Kites

[mechanic]

Its getting close to school letting out. Everyone flying around known play areas keep an eye out for kites. I just read a article where in Manila a Kite brought down a Military UH-1H and killed nine people. Kites are another form of wires..

 

Manila Crash link

 

Fly Safe

[Witch]

Oh crap, I have to tell you about this.

 

Quite a few years ago, the spousal unit and I were on the beach a few miles south of Waldport. We were walking and I was flying a kite at the time. It wasn't one of those stunt kites, just a regular kite. Then I hear it. The whine of an aircraft engine. An ultralight coming at us about 100'AGl. The kite is between us at about 100'AGL. Panic sets in.

 

"Oh sh1t" I say as I frantically start pulling in line as fast as I can to get the kite on the ground. My wife is wondering why the heck I'm panicing the way I am.

 

I got the kite on the ground as the ultralight flies by, pilot waving.

 

Later I got to wondering if he had seen the kite, and if he did why not take evasive action. I realize that he might have wanted to fly low, and to do so over the water might not have been a good idea if the engine had quit, but to fly that low on a beach with people who were flying kites? I mean, others flying kites didn't do anything, just kept flying.

 

After I get the kite back into the air, I hear the ultralight again. He's coming back. Gotta reel the kite back in. I suspect the pilot made a poor aeronautical decision.

 

If I see him flying the beach again like that, I'm throwing dumplings at him.

 

Later

[FUSE]

wow, unbelievable. I feel for the families of all involved. It amazes me that something so small can bring down something so big and powerful.

[Gomer Pylot]

Years ago I was flying an AS350. The weather was 300' broken/overcast, and the customer needed to get to a small platform just off the beach. I was flying up the beach, trying to find a place with weather good enough to beach out, and suddenly there was a HUGE kite just under the clouds, with a huge line holding it. I put the Astar on its side and missed the line by a few feet, and continued, finally getting my body under control. We found better weather, got to the platform, spent an hour or so doing whatever the platform operators do, and headed back home. The weather was the same, and I was thinking "This is about where that &^%$# kite was", but I didn't see it. Suddenly there was a small break in the clouds, and I saw the damn thing, flying above the clouds. Again I put the ship on its side and missed the line by just a little. Why someone would do that I don't know, but I wasn't happy.

Edited May 5, 2007 by Gomer Pylot

[spencer]

there has been several times where i have been flying and the kites were 700ft agl. the last few times i have seen them i was getting a flight following, I just related my postion to the controller to tell him there was a kite up at that altitude and to warn other aircraft.

[Heloplt]

It amazes me that something so small can bring down something so big and powerful.

 

Thats a demonstration all of my students get. I take a piece of kite string and tell the student to break it. They grab a piece on each end and easily break it. Then you take a piece and wrap it around the students hands about 4-5 times and tell them to break it again. Then you have them imagine that string is wrapped around your PC links and mast when it is pulled up and tightened. Not too hard to visualize whats going to happen then.

 

I had a near run-in several years back. My student was flying and I looked straight up to look at a 757 passing 3000 feet above us. To my amazement I saw a small kite pass about 100 feet above us (we were at 500ft AGL). We were fortunate enough to pass underneath the string because of the angle from the ground to the kite. My student never saw the kite and I don't think he even believed me until we turned back around and discovered they were having a kite flying outting at the local park. All of the kites were between the ground and 300ft AGL except for the one overachiever who had his kite up about 600-700AGL. I also was not a happy camper. But it was one of those events that tends to stick with you.

 

You also should watch out for those overachiever car salesman that think "if I can bring in customers by stringing out my balloon to 200 feet I should be able to bring in twice as many by stringing it out 500 feet." I have seen those balloons up above 500 AGL inside the Tampa class B surface area a number of times. They are not too difficult to see during the day, but when they leave them out after dark they are very difficult to see.

 

Jeff

Edited May 6, 2007 by Heloplt

[mechanic]

I am glad some are giving realworld examples. I think this may wake up some of us up to the fact that it is a real danger to consider.

 

I work at a JD Ag dealer. I see every year nylon hay or other types of string wrapped around things on equipment. The nylon/plastic string IS very bad, as it wraps and wraps it can heat up and fuse together to make one heck of a tough ropelike mess. Even cutting with a sharp knife, is not that easy to cut through when it has been heated and melted. Thinking of that mess wrapped around the pc links scares the heck out of me for sure.

 

 

 

Later

[joker]

Here's a real world example.

 

One of my best, most able students.

 

RIP, and let's all stay vigilant.

 

Joker

 

NTSB Report - NYC04FA197

Edited May 7, 2007 by joker

[PA Pilot]

Amen. Along the New Jersey shore you have kites and banner towing planes all at our kind of altitudes. I fly at 900 agl there now. Those kites can be real hard to see...

[darwin]

Amen. Along the New Jersey shore you have kites and banner towing planes all at our kind of altitudes. I fly at 900 agl there now. Those kites can be real hard to see...

barrage... ballons... kites??

 

barrage ballons

[aclark79]

Here's a real world example.

 

One of my best, most able students.

 

RIP, and let's all stay vigilant.

 

Joker

 

NTSB Report - NYC04FA197

 

I've worked for that school and seen the pictures... not good.

 

Joker, were you a an employee there at one time?

[Marc D]

Back in the 90's I new this guy who was learning to fly on Long Island and he told me that he had a kite incident. He didn't know that he hit a kite string, but his pedals became really stiff. He landed the R22 to find the T/R PC links wrapped in kite string. The force was so strong that apparently the PC links were bent in , thus causing the stiff pedals.

 

Marc D.

[joker]

Joker, were you a an employee there at one time?

 

Nope. I was the instrutor's instructor. This was in Flordia. I did his Part 61 commercial.

 

I recommended him for a job at our place. He didn't get it, but had offers elsewhere and so was snapped up quickly.

 

Joker

[Guest pokey]

i worked for an operator near the south jersey shore years back. We had a couple jet rangers on a 135 cert & used to do alot of the NYC routes. Many times i did the early morning daily inspections & found the mast/swashplate had 30-60 feet of fishing line tangled up in it just lucky i guess

[nbit]

I have also seen kite strings wrapped around the M/R head on night solos with students, which is pretty scary as an instructor even if you're not in the helicopter at the time.

 

In the interest of safety.... ...This may be off topic, but while we are talking about airborne collision hazards, not being manned aircraft... ...I have also come close to hitting migrating geese at night on more than one occasion at a pitch black hour... In the states I was flying in at the time, Michigan & Ohio, I would no longer fly an R-22 at night during the times the geese were migrating, and would conscientiously be on the lookout for them during daylight hours prior to scheduled flights. An R-22 is no match for a goose... ...Especially when you cannot see them in time to be avoided as the case likely is in the dark. If you are flying at night during times of the year and in areas where geese have migratory paths, a goose may well be more likely to win in the collision experience than the occupants of an R-22 - granted both can lose.

[Marc D]

I have also seen kite strings wrapped around the M/R head on night solos with students, which is pretty scary as an instructor even if you're not in the helicopter at the time.

 

In the interest of safety.... ...This may be off topic, but while we are talking about airborne collision hazards, not being manned aircraft... ...I have also come close to hitting migrating geese at night on more than one occasion at a pitch black hour... In the states I was flying in at the time, Michigan & Ohio, I would no longer fly an R-22 at night during the times the geese were migrating, and would conscientiously be on the lookout for them during daylight hours prior to scheduled flights. An R-22 is no match for a goose... ...Especially when you cannot see them in time to be avoided as the case likely is in the dark. If you are flying at night during times of the year and in areas where geese have migratory paths, a goose may well be more likely to win in the collision experience than the occupants of an R-22 - granted both can lose.

 

Funny you should mention that. Our Astar took on a goose last week. The helicopter won and the goose died, but there sure was a huge dent in the front of the helicopter.

 

Marc D.

[mechanic]

This is sad. Fixed wing are not exempt.

 

From AOPA.

FATAL ACCIDENT A CHILLING REMINDER TO AVOID RESTRICTED AREAS

A pilot and two passengers in a Cessna 182 died when the aircraft crashed after striking a cable tethering an unlit government surveillance blimp near Key West, Florida, on April 21. The blimp was surrounded by a small restricted area, R-2916. "Restricted areas, when hot, have activity or obstacles that can be hazardous to aircraft," said Bruce Landsberg, AOPA Air Safety Foundation executive director. "On a VFR flight, it's up to the pilot to determine if the area is hot. Under IFR, ATC bears that responsibility. Although this accident is in the preliminary stages of investigation, it is a solemn reminder to be certain about airspace status and to verify it if there is any doubt, regardless of whether you're VFR or IFR."

[Goldy]

This is a classic mast bumping event...very sad.

 

I can tell you from experience that you can put an R22 on its side drastically with little risk..and turn away from a mid air much safer than trying to climb out of it. If you do climb nose up....just dont carry any airspeed at the top of the climb...let it bleed off to zero...then pushovers are safe...no forward airspeed..no low g occurs, with the rotor loaded, there is no risk of mast bumping.

 

You really have to practice these things in the 22 so they become second nature to you..

 

These are more advanced maneuvers that you should be doing with experienced R22 instructors...if you are flying an R22 and have not yet flown at the safety course, you are flying with a much higher risk profile...you owe it to yourself to do it now !!

 

BTW, due to a second near mid air at Robinson, they may be limiting the flying portion of the class to CFI's only...as a comm/private pilot...get signed up now !

 

Goldy