So a serious question.
Have any of the rotary instructors, tutored a student, who took to the task and performed as if he/she had been flying for years.

Capn N: I have come across several, the most amazing of which was a female student on UH-60s who flew Boost off (for the first time) whilst on NVG, as if there was nothing wrong with the aeroplane, and a male student whom on his first UH-60 instrument ride (he had had instrument training on the training helicopter previously), flew a perfect VOR approach boost and SAS off. This was also his first VOR approach.

But then a crusty old instructor once told me: "the perfect student is usually the one who kills you". Meaning that this is the student with whom you relax your vigilance with because you are confident they will not make a mistake, and are thus unprepared for an error.

To: Helmet Fire

This is not an attack against what you have posted above and I will admit total ignorance of the complexities of the UH-60 but your statement of flying with the boost off doesn’t sit right due to my past experience on other Sikorsky Helicopters. The Basic design philosophy of Sikorsky regarding helicopters that have a dual hydraulic system is that both systems can’t be shut off at the same time. A long time ago Sikorsky made a major design error on the S-58 in that the solenoid shut off valve connector and the pressure switch connector could be cross-connected on both of the hydraulic systems, as there was no means of telling them apart. Sikorsky eventually wrote a SIC to paint the connectors different colors. On this particular occasion the pilot was doing a ground run test prior to take off. He turned one hydraulic system off and it went off. He turned that system on and turned the other system off and both systems shut down. The cyclic stick started a violent circular path and destroyed that pilot’s ability to procreate. It also seriously injured his legs and that was while he was on the ground. It would seem that the feedback forces in flight would be so severe that nobody let alone a female pilot could maintain control.

[ 12 December 2001: Message edited by: Lu Zuckerman ]

Lu,
You are right - the UH-60 pilot cannot turn off both (in fact three) of the HYD systems at once, and the aircraft cannot be flown without one of the systems (at least thats what it was like in the simulator).

Boost off refers to the isolation of the collective and yaw boost servos, not the primary servos. Bit like flying the UH-1H HYD off, but without the cyclic forces.
:)

Ah, Ace of the base, pilot habits...from a mechanic/DOM perspective....

1. Someone who can fill out the flight log, count cycles, and add numbers correctly....

2. Someone who does not believe: If they are "smooth", exceeding the limits of the helicopter will not cause any problems.....

3. Someone who helps clean the aircraft, and does not leave cigarette butts in the cabin...

4. Someone who does not try to make me sick during track flights...

5. Someone who actually performs daily inspections before flight...

6. Someone who does not try to prove to me he knows more about the maintenance requirements of the aircraft...

7. Someone that does not shove cost vs safety down my throat. (more an owner type thing, but usually a pilot...)

8. Someone that buys beer for the crew after work...

9. Someone that is worried about water in the fuel....

10. Someone who will tell the boss he is not able to fly because of one of many possible personal problems, and not blame the downtime on a perceived phantom mechanical problem with the aircraft.....

10. Someone that enjoys their job, and is a hoot to work with...

In a perfect world, this would be the "Ace of the base".....

[ 14 December 2001: Message edited by: rotormatic ]

And for every ace there is one dud. Love to hear some stories about the worst Pilot(s) you ever worked with. I once worked with a guy who thought he was an Ace longliner. Truth of the matter was that although he could fly ok he almost never looked over his machine, would turn up to work hung over and never had a good word to say about anyone. (He already had a history of crashing 2 machines.) He was a good friend of the ops Manager and they had toured in the Antarctic, I'm sure that was the only reason he had a job. Hated being on shift with that guy and he made the whole base feel uncomfortable. Definately NOT an ACE of the Base.

[ 18 December 2001: Message edited by: MAX Ng ]

A "natural" pilot is one who feels "comfortable" in the air. Watch him/her during the approach - relaxed and light on the controls.

A good pilot is one who knows when to say, "No".

A bad pilot - well, I guess that's when personality comes in.