Helicopter Pilots

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by Eric Coffey

Regarding the video-
The thing is, to be flying a turbine Eurocopter Squirrel, you would think he would have been more proficient and/or reacted to the situation better.
By the time you transition to turbines, you should be able to air-taxi a Robinson onto a platform in 20 knots o' wind, no problemo. You should be competent enough to know when it's a no-go as well. Seeing as the Robinson trainer is one of the smallest, least stable heli's out there, if you can master flying it, you can probably fly any "swing-wing".

Not exactly. It all depends on how much money you have. You dont have to start out flying 152s then, 172s, then multis, etc, build time and then move to a jet. If you hve enough money, you can simply start with a jet. Same with choppers. With enough money, you can "start" in a turbine.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by rattlsnak

Not exactly. It all depends on how much money you have. You dont have to start out flying 152s then, 172s, then multis, etc, build time and then move to a jet. If you hve enough money, you can simply start with a jet. Same with choppers. With enough money, you can "start" in a turbine.

Well sure, money usually trumps all in aviation, but it's certainly not the common progression path. You don't see many pilots doing their first solo in a turbine helicopter (and I'm sure insurance co's cringe at the thought). Most CFI's wouldn't recommend it either, no matter how many zeros your bank account has, especially with helis.

The only people I have heard of getting their license in a turbine heli actually buy one first, and the sales center throws in the training for free. That is an accident waiting to happen IMO. That same pilot would have a very difficult time flying an R22, but the pilot who leared in an R22 would have little problem transitioning to a Jet Ranger/Eurocopter/Agusta, etc.

[rattlsnak]

Of course i agree its not normal! But the regional airlines routinely put 300 hour pilots to work flying 40 -90 passenger jets! Yes they are with a captain, but sometimes they too only have 2,000 hours!

[Mr.Puff]

- Loss of tail rotor power. This is every helo pilots worse nightmare. If the drive shaft to the tail rotor (TR) should fail in any manner, or the TR transmission fail, the helo will spin and bad thing happen.

Imagine losing it completely. My Mothers house, before she purchased it, was burnt to the ground because of an accident involving an incorrectly installed tail rotor on an ultra-light.