Pay Attention (aviation lesson learned)

[MikeD]

I remember back in the olden times as a line service guy we had Burbank PD (H500), Glendale PD (H300), CHP (JetRanger) and KCAL (AS350), and we'd obviously have to fuel all of them. I do recall having a seperate nozzle on the truck that you'd have to swap to fuel the A-Star. When the riots started and we started hot fueling things could've gotten sideways pretty quick but everyone kept their heads together and we never F'ed up.

Damn Eurotrash helicopter. I’ll take an MD500/520/600 (H500) any day and twice on Sunday, over an AS (Aerospatiale/Eurocopter) / H (Airbus) light helo.

 

[knot4u]

Damn Eurotrash helicopter. I’ll take an MD500/520/600 (H500) any day and twice on Sunday, over an AS (Aerospatiale/Eurocopter) / H (Airbus) light helo.

I have no issue with the A-Star or the Twin-Star, after fueling them for a while I ended up working on them. But I wasn't flying them. If memory serves they were fairly simple but perpetually underpowered until the B2 variant came out, the twins I worked on were all Allison powered and a bit heavy, I alway figured the second engine would just make an auto a bit slower. What do I know, I'm just a dumb mechanic.
ETA: Unless you're talking about a Lycoming powered A-Star, that's a zombie apocalypse escape machine just like an A model C-130.

 

[CoffeeIcePapers]

I did the same thing in my car once with diesel. Luckily the diesel side didn’t activate.

 

[MikeD]

I have no issue with the A-Star or the Twin-Star, after fueling them for a while I ended up working on them. But I wasn't flying them. If memory serves they were fairly simple but perpetually underpowered until the B2 variant came out, the twins I worked on were all Allison powered and a bit heavy, I alway figured the second engine would just make an auto a bit slower. What do I know, I'm just a dumb mechanic.
ETA: Unless you're talking about a Lycoming powered A-Star, that's a zombie apocalypse escape machine just like an A model C-130.

Never flew a 355 Twinstar, but it seems like the second engine just carries its own weight……no major gain in lifting capacity. Have or currently instruct on the single engine variants BA, B2, B3, B3-2B1, B3e, and H125. Overall they aren’t bad, but for what we do with them, the are better at medium altitude work. the MD/Hughes birds are far better at the low altitude work of sign tracking or even powerline/power pole work and such, anything that requires precision hover, hence why I like the MD500/600 that Ive flown doing that work.. The AS350 D model with the LTS-101 engine, there’s one flying around PHX, but I haven’t had the opportunity to fly it.

 

[killbilly]

I did actually.

I reread it again and from my comprehension. It sounds like you got distracted, which had prevented you from starting fueling. Right?

No.

I wasn't thinking about the whole fueling operation while I was doing it. I was interrupted by someone who saved me from a potential mistake because I wasn't mentally present in what I was doing. Instead, I was thinking entirely about the next leg of the flight.

 

[Maximilian_Jenius]

No.

I wasn't thinking about the whole fueling operation while I was doing it. I was interrupted by someone who saved me from a potential mistake because I wasn't mentally present in what I was doing. Instead, I was thinking entirely about the next leg of the flight.

...yeah that's what I wrote. You got distracted thinking about weather, VFR altitudes. What time you might get home etc.

 

[Stone Cold]

Stupid question. But are the nozzles different? I haven't fueled anything with Jet A in 4 decades. My RV (motorhome, not plane) burns diesel and the nozzle handle is always green.

Be careful…it’s yellow in Canada. I thought the same way you did…always green, until it wasn’t.

 

[gliderboy]

I would suggest that the true cause was not 'not paying attention' but stress. When you're stressed, as the OP clearly was, you often don't see things even if you're looking right at them. Ask me how I know.....

 

[knot4u]

Never flew a 355 Twinstar, but it seems like the second engine just carries its own weight……no major gain in lifting capacity. Have or currently instruct on the single engine variants BA, B2, B3, B3-2B1, B3e, and H125. Overall they aren’t bad, but for what we do with them, the are better at medium altitude work. the MD/Hughes birds are far better at the low altitude work of sign tracking or even powerline/power pole work and such, anything that requires precision hover, hence why I like the MD500/600 that Ive flown doing that work.. The AS350 D model with the LTS-101 engine, there’s one flying around PHX, but I haven’t had the opportunity to fly it.

I wish I had a video, but I'll try to describe what happened one night a long time ago on the ramp at KBUR. As I've said we fueled and hangared several LEO helicopters, Glendale PD had a H300, CHP had a 206, Burbank PD had two H500's. One night they all happened to arrive back at the same time and they all had called in for fuel, they were basically waiting in a hover on the taxiway as each would land on their dolly on the ramp (now they've got their peers eyeballing them, they were all friends). CHP came in an almost rushed yet controlled approach to his pad and landed with nary a bounce after setting down. Glendale PD came in directly afterwards with a much more precise and measured landing. Burbank PD had the spot closest to the hangar, as he taxied in behind the others he did a 360 rudder turn, I'd swear his altitude at 10' didn't change an inch. I was in a truck waiting to fuel them and I just started laughing, it was one of the best displays of flying I've ever seen it was so smooth. I still smile when I think about it.

 

[MikeD]

I wish I had a video, but I'll try to describe what happened one night a long time ago on the ramp at KBUR. As I've said we fueled and hangared several LEO helicopters, Glendale PD had a H300, CHP had a 206, Burbank PD had two H500's. One night they all happened to arrive back at the same time and they all had called in for fuel, they were basically waiting in a hover on the taxiway as each would land on their dolly on the ramp (now they've got their peers eyeballing them, they were all friends). CHP came in an almost rushed yet controlled approach to his pad and landed with nary a bounce after setting down. Glendale PD came in directly afterwards with a much more precise and measured landing. Burbank PD had the spot closest to the hangar, as he taxied in behind the others he did a 360 rudder turn, I'd swear his altitude at 10' didn't change an inch. I was in a truck waiting to fuel them and I just started laughing, it was one of the best displays of flying I've ever seen it was so smooth. I still smile when I think about it.

the Hughes/MDs are extremely stable birds in a hover, as it comes to light helos. Even with their rounded fuselage bottoms, which cause birds like the astar to laterally wobble a bit in an in-ground-effect hover, that doesn’t happen with Hughes/MD birds.

 

[killbilly]

I would suggest that the true cause was not 'not paying attention' but stress. When you're stressed, as the OP clearly was, you often don't see things even if you're looking right at them. Ask me how I know.....

This is an astute observation and likely true.