On Friday, 24 January 2014 11:15:59 UTC-4, Hank wrote:
On 1/24/2014 7:55 AM, True North wrote:

Speaking about helicopters...I wonder if Capt Tom Frances ever got his license.

Not sure if he bought one of those little models with the tall rotor tower.



Captain Tom sold off his little things. You bought one of them, remember?

He was getting into helicopters long after he sold me the Princecraft Yukon.
Probably just before he left for the Carolinas.

Hank wrote:
On 1/24/2014 9:24 AM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:55:58 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

Speaking about helicopters...I wonder if Capt Tom Frances ever got his license.
Not sure if he bought one of those little models with the tall rotor tower.

He should! This one's a blast. But, the dogs don't like it at all. If it
ever warms up, I'll try it
outside. But, I've heard stories of the things being attacked by birds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXllux3iXgI

The guy in the video is a much better pilot than I am. I'd have crashed
it three or four times in
that amount of time. I'm surprised mine hasn't broken yet.

I have 2 v911 single rotor 4 channels, and a larger 3 channel 2 rotor
job. I can't fly any of them worth a damn. My UDI U818a should be here
any day now. That one should be easier to fly indoors and out.

My new one is in shipment. Had to buy a new horn for the boat and
replacement trailer receptacle for the truck. For an extra less than $21
with an extra charger got a Syma S107 tossed in to the Amazon order.

Poco Loco wrote:
On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:55:58 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

Speaking about helicopters...I wonder if Capt Tom Frances ever got his license.
Not sure if he bought one of those little models with the tall rotor tower.

He should! This one's a blast. But, the dogs don't like it at all. If it
ever warms up, I'll try it
outside. But, I've heard stories of the things being attacked by birds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXllux3iXgI

The guy in the video is a much better pilot than I am. I'd have crashed
it three or four times in
that amount of time. I'm surprised mine hasn't broken yet.

Tom was looking at a Robinson R22 I think. Not an electric toy.

On 1/24/2014 7:55 PM, Califbill wrote:
Poco Loco wrote:
On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:55:58 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

Speaking about helicopters...I wonder if Capt Tom Frances ever got his license.
Not sure if he bought one of those little models with the tall rotor tower.

He should! This one's a blast. But, the dogs don't like it at all. If it
ever warms up, I'll try it
outside. But, I've heard stories of the things being attacked by birds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXllux3iXgI

The guy in the video is a much better pilot than I am. I'd have crashed
it three or four times in
that amount of time. I'm surprised mine hasn't broken yet.

Tom was looking at a Robinson R22 I think. Not an electric toy.


Yes, he isn't gonna' sit in no Syma 107

On 1/24/2014 9:01 PM, KC wrote:
On 1/24/2014 7:55 PM, Califbill wrote:
Poco Loco wrote:
On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:55:58 -0800 (PST), True North
wrote:

Speaking about helicopters...I wonder if Capt Tom Frances ever got
his license.
Not sure if he bought one of those little models with the tall rotor
tower.

He should! This one's a blast. But, the dogs don't like it at all. If it
ever warms up, I'll try it
outside. But, I've heard stories of the things being attacked by birds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXllux3iXgI

The guy in the video is a much better pilot than I am. I'd have crashed
it three or four times in
that amount of time. I'm surprised mine hasn't broken yet.

Tom was looking at a Robinson R22 I think. Not an electric toy.


Yes, he isn't gonna' sit in no Syma 107


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.

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?

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.

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.

On 1/25/2014 7:22 AM, 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:


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?




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.



I also dislike flying for many reasons. I did a lot during my working
career of course but as soon as it was no longer necessary, I stopped.
The last time I took a commercial flight was nearly 12 years ago.

Like many our age, I witnessed the glory days of aviation as a youngster
and thought being a pilot was about as cool of a job one could ever have.

I wonder how many people realize what the role of a modern commercial
pilot is. He or she is really a "cockpit manager" supervising a
prescribed list of operations that are mostly automatically controlled.
Those with the "seat of the pants" flying skills and experience like
"Sully" Sullenberger who landed on the Hudson River after a bird strike
are becoming the minority.

The main thing that turned me off to commercial flying was some
knowledge I gained of the industry while working. For example, the
engines in jets and prop driven aircraft are routinely rebuilt after so
many hours. It used to be that the engine manufacturer (GE, Pratt &
Whitney, etc.) did the rebuilding and testing. Not so much anymore.
Airlines farm out the rebuilding to third party companies who, although
governed by FAA and manufacturer's specs and requirements, get the
contracts by submitting the lowest bid.

That all said though, I acknowledge that for the number of daily
flights, miles flown and passengers carried, flying has an excellent
safety record. My problem is that I am listening to every sound, clunk
and hydraulic whir when strapped in the seat. :-)

On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 18:55:43 -0600, Califbill wrote:

Hank wrote:
On 1/24/2014 9:24 AM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:55:58 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

Speaking about helicopters...I wonder if Capt Tom Frances ever got his license.
Not sure if he bought one of those little models with the tall rotor tower.

He should! This one's a blast. But, the dogs don't like it at all. If it
ever warms up, I'll try it
outside. But, I've heard stories of the things being attacked by birds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXllux3iXgI

The guy in the video is a much better pilot than I am. I'd have crashed
it three or four times in
that amount of time. I'm surprised mine hasn't broken yet.

I have 2 v911 single rotor 4 channels, and a larger 3 channel 2 rotor
job. I can't fly any of them worth a damn. My UDI U818a should be here
any day now. That one should be easier to fly indoors and out.

My new one is in shipment. Had to buy a new horn for the boat and
replacement trailer receptacle for the truck. For an extra less than $21
with an extra charger got a Syma S107 tossed in to the Amazon order.

Cool. The 'c' has a camera, I take it.