was it good!. I forget which beer we were drinking...some heferweisenkanerspaten… After the fourth one, who cared anyway? I was glad I wasn't driving! Oh wait...maybe I did drive home, come to think of it, I forget. I thought about just ordering a salad, because I'm watching my figure (watching it expand, that is). But then I remembered that I actually have a penis and that dieting is for chicks. So I had the Saurbraten, which was awesome. No wonder Germans are so...err...bulky. I could (and should!) live in Germany if they actually eat like that all the time. Brandon had some Bratwurst platter that looked delicious. Every time the (decidedly un-German) waitress came over and asked how everything was, Brandon would say, "It's der vurst!" She'd roll her eyes and smile and pretend she hadn't heard that "joke" a million times. Today.
I'm actually looking forward to going to Heli-Expo next year in California. Not for the helicopters but for the food. Probably some really good eating out there in L.A.
Here in Pensacola, Florida our selection of restaurants is really pitiful.
Last edited by FH1100 Pilot; 15th Mar 2019 at 22:14.
Demo flights
I went on two demo flights -one in the Bell 505 N505YY from Fulton County Airport and in the Airbus Helicopters H135 Advance Navy Helicopter Trainer Proposal
Cheers
Cheers
Great pictures Chopper2004!
Im shocked by the picture of the Midtown/Downtown connector which shows flowing traffic! A rare moment indeed.... Glad you had a great time, would like to see any other pictures you have.
Im shocked by the picture of the Midtown/Downtown connector which shows flowing traffic! A rare moment indeed.... Glad you had a great time, would like to see any other pictures you have.
Thread Starter
Yes, Chopper2004, very interesting! Thanks for posting those. From your pics we can see that at 95% torque(?) in level flight you are doing 112 knots. Hmm, I'm guessing you have all the seats full and are probably pretty heavy. That's "about" what a 206B on low-skids (with fairings) and no wedge windows would do. You're nearly full of fuel, and the fuel flow is 220 pph (32 gph), about in line with what a 500 horsepower engine should be burning..
It's nice to see some actual photographs of the numbers instead of relying on the anecdotal figures some people report.
It's nice to see some actual photographs of the numbers instead of relying on the anecdotal figures some people report.
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I‘m getting older and my eyes are getting tired but I‘m pretty sure that torque is at 78.0 only, NG is @94.9.
Last edited by Spunk; 28th Mar 2019 at 19:22. Reason: added NG value
Yeah I agree the Torque in the picture sits at 78%, Ng 94.9 and MGT 683
What I assume to be a first limit indicator gauge shows about 9.5 (have never flown 505 so not 100% sure that's what it is).
What I assume to be a first limit indicator gauge shows about 9.5 (have never flown 505 so not 100% sure that's what it is).
Unical-Coulson
Also IMHO, I thought Unical-Coulson CH-47D Helitanker was one of the highlights of the show so here are my photos of both the CU-47 (including departures) and CU-60.
cheers
cheers