Make a bigger dolly.

Maybe use a set of wheels.

http://www.paravion.com/products/com...ndling-wheels/

Or this:

Helitug

Seems crazy to be trying to land on a napkin sized dolly when there are other much safer alternative products that can easily tow a chopper, once safely landed, into a hanger.

Is it an "ego" thing?

I recall trying to negotiate some small roof space in Miami for radio antennas where the president of the Savings & Loan skyscraper that was under construction insisted that the tiny roof would be for a helipad. Rumor was that he and another S&L buddy had a bet going as to who would be the first to land on it. Well he lost the bet because the Feds took the new bank, the just finished helipad, the helicopter the gold plated yacht, the gold plated staircases.

In the end, all he (D.P.) ever landed were some mashed potatoes serving lunch trays in prison. Probably saved his life.

Cart painted grey?

Yeah I wondered that myself.

I do not know the level of experience of the posters on here, but many of you are saying he should have landed, maybe got a bigger dolly, not painted it gray etc.....

The fact is, the dolly is a perfect size for an Astar, it is painted Gray, but there are landing marks in red---see the "T" in the pic below. It basically shows you where to line up the skids and the forward cross tube which can be CLEARLY seen from the pilot seat. Any professional pilot with the appropriate training should be able to land on this dolly. If you cannot, then do not apply for a job with me.

The problem is that in this industry, we all "Monday morning quarterback" from our experience level. I would certainly NOT expect a private pilot with less than 1,500 hours to have the skill set to land on this dolly---if you do, then great, but I would not EXPECT or require you to do it.

From the video previously posted, along with the audio, it would appear that this particular landing exceeded the skill set of the pilot. The equipment was NOT to blame.

https://scontent-nrt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...7c&oe=56F63E18

Gordy - would you expect your pilots to do it without the dolly being chocked though?

Let's create an accident. Just because some think it is safe, doesn't mean it is actually safe.

From a lifetime of dolly landings. From R22 to B212. Dolly's take skill, but they are the norm here, you do them with everything for your whole career. You've got to learn your references, and be able to lift without drift in any wind, and land the same way, looking straight down. Any doubt, land on the ground. Would I try it on an unchocked dolly? Sure, done that, but again a higher skill level required because you can't drop it on misaligned and then try to slide it into position.

From all the videos, this pilot had no idea where the dolly was when he dumped the pole. Two things wrong right there. Dolly wasn't moving and he banged the skids center on the aft edge. That's a long ways off.

Nothing wrong with the helicopter, nothing wrong with the dolly. Man's gotta know his limitations.

But there you go, Malabo ...... Elf n Safety risk assessment will say, there's a chance it will go wrong ..... therefore make sure it's chocked, full stop. It may insult your vast experience but the ops manual (if indeed one is required) will state - on account of the lowest common denominator, do it .......

Maybe we could have a dolly that was constantly moving - then only the very best super-pilots would be able to land on it and show the rest of us mortals just how brilliant they are:ugh:

A little bit of ego seems to go a long way in the wrong direction in the aviation industry.

Crab:

Like I said in post #53: Cows getting bigger:

Not creating an accident----landing on a dolly is a safe operation for someone who has been trained in that skillset. Remember there are people out there who think that merely getting airborne in a helicopter is unsafe...... Just sayin.......

Malabo----right on.....

tistisnot:
Not required for this operation unless one chooses to put it in a manual. This was a private pilot operation...therefore not required.

To everyone else.....Like I said, Like it or not, this is pure pilot error---do not blame the system.

One cannot legislate plain old commonsense.

We have had this argument for Years here at Rotorheads.

Landing on a Cart carries risk....even when done properly.

Trying to land on an un-chocked Cart...knowingly....is a bad mistake.....one this poor guy paid for with his Life.

Whether the "Rule" is written or merely "understood"....those that violate it do so at their own Risk.

The UK system has lots and lots of written rules....but the accident rate is comparable to the USA....so tell us again how all this Health and Safety protocols you have actually improve safety?

You'd have to remind us of the figures, like for like, SAS for us to confirm that, but I would suggest that the US EMS crash rate is in a world of its own..........

When I were a lad, my dad taught me not to put my hand in the dog's mouth because one day it might bite. It seems to me that this particular dog occasionally bites. :sad:

With over 850 EMS Helicopters in the Country flying 24/7.....I would suggest the Risk Exposure is a bit greater than the rest of the World too.

You should recall I have been very vocal in my advocating for changes in the US EMS Helicopter Industry for a great many Years.

No need to preach to the Choir and you know it.

I would challenge you to prove the European HSE Mindset really does reduce the accident rate.

It would appear it does simply by ending that activity altogether thus achieving a Rate of "0" per flight hours.

And so just just trying to land on flat ground----I believe there have been a few of those in the UK in the past few years.

Like I have said....it is a matter of having a certain skill set, and an understanding that everything we do in life has a certain amount of risk associated which cannot be mitigated.

It is a strange situation to be in: One can land normally on the apron or one can throw caution to the wind and land on a miniature raised and obscured platform....mmmm.

Gordy ALL risk can be mitigated. The ONLY certainty is death. The definition of life is to mitigate risk for as long as possible.

The other issue that does not get mentioned often when A-Splats crash is they most often BURN their occupants to death.

Continuing to use Certification Standards dating from the Mid-70's despite those Requirements allow for a very unsafe design as compared to modern Standards is a far more important issue than landing on Trolleys or not.

Before you get too smug TC, there were quite a few of us in the UK who spent quite a few years landing (in my case), a Twin squirrel or a 902 on very similar dollies, if it wasn't for the fact that the current aircraft supplier threw in a helilift we would probably still be doing it now! (They were always chocked though)!
Even so, I always thought that it had the potential to turn a perfectly manageable aircraft technical problem into a complete disaster should something untowards happen. I don't miss them a bit