First Helicopter Flight

Windchill

Windchill

Well-Known Member
A few OH-58 Kiowa helicopters flew local missions out of my ANG base this past week, and gave a few of us rides this morning before they left down. The experience was awesome, including the doors being detached from the helo adding to the excitement. I was able to see my townhouse, high school I teach at, and area in general much lower than I'm cruising around in a plane.

Ironic thing is, I'm the pilot in the family, and my (then) two-year old son went on a helicopter ride (with his grandparents) three years before I did. Now we're even.
 
Sweet man. hope you had fun. I have over 400 hrs in the V-22, a tiltrotor, but the first time I went up in an actual helicopter, a robinson r-44, I was pretty nervous. Waling up to the thing and seeing the tiny pitch links and control rods vs the bigger Osprey had me re thinking the decision.
I know the Kiowa ain't much bigger than the Robinson so I'm sure it was an experience. I wish I could get on as a civvie contractor flying door gunner with those!
 
juan valdez said:
Sweet man. hope you had fun. I have over 400 hrs in the V-22, a tiltrotor, but the first time I went up in an actual helicopter, a robinson r-44, I was pretty nervous. Waling up to the thing and seeing the tiny pitch links and control rods vs the bigger Osprey had me re thinking the decision.
I know the Kiowa ain't much bigger than the Robinson so I'm sure it was an experience. I wish I could get on as a civvie contractor flying door gunner with those!
Click to expand...

How do you log that time?
 
Sounds like fun, I was gonna go that route at first, until I realized fixed wing was a lot cheaper.
 
Congrats on the ride. It is always good to see pilots spreading goodwill. I had a friend who flew Chinooks for the WA ArNG and would stop for fuel at the airport I trained at so the helo students could climb and drool all over the aircraft. His favorite saying was, "you are a taxpayer it is your aircraft I just fly it, thank you."

He really is a cool guy I need to get back in touch with him.
Shane
 
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