Great "Chinese" Pilot Mort Meng Passes On
 

Mort Meng (it is Dutch but we always called him "Chinese") has passed on today. He was one of the OH-58D introduction into service pilots, a solid production test pilot, Bell demo pilot, and by any standards the best stick I have ever seen.


TC

How did I live all this time without having seen the Deadly Encounter flying scenes! Just absolutely amazing! The drain gully flying is good and the loop around the bridge isn't bad either - I know that in theory you can loop anything, but that doesn't mean you really can.

Thanks for posting! For sure a strong candidate for the best helicopter flying ever.

I've seen 3 in 20 odd years. One was a backhoe operator, he could hover in his first Hr,and was smooth as Ive seen, another was from Quebec Canada, and had 3 fingers on his right hand I think.. and the third was an instructor at the 408 air reserves in Edmonton Canada who flies an air ambulance now.. he was super smooth as well.. only remember his name as Tom..

Certainly not me! I was just very lucky!

Deadly Encounter
Perhaps some of the most iconic helicopters ever Lama, Gazelle, 500, Jetbanger
Not sure the " loop" round the bridge is a loop looks more like a torque turn !

I learned a great lesson on this topic a couple of decades back (actually 3.5 decades!).

I'd just left the SAR job and all the publicity that goes with that. For some years I would occasionally meet younger pilots who would say "Of course I know you by reputation" and I would nod gratefully and sagely.

Many years later the same thing happened again. I replied "Hang on a minute, you can barely have been wearing diapers at the time I was doing all that stuff"

"That's true" the young aviator responded "but I've just qualified as a QHI in the RN"
I must have looked suitably blank, so he continued "... and you're used as an example on that course"
"I'm used as an example of what?" I hesitantly enquired.
"You're used as an example of why instructors should persevere with idiots because they might turn out to be adequate in the end" :{ :{ :{

(And, just for the record ... David Voy and Uncle Dennis - For simultaneously being consummate gentlemen and consummate aviators)

The best pilots will never be mentioned on here. They simply do their job to the best of their ability day after day conscious of the fact that they will always be remembered by the last job they ever did.

Whisper mode...

The Bishop.

It's gotta be either Crab or AnFI.

Depends who you speak to. Most people who know Crab tell me that he tells them he is the best. I don't know anyone who knows AnFI.

The best ? The one who makes the correct decisions at the correct time even if that means unhappy punters when sitting in a field !

I've known lots of helicopter pilots, quite a few of them made it obvious they thought they were better than everyone else.

Many of those are dead.

I knew a pilot who said:

"I am the SECOND best pilot in the world. There is possibly somebody out there who is better, but I haven't met him yet."

Me....... Every time I land the aircraft safely ......

According to the C.V.s I get every week, every newly qualified CPL with 200 hours!

I still reckon the late Jake Jackson was one of the best, Dave Humble was an astonishing trainer and Uncle Dennis showed things I didn't know a helicopter could do!

SND