Official Helicopter Enthusiasts Thread

I think a rotary CFI (not instrument) taking on a Zero time student would have to have the strongest heart and nerves of steel.

When I hovered in 1990... or tried to hover , I just couldn't believe how sensitive the cyclic was (R-22 piston). I had just a private SEL cert back then, so I didn't know much anyway

 

A lot of them are retired Vietnam vets so they're crazy already haha.

I've flown an R-44 and had a blast! A lot "less" to focus on compared to a 64D/E.

I couldn't really hover on my own until 8-9 hours (and that's flying 1.5ish a day, 5 days a week, along with flying straight/level and tfc ptn stuff)

 

Yep we have those too.

 

Yeah thats sometimes a problem for people with fixed wing training before helicopter training. Fixed wings have way more control movement than a helicopter, which is really just pressure off of the centered position (practically speaking). Fixed wingers wanna move the controls too far until they figure it out.

 

I need to post a few pics in this thread...

We vacationed in AK last year. Among the things we did was to take a helicopter ride. It was my first. And within minutes of take-off I said to myself this is what I wish I spent my life doing: flying helicopters.

So, if any of you happen to be young enough to start your careers from scratch and have the interest, do it and don't be the high-pitch voiced Peyton Manning.

 

Everyone wants to move the controls too much until they figure it out. Stir the egg cup, not the bowl

 

Aircom?

 

hehe I have that second pic on my computer

 

Wow, my brother is using his GI Bill and getting charged in the ~$200k range; includes all of the ratings up to CFI II, NVG cert, turbine rating and an associates degree in general aviation. Does that sound about right? He's flying R44's right now and then stepping up to the R66 for turbine.

Flying helicopters has always been my dream job but unfortunately I just could never afford it. Pic below is me attempting to hover for the first time in a 10 knot crosswind.

 

I love helicopters! I'll sit back and enjoy

 

Yup!

 

Honestly, thats way too much. The school is definitely taking advantage of it. There is no need to do turbine, NVG, longline, etc during training. If he spent more time in the pistons and got more night for example, he would be much better off. Having a few hours of doing each of those isn't going to get him a commercial job any sooner. He's still gonna need up around 1500 hours to advance into the commercial world. A company will train you in their turbines when you move on. Getting that initial first instructor job can be the hard part. A degree won't help either, but it is good to have to fall back on.

 

San Diego Police Department Aviation Unit "ABLE", Airbus AS350 aircraft.

 

FLIR HD daytime video l and night time IR camera sensor.

 

Any of you live in Conroe TX? I'm working along highway 45 , doing some powerline work.

 

my dad is down in San Diego again today

 

Ran across this video. Pretty ballsy:

 

yes, ballsy for sure! My dad says it's a potential ground resonance situation right there! I believe military helicopters can actually apply upward thrust of sorts with the main rotor to press them down on the deck, unlike civilian aircraft, which cant, but maybe someone can correct me on this.

 

Yeah they can apply negative pitch by pushing further down on the collective. Sucks them down onto the deck essentially.