How dangerous are helicopters - and why are more of us trying to fly them?
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
The obvious additional level of excitement with helicopters is that the lifting surfaces are not only revolving at dizzying speeds, but are attached by hinges, dampers, bearing, nuts, bolts, locking wire and large dollops of engineering expertise. Compare this to a fixed wing where they cheat and use rivets, spars, bolts and welding. Having been an engineer before going flying, I often pondered how the the entire lift versus weight fight was being transacted thorough a single thrust bearing. Never bothered me (knowledge is power), but even today it's still some impressive engineering that fixed wing can only aspire to.
The obvious additional level of excitement with helicopters is that the lifting surfaces are not only revolving at dizzying speeds, but are attached by hinges, dampers, bearing, nuts, bolts, locking wire and large dollops of engineering expertise.
The skill and judgement of the pilot makes a lot of the difference. I see pilots setting a skid on a tiny outcrop on a mountain side to let EMTs out, hovering precisely alongside high voltage lines, dropping Christmas trees onto trucks with the expertise of a surgeon, and then I see:
"There are good ideas. There are bad ideas. Then there's this idea."
https://imgur.com/gallery/D62ubSP
and I have to say - some of y'all are crazy. Fly safe and keep the Jesus nut secure.
"There are good ideas. There are bad ideas. Then there's this idea."
https://imgur.com/gallery/D62ubSP
and I have to say - some of y'all are crazy. Fly safe and keep the Jesus nut secure.
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"There are good ideas. There are bad ideas. Then there's this idea."
https://imgur.com/gallery/D62ubSP
I see pilots setting a skid on a tiny outcrop on a mountain side to let EMTs out
What's exciting? Mate went on a back seat ride in a F-100 on a bombing mission, being an Army Sioux he was flabbergasted, in return took the jet pilot on a ride in his Sioux, he was flabbergasted, each thought that what the other did was the bees knees.
Both would have been bored silly with a Chinook flight but would have envied the In-Flight Food and Beverage Service.
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Avoid imitations
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For a few years I flew SAR helicopters and for offshore stuff worked alongside fixed wing aircraft. Because of our relatively short endurance and their faster cruise speed, for more distant jobs they would take off first and do the searching. That often enabled us to be directed direct to the scene and pick up survivors, or recover what we could without wasting scarce fuel searching the area.
One of the senior fixed wing pilots was a very experienced, but through and through fixed wing, ex-RAF A1 QFI (RAF pilots know what that meant).
He once said to me how much he respected what we did. He said that in basic terms, aeroplane pilots go from A to B, then job done. Helicopter pilots go from A to B just to begin the difficult part of the job. I’d never thought of it in those terms before, but I think he’s right.
One of the senior fixed wing pilots was a very experienced, but through and through fixed wing, ex-RAF A1 QFI (RAF pilots know what that meant).
He once said to me how much he respected what we did. He said that in basic terms, aeroplane pilots go from A to B, then job done. Helicopter pilots go from A to B just to begin the difficult part of the job. I’d never thought of it in those terms before, but I think he’s right.
Good fun taking vulcanologists into the crater of Karkar Island in PNG. Over the 6000' lip, land on the crater floor, and look up in dismay as cloud closes off the crater. Listening for rumbles underfoot, thinking of ways to blast off through the cloud, cruise for a minute to get clear of the hill, and then descend the 6000' back towards sea level. Luckily the cloud shifted before Karkar did anything silly.
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Thinking about the thread title....got me to thinking back over my years of helicopter flying.....and the thought that keeps coming back Is that there is nothing any more dangerous than a bored helicopter. pilot.
Rarely does any good come from that.
Knowing helicopter pilots as I do....one thing for sure about the only thing we cannot resist is temptation.
Rarely does any good come from that.
Knowing helicopter pilots as I do....one thing for sure about the only thing we cannot resist is temptation.
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