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F.O.A.D.

On 1/26/14, 11:50 AM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 20:52:51 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Saturday, January 25, 2014 6:22:46 AM UTC-6, 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.

Walter Reuther. Sure thing Krausebag. And you've known every president since Truman (or was it Wilson?). Didn't you win some sort of award for knowing the most important people? Very impressive. By the way, been back on the Yale campus recently?

Think 'kinder' and 'gentler'.

Wow. "Boater" still posts here. The selling of roadside food shacks must
have slowed down in Mississippi.