learning to fly a helicopter

I learned to fly at 4N1 (Greenwood Lake Airport) I do not believe they have helicopters there. You can look at any of the local places that have them. Just keep in mind, if you do not like the instructor get a new one. They will be the difference between a great, good, or crappy experience!

Best of luck.

 

Glad you are enjoying the training. Any ideas of a job after you get your cert? I know they are few and far between and usually require lots of time.

 

I'm trying to get in with the police....there are a few different ways to do it, but I think I'll end up as a ground officer for a couple of years first.

 

One of the reasons is that some folks are a little intimidated by the R22 low inertia main rotor system, in just three seconds after complete engine failure you have lost a lot of main rotor system rpms, if it gets below 87% then say your prayers, you wont recover rpms and this does happens very quickly in this model. For practice autorotations in case of an engine failure in a R22 my instructors wanted collective full down within a second. The R44 will feel more like a Bell Jet Ranger in that type of situation. But if one is going to follow the professional helicopter path I still think that one has to do his learning in a R22 since most schools use those for training and also the heavier and slower Schwiezer, but that one has an articulated main rotor system that some feel more comfortable with. Way too many choices, but one has to follow the path to the industry if one wants to be a pro pilot anbd that means getting signed off in different models and the instrument rating is another issue.

Someone above asked and yes R22 do have governors.

 

How much can a helicopter pilot hope to make...say, working for an oil company and flying personnel to and from rigs? Just curious. Sounds like fun, interesting work.

 

Guys owning a Robinson R22 isn't that bad as far as expenses go, you need over 2,000 before you need to do what in here in Ferrari land we call a major service. Now I don't know how much it goes for but it used to be between $40k to $60k if you wanted new paint, interior taken care off along with all the mechanical and what not. Insurance is pricy.

 

I know of pilots making over $100k a year, it depends. Oil rig stuff not as much, many rookies take that route for building hours so they can get a better paying job. The good side is that you work shifts like two weeks on and two weeks off. Same for hospitals, maybe a week on and a week off, but flying the emergency helicopters is very profitable and there's a competition for those jobs.

A friend of mine ended up flying in New Zealand for a fishing group and it was tax free $65k for the season.

Fly privately in Iraq and you'll be making a hell of a pay check.

 

Many of the Warrant Officers I commanded got out of the Army and went to fly in the Gulf for the rigs... Also many of the instructors at Fort Rucker (Helio training) were former rig pilots and they got out of it as soon as possible because of the low pay. They started at as low as 23K a year some started as high as 35K a year. There are many more copter pilots than jobs out there so the pay is not the best in the general private sector. Business and government make pretty good money.

low inertia main rotor system is nothing to be worried about. It is just like learning to fly on a low power plane. If you can fly an under powered plane you will do fine or even better on a well powered plane. Helios are the same low inertia R22, UH-60, OH-58D etc. lose speed very very quickly. However, they gain RPM back quickly because of the same reasons as long as you have an engine.

 

Exactly as long as you have an engine, I didn't know the UH-60 had low inertia!

All I say the the new guys here flying helicopter is follow a detailed pre flight, the dead mans curve, no negative Gs, never exceed your VNE, don't overspeed your rotor rpm, and all should be fine.

I see some fix wing pilots here and remember to throw out all you know about how to fly or in a helicopter you'll pay greatly. The biggest misconceptions on how to fly a helicopter comes from high time fixed wing pilots. Your reflexes in an emergency will work against you.

I remember the video at ground school when a just rated private pilot husband on his first flight along with his wife . His engine shut down because of carburetor icing and he didn't lower the collective right away. As his descent was caught by amateur video one can see the blades completely stopped as he falls down like a rock. Lower the collective on time, don't freeze on the controls.

 

Flying offshore is far from fun. It is repetitive and boring but unfortunately are golden handcuffs once you've been doing it for a while. I have been in the offshore game for over 20 years and trust me one oil rig is just like another. You gain satisfaction from doing the job to the best of your ability every landing but it's a stretch to call it fun.

In Australia I make just over USD $200k a year as a senior check and training pilot. A good solid wage but by no means "big" dollars in terms of someone of my experience in a similar role who works for an oil company as opposed to an aviation company.

Nobody goes flying for the money.

Regards,

Neil

 

Neil,
thanks for the info. Got any "workplace" pics? Would love to see. What kind of helicopters do you fly?

 

That's the truth, I started flying fixed wing and after a demo on a Robinson I never again took another fixed wing lesson. I never worked professionally as a heli pilot, but I was planning on giving away a third of my income just to be in the cockpit day in and day out.

 

Here's a shot of an AW139 on the deck of a seismic support vessel. The next two are taken from a rescue boat during a winch recovery flight. This was when I worked for HNZCougar Helicopters. I was Chief Pilot there for two years.

These were taken about 18 months ago. I have since moved on to work for CHC Helicopters Australia, flying the same type.

Regards,

Neil
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^ Awesome machine!

I flew some hours the 206 Jet Ranger and Long Ranger besides the R22.

I lost contact with my first instructor Martin Krabichler he is originally from Austria, I have to check his last name spelling, we were good friends. If you ever came across that name let me know.

 

very nice indeed. Glad you are able to make a good living in AU. In the US there are so many rotor pilots due to the military that it is hard to find a decent paying job much less a good paying job. My flight instructor left fliying to the rigs in the Gulf after two years and was only making 28K in 2001. He was a former military pilot with over 3000 hours.

 

Great pics, and thanks again for sharing your story. Enjoyed it very much. I am an aviation freak, I guess. I always preferred the idea of rotary flight to planes, but was talked into pursuing my fixed wing pilot's license. Now you have got me yearning to take helicopter lessons. It never ends, does it?!

 

This was just today.
Sorry for the ad at the start!

Hero helicopter pilot behind Manawatu Gorge crash rescue reveals 'bloody great team effort' - National - NZ Herald News

 

That's some strong work!

I was out at Barbers Point a few days ago practicing hovers at 5 feet over a flippin' taxiway in 10G20 and that was a bear for me. Can't imagine the effort this dude was putting in!

 

Keep up with the practice Hannibal - the world needs great rescue pilots!
There were three lifts in total including one of the policemen that went in and held the head of the rig driver above the water for about an hour before the rescue!

 

Thanks! But I'm just doing it for fun. Letting the GI bill add HEL all the way through CFII to my fixed wing ratings. I hope to teach a bit eventually while home in Hawaii. No other goal really but to challenge myself. Kinda done everything I ever dreamed of with planes. So HEL ratings seem just the ticket.

 

I soloed in a TH-55 after 3.5 hours of instruction, but was already MEL rated. Eventually flew UH-1s and OH-58s (Bell JetRanger). Starting small is better and cheaper on your wallet (although the taxpayers paid for my rotorcraft-instrument rating). Good luck. It's a blast!


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This link introduces another Hannibal and yes, he truly is a knight!

Truly Exclusive New Zealand - National Geographic Russia Travel with Ahipara | Ahipara Luxury Travel New Zealand

Lots of hours - worth a search for remarkable stories.

 

I had that same dream of flying a helicopter but knew I couldn't afford it. I've been reading and studying for years on lighter and cheaper helo and finally did the move. Like many said maintnance is all in these machines. Lots of moving parts and inspection is crutial. The affodable ones were the R22 and the Hughes 300. The Robinson has a limited life and need full OH at 12 years and it is very expensive. After checking, reading, flying, shopping I finally bought a Rotorway 162F. A mistake? Maybe! I wanted something I could work on MYSELF and that fills the bill for me.

I entered the helicopter world the same way I entered the Ferrari world. With a small low cost machine and it worked for me with the 308GTB and hopefully the same will happen with the 162F.

But you really need to TRY flying one with an instructor to understand how hard it is. Determination is needed.

 

If I won the powerball lotto, it would be fun to buy a yacht with a heli pad and copter and learn to fly and be able to take off and land from the boat. That would super cool!

 

I like the t-shirt that reads "Thousands of parts rotating around an oil leak waiting for metal fatigue to set in!"