During the last quarter of 2017 (October 2017 – December 2017), there were three (3) helicopter accidents within the Instructional/Training segment. This represented 16% of the total accidents that occurred during that timeframe. Of those accidents, 1 was fatal. Although there has been a reduction in the number of helicopter training accidents, the maneuvers in which many of our accidents occur remain steady. Of those maneuvers, the 180-degree autorotation remains near the top of the list.
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Rotorcraft Checkride
Well, we made another year. Thanks for your support. Next year, I plan to expand the “daily preflight check” format we’ve been using with the Lama tips to other airframes. Will probably start with a 407 or AS350 before I lose those memories too…
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Categories:
ROTORwrench
A student I was training for a night vision goggle (NVG) instructor course was tasked to teach a segment on confined area operations. The student lesson plan included settling-with-power as a consideration when conducting confined area operations. The scenario I provided for the student was that this confined area operation would be conducted at night using NVGs. The recovery technique the student selected to teach was the Vuichard Recovery, which is a lateral recovery method that provides a more expeditious recovery with minimal altitude loss.
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Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
When I speak to new pilots in the industry at HeliSuccess in Las Vegas, I stress the importance of maintaining one’s integrity and recount the most impactful decision I ever made. Following my moral compass, would mean losing my job and potentially destroy a dream I’d had for 10 years—flying a helicopter in Southern California.
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Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
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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Categories:
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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Categories:
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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Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
Randy, your article struck a nerve in me because of an incident that nearly caused me to lose my life recently in an OH 58 flying from Orlando to Sarasota. Looking back, my actions were selfish and dangerous and could have deprived my 5-year-old of her daddy and my wife the tragic loss of her husband.
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Categories:
My Two Cents Worth
I was talking to a local helicopter pilot that had recently obtained his private pilot helicopter
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Categories:
Rotorcraft Checkride
The next time you run across a pilot who complains about the navigation equipment in his aircraft—right after he enters his coordinates into the panel mounted Garmin 430, the backup windshield RAM mounted Garmin 695, and the backup-backup glare shield mounted I-Phone—ask him what he would have done during the time of the Transcontinental Airway System.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcontinental_Airway_System
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Categories:
ROTORwrench