Ireland to England in a R22
 

Hi Fella's (and any Lady's)

I was wondering if any of you could give me any pointers etc on flying a R22 from Ireland back to England?

Have any of you done it before etc? Anything heads up I cold use etc....

Obviously i'll be taking a little life raft to keep the CAA happy etc.

Oh and I HATE water! lol :ok:

Would appreciate any tips.

Thanks

Lou:confused:

Ehhh is there no Raven II's about you can take over? The 22 wouldn't be my choice at this time of year to ferry across the irish sea!

LOL, no me either!

It's bringing it back to the England to it's new home.

Yeah a Clipper 2 would be much nicer but unfortunatly not possible.....

But thanks for filling me with so much confidence! :ok::ugh:

Just fly from Rosslaire to Haverdfordwest, probably 30 min or less with the wind from the west. Make sure you have a reasonable ceiling and good visibility so you can see the other side when you're at 2000 ft.

Remember the engine doesn't know it's over water.

The only thing you need is a life-vest, now as another precaution I would consider an immersion suit, if it goes wrong a life-vest alone won't help you at all in the cold water of the Irish Channel.

Crikey! Pilot plus 1 pas, life jackets, immersion suits, rafts, fuel...... Better not eat breakfast ey!

You guys did read the title right?? It's an R22! lol only joking, I know, I know, i'm gonna die!! :{

No, you're only gonna die if the engine fails over the water! :} If the engine fails at any other time, you only might die or be seriously injured!! :p

Are we helping here? :)

Cheers

Whirls

You would be better off taking another pilot who has done the trip a few times rather than another passenger. Immersion suits is a very good idea and a PLB.

How about keeping it in Ireland, there are enough R22's spoiling the sky over here already

No, you're only gonna die if the engine fails over the water! http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/badteeth.gif If the engine fails at any other time, you only might die or be seriously injured!! http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/tongue.gif

Are we helping here? http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/smile.gif

Cheers

Whirls


What?????? You gonna Die if the engine fails over water????????? Bull****!!!!!!

Your gonna die if you dont do the right thing if engine fails over water.

Try saying, "ha ha very funny!" Vertical T/O!! :\

So why not help the original poster and explain the "right" thing in an R22 over the irish Channel!!

Cheers

Whirls

Thanks for all the great advice fellas............ :ugh:

Yes it's only serious if the engine fails..... If it was any other time of year I would much prefer a engine failure over water than land in a 22, I know i'm gonna get....well if you auto right you'll be fine.....blah blah blah.... To be honest you can practice engine off's day in day out, but it all depends what actually happens when it does go for real.... and especially whats below, all very well having lots of fields in the UK, but go find one that is'nt ploughed this time of year..... there few and far between!

If it was lovely sunshine I'd much rather loose a 22 to the sea than rolling it on a field or wires etc... Obviously it's the damn water temp thats the problem with the Irish sea! you'd nearly be dead before you drowned!

I'll look into the options, maybe getting it shipped....

But ya know some times engines don't stop! :rolleyes: hehe.

Oh and MR HUGHES 500, I know theres a few 22's about the UK but we're not all fortunate enough to be flying the ferrai of the skys! I'd like to fly a 500 more than any other ship in the world! Hell i'd just like ago in one! It was that helicopter that got me hooked on the damn things! Larry Hagmens, Deadly Encounter film, awesome! :ok:

Don't be too put off by everyone. Just be aware of the risks and take sensible precautions. I delivered a 44 from Weston, near Dublin, to Suffolk via Liverpool last December for a friend. It wasn't a problem - other than the upset it has apparently caused on another thread through being advertised on ebay! I wore both a drysuit and a lifejacket for the crossing.

Check your PMs.

Fly to Larne in Norn Iron,
turn east, follow the ferries across the North Channel (short water crossing)
Keep going east to Carlisle
You're now in England.

Sorted :ok:

Maybe get the company frequency of the rig aircraft which ply those waters so they can send you a fast response rescue dinghy.

Wear loads of clothes, preferably ones which keep you dry.

Travel high.

Put it on a trailer and go by ferry. Ha
:ok:

stay VFR
 

Just watch yourself over large bodies of water on overcast days squire, once ocean & sky merge to a gray continuum you got problems. I kinda lost the horizon over lake Eyre once, much scarier than all the horror stories I heard about dunkings.

R22 Clipper wth you on that one , done quite a few water crossings now.No scary moments yet but could have got into that trap if it weren't for a good friend Atpl h . He came with me on a few trips and of course my first one.On that trip as I lifted from a coastal airport and coasted out I was climbing merrily on a nice but hazy day as I passed 1000ft he said " that's high enough" , with respect I never doubted his wisdom but always wanted to know the reason . I replied I'd like to go higher in case it all goes quiet, to which he said," if the engine quits your going in the water anyway so this is high enough to sort that out but if you continue climbing with this haze you will loose a good horizon for reference , now which do you think is more likely to happen? ". Served me well in later flights especially in slightly worse conditions too.

The most sensible suggestion has been made by Floppy Link. For the extra miles over land and fuel burn over Ireland and the UK, you get a maximum distance from land of 22 miles and you would be operating in a much more easily searched area than any other alternative if everything goes tits up.

Seriously
Having been dunked and thrown off a boat in a F10 gale in the Mil for sea survival think long and hard about what you wear and take
Essential is an emersion suit with warm clothing underneath
ELT
Life jacket
Liferaft

Most will laugh at this, I can assure you having spent 1 hour off Plymouth in the sea with water temp of 5degrees the sea is an unfunny place to survive.
I do a lot of windsurfing this time of year and wear a 5mm wet suit. Still get cold after a couple of hours. Normal clothing in the Irish Sea probably 30 mins at most before hyperthemia and death.
Choose the shortest distance across, check the weather, very difficult to make out an horizon in grey cloud, grey sea if you cant see the land.
Most of all enjoy it and the last tip, the ac will sound different when you coast out, nothing wrong with it just your hightened senses.

Is it just Floppy Link and myself with any sence. Take the shortest sea crossing you can. Donaghadee to Port Patrick about 10 mins, on to Carlisle then the world is your oyster.