Tracking and recording helicopter takeoffs and landings

[Justin.Blank]

Hello,

I wanted to share a tool that we've been using in Alaska for a few years now. Helicopters flying in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA) are required to report the Date, time, and location of all helicopter takeoffs and landings. This is easy enough when you are traveling to the same location all the time, or are shutting down each time. But when landing repeatedly at random locations, and keeping her running, we had a hard time recording the info because we were on the ground for less than 30 seconds at a time, and were logging over 50 landings a day aside from trying to the work we were actually out there to do. And not only did we have to record when and where we landed, but then also when we took back off.

 

To increase accuracy and efficiency I developed a device that ties together an altimeter and a GPS in a self-contained case that rides out on the cargo rack, and writes the information onto an SD card in an Excel table. It has it's own battery and is completely independent of the aircraft electronics. It works pretty slick and several operators are using them.

 

What I'm looking for is another place on earth where such a device would be useful. Any ideas? Here's a picture.

See how it hangs over and looks right at the ground. It zeros when you turn it on, then just plugs away as if there was a button on the bottom of the landing skid.

[kona4breakfast]

Why an altimeter?

 

You could probably use a GPS with track log that pings every 5 seconds, then run it through a program that looks for at least 3 consecutive data points that are identical and saves only the first and last data point of each sequence.

 

Glad someone is doing some work up here.

[Justin.Blank]

Not a bad idea. It's kinda what we used to do but you could not discern between a low hover and an actual landing, and even when holding still the pings are rarely identical as the GPS keeps recalculating.

[RagMan]

Just get one of those race clickers that fit right in your hand. They get used for running track and field. Probably $10 on amazon. Put one in every helicopter and tell the pilots to click it once every time they land. The one i had could record up to 100. I purchased it before summer because i was curious how many takeoffs and landings I was doing on a day of tour flying. Came to find out I averaged 10 takeoffs and landings in a given hobbs hour.

[Justin.Blank]

But do you get Lat/long? Need to record takeoffs too, with time of each.

[RagMan]

No Lat/Long, but a cheap way to record landings. I know this doesn't technically solve your issue.

[Justin.Blank]

No I've solved the issue. Just wondering if anyone/anywhere else needs to collect this info. Seems like someone somewhere must have this same problem. Thanks

[r22butters]

Fifty landings a day for less than thirty seconds each, might I ask what is it you do during each landing?

[Justin.Blank]

Sure Butters,

In short they are picking up trash. The only way to get heavy equipment out on the tundra is via iceroad in the winter. Once summer comes back and everything melts there are inevitably things that the wind took out of the back of pickups or from around the temporary camps that need to be picked up. Contrary to popular belief, the oil and gas companies up here spend an insane amount of time and money to make the place look like it did when they got there. We'll try to land in areas where folks can spend some time, walk and clean up, but there are always little singles that you just stop, someone hops out, grabs it, and hops back in. Quickest I've seen is 15 seconds on the ground. Good to have some young folks on the crew!!!

[r22butters]

Hmm, I could be an Ice Road Trucker in the winter and a flying garbage man in the summer?

 

I need to move to Alaska!

[Guest pokey]

Hmm, I could be an Ice Road Trucker in the winter and a flying garbage man in the summer?

 

I need to move to Alaska!

 

Sounds like optimum job security, toss out all yer garbage in the winter, fly around all summer pickin' it up. And get paid to boot !

[Justin.Blank]

Funny,

Actually I love AK but if you have a steady job where you are at I'd stay there for now. We are just now getting the big economic slump that the lower 48 got a few years back. A lot of friends looking for work or hanging in at jobs they don't like right now. In all of the industries.

 

However if you want to come to AK as a tourist, now's the time!!! Prices are lower than they have been.