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This has got to be a bot.

yea, dragging an 8 lb GPU would be unheard of. too bad not allowed to carry any type of battery onboard, I guess none of the medical equipment has a battery either. , flashlights, cell phones, portable radios.....

You use whatever method the flight manual tells you to use. I don't think you can drag the GPU around with you as it would be considered HAZMAT. Never heard of it or seen it done.

thats why you carry the GPU with you

An excerpt from my post outlines the major issue I found with battery/gpu starts- "The only issue with this procedure was the occasional weak battery being discovered at the worst possible time, with a marginal or failed start with the helo remote from maintenance and patient loaded." All starts at the base were done on the GPU for a while. The idea was that the on-board battery would not have been depleted and would be 'freshened' on the leg to the pickup point. That didn't always work as intended, the battery would, indeed, be brought to it's highest energy state charging enroute (unless a very short distance). Problem not addressed was that on-board batteries wear out, they're used throughout the flight and an old battery's "highest energy state" might be a near normal high amperage over a very brief time, so the battery would deliver less and less current as the start progressed. An old battery in this situation might deliver all the single button-push starts you need with no problem... until you have an abnormal situation, say one must abort, shut down during the start without recharging. GPU starts obscure the issue until one is stuck somewhere with an aborted start and dead battery.

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Well, that issue can be resolved with a portable starting GPU. Aerolithium has them, What's your opinion of those ?

HEMS for 15 years. Most often, the aircraft sat on the pad with the GPU connected, starts would be accomplished uising the GPU reserving the battery for the start with the patient loaded. The only issue with this procedure was the occasional weak battery being discovered at the worst possible time, with a marginal or failed start with the helo remote from maintenance and patient loaded.

Iam tasked by my organization, to prepare a proposal for overhaul of 2x MI 171, owned by my organization. i have no prior experience. needs assistance.

What methods are people using , GPU, to start their engines ? I dont see any talk about that here.

Looking for a Bell 47 Heater kit number 47-706-650

would anyone be interested in buying R66 footwell mounts that hold your device and keeps the mount off your screen? please see attached image

With your flying experience you'll likely do very well in flight school. The hard part will be adopting the Army mentality. You're almost to where you are done paying for ratings. You're almost to a point where you can get yourself a good job. You'll most likely be sitting in whatever seat you want before you'll be even halfway through your Army commitment. It's going to take you at least 2 years to work your way through the Army training pipeline, maybe more depending on how long your packet takes. Then 10 more years to complete your commitment. So from right now you will be at least 12 years down the line before you'll be free again to take your life and career where you want to go. 37 years old. Consider also that signing up for the Army is signing your life away. Full stop. You are committing to sacrifice your life in service to your country. That should scare you a little bit. OK. Shifting gears. A couple weeks from now will be the 15th anniversary of when I left home for the Army. I was 20 years old and had been working on my PPL for a few years, while working the flight line at FBOs. Couldn't afford community college, couldn't afford flying, and wasn't doing well at either. The recession was in full swing. All I wanted to do was fly. WOFT was my answer. I've had a great career so far. I'm now flying airliners, which is where I wanted to be when I started flying almost 20 years ago. I enjoyed the Army, grew so much as a person, was afforded opportunities I didn't have, I made memories, friendships, saw the world, etc. I have a ton of pride in my service. I am a much better pilot because of my experience than I think I would have been without it. There are days I miss the Army. To wrap this up. WOFT is a huge commitment. To be successful you're going to have to embrace it and forget about civilian life for a decade. Like, don't even think about it. The airlines, living at home, whatever. They should not be on your radar at all. You will be an Army Aviator and only an Army Aviator. If you think you can do that and enjoy it, then go for it.

I'm an old guy, I learned to fly in the Army, 1968. Flew the TH-55, (Hughes 269 I believe). Then Bell 47, called the TH-13 because it had the huey instrument panel, for instrument training. Then the UH-1H and UH-1C in Vietnam, later the OH-58 AND Blackhawk. I've never got accustom to spending a great deal of cash as the Army didn't pay much. So since the basics of helicopters is about the same, I'd start with the R22, maybe not glamorous but half the price to learn to fly, then move up. That's what I'm doing with my grandson who wants to follow his grandpa, high school to Army flight school. Just want to make sure he's ready, my first flight was holding onto that TH-55, WOW, not easy! Love to hear from you young guys learning to fly. Congratulations....go for it.

Can you climb up the side of the helicopter to inspect the rotor head?

I'm abit of an anomaly here. I am really wanting to become a mustering pilot. Yes I am currently jumping through the hoops of Casa Medical and nearing the end before they decide if I can have a class 1 approved. I'm 50yrs old. I have an above knee amputation. I still work and walk etc like everyone else but with a slight limp. I have worked on stations in my younger years so I understand outback living and working conditions. How cattle move when mustering on horseback and motorbike. I don't have any connections in the industry as I currently work as a Pathology Collector. Would I get a chance to be offered work out on stations once I got my CPL Helicopter license's and all other requirements or would I be seen as a high risk? I've talked to Casa and they cannot give me any definitive answers. I have spoke to operators and flight schools but I thought i would see what pilots would suggest on here? I appreciate all advice and comments. Thank you

Looks the same as in an S-76, apart from the metal guard over the transmit trigger.

Anyone ever start a tour company from scratch? Whats that process like? Im assuming that without a huge amount of capital youd need to take out a fairly hefty small biz loan, lease the aircraft and go through the process of becoming a part 135 operator, what else am I missing? I live in a fairly scenic area and have been kicking the idea around in my head

Probably a bunch of old sikorsky birds, looks identical to the one in an H-60L but the labels are different and the radio switch is different

What kind of paint do you use for an SPH5? Spray paint, any specific brand or type of paint, etc? Has anyone ever tried cerakoting? I’m curious if the graphlon would handle the temperature. I want to paint mine a black graphite color.

Current military helo pilot, background as a maintenance test pilot. Asking to see if anyone has experience in aviation within FBI or alongside with them. All I can find is they do have a tactical helicopter unit, however no details on where and how they get their pilots. Any required minimums? Cannot seem to find much online about aviation in the FBI.

Thank you, appreciate the info.

Taking a look at your options is a great first step. First ask yourself these questions. Do I want to be a Soldier? Because that will and does come first. Next do I want to be an Army Aviator? What is that? and what does that involve? What types of aircraft, missions etc. There are always dues to pay, staying on your current civilian path or choosing the Army. The current service obligation for flight school is 10yrs. Your current skills will help you although not required, the Army will teach you what you need to know about helicopters. At least how the Army uses helicopters! Just some thoughts, Best of Luck. Zoner

Hi, Does anyone has had electrical failure experience on the electrical circuit of rotor servos of AIRBUS helicopters? The problem is offten seen in Brazil and I´m wondering if is there any maintenance technic on the helicopter that is contrbuting for this occurency, so we can improve it and reduce this cost. Thanks for any advice or experience shared.

Aside from the additional starting cycles on the engine, if you're starting it every 2 hours, what happens if you get a flight at the 1 hr 50 min mark? You're gonna have to run it up, then shut it down, then get out and inspect the blades, then run it back up again. That vs just putting covers on from the start; removing the blade covers will definitely take less time. That being said.. if you let a little FROST get on your blades, you won't even feel a difference if you start up and fly. No big deal. ICE and SNOW on the other hand are obviously different.