Archive: November 2017
After writing about the “sunset” of several legacy helicopters this year, it was good to see the rebirth of one old workhorse: the K-Max. I never worked one, but been around a few over the years. Simple and rugged. Definitely a no-frills ride, especially since any pax have to ride outside, side-saddle.
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ROTORwrench
Hello Sir, we met a few years ago in Las Vegas when you spoke at Helisuccess and I have been a follower of your teachings ever since. One aspect of your most recent post regarding scud running with the R-44 video raised a nagging question for me. As a very conservative pilot who has spent most of my time in the wire environment I have discovered that the error chain starts way before the pilot enters the cockpit. It appears that many chief pilots or managers publicly preach safety, but when it comes down to the brass tacks, they often chastise their pilots who have the maturity to just say "no". They often bend or do not follow their own SMS and SOP manuals and tell their pilots – “You should have at least given it a try.”
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My Two Cents Worth
Last week, I was speaking at a helicopter safety event when a young flight instructor asked me a question. His question began with a statement…”I was told that it was far safer to conduct operations requiring a hover in the Height/Velocity Diagram (HV Diagram) in a turbine engine helicopter instead of a piston engine helicopter”. The HV Diagram is a graph that provides the ability for a pilot to conduct pre-flight planning of a helicopter so if the engine fails in flight, the ability of the helicopter to complete an autorotation is known. The follow-up question was directed at me. “Which type of helicopter engine do you believe is safer and why”? he asked.
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Rotorcraft Checkride