AAIB (H) UK November 2020
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Correct RINKER. Same for the R44 and R66 as well.
I suspect few actual helicopter pilots are the least bit concerned about falling out of the helicopter or anything like that. Unless you live in cold climes, certainly we've nearly all spent a great deal of time flying around with the doors completely off. Well before I took up with helicopters, when I was taking my fixed wing training my instructor would try to rattle me by opening his door on on take-off. Sadly his gambit failed because I was already a very experienced skydiver and did not really care much for doors on airplanes, either
The challenge can be more physical than intellectual for a low time pilot. I can reach every door in an R44 myself except for the left rear. But with a newly minted private certificate, to do that and keep flying straight and level might be quite difficult. It was for me!
To pile on with the aforementioned pax briefings, I also make all pax demonstrate their ability to open and reclose a door. This works great, as you know. But I also fly a lot of fair ride type concessions. When you fly 150 people in one day, sometimes even your very experienced and conscientious loaders make a mistake. Or perhaps your not so bright insta-passenger wonders what the shiny silver handle is for. I've never had a problem talking even the drunkest idiot through reclosing the door, but YMMV.
But I digress. This gent was a very low time pilot. His initial decision to solve the problem was a reasonable one. Very sad he got downwind, very, very sad he didn't handle that well either.
I suspect few actual helicopter pilots are the least bit concerned about falling out of the helicopter or anything like that. Unless you live in cold climes, certainly we've nearly all spent a great deal of time flying around with the doors completely off. Well before I took up with helicopters, when I was taking my fixed wing training my instructor would try to rattle me by opening his door on on take-off. Sadly his gambit failed because I was already a very experienced skydiver and did not really care much for doors on airplanes, either
The challenge can be more physical than intellectual for a low time pilot. I can reach every door in an R44 myself except for the left rear. But with a newly minted private certificate, to do that and keep flying straight and level might be quite difficult. It was for me!
To pile on with the aforementioned pax briefings, I also make all pax demonstrate their ability to open and reclose a door. This works great, as you know. But I also fly a lot of fair ride type concessions. When you fly 150 people in one day, sometimes even your very experienced and conscientious loaders make a mistake. Or perhaps your not so bright insta-passenger wonders what the shiny silver handle is for. I've never had a problem talking even the drunkest idiot through reclosing the door, but YMMV.
But I digress. This gent was a very low time pilot. His initial decision to solve the problem was a reasonable one. Very sad he got downwind, very, very sad he didn't handle that well either.
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Mind you I'm not entirely in disfavor of your thought. My own personal limits gauge was indicating near maximum so much after my private checkride that I rolled right into a commercial course of instruction. But not everyone feels that way, even if they should.
When you go the rotary route, the intention is to squeeze it into as small a space as you're comfortable doing.
Sometimes it even fits.
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Continuing with this digression...I worry a great deal more when I am asked to host someone on board with mental disabilities. Mildly inebriated folks are relatively predictable. I have no idea what those with mental disabilities will do. In this PC day and age it is very difficult to gracefully refuse service to such. I have standing orders to put them in the back seat, preferably with a guardian of some sort. The Robinson T-bar cyclic is just too vulnerable to allow that kind of unpredictable or potentially impulsive behavior to be near it. Even with the precaution of the back seat, if things start to get weird the flight gets cut short.
Maximum digression: the passenger that I hate the most is the bully father who is making his scared-to-death kid go. This can be hard to detect on the ground, but in the air it is always evident. Those flights get cut short, too.
There's a bit of hyperbole in my post. The op's I'm associated with do not allow, and I personally don't allow, people who are grossly inebriated as passengers. However, depending on the type of event, the smell of alcohol is often noticeable. I.e. the average person, having a good time, with a little bit of Etoh inside them, is capable of operating the door. Not really any different than when flying a commercial airline. No drinks allowed on board or served in flight, though!
Continuing with this digression...I worry a great deal more when I am asked to host someone on board with mental disabilities. Mildly inebriated folks are relatively predictable. I have no idea what those with mental disabilities will do. In this PC day and age it is very difficult to gracefully refuse service to such. I have standing orders to put them in the back seat, preferably with a guardian of some sort. The Robinson T-bar cyclic is just too vulnerable to allow that kind of unpredictable or potentially impulsive behavior to be near it. Even with the precaution of the back seat, if things start to get weird the flight gets cut short.
Maximum digression: the passenger that I hate the most is the bully father who is making his scared-to-death kid go. This can be hard to detect on the ground, but in the air it is always evident. Those flights get cut short, too.
Continuing with this digression...I worry a great deal more when I am asked to host someone on board with mental disabilities. Mildly inebriated folks are relatively predictable. I have no idea what those with mental disabilities will do. In this PC day and age it is very difficult to gracefully refuse service to such. I have standing orders to put them in the back seat, preferably with a guardian of some sort. The Robinson T-bar cyclic is just too vulnerable to allow that kind of unpredictable or potentially impulsive behavior to be near it. Even with the precaution of the back seat, if things start to get weird the flight gets cut short.
Maximum digression: the passenger that I hate the most is the bully father who is making his scared-to-death kid go. This can be hard to detect on the ground, but in the air it is always evident. Those flights get cut short, too.
Totally agree about keeping an eye on pax for signs of excessive alcohol or anything else taken in excess! Saw a pax refused a transfer flight in St Lucia because he was clearly very drunk. As far as been not very different to flying on a commercial airline I can’t seem to remember the last time I saw a pax helping close a door... not sure what commercial airline you fly with?
As for you cutting flights short, if you are flying 150 pax per day in your R44 your tour flights are probably a 10 minute trip, you can’t cut it much shorter than that!
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As for you cutting flights short, if you are flying 150 pax per day in your R44 your tour flights are probably a 10 minute trip, you can’t cut it much shorter than that!
aa777888,
Of course we are literal, educated with Queens English is always a good start in life!
As for that quick tour work, you must have the patience of a Saint and the eyes of a hawk... how many checks do you carry out on a busy day?
Of course we are literal, educated with Queens English is always a good start in life!
As for that quick tour work, you must have the patience of a Saint and the eyes of a hawk... how many checks do you carry out on a busy day?
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As for that quick tour work, you must have the patience of a Saint and the eyes of a hawk... how many checks do you carry out on a busy day?
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I can tell you that we don't fly above max. continuous, in the 5 minute take-off power regime, for very long. 30 seconds or a minute, maybe. However, there is no question that the aircraft is worked hard! As an owner of one of them I can tell you that I am concerned about making the full 2200 hours on the engine.
These op's are also rough on the aircraft in other ways. Dents, scuffs and scratches everywhere, inside and out. General cosmetic wear and tear. After the first season of this the eight year old carpet looked twelve years old. I ripped it out and put in a very nice utility floor kit from RAMM Aero. It added 7lbs to the empty weight but I'm pretty sure there was nearly 7lbs of dirt in that carpet! Everyone who sees it loves it, and it is a dream to keep clean, 5 minutes with a vacuum and a damp cloth