So I came across this (R44 Cloud Surfing)
 

Thoughts? For an instructor (if thats what he was) to demo this sort of thing in an R44, then it doesn't really need much comment.
I'm pretty sure SilsoeSid will be as unamused as I was watching this.

They're just using a tried & proven method of finding out which cloud has the rock in it.

Well, the ceiling was not completely overcast as one can see multiple times in the video. I wouldnt therefore dismiss this as unsafe in general, but as always you have to know what you're doing. These holes might close, leaving you with a solid cloud top.

Reminds me of a flight from Santa Catalina back to Torrance, where some coastal clouds were developing. First, we tried scud-running in poor visibility, but then we decided to go on top (was sort of a 7.5/8 cloud base). In case of an emergency, you could still pick a hole through the cloud layer and we knew the clouds ended pretty much at the coastline, therefore in this particular situation it was actually safer to fly on top.

But again, I dont want to solicit going on top in general, all depends on the circumstances.

What's that buzzer at 2:07?
IMC, albeit very briefly, and a low RRPM warning?

Interesting comment on one of Helipilot94's other vids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DatlLttGCY

Mike G; "Helipilot94, I seriously hope you managed to learn about CRM after your Cloud Surfing in the R44. Naughty naughty. I know people who have died doing that when it clouded over full cover below them and they fell out of the sky after loss of control in cloud. The instructor should have his arse kicked for showing you that! "

On a different video of his, the first 30 seconds seem a bit 'rushed'!
Good job nothing was coming round the corner!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3dduNVQXnE

Audible and significant RPM drop can be heard and low RPM light came on...

Couldn't really see enough to know what the cloud gaps were like but didn't seem too bad to me in that regard?

It looks (and sounds) like they decended through the cloud in an auto.

If we are really going to 'armchair quarterback' this, how about having a pax in the back of an aircraft during type rating training?

I have to say that the video does not show how many holes there were or the visibility directly down. Also having seen footage form days that I have been flying the camera tends to makes it look worse than it is, may not have been as it appeared.

:eek:
This video is no longer available because the uploader has closed their YouTube account.

Wonder why they did that then? I'll tell you why, because they were flying outside of the limitations of the R44. They were that VMC 'on top', whatever that is, and the instructors semi auto (higher than usual rate of descent through clouds) resulting in low rotor rpm horn, and varying rpm can be heard, and what surprised me was that no-one mentioned one thing I noticed straight away.
Is the R44 certified for flight in icing conditions? The reason I ask is because there was snow on the ground, and they are above the cloud layer.

There is something wrong in this industry when instructors are showing low time ppl's/students, how to do this sort of thing.

:ugh::ugh::eek::eek:

Many years ago I had been flying for a couple of years in an R22 and with 100hr or so in my log book I decided to move up to an R44.
Having purchased the machine from a very well known (and respected ) company in the UK the main man said he would do some of my conversion training. Wow what an honour !
He then proceeded to put some spare parts on the back seat of MY machine and said it would be good practice for me for us to fly down to North London and drop the parts off !


We set off and within 5 mins flying there was a thick band of cloud ahead, I suggested we turn back and was told not to be so silly and pull power and get on top of it as it was no problem as the machine had just been fitted with the latest Garmin GPS !!......... at 5500ft and me s****ing my self we levelled out and flew for a further 30 mins before he said swap to instruments and drop the leaver, we will just go down through it no problem.


I have to say it was the worst 5 mins of my flying career, at 500ft indicated and still in cloud even he was twitching, at 300ft we popped out just above a large town !! To which he proclaimed,, " See no problem ! "


Looking back and now with many hours in my log book having flown all over Europe and South Asia and in all sorts of weather I would love to have had the sense, experience, balls or whatever then to tell him to F**k off.


It did teach me not to put myself in that situation again though !


E.

I recall reading many years ago that the Robbie flight manual clearly stated that it isn't approved for IFR flight.

True, totally illegal for sure but more importantly totally irresponsible !!


E.

Hi helimutt,

next time save the video before posting ;-)
Then you could upload it.

Bye the way, we train autorotations through cloud - but we do it in the simulator.
And more than one pilot gets sweaty, doing it there.....

Greetings Flying Bull

Hello helimutt,

for the next time ;-)
Let me google that for you

Greetings Flying Bull

The video downloader I use is the Video Downloader app on the iPad;
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/vide...661041542?mt=8

The app downloads from any/most sites that have video and saves it to the device.
The £2.99 full version allows you to save the vid to your 'camera roll' for sharing.

Very simple to use, simply type/paste url into the apps browser and when the vid starts playing, a 'download video' button appears which initiates the download to your device.

Didn´t look like it was Richard Hammond :-)

This free downloader is a website. No need to remember anything:

Free Online YouTube Downloader: Download YouTube Videos, Facebook and many others!

http://youtu.be/YnfQphBwDH0

Dangerous stuff!

I'm guessing it has heliSAS.

Can't see how it didn't all out of the sky otherwise?

What's he trying to prove (other than how to break the rules)?