Water-sking helicopter !
 

Tonight's TV news included an item remembering World Expo 88 held in Brisbane. It featured brief footage of a Jetranger "water ski-ing" on its skids down the Brisbane river.

Just curious!

I have heard stories of ag pilots water ski-ing with their wheels locked up, but never heard of it being done with a chopper.

Anyone care to comment on (note how carefully I worded that!):

How difficult is it to do?

Whats the margin for error?

Dr:cool:

My instructor did the same thing. He landed the 206 on a dock in northern Saskatchewan to go shopping for groceries for a bush camp. After loading up the helicopter and lifting off from the dock he hovered over the water. However, the machine started to sink as he lost ground effect over the water.
He pushed the cyclic forward and the helicopter began to ski down the lake on its skids until he had translational lift and the machine began to climb. He said it was something he would not like to repeat but the people watching from the shore were very impressed.

Why don't you ask your underwriter, I'm sure that he would be delighted to politely inform you of the possibilities.

Did hear of one many moons ago trying to do a mono on the T/R, a fair bit south of Brisbane. It was a fairly dark helicopter and a leeding pilot in the area, without giving too much away.

A*** over T** it all went.

It's all a bit like water skiing in the six foot wide road side drain behind a fast moving motor car?? Being done recently by an applicant to our company, wondered why he got a knockback, bloody idiot.

Slightly off the original question but has anyone tried / witnessed water skiing behind a helo? Is it possible???? :confused:

Waterski yes, it can be done...

or here:

http://www.nordsee-helikopter.de/res...IMG0592_r1.jpg

Re water skiing behine a helo -

Troy Dann did it behind a KH-4 in the top end... was on one of his shows, that have now been realesed on DVD, also film of him suffering a engine failure in his B47 an ditching into a swamp filled with crocs...

For those who are unfilmilar Troy Dann is an Aussie who hosted his T.V show called "outback adventures" and travelled around oz in his B47, doing mustering, heli-fishing, while also educating people about the outback... got some good chopper footage... :ok:

Troy Dann
 

Troy also showed us a little too much of him self while swimming in a hotel on one episode! :yuk:
Do all you aussie outback fullas wear G-Strings (thongs) while swimming? :}
(im quietly upset about cricket)

It was a pretty good programme actually, and was quite popular over here in NZ. Is it still running?

Hughesy

Yes, its possible and it was a lot of fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxdNnitPNEM

skadi

He must have bought a lot of Molson ;)

One picture from a german 205:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...y_waterski.jpg
Photo: Hans Kraskes


pitch up!
G203

Water skiing was done in a Wessex at RNAS Portland about 1969, using the rescue hoist :p

Part of the annual Air Show, the skier was run almost onto Chesil Beach, then lifted with a judiscious application of collective to avoid Aunty Flo and family, who had SFA idea of what was going on :)

Happy days......:ok:

No guys, I am not talking about water ski-ing behind a chopper. The chopper in the video had the back half of its skids in the water as if the chopper itself was water ski-ing!

Dr:cool:

I too saw the footage on the TV (Aust Army Kiowa ploughing along on the BNE River during an Expo 88 flying display) and while I was admiring the attitude control of the pilot, I found myself asking why? ie what was the benefit? As I said I thought it looked great however, the sequence itself was obviously a high risk task with potentially disastrous consequences.

I guess this was 20 yrs ago and I suspect that the Army AVN COMD and the Risk management process would blow the task out of the water today however maybe 20 yrs ago the culture was such that the expo 88 flying display was an acceptable and skillful manoeuvre to partake in and showed the masses what sort of fearless aviators took to the Kiowa skies with superior attitude control while flying at the Earth's surface (literally).

I would be interested to hear from the ACFT Capt that conducted the display and the history behind the conduct of the sequence and if the process was self authorised or thrown to a higher level of authorisation. I would be interested to hear WHY? the task was necessary? As has been said in prvious posts by other pruners, the task looked and was incredibly risky with little or no return if things went peared shaped........ Loss of hull and/or capability for a few seconds of "gee look at that"

Mysterious aquaplaning Kiowa pilot of expo 88 over to you.......

Authorising Officer over to you too................

Max

:sad:

Actually, no. They didn't allow booze in the camp, according to my instructor. It was all food and supplies (however, he did say he brought a bottle of something for the cook but that was a little secret).

Ghostrider

Can't help thinking that it would be more efficient if you didn't have the windmill connected between the helicopter and the skier - still, they probably know what they're doing.

I hadn't picked up on the fact that it was an Army Kiowa. Interesting! I wonder if that in the manual.

Dr:cool:

http://www.dumpalink.com/videos/AT-6...ater-df35.html


try this for a laugh. A bunch of crazy South African dudes having a dip!!

Helicopter pilot fined for towing water skiers
 

Just found this news item in the NZ press: A cautionary tale!

NZ Herald Article

Reading
 

Half way through reading Hurricane Tim by Neville Peat, what a great story ............ would Toby Wallis be Sir Tim's son?

Sir Tim & Toby Wallis
 

Indeed he is, as you should be able to see on his company website:

Alpineheli