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Posted

I hung out here for a year, soaking up all the info you folks had to offer before I started my training, and I think it really helped. I'm at 12 hours right now, and tomorrow I'll start all the "Oh #%$&!!!" stuff like settling with power, autos, the whole nine yards.

 

I knew learning to fly helo's would be fun, but I never thought I'd get such a rush out of it. There's something about making a smooth approach, bringing your bird to a 3' hover above the spot you picked and then making a smooth take off that just makes my toes curl when I think about it. I owe a bit of thanks to all you folks (even Fry :lol: ) for helping me get to where I am, and to getting me where I'm going.

 

You guys (and gals) rock.

Posted
I owe a bit of thanks to all you folks (even Fry :lol: ) for helping me get to where I am, and to getting me where I'm going.

 

He gets a bad wrap, but hes a good ol bloke... means well. ;)

Posted

I suspect that Fry and I have a similar attitude - there are tons of people on here who are unendingly upbeat about quitting and putting everything you have and expect to have for years into helicopter pilot training. There must be a few who think about applying the brakes, and letting you know the negatives, and there are negatives. Someone has to tell you it isn't all glory and unending fun, because it isn't.

 

That said, there is fun and satisfaction to be had in flying. Flying an ILS approach to minimums, with the needles centered and the REILs right there when you get to DH does it for me, as does flying a night approach to a black hole, with 4 little colored strobes marking the landing area, dodging wires, and then going straight up out of there at or near max gross weight, finessing it so that you never exceed any limits, and then when you get back to base, putting it on the concrete and having the med crew ask "Are we down yet?". I get satisfaction from flying every flight precisely, smoothly, and putting the passengers to sleep.

Posted

The med crew often sleeps on the way back to the base from the hospital, and offshore they all slept at least now and then. It's not at all unusual to look back and see everyone asleep. Once after a long night, I was in the left seat of a 412 and thought I'd get a little sleep on the trip outbound. I looked over and the PIC flying was sound asleep, with the flight director engaged. I was the only one awake in the helicopter, because all the pax were sleeping. I decided someone should stay awake, so I did, and when we got close to the destination, I asked the PIC if he was going to descend soon. We eventually landed. :D

Posted

So thats why we fly with two pilot crews!

Posted
I hung out here for a year, soaking up all the info you folks had to offer before I started my training, and I think it really helped. I'm at 12 hours right now, and tomorrow I'll start all the "Oh #%$&!!!" stuff like settling with power, autos, the whole nine yards.

 

I knew learning to fly helo's would be fun, but I never thought I'd get such a rush out of it. There's something about making a smooth approach, bringing your bird to a 3' hover above the spot you picked and then making a smooth take off that just makes my toes curl when I think about it. I owe a bit of thanks to all you folks (even Fry :lol: ) for helping me get to where I am, and to getting me where I'm going.

 

You guys (and gals) rock.

 

Glad to hear things are going well.

 

I'm at about 9 hours and my instructor started me on autos at about 7. They're not at all scary like I'd imagined...actually kind of fun. I picked them up a lot quicker than I, or my instructor, thought I would.

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