Altitude Insight

[Superman]

I’d much rather outlaw towers……they seem to be more of a problem than our fixed wing friends are….. Seeing tower lights in a sea of city lights can be tuff. Hell, finding the pad or even an airport can be a challenge in a metro area. On a good clear night I can see the radio towers in Indy 20 miles out……but can loose them in the lights at 5 miles. I’m not a big fan of banging around at night in a helicopter.

 

Fly Safe

Clark

[JDHelicopterPilot]

Ummm..outlaw airplanes ?

 

Nice Goldy, I fly over on the Dark Side once in a while. Not as exciting in some respect though.

[wulfman76]

I don't know who is flying a helicopter at 1000' in the pattern either. It's not the norm but for training we do sometimes go higher. BTW it's not really in violation of the FARs. You can fly at 1000'agl in the oposite pattern as the fixedwingers. All you have to do is avoid the flow.

 

You are right, there is no perfect altitude. It's not a one fits all and that is the point I was making.

 

Speaking of AG pilots. I was driving to Yuma the other day and saw a fixedwing AG pilot dusting the fields, only it was at night. It was interesting to watch. That guy has some guts.

 

 

 

 

I used to be one of those ag guys. I worked in the yuma/wellton area for about 3 years. Left with about 1k hrs of night spraying in F/W and R/W.

 

As it relates to this topic there is no substitute for an intimate knowledge of your area (and a good set of lights helps too! :-). The other spray aircraft had strobes that could be seen from 10+ miles. Most towers were lit(bulbs do burn out), the others you steered clear of. You had to know where the big powerlines ran, the small mountains etc. again know your area. If you climbed more than 500' you were wasting time and fuel as we were usually within a couple miles of the field/strip.

 

One size does not fit all and i'm not a big supporter of more rules and regs. Just use common sense. For autos, if 1k' is good and 2k' is better why doesn't everyone fly around at 10k' to give you the most options????? again just use a little common sense.

[Goldy]

Nice Goldy, I fly over on the Dark Side once in a while. Not as exciting in some respect though.

 

Yeah, I know you do. I forgive you though.

[IFLY]

I couldn't agree more about mandating radios. It just blows my mind that radios are not required in ALL aircraft, ALL airpsaces, All altitudes, ALL THE TIME!!

 

 

Some of the aircraft I fly don't have an electrical system...not even a battery.

 

Jerry

[Goldy]

Some of the aircraft I fly don't have an electrical system...not even a battery.

 

Jerry

 

I fly gliders on occasion. I dont consider that a F/W, cause it feels so much like a helo ! (joystick, flying along the ridges at 500, 90 degree bank turns, slowing to 40 knts.) Anyway, it has no electrical system, I bring a handheld radio. Sometimes, I even charge it up the night before.

 

Goldy

[BOATFIXERGUY]

I used to be one of those ag guys. I worked in the yuma/wellton area for about 3 years. Left with about 1k hrs of night spraying in F/W and R/W.

 

Hey Wolfman,

I like JD and others enjoy watching you ag guys. I frequently find myself just watching the FW and RW ag guys dusting fields, ponds, etc.

 

Never gets old.

[heli.pilot]

I fly gliders on occasion. I dont consider that a F/W, cause it feels so much like a helo ! (joystick, flying along the ridges at 500, 90 degree bank turns, slowing to 40 knts.) Anyway, it has no electrical system, I bring a handheld radio. Sometimes, I even charge it up the night before.

 

Goldy

 

In my opinion, not requiring all aircraft to have a radio (even just a handheld like you carry, Goldy) is much like allowing off road vehicles like quads and dirt bikes on public roads without requiring them to have brake lights, headlights and turn signals. Obviously you can't monitor whether or not the pilot turns it on, has the volume turned up, or even uses the correct frequency, but why do we require that a pilot be able to speak and understand (plus read and write, obviously) the English language if we are not going to require them to communicate, other than during their checkride?

 

Don't mean to hi-jack the thread here, sorry. The whole "radio optional" thing just bugs me...

 

Stepping down from my soap box...

 

Thanks for taking a handheld with you, Goldy, I mean it - that is responsible piloting.

[JDHelicopterPilot]

Yeah, I see the AG guys out there in the Yuma area all the time. Seems like lately I've been getting called out in the tail end of my shift. It's fun watching those lights light up the field then climb and turn around. Crazy if you ask me!

 

Goldy, glad you're so understanding.

[Gomer Pylot]

The American philosophy has always been that everything is permitted unless specifically prohibited, and the past 8 years have emphasized getting the government out of regulation of everything. In that environment, having the government mandate radios in everything flying seems to be rather out of step. UAVs concern me much more than manned aircraft without radios. It's not at all unusual to see UAVs flying around near me, and they not only have no radios, but nobody looking for traffic.

[JDHelicopterPilot]

Gomer,

 

Good point about the UAVs. I hadn't thought of that. I figured they would be operational but only in MOAs or Restricted areas for the military. Perahps a few along the South Border as well.

[Linc]

I've spent a lot of time dodging UAVs. Brings a whole new meaning to see-and-avoid. Those little buggers are hard to see. They are easy to find at night when they're properly lit, but hard to tell their direction of travel, no matter what. Good thing they prefer to operate at FW altitudes. The worst is when they are in an automated landing cycle, accomplishing their descent/holding pattern, and there is no radar surveillance or ATC has their heads up their fourth point of contact.

[JDHelicopterPilot]

Interesting. So where do you guys see UAVs at? Here in the States that is.

[FUSE]

I thought all Helicopter pilots flew at low levels because we are all scared of heights... At least that is it for me. In a 22 w/ the doors off I get pretty nervous above 1500 feet.

[yzchopper]

Doors off and at 3000 feet bothers me in a 22. 9300 feet over the rockies in a OH- 58C also bothers me.

[heli.pilot]

Yeah, when I was at the RHC safety course Tim Tucker mentioned that 14,500 in an R-22 with the doors off was "a little uncomfortable"... who would of thunk it?!

[clay]

went to 9000 in the 300c just the other day w/ no doors for the hell of it. . (only about 100 ft agl though)

[FlyNHighNFast]

went to 9000 in the 300c just the other day w/ no doors for the hell of it. . (only about 100 ft agl though)

 

Clay: Thanks, it's not often that I get to laugh on a Monday morning.

[Gomer Pylot]

I've seen UAVs all over central Texas. They seem to like to fly around at 1000-2000 ft AGL.

[heli.pilot]

I've seen UAVs all over central Texas. They seem to like to fly around at 1000-2000 ft AGL.

 

 

Those things sound dangerous! You should be on your toes and looking for things like that in a MOA or a restricted area, but it sounds like you're saying they can be found just about anywhere?! Do they not have some sort of on-board radar or traffic alert system?

[Parafiddle]

Why be afraid of being so high? Remember, it's only that last little bit at the bottom that hurts!

[Pogue]

It's the amount of time you have to think about that last little bit hurting...

[Gomer Pylot]

Heli, I have no idea what they have on board, but I do know they're hard to see. They're flying in Class E airspace, not just in MOAs or restricted areas. Everybody needs to be looking out for them, because I promise you they aren't looking out for you.

[Tawler]

It's the amount of time you have to think about that last little bit hurting...

 

 

haha....definetly .

[TimW68]

Ok, just wanted to say thanks for all the replies.

 

Gomer, outside of comfortability with certain altitudes I think your point with regards to difference in ground speed relative to wind at different altitudes is one of the most relevant. Oh and thanks for the heads up on the UAV's - I'll keep an extra eye out !!