Tampa PD Helo Rescues Flight Express Pilot

That's awesome.

Those PD guys are cool. We'd shoot the crap with them on occasion since their hangar was right next to FLX.

On a related note, when I was there back in '07, one of the guys had just gotten a job with Southern Air Systems, just across the runway. He was on his last week, and had a total engine failure on final to what was then 36R. He barely made the runway, and only did that because he always kept it high on final. After he got towed to the hangar, he called ops and quit. Didn't see the need to kill himself during his last week of employment before going to fly *more reliable equipment.

*not to say that the equipment at FLX isn't reliable.
 
TFaudree_ERAU said:
That's awesome.

Those PD guys are cool. We'd shoot the crap with them on occasion since their hangar was right next to FLX.

On a related note, when I was there back in '07, one of the guys had just gotten a job with Southern Air Systems, just across the runway. He was on his last week, and had a total engine failure on final to what was then 36R. He barely made the runway, and only did that because he always kept it high on final. After he got towed to the hangar, he called ops and quit. Didn't see the need to kill himself during his last week of employment before going to fly *more reliable equipment.

*not to say that the equipment at FLX isn't reliable.
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That story sounds very familiar. ;-)

I remember when one of those Tampa PD Helo guys forgot he had gear going into Opa Locka and bent the tips on the prop a bit. Good guy. Felt bad for the guy. I think he just got a slap on the wrist and back to the line. I loved the management at FLX.
 
The guy I sold my club share to is a Tampa PD helo pilot - will have to see if he was one of of the guys involved.
 
Great job by the PD. It seemed like they were always out flying in the middle of the night when I was coming in there flying for AirNet.
 
Maurus said:
I don't think he declared a emergency and he turned down having the ARFF ride out to greet him. It is an unfortunately common problem and it was great that the PD helo was there.
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Yeah, I'm guessing based on the fact that he sounded older than dirt that he flew a bit back when the FAA would come by and "pay you a little visit" for declaring an emergency. Probably a bit gunshy for that reason. I've declared an emergency exactly once (at Hartsfield, no less!), and aside from the embarrassment of having what must have been 30 ARFF vehicles slowly follow me to the ramp, it was easy-peasy lemon squeezy. If you're in doubt, declare. The worst thing that can happen is you feel like kind of a dumbass, which obviously wasn't a new feeling for me!
 
Boris Badenov said:
Yeah, I'm guessing based on the fact that he sounded older than dirt that he flew a bit back when the FAA would come by and "pay you a little visit" for declaring an emergency. Probably a bit gunshy for that reason. I've declared an emergency exactly once (at Hartsfield, no less!), and aside from the embarrassment of having what must have been 30 ARFF vehicles slowly follow me to the ramp, it was easy-peasy lemon squeezy. If you're in doubt, declare. The worst thing that can happen is you feel like kind of a dumbass, which obviously wasn't a new feeling for me!
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Or perhaps it was the typical 210 scenario of thinking you have more glide than you actually do.
 
Boris Badenov said:
Yeah, apparently them props don't feather. Wish someone had told me back then!
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Nah, but I do remember Austin(don't know if Austin was there when you were there) showing me what pulling the lever back can do. It was an obvious bump in glide performance.
 
UAL747400 said:
Nah, but I do remember Austin(don't know if Austin was there when you were there) showing me what pulling the lever back can do. It was an obvious bump in glide performance.
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If you have oil pressure. The 210 (and most [all?]) requires oil pressure to move the prop toward low RPM.
 
UAL747400 said:
(don't know if Austin was there when you were there)
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I have partied with Austin P. Collins (sorry, inside joke, I think his middle initial is something else). You wouldn't think a guy who can quote every paragraph of 135 from memory could swing that hard. He's a good dude, robotic, possibly semi-autistic initial impression notwithstanding. They only made one Austin, that's for sure.
 
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Dude. That was explitive-ing awesome. Not the off field landing part, but the immediate-awesome response part. I hope the pilot recovers.
 
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