WRL, I have thanks.
Just waiting for you to post.

Are you sure about that?
It's a composite blade, it has the right colour, in the right place, pointing in the right direction seen from the back it appears to have a similar shape tip too!
Looks like a 135 blade tip to me.

chopjock, you know that you should't believe all that you see on t'interweb;

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...psd3rm2ufv.jpg

Besides, where's the metal leading edge that can even be clearly see in this pic?

http://d3lp4xedbqa8a5.cloudfront.net...rd_Green_4.jpg

I have enhanced the pic a little, it can be seen easily now...


http://s17.postimg.org/5esb4o333/2i1cmrc.jpg

SiloeSid


Did you receive/read my PM? Still awaiting your response.

Yes, he did.

Can anyone advise me who did Richard Greens recency checks?

I am interested because of the difficulty for private helicopter pilots in Australia to gain let alone keep an instrument rating.

Yes. I do understand Richard may not have held an IFR rating.

That may be my point.

I will try again

Does anyone know if there was a way for a pilot to be checked out for an IFR rating in Australia in Richards model helicopter?

It has been claimed to me that there was no way of getting an IFR rating for a private pilot in that model helicopter in Australia.

Seems strange.

Any info much appreciated. Richard was a helicopter enthusiast and there is most likely an explanation if he did not hold an IFR rating.

G'Day Dick

I think The Aviator Group 'may' be able to do it. Not 100% certain but I'm sure a call could confirm it.

Cheers
ET

If the machine was certified SPIFR.
(No idea about EC135s, but would be surprised if they couldn't be. AS335s can be for e.g. And A109s ;) )
It should have been a matter of passing the theory test, completing the required training at an IFR school and passing a flight test.

Of course under the present CASA inflicted disaster we are lucky anyone is allowed to do anything. So who knows what the current hurdles are? (I can currently fly IFR in multi engine helicopters, but that doesn't allow me to fly any single in VMC, let alone IMC! Seriously?) If you are rated on ME aeroplanes and helicopters and want to fly single engines as well you need to do a minimum of "4 flight reviews". End rant.


Maybe call an IFR helicopter flight school like Beckers on the Sunshine Coast QLD and ask them. They should be up to speed on the latest. (And maybe the situation at the time.)

Dick,

The catch would possibly have been "in" Australia.

You would need to find someone to do the checks who is current on the type and IFR current. As there are possibly no commercial
operators operating them IFR it could possibly have been different.

Outside of Australia with the exception of initial issue for a "rating" the "type" part of it could be accomplished and accepted by CASA in a Level "D" simulator.

Would involve a fair bit of travel to either Germany, UK or the USA on a regular basis.

Today there are possibly 2 Level D sims in Australia but operated for the military only unfortunately which is a little short sighted
and narrow given there are a few 135's in the country.

The 135 can be a tricky little beast in some ways and time in the sim will increase anyones capability in the machine as there are some
things you cannot demonstrate successfully in the real aircraft.

You can no doubt can meet CASA's completely banal requirements as the absolute minimum standard but after a ride in the sim and having
the book thrown at you makes you realise how much better off you are for the experience.

I do my own recurrence on the type in the SIM but have to do BFR's in an actual machine due to the "regulatory structure" which is really a joke in comparison.

Yes there were examiners/ATO's that could have done IPC/CIR-ME at the time on the 135 in Australia. I'm pretty sure the company that was running 135's doing MPT work out of Gladstone were using an independent ATO/Examiner for their instrument renewals/initial issues.

The report is out
 

EC 135 fatal. Lower Hunter Valley 7 November 2015.

No real surprises. Too keen to get home.

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications...r/ao-2015-131/

ATSB report has been published:

https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/577422...-131_final.pdf

Heliduck - there you go:
[QUOTE if only it was so obvious to us pilots when we’re making these decisions ][/QUOTE]
That's your first hole in the cheese, old boy.
Bad weather and high terrain shouts and screams to normal pilots - what's NOT obvious with this?

He suffered "Press-on-itis", which is terminal for some.

It is a fatal flaw in a lot of successful businessmen.
He had the determination to be a success in his original business, he made a lot of money and moved to Oz, he made the effort to learn to fly his H300, then upgraded to a Gazelle, made a lot of changes to it, studied the engineering aspects of his Gazelle, he made a brilliant business out of his nature photography, and he turned his new twin helicopter into the most expensive campervan you could wish for.

Nothing stood in his way, and all credit to him. Sadly, a hill stood in his way this time.

Probably took so long due higher priority other tasks when all was pretty much known early on. Absolutely nothing to learn from this prang that hasn't been reported many times before, so not surprised the report took as long as it did.

Maybe it needs Common sense to do so.. and his flight ops didn't require it? ..more the pity.

Richard had plenty of common sense, and being a 1-man private outfit, he didn't have a FltOps centre.

Maybe if he didn't have other pax on board, he and his wife may have spent the night in the chopper, something they had done many times before - that machine was able to be kitted out as the best campervan you have ever seen. Sadly for all, he didn't.

(Dick, he was one of your mates and almost a neighbour - a big loss.)

You've heard the old saying "it has everything but the kitchen sink"? Well that "campervan" did have the kitchen sink - even though it was only a plastic washbowl! I remember Carolyn laughingly showing it to me one day.

DF.

Shouldn't that read due to LACK of night proficiency? And & don't think that helicopter would have been fitted with much fancy stuff.

DF.

In all the years I knew Richard he never left a flight note with me before he departed for his next destination. Probably because he didn't know where his next destination was going to be. He would just fly along, & if he saw somewhere he liked the look of he would land. Granted, this case was different.

DF.

Close, but no cigar. West Coast Helicopters needlessly crashed a twin Squirrel in Perth many years ago (operated for WA Police). From memory, landing down wind at a school oval and running out of puff and bouncing it at the bottom. Caught fire. Made for a good photo on the front page of the morning news.

NSW Police didn't fare too well when theirs was goffered by a wave, either.

Now there's a navy term you don't hear much these days! mackas, goffers, kip, pit, bin, the list goes on....

Gulpers, sippers, cab, Crab, ACRB, HNs: time for another thread?

Morning men, starboard 10......
This is a true story:
Naval colleague of mine is a navigator on board one of the Type 45 Destroyers, currently. He was on the bridge when the Captain turned to a brand new 'scroat' and asked him the time. This baby sailor fresh from training responded without a second thought and said:
"4pm Sir".
The Captain looked at him sideways and said: "That's not very nautical able seaman smith".
Upon which (and with the same enthusiasm and rapid response) the scroat said: "4pm me hearty!"
The bridge erupted with laughter....................