thanks for that explanation. I checked out your reference to Wikipedia and I’m going to be doing some more reading…
The two definitions of helicopter that I recall:
“10,000 unrelated parts moving through the air in relatively close formation”
and
“helicopters don’t fly, rather they beat the air into submission”
My wife and I were discussing taking a helicopter tour on our vacation to Maui.
After watching those video clips, two thoughts immediately come to mind:
#1. I want that guy flying my helicopter.
#2. I want to be able to hold a cup of water in my hand the entire flight and never spill a drop.
This guy is obviously a very good pilot…but there is no way in hell I’d get in that thing with him. I can’t get 8 feet off the ground and not feel strange.
Scoby
My wife and I just got back from Oahu, did take a helicopter tour around the island in a Hughs 500D. It was a blast, but we did have an “unplanned landing” at a grade school football field in the middle of Kaneohe. Some kind of tape had peeled off the rotor blades causing a vibration. The pilot just peeled the tape off all 5 rotor blades and declared us “good to go” again. We had some paperwork to fill out for the FAA when we got back, but we did get a free hat. From the helicopter company, not the FAA…
In all honesty, I enjoyed this story. I loved Oahu and I love helicopters. Do you have anymore pics to share?
A question for the rotary-types:
Recognizing that some will have greater aptitude for flying than others, how many hours are those pilots likely to have? What trends are there in their career development?
Not fully sure that I understand what is being asked here. The average civil rotary wing pilot flying under FAR Part 135 is likely to have at least 1,500 hours at the time of hiring, and will generally build rapidly from there. This is not based upon anything regulatory, but is more or less the standard right now because of insurance requirements. Given the prohibitive cost of helicopter flight training in general, and turbine time in particular, this explains why ex-military pilots tend to be heavily represented in the industry, just as their jet-rated fixed-wing counterparts are in the major commercial airlines.
AC
The pilot we had out of of Oahu, “Bob”, is ex-military going all the way back to Viet Nam. He has over 20,000 hours in fixed-wing and rotary. As we were making our precautionary emergency landing, which turned out to be nothing, I was reminded of the old saying “there are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots”.
Helo jobs have always been competitive, but virtually a hidden job market. Your quals, hours, and who you know, will get you farther. You make a descent living, but it’s not a lot of money compared to what fixed wing pilots make. Even that’s a struggle for the first 7-10 years, the pay out is in the last 10 years of your career. Again, it’s a hidden job market, your ratings and who you know.
As far as rotary wing, 1500 hours is on the very low end. Most companies will require 2500-3000 hours with recent experience, an instrument and a commercial rating minimum. Most applying will have an ATP and know someone at the company, or via recommendation.
Any else notice at .56-57 in the main clips a small tree/shrub…