If RW training was the same price as FW would you...

That video is exactly the reason I'd rather a fixed wing anyday. I've considered going for a ride or two but it is financially prohibitive.

Is that how hard the impact is supposed to be?
 
Helicopters are sweet, but if I can't read, listen to my Ipod, and watch a DVD in cruise, I get "fatigued" real fast. Just kidding. Sort of.
 
Helicopters are sweet, but if I can't read, listen to my Ipod, and watch a DVD in cruise, I get "fatigued" real fast. Just kidding. Sort of.


My mount, the UH-60, was a four-place crew. One pilot flew, the other chilled and worked the radios. I backed up on the radios, and the medic and I did airspace clearance and mission-related duties in the back.

Most of the pilots had a cable that jacked into a pin in the UHF radio plug.
Add Ipod, and you can rock out to Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad" while flying IN to Baghdad.

That was a sweet visual.
 
Helicopters are sweet, but if I can't read, listen to my Ipod, and watch a DVD in cruise, I get "fatigued" real fast. Just kidding. Sort of.

Matt, "professional" pilots don't read, listen to music, or watch video in flight. Ask every professional pilot here, and they'll remind you that a responsible, mature, professional pilot would be monitoring ITTs, fuel flows, and ISA deviation continuously for the entire flight, while continuously crosschecking VOR radials and NDB bearings, and briefing for every possible approach at the destination airport, in an effort to ensure that the flight can be completed safely.

I know what you mean, though!

:p
 
Absolutely, and here's why

Helicopter pilots earn good money. Not GREAT money, but good money.

It's real flying. None of this "click on the auto pilot 30 seconds after takeoff and click it off when you are on final approach" nonsense

You actually fly "down among 'em" Much more interesting to be at 1000 or 1500 feet instead of 30000

Depends on the job of course, but I would venture to guess that the majority of helicopter guys are home every night.

Probably most of the flying is during the daylight hours. Again, not all, but the majority

If I could exchange my FW licenses for RW licenses....I wouldn't hesitate
 
As much as I enjoyed RW aviation I had/have no plans on making it a long term career choice.

It is a very different kind of flying, particularly on the military side (Low level, NOE operations). However, on the civilian side while initial RW aviator pay rates are higher then FW, there is certainly less upward mobility and the pay tops out considerable lower, not to mention fewer RW operations then FW.

Beyond that one aspect of FW flight I enjoy of RW is actually going somewhere when I fly! :rolleyes:
 
Most of the pilots had a cable that jacked into a pin in the UHF radio plug.
Add Ipod, and you can rock out to Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad" while flying IN to Baghdad.

That was a sweet visual.

Ahh.. "pin 5" is what we called it. Except in our case the crew chiefs rigged it... you guys were slacking! :sarcasm: :)
 
It does look like fun, but it looks like other than an hour of buzzing landscape here and there, it would start to feel like I didn't get my money's worth as I would quickly run out of things to do.

You've never flown RW then. Far more things to do than in most FW platforms!
 
You've never flown RW then. Far more things to do than in most FW platforms!
I've never flown RW, that is correct. But my uncle owned a helicopter during my childhood, which I flew in often, and he sold it and bought a new Cessna to start flying FW instead. He claimed other than soaking in the Minnesota landscape, it wasn't useful for other things such as XCs. Though he did admit he had fun landing it on peoples farms way outside any controlled airspace. Ironically, he had safety concerns about RW flying also, yet the first time he went up with a CFI in his new 172, the wing folded over inflight and they both died.
 
I've never flown RW, that is correct. But my uncle owned a helicopter during my childhood, which I flew in often, and he sold it and bought a new Cessna to start flying FW instead. He claimed other than soaking in the Minnesota landscape, it wasn't useful for other things such as XCs. Though he did admit he had fun landing it on peoples farms way outside any controlled airspace. Ironically, he had safety concerns about RW flying also, yet the first time he went up with a CFI in his new 172, the wing folded over inflight and they both died.

Am sorry to hear that. What a terrible thing to happen, esp on a first flight.
 
Sorry to bring that up, I just meant to use it as an example on how I formed my opinion on helicopters. I think they're awesome, but for the things I want to do flying wise, RW flying doesn't seem practical.
 
My first flight lesson was in a chopper. I loved it, but I went with fixed wing because of more job opportunities. I'd love to go get a rotor license.
 
Ahh.. "pin 5" is what we called it. Except in our case the crew chiefs rigged it... you guys were slacking! :sarcasm: :)


I was crewed with a maintenance pilot. He did it himself. It's not like I didn't know how.

Besides, under no circumstances is a pilot in the 'O' pay grades ever allowed to call a crew chief a slacker. Period. :p
 
2-25th AVN REGT (Air Assault), 25th ID out of Wheeler/Schofield Hawaii. You?

54th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) out of Ft Lewis, WA.

Did two tours out of LSA Anaconda/Balad Iraq with that outfit.

Never did see anyplace like Hawaii or Germany. Some guys get all the luck.
 
I was crewed with a maintenance pilot. He did it himself. It's not like I didn't know how.

Besides, under no circumstances is a pilot in the 'O' pay grades ever allowed to call a crew chief a slacker. Period. :p

Whatever. Sometimes the cooler wasn't even stocked with fresh ice and the waters and sodas were served to me warm. They usually gave me some half-assed excuse like "we were doing a 14-day inspection and the daily all morning and didn't have the time." Wah. If I had time to drink 3 cups of coffee, read the paper, check my email, and play a game of spades with the WOs - all before takeoff - they had time to fill the cooler with ice. Sigh... hard to find a good crew dog sometimes...

:D
 
I was crewed with a maintenance pilot. He did it himself. It's not like I didn't know how.

Besides, under no circumstances is a pilot in the 'O' pay grades ever allowed to call a crew chief a slacker. Period. :p

Whatever. Sometimes the cooler wasn't even stocked with fresh ice and the waters and sodas were served to me warm. They usually gave me some half-assed excuse like "we were doing a 14-day inspection and the daily all morning and didn't have the time." Wah. If I had time to drink 3 cups of coffee, read the paper, check my email, and play a game of spades with the WOs - all before takeoff - they had time to fill the cooler with ice. Sigh... hard to find a good crew dog sometimes...

:D

16.gif
 
Back
Top