Hear ye, Hear Ye, This Is The Truth!
 

Helicopter pilots are just better than fixed wing pilots.
This has been a serious debate for quite some time with battle lines well drawn and the debate field hot, furious, and emotional. Obviously, the heat of the debate and the surety of the participants are directly proportional to the amount of liquid intelligence that has been consumed. Nevertheless, this humble observer will present the evidence that clearly proves helicopter pilots are, as a matter of fact, the most superior pilots in the aviation community.

First, let's talk about the numbers.
Airplanes have a lot of numbers, V1, V2, VTOSS, MMO, the figures many helicopter operations emulate. However, while helicopter pilots try to operate "by the numbers," the operating environment often precludes such a luxury. The 757 pilot is going to come over the fence at Vref +15 knots or some other such number like that. Meanwhile, the helicopter lands on a rig, perhaps with a 30 Knots head wind, a 15 Knots crosswind, or maybe he has to land in a remote area with no wind ... and he will LAND AT ZERO GROUND SPEED! If you know anything about aerodynamics, I shouldn't have to say anything else -- the safety of the numbers does not always grace the helicopter pilot therefore, they need special skill to compensate when the numbers are not even applicable. The rotorhead may be landing at 40 Knots IAS or 0 Knots ... airplane safety margins are all off!

Not convinced, let's talk operating environment.
It would be nice to be able to land on a flat piece of paved real estate that was 200' wide and 8000' long, for every landing; but for helicopter pilots, that's the exception rather than the rule (We are even told to "avoid the flow" of the starch wingers lest we upset their "numbers."). Helicopter pilots are called to land on small offshore platforms, smaller shipboard platforms (that can be bobbing and weaving like Mike Tyson), rooftops, forests, jungles, and next to highway at night to pick up the injured. This is a VFR operation that would make most airplane pilots cringe. This goes beyond those fixed wingers who call themselves "bush pilots." Helicopter pilots are the true Bush Pilots - they land and takeoff in the midst of the bushes!

To this, the helicopter pilot adds all the stuff the corporate or 121 operator does. They operate in dense airspace, fly instrument approaches, operate at busy airports, and fly in severe weather; often without the help of a four-axis autopilot with "autotrim." (In fact, the only autopilot may be control friction ... and any objective dual-rated pilots will confess the helicopter is quite a bit more difficult to fly on the gauges!)

At this point I have to interject for the prima Donna part 91 operators in their Citation X's, Gulfstreams, and Falcon 50's. Yes, Veronica, there are a lot of helicopters with color radar, multiple MFDs, EFIS, digital fuel controls, 4 axis autopilots, and all the other goodies, so don't go there! We can operate your fancy equipment as well!

I'm not done -- what about workload?
The helicopter pilot is normally the "company man" on the job. Therefore, they must not only be able to fly the aircraft, they have to be the local PR man with the customer, often solving the customer's problems so the aircraft is used the most efficiently. The helicopter pilot might have to arrange for his own fuel and even refuel his own aircraft. He checks the landing sites, trains people how to work around helicopters without getting injured, and makes sure the aircraft does not disturb Grandma Bessie's chickens!

But wait, like the Ginsu knife, "there's more!"
The rotor head does it all. He does all the preflight planning, submits the flight plan, prepares all the paperwork including the weight and balance, loads and briefs the passengers, loads cargo, and after landing takes care of the unloading and finally arranges for their own transportation and room. This is often interspersed by telephone calls to some company weenie that changes plans and expectations every hour.

Finally, the all important question, "What about control touch?"
I want to shut up all the hotshot fighter pilots. I've been in their aircraft and they have been in mine ... I could fly theirs but they were all over the sky in mine! So then, Mr., Starch Winger; when you see a Hughes 500 or Bell 204 pilot hold one skid on a 5000' knife edge ridge that is only 2 feet wide so passengers can step out onto the ridge, while the other skid is suspended in space ... when you watch a Skycrane, Vertol, S61, 212, or 214B pilot place a hook, that's on a cable 200' below the aircraft, in the hand of a ground crewman ... when you see a Lama, AStar, or Bell 206L land in a space in the trees that's scarcely bigger than the helicopter ... and if you ever watch a BK 117, 105, or A109 pilot land in a vacant lot next to a busy freeway surrounded by power lines - at night. Well, then, you'll have some idea who is the master manipulator of aviation equipment.

The bottom line is:
If all you want is to get into the air, find a Cessna, Beech, F-16, or 757. However, if you want to truly fly, to be an artisan in aviation and develop a birdlike control touch; then, you want to be a helicopter pilot. After all, a rock would probably fly if you made it go 180 knots.

The real question for our fixed wing brethren should be:

"How fast can you fly backward?"

"How fast can you fly backward?" :D

I love it! Just don't ask a Harrier pilot this one!:uhoh:

Great post, Thanks.

Ian.

Aymen! :ok:

"the master manipulator of aviation equipment":cool:
"company weenie":8

The real question is - who do the chicks dig the most?;)

SB

As you have posted this in the Rotorheads forum we will probably all agree with you.......I dare you to post it on one of the Fixed Wing Forums! :D

yeah, go for it, it'll be so funny!

Reeve Air Aleutian pilots up in Alaska have been known to fly backwards....especially in the days of the DC-3's.:uhoh:

You might be surprised by answers from "bus drivers".

A friend is a training captain at an international airline...

Before I started flying, I went to visit him, and over a glass of wine I asked if I should learn to fly helicopters or fixed wing, he first asked me the following question.

"Do you want to go from a to b, or do you want to learn to fly?"

I naturally said I wanted to fly, the challenge of it all, and all that.

His answer "Then go learn to fly helicopters"

He still drives buses, but will never pass up the opportunity to get behind a cyclic.

I just loved that post......I'm still rolling on the floor with laughter.....I must stop it now and go and control more helicopters.......but it will leave me grinning from ear to ear all evening!!!!!:ok:

but atco is forgetting to add one thing. he begged and begged if he could come and get a ride offshore in a heli. He's really another frustrated helicopter pilot, hiding behind his screen, in a box, in the wild north.


Helicopter pilots really are better people!!!:ok:

Just like my favorite bumper sticker reads;

Real Pilots Fly Helicopters

If we could just "get it up" faster, there would be no question.

Whats the rush:E

Excellent post thou..:ok:

Helimutt......you're dead right....I did beg and beg for a heli ride......I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about and to find out what you really did from take off to landing.........:oh:

Had to re-read your post......could have sworn it read "Helicopter pilots really are bitter people"..............:p

I've got to admit you can't argue with the content! Sounds to me like it's a conclusion to the "debate" ;) hehe

I've seen something like this before, whether this website or another.

Well, can't disagree with the idea (I'm future heli pilot as well), but will disagree with putting all the FW flying in one bag. Surely, you don't do 'bush flying' in A320, B737 etc.

FW flying may be more relaxing in terms of workload sometimes, but that doesn't make it any less of a flying.

Quick comments to add to the pot:

I would always say about my fixed wing brethren (specifically in a party with lots of women around) that the FWers are more like General Practitioners whereas the helicopter pilots are Specialists.The FW guys would typically come back with "there are chopper pilots and then there are proper pilots". The last word would always be mine as I would misquote from the movie 'Flight of the Intruder': Fighter pilots make movies ,helicopter pilots make history.

Alt3

P.S. I agree with the comment about avoiding the 'how fast backwards' comment with the Harrier crowd. There was even a video somewhere with a Lynx nose to nose with a Harrier flying backwards.

Devil's Advocate
 

Back to the ultimate QUESTION? (.......and the answer is not 42!)
Do you want to enjoy flying or make $$$$$$$!

Best possible answer is obviously both! Hence you find die hard chopper boys bored beyond recognition as bus drivers, but on weekends and holidays (never mind flight duty), they are all free lancing with the whirly bits. So they earn the big bucks and enjoy flying! It’s cheaper to start on fixed wing, eventually you make more $$$, and then you will be able to enjoy both.:ok:

Bush flying in Africa means exactly that! Believe me it is not easy for the boys earning their stripes flying into hot, high, sloping dirt strips nestled in valleys. Dodging CB’s (no weather service or telephones available in the real bush), goats, cattle and wildlife. Giving locals sufficient time to stop their football match on the runway and clear away for landing. Refuelling, accommodation etc all up to you and by the way, the spares you ordered 2 months ago, is still held by customs waiting for their Christmas bonus! Eventually you are rewarded with an interview with an operator using bigger birds and actual airports.


Obviously our flying “skills” are superior due to the variable circumstances we operate in. (Once we get out the bush and work in civilization). But are we suckers for punishment? Maybe the fixed wing boys are a bit smarter than us demanding a nice hotel to ensure sufficient rest after 10 hrs of boredom! Enjoy being served lunch by a constant flow of new fresh talent @ some hypoxia inducing altitude!

So the real question is do you want to work harder or smarter? Earn the big bucks or overnight in mozzie infested swamp with a goat for company (goat optional for those in the bush longer than 3 months and can be supplemented by penguin, moose, sheep, HIV+ local, whatever tickles you fancy.......):E

Superior YES, smarter NO. Am I a sucker for punishment, ABSOLUTELY! :D

As an old instructor said "We learn to fly on fixed wing and then graduate to helicopters". Which we did in those days.

Funny that, Brian, I learned to fly helis (I need more training/money) and THEN started (finally got about) flying gliders for fun and plan to do FW PPL so that I won't go mad and could rent something 'cheap' while continuing my studies - better than flying helis in chunks once a year or two.

I'm also going to do my PPL in Cub, rather than C152/172. The proper FW handling :-P From my few hours in gliders I could get a gist of FW and RW training and differences. Yeah, we'd get engine and throttle on top of stick and rudder. Still nowhere near as demanding as helis - especially R22 :=