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Apocalypse Eventually
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Doc HM
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May 26, 2013, 05:00 AM
 
Tomorrow I am going in a helicopter for the first time. (really)

I am quite excited. 46 years old and never been in one before. Initially I was fully expectant that they would let me fire the guns, but apparently not all helicopters have them. Never mind, I have bought my Wagner CD with me and plan to get the pilot to low fly my house with the speakers on full blast. I assume they all at least have speakers.
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Phileas
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May 26, 2013, 07:02 AM
 
You might be in for a disappointment. Also, you could not pay me enough to get up in one of these. As a pilot friend of mine says : "Planes want to fly. Helicopters want to ****ing kill you."
     
turtle777
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May 26, 2013, 10:01 AM
 
I was in one a year and a half ago, flying around on an island in the Caribbean. I had a blast.

Take off and landing felt very differently from planes, because you don't have the high speed and acceleration. I enjoyed that.

No guns for me neither

-t
     
Waragainstsleep
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May 26, 2013, 10:44 AM
 
I've never been in one either. One of my clients is a helicopter pilot training school but I don't fit in the small ones and the bigger ones are really expensive.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
subego
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May 26, 2013, 01:57 PM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
You might be in for a disappointment. Also, you could not pay me enough to get up in one of these. As a pilot friend of mine says : "Planes want to fly. Helicopters want to ****ing kill you."
The first thing they teach you in helicopter school is how at all times you must be mentally assessing the environment for the best place to crash.
     
Shaddim
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May 26, 2013, 02:48 PM
 
I recently got my PPL, now I need my instrument and ME ratings (shouldn't be a big deal), just a case of more hours and classes. I technically own a bird that I can't fly yet (Cessna 340A RAM IV, she's a hot rod). Ultimately, however, my goal is my PHL. If I'd known what I know now, I would have started by getting my PHL.
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Phileas
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May 26, 2013, 04:05 PM
 
I've got some simulator time coming up for the A 330. I've never "flown" a jet before.

Like you with the regrettable lack of guns in helicopters, I was disappointed to learn that the Airbus doesn't have afterburners.

This is the plane I'd love to own:



A De Havilland Beaver classic bush-plane. Rugged like you would't believe and just a beautiful plane all round.
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 26, 2013, 04:44 PM
 
I miss the one we had in the harbor here.
     
mattyb
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May 26, 2013, 04:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
I've got some simulator time coming up for the A 330. I've never "flown" a jet before.
Explain please.
     
ghporter
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May 26, 2013, 07:08 PM
 
Only flown once in a helicopter. It was a tourist thing in a bubble-cockpit bird, like an early Bell helicopter (think M*A*S*H) with my son. I kept him in the middle seat while I had the (absent) door seat. It was great.

I've been IN a couple of Blackhawks and a UH-1, but only on the ground.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
lpkmckenna
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May 26, 2013, 07:18 PM
 
I've flown in one in one of these:



And one of these:



They didn't let me shoot out the window either, even though I brought my own gun.
     
Tiresias
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May 26, 2013, 10:43 PM
 
I went on one when I was twelve. It was one of the rides at an Amusement Park in Rotorua, New Zealand.

It had a bubble-type cockpit like the helicopters on M*A*S*H and the pilot was a real cowboy, flying sideways and buzzing the hilltops and whatnot.

I loved it but my sister started crying and the ride was cut short.
     
Phileas
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May 26, 2013, 11:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by mattyb View Post
Explain please.
That's how I got into flying - I am currently working on my PPL.

A number of my friends fly commercially. They have access to flight simulators for their airline(s) whenever these simulators are not booked for training and they can bring a guest. As a result I have "flown" planes I will never be rated to operate - I have no interest in a commercial license - in real life.
     
Phileas
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May 26, 2013, 11:45 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
I miss the one we had in the harbor here.
That crashed, right?
     
Teronzhul
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May 27, 2013, 01:12 AM
 
I have my cpl and cfi in helicopters (and a ppl/ifr fixed wing). Flying helicopters is one of the most amazing things I've ever done. Its too bad I wasn't able to turn it into a career like I had planned. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford a small one...

Enjoy your flight. Oh, and you wouldn't be able to hear speakers over the sound of awesomeness that the helicopter makes anyway.
     
boy8cookie
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May 27, 2013, 02:35 AM
 
Did a commercial shoot recently, did some chopper to chopper stuff... pretty fun. The pilots gave us a quite a thrill at the end of the day, they definitely enjoyed showing off.





     
boy8cookie
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May 27, 2013, 02:39 AM
 
I've been on helicopters a few times, here's a couple shots from another time:





I'm not really a fan of flying in helicopters (or in planes for that matter), but the views can't be had any other way.
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 27, 2013, 04:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
That crashed, right?
Sadly, yes.

Edit: the deHavilland crashed in 2006. Fire broke out in the engine and one of the tanks during flight. Attempted emergency landing, but hit a train carriage and went up in flames, killing the pilot and all passengers but one.

The crash in 2009 was a Cessna, and apparently, the wheels were partially down as the pilot went down for an emergency landing, flipping the plane and drowning two passengers. The pilot survived.

There have been no harbor flights since.
( Last edited by Spheric Harlot; May 27, 2013 at 05:23 AM. )
     
Phileas
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May 27, 2013, 09:50 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post

The crash in 2009 was a Cessna, and apparently, the wheels were partially down as the pilot went down for an emergency landing, flipping the plane and drowning two passengers.
We have a bunch of these every summer. Rookie pilots, and often pilots transitioning to float planes, forgetting they're coming in wheels down. Instant flip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-48V1m_MZxE <- Nobody dies, but looks spectacular.

Coming in with wheels up on a runway is the safer mistake to make - for a floatplane. Ruins your floats, but rarely flips the plane.
     
Doc HM  (op)
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May 27, 2013, 10:35 AM
 
Well I made it. No crashes. No spectacular helicopter gun action either. Also, no pictures taken in the air as I managed to prove the old adage, "give an idiot a half decent camera and he'' put it on the wrong setting and take 125 photos of blank white squares" which was nice.

Anyway here's pilot Tim revving up to go and some of us in the air. TBH it's not that exciting. Better form inside where it was small, noisey and quite awesome!







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mattyb
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May 27, 2013, 12:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
That's how I got into flying - I am currently working on my PPL.

A number of my friends fly commercially. They have access to flight simulators for their airline(s) whenever these simulators are not booked for training and they can bring a guest. As a result I have "flown" planes I will never be rated to operate - I have no interest in a commercial license - in real life.
I am about to start my PPL, trouble is that I can only get 1 weekend per month so its going to take me a while. My colleague is about to take the final test, after 18 months training, he goes at least once every weekend, sometimes twice.

Costs about 150€/hour here in a C150 or 172 for example. A Robin DR-400 is a bit more. Helis are about 500€.

Originally Posted by Teronzhul View Post
I have my cpl and cfi in helicopters (and a ppl/ifr fixed wing). Flying helicopters is one of the most amazing things I've ever done. Its too bad I wasn't able to turn it into a career like I had planned. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford a small one...
Cool as ....

Why didn't you get into it as a job?
     
reader50
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May 27, 2013, 12:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
Well I made it. No crashes. No spectacular helicopter gun action either. Also, no pictures taken in the air as I managed to prove the old adage, "give an idiot a half decent camera and he'' put it on the wrong setting and take 125 photos of blank white squares" which was nice.
How does one obtain white squares? Shooting the lens cap will produce black squares, but I haven't run into white ones.

For some helicopter gun action, there are those wild-hog hunts down in Texas.
     
Doc HM  (op)
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May 27, 2013, 12:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
How does one obtain white squares? Shooting the lens cap will produce black squares, but I haven't run into white ones.

For some helicopter gun action, there are those wild-hog hunts down in Texas.
Oh it's easy once you attain Level 34 Stupidity

Simply set the camera iso to 100 then then massively over expose every shot until it's just a qhite rectangle.

Simple
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subego
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May 27, 2013, 12:42 PM
 
Nm.
     
Spheric Harlot
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May 27, 2013, 01:36 PM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
We have a bunch of these every summer. Rookie pilots, and often pilots transitioning to float planes, forgetting they're coming in wheels down. Instant flip.
There was no reason for the wheels to be down. The float plane stayed on water. I'm not sure what the final report says happened. I'll see if I can find it.
     
Phileas
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May 27, 2013, 02:52 PM
 
I've read the accident report online. The plane landed on water wheels down. The pilot had less than 40 hours on float planes and, apparently, confused three greens (gear out for runway landing) with blue lights (gear up for water landing). Also, the warning system might have been offline.
     
ghporter
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May 27, 2013, 08:58 PM
 
The JetRanger is an awesome helicopter. I'm glad you had fun in your first flight.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Laminar
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May 28, 2013, 07:20 PM
 
I've flown plenty for offshore work. That requires some kind of BOSIET (basic offshore safety induction and emergency training) and HUET (helicopter safety and escape), which involves getting dumped in a pool upside-down and having to punch out the window and escape.

     
Teronzhul
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May 29, 2013, 12:13 AM
 
Originally Posted by mattyb View Post

Why didn't you get into it as a job?
The aviation industry, especially for helicopters, is reliant on hour building as an instructor. There are very few jobs that you can get with less than 500 hours of flight time. I have about 300 hours, and started my training in 07, just before the economy tanked. One of the first things to go were the Sallie Mae career training loans, and several heli flight schools shut down because of it. I couldn't get a job as an instructor anywhere (I tried in earnest for two years while working other jobs). Now that things have recovered it has been over two years since I've been in a helicopter. So I'm no longer a good candidate for an instructor position, and I don't have enough hours for anything else.

Now I'm playing around trying to get my fixed wing cpl while working full time.
     
Doc HM  (op)
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May 29, 2013, 02:26 AM
 
Originally Posted by Teronzhul View Post
The aviation industry, especially for helicopters, is reliant on hour building as an instructor. There are very few jobs that you can get with less than 500 hours of flight time. I have about 300 hours, and started my training in 07, just before the economy tanked. One of the first things to go were the Sallie Mae career training loans, and several heli flight schools shut down because of it. I couldn't get a job as an instructor anywhere (I tried in earnest for two years while working other jobs). Now that things have recovered it has been over two years since I've been in a helicopter. So I'm no longer a good candidate for an instructor position, and I don't have enough hours for anything else.

Now I'm playing around trying to get my fixed wing cpl while working full time.
and military pilots get snapped up as they have loads of hours. My niece was on track to become the first female fast jet pilot in the South African Defence Force until she started getting headaches. Now she flies helicopters and works for a game company (horrid horrid job eh)

Our best friends son was training to fly Typhoons for the RAF but was made redundant 3 months before he qualified (along with 75 other trainees, all of whom the RAF refused to let do their final qualifying flights before letting go), however they all got snapped up by Cathay Pacific to fly 747's and he's training in Honk Kong now. Again, terrible terrible life.
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mattyb
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May 29, 2013, 04:56 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
and military pilots get snapped up as they have loads of hours. My niece was on track to become the first female fast jet pilot in the South African Defence Force until she started getting headaches. Now she flies helicopters and works for a game company (horrid horrid job eh)

Our best friends son was training to fly Typhoons for the RAF but was made redundant 3 months before he qualified (along with 75 other trainees, all of whom the RAF refused to let do their final qualifying flights before letting go), however they all got snapped up by Cathay Pacific to fly 747's and he's training in Honk Kong now. Again, terrible terrible life.
AFAIK, military experience doesn't count towards ANY qualifications : PPL, CPL, IR, ATPL or MCC. You have to start at zero like anyone else. Of course it may help in getting a company to sponsor you, since something like 747 qualification would on its own cost around $100k.

According to forums like pprune.org its still very tough jobs wise.
     
Phileas
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May 29, 2013, 08:05 PM
 
A lot of Canadian pilots have recently gone to the Far East for better opportunities. At home, it's looking dire indeed.
     
Doc HM  (op)
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May 30, 2013, 03:33 AM
 
Originally Posted by mattyb View Post
AFAIK, military experience doesn't count towards ANY qualifications : PPL, CPL, IR, ATPL or MCC. You have to start at zero like anyone else. Of course it may help in getting a company to sponsor you, since something like 747 qualification would on its own cost around $100k.

According to forums like pprune.org its still very tough jobs wise.
Cathay are paying for all the ex RAF guys to qualify on 747s, which is very nice. They even gave him a payment against the years saving on his training that his RAF qualifications gave him. AFAIK he came out with a CPL*. Apparently you can get this with a nod to a friendly pilot assessor and a few "borrows" of a Herc. *Actually I have no idea what he came out with but I do know that whatever it was it saved Cathay a year on his training.

So he's 23 flying, living in HK and has £47K in his pocket. I'm sure he's getting over not flying Typhoons.
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mattyb
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May 30, 2013, 12:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doc HM View Post
Cathay are paying for all the ex RAF guys to qualify on 747s, which is very nice. They even gave him a payment against the years saving on his training that his RAF qualifications gave him. AFAIK he came out with a CPL*. Apparently you can get this with a nod to a friendly pilot assessor and a few "borrows" of a Herc. *Actually I have no idea what he came out with but I do know that whatever it was it saved Cathay a year on his training.

So he's 23 flying, living in HK and has £47K in his pocket. I'm sure he's getting over not flying Typhoons.
Sounds like he was in the right place at the right time. I'd be interested in what certif he actually got while in the RAF.

And yes, I imagine being 23 and getting paid to fly in South East Asia is more than enough compensation.
     
Waragainstsleep
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May 30, 2013, 05:34 PM
 
So Doc, what was your flight in aid of? Special occasion or just ticking it off the list for fun?

Perhaps I missed it but were you actually taking a lesson or just a pleasure flight?
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
   
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