Chopper Pilot Fishes Kids R/C Plane Out Of The Treetops

[Netpackrat]

Yeah, I know. Just so that nobody gets the wrong idea about my position on this, if the FAA wants to get involved, they can fuck themselves, sideways, with a rusty chainsaw.

[toad]

Well the Gulf Coast off shore helicopter pilots got a lot of Vietnam War era helicopter pilots after the war. The ones still flying and the ones that came after have a tradition of "Frisky." The stuff they routinely did in the war made everything else tame in comparison.
There was a story about a Louisiana National Guard helicopter unit that deployed to Iraq. When they arrived the high command gave them a bunch of rules about how they were supposed to fly, routes, altitudes, etc. They tossed those instructions prodceded to fly by Vietnam war rules. When there were complaints, the replies would be, "Don't know what your are talking about" and "If you don't like the way the unit flys send us home." The would fly way below atltitude restrictions, would jink all over the place, and would fly unpredictable routes over anyplace they felt like it and land just about anywhere. Regular Army Aviation guys noticed they weren't taking nearly the damage they were.
So a lot of rules and regs hit the round file.
Picking a R/C plane out of a tree top would be looked at as training by those guys and the oil rig fliers.

[Highspeed]

That's a Robinson, they have a fucking awful accident record in Europe. I wouldn't go anywhere near one of those fucking things.

[308Mike]

Talking to our local rotor-heads, the Robinson is an EXCELLENT aircraft, for both operational efforts and training. The San Diego Lifeguard Service uses one to help patrol the coastline and beaches in San Diego (which we have a LOT of), and from what I recall, they also share flight time with the San Diego Fire Department, so they can check out hotspots or reported lightning strikes in the county.

So far, they have an EXCELLENT safety record here in San Diego.

Of course, other folks may have different experiences depending on their level of maintenance, expertise, flight time with rotary-wing aircraft, quality of parts, issues with the re-use of parts (not always a good idea when your life is on the line and the consequences if the part fails, etc.).

Our local rotor-heads LOVE Robinson aircraft. If they weren't built so well, then they wouldn't be selling so well.

[Highspeed]

The vast majority of accidents are during flight instruction, or with otherwise very low time pilots.

But by that logic most of the fixed wing accidents over here would involve C-152's and Traumahawks.

Which they do.....oh shit, you are right

I'll still never get in a helicopter of my own free will though....

[Netpackrat]

I have heard flying the R-22 compared to being in an aerial knife fight, by people who have flown it. Due to the low-inertia rotor system, if there is a power failure, you have VERY little time to react and get down on the collective. If you are not fast enough, the rotor will stall, so no auto-rotation for you. Or so I have read.

Edit to add:

Besides the possibility of a rotor strike, the other thing that made the plane retrieval stunt risky, is they were too high to fall, but in a position from which auto-rotation would have been impossible. Due to both low altitude and the trees.

[Windy Wilson]

As for risking all to save a model airplane, when I was a newly minted driver I read that one should not try to dodge loose dogs in the street, they were after all, only dogs. THE NEXT WEEK I read how one should dodge loose dogs in the street, they were good practice for dodging people, but still practice.

[Termite]

Due to the low-inertia rotor system, if there is a power failure, you have VERY little time to react and get down on the collective. If you are not fast enough, the rotor will stall, so no auto-rotation for you.

About 2 secs.

The Robinson R22 and R44 hold the distinction of having the FAA issue SFAR 73 on them, due to their extremely low inertia rotor systems. They require 10 hrs of training, and a sign off by a CFI, for rated helicopter pilots to fly them.

I much prefer the Hughes/Schweizer 300.

[Greg]

Yeah, I know. Just so that nobody gets the wrong idea about my position on this, if the FAA wants to get involved, they can fuck themselves, sideways, with a rusty chainsaw.

It's always nice to have at least one anchor of stability in a shifting, uncertain world.