Ice Hockey

[JCM5]

In case you haven't seen this one yet - it's already gone viral today. Well known pilot up in Canada, does some cool stuff (sometimes questionable).

 

Would love to hear opinions.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlCg56K08hE

 

Here's a copy of the letter he wrote to Transport Canada today preemptively explaining himself:

"I'm sure this is unusual for a pilot to essentially call enforcement on himself, but I put a video online yesterday that I feel might need some explanation. I truly believe it was done in a safe, and responsible manner, without danger to the aircraft or crew-members on the "ground". Since the video is already generating a lot of World Wide views, I figured it would be best to show you and explain how the video was done.

For the past 3 weeks, I've been watching the weather forecast in Vancouver, and I've been planning to fly friends of mine to an alpine lake to film them playing hockey if the perfect conditions present themselves. Well, like I imagined they would, this weekend presented the prefect scenario. Super cold temps for an extended time period and no snow.

So, Saturday morning, I took off at 6:30am, and flew up to inspect lakes for the perfect hockey game. I found the exact lake I was looking for, landed on a small raised beach and chopped through the ice with a hatchet and measured. Like I suspected, the ice was more than 10" thick. By the farmers almanac ice safety chart, that's thick enough to safely support the weight of a 3.5 ton medium sized truck. More than enough to support the weight of skaters and a light helicopter.

http://www.almanac.com/.../new.../files/258_icethickness.pdf

I flew back to YPK, and met 4 buddies who are former WHL hockey players. I flew them 2 at a time back to the lake, and filmed them skating and playing hockey. Halfway through the day, another friend who flies an R-44 joined us and helped me film the most epic skate/hockey game ever.

During the day, I tested several landings on the ice with the helicopter maintaining a forward speed of 15kts, and sliding with 100-150lbs of the helicopter's weight on the ice. Just enough to get the skids of the helicopter flat on the surface, but light enough to rise easily and smoothly back into the air. I found it extremely easy to gauge the ice height, and determined it was safe for me to slide across the ice with the helicopter pointed forward, in the direction of travel. I had a plan for a shot I wanted to capture the following day with more coordiantion.

When we returned to YPK, we showed pictures and video to Other Helicopter pilots who all wanted to be involved in a second day of filming, so, I organized 8 former WHL players and 4 helicopters.

Sunday morning, we all met at YPK for an initial safety briefing, and flew +3 back to the lake with and AS355, H300 and 2 R-44's. It was -12 overnight, and added more thickness to the sheet. I walked the entire surface with a chainsaw and tape measure, and inspected the whole ice sheet. It was thick all the way across and had no ridges or holes. There was a small section of open water caused by a waterfall at the far end of the lake. We determined a safety line that no skaters were permitted to cross based on our test holes.

The 2 pilots from BC Helicopters brought their hockey equipment and hand held aviation radios to act as coordinators on the ice between the skaters and helicopter.

After a long safety briefing and walk through of the shots we had planned, we began filming. One of our first shots of the day was the video I would like to share with you. It involved the 8 skaters, 6 former WHL players and 2 BC Helicopter pilots standing in a row across the ice with a small hole between them. The 2 BC Helicopter pilots were located on the left side, and the 6 WHL players on the right. I started from a hover, 200 meters down the ice, and slowly descended onto the ice surface at a speed of 15 kts. and slid across the ice towards the group, aiming my nose at the hole they left form me between the BC Helicopter pilots and the WHL players.

As I approached, the pilots from BC Helicopters called an audible signal for all the parties to move, opening a much larger hole which I continued to slide the helicopter through. We purposely placed the 2 helicopter pilots on my left side, to keep any of the WHL players as far from the tail-rotor as possible. Once I was completely past the group, I waited 2 seconds before initiating a left peddle turn while lifting into the air, to capture the entire group skating towards me.

Here is the link to the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlCg56K08hE

Again. I believe this was done in a completely safe and responsible manor. All risks and possible safety hazards were discussed with the crew. Every person acknowledged the possible risks and decided to be involved with their own free will. We took precautions to place people in the appropriate positions for maximum tail-rotor safety. We had 3 helicopters on standby should any incident occur and first aid trained individuals as part of the extended group.

Again, I felt it best for me to share the video with you, and explain the thought, precautions, training and preparation that went into the filming. The sole purpose of the video was to capture something unique to place on YouTube. I never expected this one small :39 second clip to generate over 40,000 views in a few hours and make it around the world so quickly.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them. My contact information is below.

Thanks for your time, and I hope you find the video entertaining, well done and safe."

[aeroscout]

Luckily no skaters slipped into the path of the helo.

[Joe_P148]

Some people need an adrenaline rush more than others. interesting video, I think thats a little over my comfort envelope. But than again, so is flying in a single engine helo. nice video.

[WolftalonID]

God forbid Hollywood stunt pilots ever get this much sh*t! Movies would really get lame fast!

[Nearly Retired]

Wolf, you're betraying your inexperience when you say things like that. Hollywood "stunt" pilots and aerial cinematography pilots have to endure close FAA scrutiny of their operations. A plan has to be submitted and approved before any such operations can take place. A lot of the time there'll be an FAA guy on-scene to make sure it goes according to plan.

 

A friend of mine just did a sling job in a congested area around Seattle. An external load plan was required to be submitted to the FAA, and it was. Prior to the lift, the pilot met with two FSDO inspectors and they all went over the details. On the day of the job, the feds were there, observing. And yes, he said it felt like when somebody is watching you pee. From in front. And not in a good way.

 

The impromptu ice-skating video we're talking about here had no such oversight. It was a bunch of guys who got together to pull off this scheme. By the main guy's own account, the whole thing seemed pretty informally and hastily put together. Then, after the fact he tried to defend his actions by making it out to be just the most excitingest, awesomest hockey game ever! Which was an odd rationalization, because the ice-skating helicopter had very little to do with the hockey game other than interrupting it.

 

Would oversight of the Transport Canada have made the operation "safer?" Maybe, maybe not. But let's imagine the TC inspector listening in advance to the pilot as he describes what they were fixin' to do: "...And then! Now for the really epic part! While the players are all involved on their game, I'm going to get down on the ice and slide toward them on the surface at 30 knots. As I get close they'll all move aside, open up a gap and clear a path in time for me to go through, after which I'll do a sort of sliding/climbing pedal turn and then dive back down on them from above."

 

I don't know about you, but I can imagine the inspector saying (and I'm paraphrasing here), "WTF????? No, you're not!"

 

Perhaps there are those among us who enjoy the renegade and clandestine (if not completely spur-of-the-moment) aspect of this operation. Not me. I'm not trying to be a killjoy here, but I'd rather kill joy than a couple of hockey players who should have, but didn't know any better.

 

Remember, the absence of an accident is no guarantee of safety.

 

 

[Jaybee]

I agree with NR, I have a really good friend that performs a helicopter act at airshows. Being an ICAS member is just a start. Lots of oversight and planning takes place.

[WolftalonID]

Well your right about all the above. I am a rookie....noone said differently. The video was none the less very exciting.

I also like how they did plan it out, not just wing it. Having feds watch it happen would not have made it safer.....just weirder.

[AS350 pilot]

It's one thing to be a fool with a motorcycle, quad, snowmobile, etc. It's another thing entirely to be a fool with a helicopter. This guys showed a real lack of judgement by doing this and even more by allowing it to be put on the internet.

 

Bottum line, none got hurt and that's great….however, it is a poor reflection on our industry.

[JCM5]

 

Remember, the absence of an accident is no guarantee of safety.

 

 

 

This.

 

And unfortunately when people (not just pilots) undertake these types of activities and make it out with a sweet video instead of a few casualties, it only serves to embolden their opinion of their own abilities, which in turn tends to stretch the limits even further next time.

 

This guy is pretty well known, especially on reddit.com/r/helicopters , and generally the stuff he posts is pretty entertaining. The theme is usually hot chicks and cool LZ's in the BC wilderness.

 

Here is his "behind the scenes" follow up video that he used to defend his case....

 

[Joe_P148]

I don't think there is a right or wrong awnser or opinion here.

 

I throw this question on you though.

 

Would you want to sit left seat with this guy? Would you want your loved ones sitting in the back?

 

I fly because it's my job, it's a tool to get my job done. I stopped hot dogging after about 1200 hrs. Apparently this dude has an urge to push the envelope, that's cool just do it solo with your own aircraft.

 

At the end of the day we don't need our junior pilots watching videos like this and getting a wild hair to try this stuff.

[pilot#476398]

I don't think there is a right or wrong awnser or opinion here.

 

I throw this question on you though.

 

Would you want to sit left seat with this guy? Would you want your loved ones sitting in the back?

 

I fly because it's my job, it's a tool to get my job done. I stopped hot dogging after about 1200 hrs. Apparently this dude has an urge to push the envelope, that's cool just do it solo with your own aircraft.

 

At the end of the day we don't need our junior pilots watching videos like this and getting a wild hair to try this stuff.

 

Awh come on man, I've still got 500 hours of hot dogging left. What else is there to try!?

[rotornut67]

The "explanation" to TC tells me that he knows his butt is probably in a sling...it was a reckless act period and he knows it. If not, then why the letter of explanation? Call me an old stick in the mud or tell me I need to lighten up (my kids do it all the time) but coming from fixed wing to rotor I figured out the first day I started training in a helicopter that there was at least a thousand "extra" ways that I could hurt myself in a helicopter. I never take that for granted and I try to look at all aspects of every flight and do everything I can to identify what might hurt me or my passengers and do my best to eliminate them. I guess I had my fill of "adrenaline rushes" during the 20 years I carried a badge and gun.

 

Fly safe

Matthew 6:19,20