Wisdom for low-level ops

[terminal_velo]

Lately I've been watching cattle herding, hog hunting, and game capture videos. I almost have it all down, but before I put it on my resume, and maybe get a job doing that kind of work some day, I'd like to know if there's any wisdom to be passed down from you guys that have done that type of fast-paced, low-level maneuvering.

 

Joking aside, imagine you're talking to someone who's low-time and has only ever hovered and landed into the wind, with normal approaches and takeoffs.

 

What advice, tips, techniques, or warnings would you give to someone before sending them out to muster cattle or perform some other low-level operation like that?

[avbug]

 

 

Lately I've been watching cattle herding, hog hunting, and game capture videos. I almost have it all down, but before I put it on my resume, and maybe get a job doing that kind of work some day, I'd like to know if there's any wisdom to be passed down from you guys that have done that type of fast-paced, low-level maneuvering.

 

 

 

Sounds like you've already got it pegged, with the videos and movies. No need to go to work and actually gain experience. Just write it on your resume.

 

Carry good insurance. Sounds like you may need it.

[WolftalonID]

Sounds like you've already got it pegged, with the videos and movies. No need to go to work and actually gain experience. Just write it on your resume.

Lol..thats what some guys do..then they go train fire fighters in helo ops!

[Jaybee]

Since the first paragraph was obviously a joke and he even stated "joking aside"

 

You'll probably not find many people here that would advocate what they may deem as dangerous. I was quite adamant about finding an experienced instructor when I learned how this industry worked. I was extremely lucky to have met and flown with a guy that had over 40 years of military and civilian experience combined. One of his last gigs in the flying world was performing an Helibatic air show. He even won the Art Scholl award which is received by your fellow airshow performers votes.

 

So now that the background is staged - my training went beyond the straight and level. We went into some seriously confined areas. We may or may not have chased deer across corn fields. We flew up to Mother Rucker and used some of the confined pinnacle landing sites. We may have done some aerobatics.

 

So the takeaway is and advice I give to you is - always know where the wind is, always have a power margin, always have a back up plan for your backup plan and everything happens slow in a helicopter never try to rush anything.

 

Now I'm not going to win any popularity contests here. Everyone considers where they trained to be the best. Everyone's atypical pilot ego would suggest that of course they are better than everyone else and only their way is the best. As I learned many times over in my prior career of being a mechanic and was reiterated with my flight instructor - there is alway more than one way to skin a cat.

 

Lastly, Rotor RPM is your life, Rotor RPM is your life, Rotor RPM is your life.

[helonorth]

Although the above post is full of some swell but cliched advice (rotor RPM is your life?) it has very little relevance to flying low level all day long (I mean 100' or less at a low airspeed).

 

It doesn't matter much which way the wind is blowing. You will have crosswinds, tailwinds and everything in between all day long. You will not be able to turn it into the wind when the big emergency comes. Whatever you are looking at in the chin bubble is where you will be in a few seconds.

 

I'd agree with having some extra power available.

 

You can have all the backup plans you want, but much of the time there will be nothing below you but trees, mountains and more trees. If the terrain was hospitable, you wouldn't be there in a helicopter.

 

Now I'm not saying you shouldn't always be ahead of the aircraft but when you are low and slow, there is nothing below you but rocks and trees at unfavorable angles and the sh*t hits the fan, I'd almost rather be lucky than good. All your wonderful piloting skills and back up plans aren't going to mean much: it's gonna hurt.

Edited February 2, 2016 by helonorth

[Spike]

As always, ya fly the machine within your limits. This includes operating with winds of varying direction and speeds. After that, it’s about positioning the shooter, ranger, observer, warden so he or she can do their job. If you fly in a way that it makes it difficult for them to do their job, or scares them, they’ll let you and your boss know. With that said, it’s always good to establish an open line of communication beforehand. Same page stuff so there are no surprises……

[Jaybee]

Although the above post is full of some swell but cliched advice (rotor RPM is your life?) it has very little relevance to flying low level all day long (I mean 100' or less at a low airspeed).

 

 

 

Cliched ?

 

I guess if cliche gets you through 40 years of aviation including *gasp* low level ops as a Kiowa Warrior... and your biggest claim to fame is not your airshow act but the fact that all of your students are still alive.... that's alright with me. I'll take cliche all day every day.

[helonorth]

It's great that your super-instructor took you into some tight LZ's, you flew up to Alabama and found some pinnacles, you harassed some wildlife and you did some aerobatics, but what did he teach you (that you can teach us) about flying low level? Do you (not your instructor) have any real experience doing it?

Edited February 2, 2016 by helonorth

[r22butters]

I spent a week flying with Boatpix once. It was from 100' to 5' up and down, up and down all day long. It was a lot of fun, but of course being over the Ocean there was nothing to hit and forced landing areas were all over the place.

 

I spent a week training for a frost patrol gig. Hover taxiing up and down the rows just above tree height. Sure I had to watch my tail (as the fields were sloped on hillsides) and as usual had to watch out for wires,...but that's no different from what we all do anyway.

 

I even rode along for some mustering one day. Fun, but nauseating as a passenger!

 

I have no wisdom to impart, just bored and felt like joining in.

[500F]

Take the flying in the wire environment course at the HAI.

[Gomer Pylot]

You should always know where the wind is. It makes a difference, even though you will not always have your nose into it. Small helicopters weathervane strongly, and the amount of power required varies widely depending on where the wind is. The rotor doesn't care, but the fuselage does. The difference between having excess power and being marginal is very much related to relative wind. Even in something like a 412, it makes a difference. I've started takeoffs in the 412 where there was barely enough power to climb, with the wind off the side, and when high enough to let the nose go into the wind, the thing just jumped into a climb, just because the fuselage wasn't requiring so much power. Nose into the wind is always a good thing when things go south, if possible. It isn't always possible, of course, but that's the way to try to go. It's easy to get focused on what you're doing and lose sight of the big picture. My first lesson on this was herding a coyote somewhere off Fort Wolters way back when. I came close to crashing the TH-55, and it made a lasting impression on me. Don't let herding, capturing, or anything else keep you from concentrating on flying the machine. There have already been several fatal helicopter crashes from hog hunting, and there will be more. Don't die trying to keep the customer happy. He won't be happy dead or in the hospital.

Edited February 3, 2016 by Gomer Pylot

[Jaybee]

It's great that your super-instructor took you into some tight LZ's, you flew up to Alabama and found some pinnacles, you harassed some wildlife and you did some aerobatics, but what did he teach you (that you can teach us) about flying low level? Do you (not your instructor) have any real experience doing it?

 

See post 4 and I'm not sure why my advice hurts your feelings enough to make snide remarks.

 

Kick your dog after a bad day too ?

[Joe_P148]

This thread has spiraled out of control

 

This isn't for you to spew out all your accomplishments and how awesome you are.

 

There's plenty of real experience to get past that and actually answer the question.

 

If you want to brag about how awesome you are go to the local flight school and run your mouth to people who don't know any better.

 

As for low level ops,

Recon your area, Map, or actual

Scan for wires, towers, hazards

Have OGE power

Know where the winds are

Don't get fixated on the ground or you'll end up there

Always have an out / escape plan in the event of a bad approach or engine failure single engine vs dual

2 sets of eyes is always better then 1

[Radam]

Absolutely knowing where the wind is coming from is important at low level. Its true that it doesn't really matter that much in the sense of what you are going to be doing because at least in my work, you still have to do it, but that being said you always have to have an idea of where the wind is from so you know how your going to handle it and how the aircraft is going to react.

 

Another point I'll add is be careful of the sun... flying low level into the sun without being ready for it can bite you in the ass if your not careful... flying right around sunset but before dark can also cause some issues picking out things like wires because the light gets a little flat and your aircrafts lights won't always pick them up very well yet...

 

always be ready for an emergency because as some pointed out, you don't have much time

[CLRDHOT28]

Some good advice on here so far. I'll add my 2 cents. I flew CH-46E's for the Marine Corps in various areas such as mountains, ships, low level ops, over water, desert, and several more areas. After I got out I got a job flying for a Mosquito Control county somewhere in Florida. Needless to say I've spent some time flying low. In the Marines we usually flew transit at around 300 ft, flew low level both day and nights around 75-150 ft, and when I instructed normally around 500-700ft.

 

After I got out and got a job flying mosquito control I got another education in flying low. By low I mean I regularly fly 10-20ft above trees, power lines, water, fields, etc. If I would have flown that way for the Marines I do for my job now I would have had my wings taken from me, and I love it, lol.

 

Some advice for flying low. Always fly within your helicopter's envelope, and know where the wind is at. Tree lines will reduce the wind and your lift. If you're making a turn from into the wind to with the wind behind you your lift will be less, realize that. If you don't feel comfortable making a turn or the hairs on the back of your neck stand up don't do the maneuver. Try to make all your turns to the left, because if you run out of pedal then you can always turn right and get a little more power to the rotor (if your rotor turns counter clockwise).

 

When you are starting your run on whatever you are doing make a visual of where you are going in relation to the wind and try to set up the situation that it will give you the best performance to your helicopter. I've got some time in a R-22 and a S-300, and it has taught me more about how to fly low than my time flying with the Marines. Those helos require more thought on how to fly low than a twin turbine CH-46E that I flew. Heck, I used to external 3 times the weight of the max gross helo I fly now. I regularly fly 10 ft above the trees or ground at max gross so I do know a bit about what I'm talking about. If you want to talk more please feel free to pm me. I'm more than happy to pass on knowledge.

[Jaybee]

At the time I originally posted no one else had attempted to help the OP, in fact misconstrued the intent.

 

Now I don't have thousands of hours of low level ops but I have in my career done powerline inspections, helped farmers find missing cattle and herd them back, photo shoots, video filming and offshore fish counts. All of this would have been less than 100' AGL and less than 50 IAS, lot of times less than that.

 

Next someone will tell me my low level experiences isn't cool enough.

 

All I know is when I followed the advice given to me that I tried to pass on, then I was fine and the couple of times I didn't I almost balled one up on two occasions being stupid - as indicated by others don't let the task overwhelm the flying, as a noob trying to prove yourself its easy to do.

[Spike]

Don't die trying to keep the customer happy.

 

These government game capture contracts are highly sought-after and most of the Rangers, Wardens have an extensive amount of time in helicopters and know what to expect. If you can’t keep the customer happy, good luck with that. Additionally, when I say this, I do not mean take unnecessary risks or fly beyond your own limitations and, I would have thought this went without saying……….

[Flying Pig]

Lol..thats what some guys do..then they go train fire fighters in helo ops!

Ha!!!!!

[Rupert]

Too bad someone made fun of the RPM thing, because it really does matter, and especially so at low level.

 

Prioritize rotor RPM. Many helicopters will bleed RPM at high power settings. As you go in and out of ground effect, and find yourself unexpectedly downwind, you may start to lose RPM and, not only lose lift but tail rotor authority as well.

 

If you start to spin an a conventional left-footed machine, don't auto-rotate. Instead, push in full right pedal and increase the spin. Get back your RPM and create distance between yourself and the terrain. Spinning won't hurt you and the helicopter won't come apart. Just keep it level and screw your way up into the sky.

 

Someone will ridicule me for the above. Nonetheless, put it in your bag of tricks. When you hit full left pedal and continue to turn to the right, you've already lost that fight. Push in full right pedal and get away from the terrain.

 

The other thing, look for poles. Look hard for poles. Keep poles in your awareness. Poles mean wires. Wires disappear against the background. If you see a pole, get above it until you find the wire. Stay above any pole you see until you find the wires.

[Matt321]

Rupert I'm not going to ridicule you, I'm going to save your life. Please don't try your "screw" maneuver, ever. If you've put yourself in the unfortunate position of drooping the rotor, please lower the collective and gain some airspeed. Do not accelerate your right yaw. It will not get you away from the terrain, it will kill you.

[Radam]

If I freaked out every time my RPM drooped...I wouldn't be able to get much work done. Basically every time I come off the truck my RPM droops... I usually will pause right before I actually lift and let it come back up...but yes RPM is always important...

 

And the part about the poles is what I live by regularly... Power lines always seem to disappear for me so I have to keep an eye on a couple of poles usually and keep above them. When I am turning and coming back in between two fairly wide spaced poles it can be a pain in the ass sometimes...Personally I don't go under them unless it is absolutely necessary and they are REALLY high lol...but then again going over them in the middle of a field can be a pain the arse also....

[Astro]

If I freaked out every time my RPM drooped...I wouldn't be able to get much work done. Basically every time I come off the truck my RPM droops... I usually will pause right before I actually lift and let it come back up...but yes RPM is always important...

 

 

Why is your rpm drooping?

[ascj]

Im with matt on this the only thing you're going to screw is yourself doing that. Best find an experienced pilot and go and learn with them. Learn how to recognize that your getting into trouble before it hits the proverbial. And learn how to correctly get out of it.

Apart from that never forget your only in a downwind situation when you're going slower than the wind and that being said just because you are facing the wind direction doesn't mean you're in an into wind situation.

[adam32]

Im with matt on this the only thing you're going to screw is yourself doing that. Best find an experienced pilot and go and learn with them. Learn how to recognize that your getting into trouble before it hits the proverbial. And learn how to correctly get out of it.

Apart from that never forget your only in a downwind situation when you're going slower than the wind and that being said just because you are facing the wind direction doesn't mean you're in an into wind situation.

I'm betting he is an old experienced pilot or learned that trick from a gray haired pilot...lots of little tricks out there that can save your life that you won't find in the Rotorcraft Flying Handbook...just sayin.

[Rupert]

Matt, how do you think I came to give that advice?

 

1977 flying a Hiller 12B (note the "B" in 12B) I came off a ledge thinking I could make it over some downhill trees. I didn't. I began to sink before I got over the trees. I found myself below the ledge from which I'd started and below the tops of the downhill trees. As I pulled more pitch, with full throttle, my RPM began to decay, and with lower RPM, both main rotor and tail rotor, the ship began to slowly spin to the right. The little voice said to push in right pedal (yes, I have a little voice that talks to me...doesn't everybody?). An automatic 25% increase in effective power to the main rotor. The ship spun around a few times, I kept it level and I rocketed up above the trees and the ledge. Didn't die that day.

 

Same thing on power line patrol in Utah. Did you know some power lines go to 13,000 feet? I normally flew the G3B1 and the 206 for the company, and almost always the G3B1 for power line patrol. Didn't have the G3B1 that day, and since I didn't expect to land or hover at the projected altitudes, I followed my Chief Pilot's instruction to fly the mission in the 206. Observer on the left and pilot on the right. As we flew uphill of the line on our left at 13,000', I looked ahead and saw a line coming down to join our line, from above us (!). I tried to climb above the line ahead of us, but my ship just came to stop and I began to sink. I pulled all the power I had and tried to fly left over the line we had so far followed, and the ship wouldn't go left, but instead began to sink and slowly spin to the right. Guess what I did? Didn't die that day, either.

 

Larry Doll taught me to fly in the mountains way back when. The same Larry Doll to whom the HAI awarded the R. E. Trimble Award in 1984.

 

"Helicopter Association International in their 'Salute to Excellence' award have honored (R. E. Trimble's) memory every year at HAI with the Robert E. Trimble memorial award. This award is given to a qualified pilot who is especially distinguished in mountain flying."

 

I had ten hours of dual with Larry in the 13,000 foot plus mountains just to the east of Provo, Utah (part of my employment benefits, along with health insurance). I hope I haven't embarrassed Larry by using his name, but what he taught me saved my life a score of times in almost 50 years of flying helicopters (in all honesty, Larry probably wouldn't approve of my "screw" maneuver, as Matt phrases it). Thanks, Larry. Larry also taught me to fly long line in a G3B1. Try flying a long line at those altitudes while managing deck pressure. You know what "deck pressure" means? The fact that Chief Pilot Dan Nicholson would trust "a kid" with that machine meant a lot to me.

 

So, anyway, Matt, maybe you don't know as much about helicopters as you think you do. Just sayin'.