BoatBanter.com - View Single Post

Earl[_92_]

F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 1/25/14, 4:47 AM, Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 1/24/2014 10:52 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 21:12:40 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

I flew a few times with a guy in Florida who had an R-22 until I found
out he was still a student pilot and had not received his full ticket
yet. Another guy in the community we lived in had the bigger,
Robinson
R-44 (four seater). He was ex-military and one hell of a chopper
pilot.
I took a couple of lessons with him but really didn't like
helicopters.
At the time my fixed wing ticket was still valid and I much
preferred
flying a Cessna 172.

===

I'd be interested in knowing why you didn't like helicopters. Didn't
know about the R-22 until a few minutes ago and thought it looked
pretty cool. Would it be safe to fly one to the Bahamas?

When I took some instruction in helicopters I was still a fairly new
fixed wing pilot, having received my ticket in 1998. I didn't have a
lot of hours in fixed wing (still don't) and the helicopters were
totally different animals to me. Furthermore, I don't think I was ever
a "natural" pilot if there is such a thing. My flight instructors
always commented that technical types (engineers) like me were often
difficult to teach because we tend to analyze everything too much,
flying "by the book". A helicopter is much more fussy about pilot
inputs and I think requires more of a "natural" feel for the aircraft,
IMO. Plus, I remember the R-22 had very touchy controls, even when
compared to the R-44 which I also flew a few times.

As far as flying to the Bahamas, I wouldn't try it in a R-22 although
maybe some people do. I don't know enough about it. Even in fixed wing
aircraft I rarely flew over water for long because I always wanted the
option of an emergency landing spot somewhere. I know the R-22 doesn't
carry a lot of fuel and I think it's range is about 220 miles or
something like that. It could probably "make it" in good weather but
without much fuel in reserve. Depends on the load it's carrying also.
When I was flying with the guy in Florida the two of us in the R-22 were
technically overloaded but it performed fine.

I think the key words in your question was "Would it be safe ....?"
I never really felt safe with my hands on the bar and feet on the pedals
in a helicopter. :-)

I also took a couple of flight lessons in a different type of helicopter
up here in MA to see if I got more comfortable with it. I didn't. It's
hard for some who learned to fly fixed wing to make the transition to
helicopters.

For me, learning to fly had been a lifelong dream and goal but once
accomplished I realized that I felt much more at home and safer on a
boat.

I was on a helicopter that "went down" hard in West Virginia. Some
sort of oil or hydraulic failure. No one was injured, and the copter
was hauled away on a flatbed. That was enough helicoptering for me.

I took a few flying lessons when I lived in Michigan. Then a friend
and political colleague who was an experienced pilot died when his
plane crashed. Then my political mentor and friend Walter Reuther died
when the Learjet he was in crashed. Then in DC, a printer who was a
friend of mine died when his plane crashed.

Oh, and when I worked for the NEA, I was on a commercial plane heading
for a landing near Harrisburg, PA. The weather was awful and suddenly
out the window we saw tall smokestacks at wing level right next to us.
The pilot took the plane as near vertical as he could and the flight
attendent, as she tumbled towards the back of the plane, muttered,
"we're going to die."

I dislike flying. I do it when I have to, but I am a lousy
passenger.

Sure.