Mikemv Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 To all, I recently received an e-mail from another pilot about some things and asked him to read the posts about the Maryland R-44 accident as he is flying an R44 daily. I have copied his reply to me here for you to see. [i read your post on vertical reference. I agree 100%. I have found myself in a similar scenario. The I flew the boss to a hockey game and it was cool with a breeze from over the gulf. It was just a matter of time before the low clouds and fog rolled in. I did what the pic should have done. I left the helo at the closest airport and had a rent car waiting so I could take the boss and his guests home safely. It was a hard decision because I was still new at the job and the boss wanted to fly back to his ranch. When I drove them home and he saw that the fog was all around his house he actually applauded me for my decision and has not questioned me since. It's sad that this tragedy happened. I have over 130 hrs of night and that in this industry is nothing, and flying in south Texas where it is all black at night it is still a little unnerving. The 44 I fly has bare minimum instruments in it and to fly at night on a less then stellar day is somewhat challenging, but doable with appropriate conditions. The moral that I've learned is anytime you fly close to a coast or around weather you can expect less than optimal conditions. That is what I took from your post and from my own experience. Most CFI's wont have any experience with these circumstances until they are away from the flight school mentality.unfortunately that may be to late. Take care Mike and fly safe. Thank you again for all your help and the lit. Sincerely, Richard Garrett] All of us should have personal limits about weather and helo ops in general. We need to stick to them even under pressure to provide service to passengers/employers/etc. Tonight, Aug. 5th between 6 and 8PM, there is a "Rememberance Ceremony " at AHC for our lost brothers and passenger. Many of us can not make it personally but we can at that time think about how we will never let this tragedy happen to us, our students, our passengers and survivors of the aftermath. Respectfully and with deep sorrows, MikeMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodoz Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 If it helps to write your personal minimums down (and I think it does), here are 2 templates from AOPA and the FAA. Neither work great for VFR helicopter ops, but they can be good starting points. I keep an abbreviated version of one filled out in my logbook.Personal_Minimums_Worksheet.pdfpersonal_minimums_checklist.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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