New Member Questions

[Kc135Delta]

Hello,

 

My name is Drew and I've lurked around this site for about a month now and finnally built up enough questions to sign up and ask. I don't know a whole lot about helios to get into detailed technical discussions but I can usually hold my own on the basic stuff. I flew R/C helicopters for the past two years until it started sucking up alot of money, and I was getting no where (still sitting on the ground looking up at it) After I crashed my raptor and totalled it I called it quits. I have hitched a ride on some blackhawks with the kansas national guard quite a few times, but nothing serious. Same with the AS-350. Anyways down to the questions.

 

- How much can I expect to spend on going from ground zero to a turbine helicopter pilot (on average)?

 

- What's the fastest 4 seat single pilot turbine helicopter under a million? (Used) (Don't think that I expect to jump right in it, I just need somthing to motivate me and remember every time I think about quitting.)

 

- What restrictions are there altitude wise? I used to go and watch the Ch-47's fly out of KIXD and they would fly over the field that I allways watched from pretty low. I could sometimes feel the rotor wash.

 

- What kind of flight training is avalible in the Kansas City, Lawerence, Topeaka area? I can't find ANYTHING. I'm still in school and I can't go much farther than wichita or STL at the farthest. I don't want a career in helicopters, just a private license for enjoyment.

 

Let me know about anything else that you think I should know about,

 

Thanks for your time;

 

Drew

[Witch]

Ground to turbine? Anywhere from 20K to 40K. Marpat will train ya in a turbine exclusively. I forgot where it is, just look for Bossman in the forum and contact him.

 

Hughes 500?

 

Only restriction is that you don't endanger people or property. Especially your next door neighbor.

 

Last one is a stumper, pass.

 

Welcome, and if you need more answers, check out the FAQ in the training section. Aaron did a good job there.

 

And don't land on a train!

 

Later.

[Goldy]

Hello,

 

My name is Drew and I've lurked around this site for about a month now and finnally built up enough questions to sign up and ask. I don't know a whole lot about helios to get into detailed technical discussions but I can usually hold my own on the basic stuff. I flew R/C helicopters for the past two years until it started sucking up alot of money, and I was getting no where (still sitting on the ground looking up at it) After I crashed my raptor and totalled it I called it quits. I have hitched a ride on some blackhawks with the kansas national guard quite a few times, but nothing serious. Same with the AS-350. Anyways down to the questions.

 

- How much can I expect to spend on going from ground zero to a turbine helicopter pilot (on average)?

 

- What's the fastest 4 seat single pilot turbine helicopter under a million? (Used) (Don't think that I expect to jump right in it, I just need somthing to motivate me and remember every time I think about quitting.)

 

- What restrictions are there altitude wise? I used to go and watch the Ch-47's fly out of KIXD and they would fly over the field that I allways watched from pretty low. I could sometimes feel the rotor wash.

 

- What kind of flight training is avalible in the Kansas City, Lawerence, Topeaka area? I can't find ANYTHING. I'm still in school and I can't go much farther than wichita or STL at the farthest. I don't want a career in helicopters, just a private license for enjoyment.

 

Let me know about anything else that you think I should know about,

 

Thanks for your time;

 

Drew

 

Wow Drew- Where do I start?

 

I know a pilot, paid his way from the start all the way thru his insurance required 500 hours in a Bell 206. He can now fly turbines, great, he is also out a lil more than $350,000.00 of his own money.

 

I guess a better question would be how much does it cost to get your license? Usually thats done in a piston engine bird, and 15K would probably be as good a guesstimate as any. You can save a bit in some areas, maybe study for your own ground school and get down to 12K or so if you really work at it.

 

Fastest turbine under a mil ? civilain world ? hmmm/...My guess would be one of the Hughes / McD 500 series birds..I've never flown one, I think they are up around 150 Knots plus top end.

 

For a third of a million you can get an R44 brand new that does 130 Knots.( also a single pilot 4 seater)

 

You can fly as high as most private planes do, but theres no real advantage, and you are more of a hinderance flying around at 100 knots with planes that do 250 knots plus..so most of us prefer the low ground. Heck, I get nervous if I fly above 1000 AGL..Remember altitude takes more time to reach, more fuel burn to get there, may have as much or more winds, has less engine performance (in a standard piston that is), its only good thing...is more time to figure out where to set down if you need to do an auto in the city.

 

It's just a gut feeling but I think helicopter pilots are really just afraid of heights..I know I am.

 

For altitude restrictions you can start by reading FAR 91.119 "Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums.....if the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface".

 

So in a twin engine turbine with half its allowed weight on board over a part of town with wide open places to land...maybe 300 feet is a perfectly safe altitude? A single piston engine fully loaded in a congested part of downtown, may need to rethink 300 agl.

 

It boils down to what is your definition of safe? What are your capabilities and those of your aircraft? What options have you left yourself in case of an emergency?

 

Either way, good luck on your training. Read some of the posts others have placed on the route to getting hired...private, commercial , cfi...job.

 

Goldy

 

 

Clarification- There is a difference between learning to fly a turbine and getting the 500 hours of turbine time required by most insurance companies to go out and fly around on your weekends. That time equals a lot of money.Thats why most students look to get hired on by a company that will train them on their turbine ships..

[67november]

Hello,

- What kind of flight training is avalible in the Kansas City, Lawerence, Topeaka area? I can't find ANYTHING. I'm still in school and I can't go much farther than wichita or STL at the farthest. I don't want a career in helicopters, just a private license for enjoyment.

 

Let me know about anything else that you think I should know about,

 

Thanks for your time;

 

Drew

 

don't know how close this is to you, but it won't hurt to check them out.

 

http://lightandflight.com/about.html

Edited September 7, 2006 by 67november

[Kc135Delta]

I found a place, seems to be the only one avalible in the area.

 

http://www.woodstockaviation.com/helicopterrental/

 

They are charging $310 an hour for duel instruction on a Schweizer 300C. does that seem to be an allright price to you guys?

 

thanks,

 

Drew

[Kc135Delta]

anyone?

[Guest rookie101]

If your referring to hourly cost for 300C training it is easily answered, all you've got to do is do a search for the schools. Here, I'll even start you off:

 

Precision Flight Helicopters- $202 hourly (block rate is $190)

 

Civic Helicopters- 10 hrs. solo= $245 hourly

 

So it would seem that this school is a little steep in hourly rates.

 

Hope that helps

[Kc135Delta]

Allright I developed another question. Can you remove the doors on a S-76? I have been browsing the web and I have yet to see one fly doors off. Any reason why?

 

I've also done a google search and still no answers.

 

thanks, drew

[EAGLE1]

Why would you want to take the doors off a S-76?

[justfly]

Why would you want to take the doors off a S-76?

To give the moguls in the back the "greatest" ride of their life on your last flight in the corporate world???

 

[Kc135Delta]

If you could it seems like it might make a good USCG helicopter due to the fact it's so fast and has a long endurance.

[Gomer Pylot]

Yes, you can take the doors off an S76, if you're a certificated A&P mechanic. But you can't fly the helicopter that way. The doors have to be attached, closed, and locked before flight.

 

The S76 would be basically worthless to the USCG, because its forte' is flying fast. It's not at all designed for the things the USCG does. It's a great personnel transport, but not too great for utility work, because it was never designed as a utility helicopter.

[Kc135Delta]

I think I'm confused now ???

 

 

Is this a different helicopter? I thought it was an S-76???

[67november]

nope that's an Augusta/westland

 

AW139

 

 

[helonorth]

nope that's an Augusta/westland

 

AW139

 

 

Sure looks like a S76 to me.

[67november]

i stand corrected that is a 76, 139's are popular rescue ships as well and they do look very simular at first glance.

 

S76

 

 

[Superman]

Didn't Sikorsky enter the S-76 as a Coast Guard contender in the early 80's?

[Guest pokey]

Didn't Sikorsky enter the S-76 as a Coast Guard contender in the early 80's?

 

i think they tried for the army/military market too, they called it an "eagle" ?

 

i dont really pay attention to the 76, but i sure would like to own one ! ( make that own one AND be able to afford it)

[Kc135Delta]

another question, do the blades on an A109 fold or do you have to remove them for compact storage, and same question for the S-76.

[Gomer Pylot]

The picture is an S76B, modified with sliding doors, and not USCG. There are no markings on it, so I have no idea what country it's in. Not the USA, I would bet. The B has PT6 engines, and burns a LOT of fuel, thus much less range than other S76 models. I don't know how much effort it takes to put sliding doors on them.

 

The rotors on the S76 don't fold, nor do those of the A109. You can remove them, but it's a major operation.

 

Sikorsky used the S76 as a test bed for the Comanche, putting a fenestron on the tail and lots of other mods. AFAIK it was never intended to be anything other than a prototype. They may have tried to sell the S76 for all sorts of things, but I doubt it was a serious contender for USCG use. The Jayhawk, the USCG version of the Blackhawk, is what Sikorsky sold, and AFAIK intended to sell them. It's a much better fit for the USCG than the S76.

[Kc135Delta]

The rotors on the S76 don't fold, nor do those of the A109. You can remove them, but it's a major operation.

 

Then what did they do with this one?

 

[Gomer Pylot]

Hard to tell for sure with that photo, but that doesn't look like an S76 to me. The engine exhausts aren't right, nor is the tail around the horizontal stabilizer. The blades look odd, too. I'm not sure what it is. It might be a B model, but it still looks odd.

 

I suppose you can pull some of the retaining pins and leave the blades attached; you can certainly remove the blades. I'm not sure I would trust the blades after they've been turned that way and held by one pin at that angle, but people do lots of things.

[Kc135Delta]

If you can't recognise that as an S-76, I'm obviously asking the wrong person.

[Superman]

If you can't recognise that as an S-76, I'm obviously asking the wrong person.

 

I should stay out of this but.........

 

KC, Just a word of advise, Ol' Gomer there has more S-76 time than you or I will ever dream about, I'm sure he has walked around one a few times, might show a little respect where due.

 

I found a photo of a "B" model, as Gomer stated it has different powerplants, hence different exhaust

 

 

also found this photo of a "S-76"

 

 

Maybe KC can explain this version to me. Personally I think its a new trainer designed to replace the R22

 

Or maybe it's a new GOM model which allows Gomer to train two new cojo's at once!

 

Fly Safe

Clark

[Kc135Delta]

How can you not tell that the pic that I posted was an S-76, and clearly a B model and the A and C models have the exaust over the fuse, the B model uses Pt6's which drive the fuel burn out the window, as opposed to the Allison's in A. Also the F-16 style gear is distinct to the S-76 infact the only other civil aircraft I know of that has it is the SJ30-2. The horizontal stab is the same with EVERY S-76 rolled off the line;

 

A model;

 

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1114377/L/

 

B model;

 

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1088561/L/

 

C model;

 

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1099470/L/

 

Why wouldn't you trust it? It's not going to fly with just one pin in it.

 

No disrespect, just I would be concerned if I hired a pilot and he showed up at the field not knowing which is which.