How hard are helos on your back?

[nm34]

Hi all pilots, I would like to hear experience and advice from you.

 

As posted previously, I am a late 30s career changer. Overall in good shape but of course not 20 any longer. Which is to be taken into consideration - boosting a career in your 40s is not the same as for youngsters.

 

Anyway, recently, my age showed - first time of real back pain. Pain, not ache. I had been hiking for 3 days and the combo of heavy pack and wet chilly weather made my sacrum get really irritated and finally inflammed. Got pills, got better, but the doc said I might be a little sensitive in the lower back and should take good care of it. So it reminded me that I am now in the venerable club of middle agers who have to maintain their bodies instead of purely enjoying it. so do I like my Doc telling me I might have a tendency to irritation in the sacrum, no I dont. It makes me wonder whether fixed wing is a safer choice.

 

So here is the question: how's your back? Did you develop any conditions or did you even start out with one? What's it about those vibrations, how do they affect you? Are we talking Real problems or "just" stiffness and bad posture? And how are the machines different to each other, I imagine Big birds/turbine to be more calm?

[Wally]

My understanding is that sitting is bad for human backs. I haven't found flying helos to be any worse than non-flying jobs that require one remain in a poorly designed chair for long periods. What is different is the contortions necessary to enter and exit the seat, usually with time issues.

[pilot#476398]

Flying the S300 my upper back hurt, so I put a cushion behind my back, and the pain went away. Flying the R22/R44 my knees hurt, but only after about an hour in the seat. No problem in the B206.

[rubidug]

NM- I have sciatica.

 

I have found that fixed wing (especially small 2-4 place) is WORSE. My heli flights have never excited my back pain, but flying in fixed wing does. I think its because in fixed wing you get bounced all over the place, positive and negative g's. But the heli is smoother, and the wind makes you yaw but doesn't produce the violent ups and downs that an airplane does. We don't get the negative g bounces that our fixed wing friends get all of the time.

 

Of course, listen to the doc's recommendations for HOW you sit, and where your legs are placed. Probably not much adjustment because of needing to stay on the pedals, etc. I am looking forward to doing the long line training, where your back is constantly twisted and you are leaning out of the heli. That should tell the whole story!

 

However, I only have 22 hours flight time, so maybe I have just not experienced it yet...?

[nm34]

You guys are relieving me! Last thing I need are more doubts and cons. Of course I will still act and better my workout routine - as my marathon runner, ex-para colleague put it: time to do some sissysports maybe? (He is a combat vet & swears by yoga )

 

Thanks for sharing.

[ridethisbike]

I'm my CFI training so I recently switched to the left seat and the "hand in the air" cyclic grip. Knees have always bothered me (essentially being locked in place for long times), a good stretch after the flight fixes that. Now though, my lower back has been sore after flights. Mostly because of bad posture. I find myself hunching over more than I did when I was in the "hand in my lap" cyclic position.

 

I tried p90x a while back and did the yoga routine... it works. "Namaste" purist stuff aside, the workout itself will test you. I plan to start it back up when I'm not focused solely on studying and my checkride.

[Flying Pig]

Ive never had an issue. But I like talking on the radio while the Huey does its 2 min cool down. The bounce probably isn't to good for the lower back

[aeroscout]

If I hunch too long in the helo, my middle to lower back is sore at the end of the day. It's good after a night's sleep. I like to rest my forearm on my thigh while holding the cyclic, but since I'm on the tall side, it takes hunching to get that done. If I sit straight in my seat, my forearm comes off my thigh, and I don't feel as if I have as good a control touch.

Keep your posture or you will end up looking like longtime helo pilots. Short, beer gut, flatass.

[Goldy]

300's fly like you're falling out of a chair.......206's are really uncomfortable for me as a big guy, actually the R44 isn't bad...comfy seats and a good comfortable attitude when your in cruise...I've flown some days for 10 hours with a few breaks in the 44 without back troubles...For me the Astar is nice sized, but the high G seats are horrible on your back.

[DynamicrolloverHecknoo]

Yes.... The poor hunched posture required to hold the collective without being fully supported from your feet is no doubt tough on the back. If you have back issues, check out mobilitywod.com or Kelly Starrett's book, "Supple Leopard". Although the book & website focus is primarily for Crossfit, it has a lot of good information anyone could use.

 

Check out this video for back maintenance exercises specifically geared for helicopter pilots.

 

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2012/08/i-am-mwod-apache-driver-edition/

[ridethisbike]

Check out this video for back maintenance exercises specifically geared for helicopter pilots.

 

http://www.mobilitywod.com/2012/08/i-am-mwod-apache-driver-edition/

 

Sooo.... stretch my back in the opposite direction?

[helipilotm]

It all depends on the person. About 13 years ago I had a compression fracture of L4. When I started flying 2 years later my back never gave me an ounce of trouble until I started instructing. I talked to my PT he showed me some stretches and exercises to do. They helped out a bunch until I started long lining out of the 206/407. I'm fine in an Astar because I'm not leaning out so far but the Bells I'm hanging out along ways. The one thing that helps me more than anything is to get out and stretch when I can. The days when I'm in there all day not shutting down for fuel are the days I almost need a wheelchair.

[Eric Hunt]

43 years of helicopter flying has given me a poor back. Hueys especially but Bells in general, sitting hunched slightly, leaning left for the collective, lifting the head (with helmet) to see over high dash, and bouncing up and down for 14,000 hrs doesn't do your back any favours.

 

After every flight I back up to the nose of the aircraft (avoiding the pitot tube) and stretch backwards over the battery hatch to straighten it out, or else lie flat on a hot tarmac to soften it up a bit.

 

Best seat was a lovely lambswool padded seat in an S76, could sit there all day.

[MLH]

Piloted several models of helicopters over the years and found that bumps and jars of driving an automobile are more noticeable than the air ride suspension of a helicopter. Despite it's appearance, the R44 has a pleasingly comfortable seat.

[akscott60]

I am a huge dude in a tiny 206 variant. No seatback pad and I wear 40 pounds of armor and kit.

 

Yea, its bad for my body, let alone my back.