On Sunday, January 26, 2014 2:51:55 PM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
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.

Oh, come on, Harry. You've already told us that all were out of your bin except for Slammer...and then Wayne. Now you're pretending that georgec is in there too? Quit that.

On 1/26/2014 4:32 PM, John H. wrote:
On Sunday, January 26, 2014 2:51:55 PM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
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.

Oh, come on, Harry. You've already told us that all were out of your bin except for Slammer...and then Wayne. Now you're pretending that georgec is in there too? Quit that.


That's right. He's acting up again. I've a mind to stop tech supporting
him. He is not deserving.

On Sun, 26 Jan 2014 16:44:50 -0500, Hank wrote:

On 1/26/2014 4:32 PM, John H. wrote:
On Sunday, January 26, 2014 2:51:55 PM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 1/26/14, 11:50 AM, Poco Loco wrote:

Wow. "Boater" still posts here. The selling of roadside food shacks must

have slowed down in Mississippi.

Oh, come on, Harry. You've already told us that all were out of your bin except for Slammer...and then Wayne. Now you're pretending that georgec is in there too? Quit that.


That's right. He's acting up again. I've a mind to stop tech supporting
him. He is not deserving.

I just realized, it's Google that's adding all the extra lines. I made that last post of mine
online, and I think it quadrupled the number of lines in the post.

On 1/26/2014 5:15 PM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Sun, 26 Jan 2014 16:44:50 -0500, Hank wrote:

On 1/26/2014 4:32 PM, John H. wrote:
On Sunday, January 26, 2014 2:51:55 PM UTC-5, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 1/26/14, 11:50 AM, Poco Loco wrote:

Wow. "Boater" still posts here. The selling of roadside food shacks must

have slowed down in Mississippi.

Oh, come on, Harry. You've already told us that all were out of your bin except for Slammer...and then Wayne. Now you're pretending that georgec is in there too? Quit that.


That's right. He's acting up again. I've a mind to stop tech supporting
him. He is not deserving.

I just realized, it's Google that's adding all the extra lines. I made that last post of mine
online, and I think it quadrupled the number of lines in the post.

Somebody ought to let Don know.

On Friday, January 24, 2014 9:15:59 AM UTC-6, Hank wrote:


Captain Tom sold off his little things. ...

A few big things too!