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Random curious questions


wild_blue

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Hey,I was wondering what kinds of companys use turbine helicopters like the bell 222A? I don't really know much about being a helicopter pilot and the differunt kinds of work and companys they work for. I was also wondering how much experiance a pilot generally has to have before they can work on a rescue team? Just an outsider curiously looking in here.

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In the US, there are about 100 of the 222A/B/U/UT registered (only 1 222A); Most have spent time in the GOM doing utility & pers transport while others do EMS (we're still talking all being pretty long in the tooth)... In SoCal, Mercy Air operates a few and in NorCal, CALSTAR operates a couple as well. I'm not aware of any operators who use the series for strict "rescue" work, unless medical transport is what you're defining. Cabin isn't too big and a hoist hasn't worked out for the most part (Chilean Navy operates a few with fold-back doors in hover only), but they were speed demons for their time and can still hold their own. Several Ops directors/Flight managers I have dealt who operate the 222s are evaluating newer aircraft and are holding out to see how the 429 tests go...Bell might have a sucessful follow-on for the series aside from the 430, which has seen lukewarm sales.

 

WITCH: Stringfellow had use of a 222, but eventually traded for something like 222 proof...sad story for him. Clean now from what I understand, but has his health and not much more.

 

-WATCH FOR THE WIRES-

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The 222 isn't used by much of anyone any longer. It's pretty much obsolete. What kind of rescue team? There really aren't many of those in the US, but maybe you're somewhere else, and would need to ask someone there your questions.

Any kind of rescue teams like mountain rescue and such,would like to know how they work.

 

WITCH: Stringfellow had use of a 222, but eventually traded for something like 222 proof...sad story for him. Clean now from what I understand, but has his health and not much more.

 

-WATCH FOR THE WIRES-

Yeah,pretty sad,thats way the fourth season was so bad,he left cause of his problems,needless to say I only watch the first,second,and third seaons of airwolf.

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I enjoy watching the 222's at Mercy air when they come in and leave at the maintenence hanger. Though I have to say that the 222's seem to be hanger queens, as it seems that one or two of them are always in for something. I may have to start writing down tail #'s to see if its the same ones or not.

 

The 412's seem to do alot better, at least it doesn't seem to be quite as often as with the 222's.

 

Though the 222 is still a slick looking A/C in my opinion!

 

Just FYI, SCIFI channel was running airwolf episodes in the morning last week. Not sure if they will be back on or not.

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There were never very many 222s operating in the Gulf of Mexico. They were expensive to operate, and didn't carry much payload. You could carry about as many critters in a 206L, and do it much, much cheaper. Slower, sure, but not that much slower on short trips. The LTS101 engines were nightmares, in the 222 as in the AS350D.

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So about the mountain rescue teams,where all do they operate around the world? I can probably think of several places where they operate though,I would just like to know how much experiance a pilot needs to have to be on one.

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  • 4 months later...

I'm baaack(to annoy you people with more weird questions Ha Ha) :D

 

This questions is for pilots who move around a lot. I have heard that some pilots have about 30 addresses in 3 months and I was just wondering,when you move like that where do you live??? In hotels? And if so,does the company your currently working for take care of it or do you pay for it yourself??

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If you're looking for them in the US, the military is the place to start. There are ad-hoc rescue type operations put together by heli-ski companies and such; like in the event of an avalanche, accident, or lost persons. Also, several sherriff departments have rescue helicopters with winches, mostly in southern CA I think but I dont know how high they will actually go.

The question for most of these types of operations in the US is: why should I perform such a high risk service, that will hopefully only be used once in a great while, when Uncle Sam will do it?

You might want to research REGIS in Switzerland and ADAC in Germany. Hope your browser translator works though.

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Thank you james,I'll check those links out.

 

Helliboy,I might very well find out about mountain rescue in the U.S Military,I'll be enlisting as a blackhawk crew chief sometime next year(after high school).....if I can ace the ASVAB that is lol.

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you mean like this ??

 

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/29673...096565338QycJyW

 

LA Sheriffs has a great rescue team, ( actually 10 of them) and this is their flagship bird- Air 5

 

So spend some time in the military, get your commercial Heli license, work patrol for 5 or 6 years and see if you can get into the air unit. Then after 10 years of flying maybe you can pilot this monster !

 

BTW...thats me in the photo...but dont think I actually fly this thing..

 

Good luck, Goldy

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