Helicopter Pilots are Different

Click on cartoon "twice" to see it better :-)

Mary found this cartoon for me on the internet. I do have one caveat with this retrospect of helicopter pilots from Harry Reasoner. In the event of engine failure helicopters can and do glide in what we call an autorotation. In effect we become gyrocopters during the autorotation phase of flight. Have you ever seen a Sycamore leaf spin to the ground? Instead of the engine driving the main rotor the wind drives the rotor. Through tons of practice we develop the skills required to land the machine without engine power. It's an exciting and quick maneuver; a definite test of concentration and reflexes. Other than that the cartoon is spot on!

Over Alaska's Ranges

Over Alaska's Ranges

Want to see Alaska from the comfort of your home? Well, you’re crazy!

Here is Mary's blog she worked on a couple of years ago. It's about our hiking adventures. I know this has nothing to do with helicopters but I thought I would throw this in while I come up with the next topic. I will say on one of these hikes a significant event happened which inspired me to seriously think about flying helicopters again, which I’ll explain in one of my future postings. In the mean time what I should be doing is studying for the CFI - Rotorcraft exam. For some reason I keep stalling...

Upper Reed Lake

For those interested in hiking the Reed Lakes trail, and if you have enough energy, all the way to the B-29 bomber that rests on Bomber Glacier above upper Reed Lake, here's an excellent site with more information. The trail is out of Palmer Alaska on the way to Hatcher's Pass 56 miles from Anchorage. We've hiked a lot of trails in the area and this is by far one of our favorites!

The Freedom of Flight

Photo by Rubin Ramon of Mexico

2009 Costco photo contest winner

Taken at the Wameru Zoo in Queretaro, Mexico

"It captures a complicated mix of feelings of the chimpanzee about being captive, like anger, sadness, desperation and impotence," Ramon says. "I also believe that the bars match very well with this idea."

What a powerful picture! I came home from work and found a Costco magazine in the mail box with this photo inside. It really grabbed my attention because it was exactly how I was feeling today sitting there in my cubicle. I'm a construction estimator, bean counting more or less. The cubicle feels like my very own jail cell. The photo portrays how I was feeling sitting there thinking about flying helicopters. I need the freedom of flight or if I go too long without flying I get depressed, even though it scares the shit out of me sometimes, we call that pucker factor. It's what I thrive on, it’s what I think about all the time, and it's what makes me feel alive. The cubicle feels more and more like a coffin. It's time for a change!

UPDATE: I did resign from my government job with the Corps of Engineers on the 26th of March 2010 to pursue my passion for helicopter flying more vigorously. Ahhh... the office view is excellent now!

Ten Commandments for Helicopter Flying

L/C Willis R. "Joe" Kusy, who wrote the "Ten Commandments for Helicopter Flying" in 1949, died on 5 July 2004.  His "Ten Commandments" slowly found their way to all the helicopter military training bases and became the "bible" for all military helicopter schools around the country.

The following is paraphrased from the book Learning to Fly Helicopters, by R. Randall Padfield.

The Commandments were found all over Fort Wolters, Texas and Fort Rucker, Alabama where they trained the Vietnam era helicopter pilots. They were printed on plaques, on prints suitable for framing, on beer mugs, on wallet-size cards, on posters, and other items. The commandments were also bought as graduation gifts by wives for their pilot-husbands, perhaps hoping to avoid becoming widows.

Hiller OH-23 Raven

There are a lot of ways to get yourself into trouble flying helicopters, but if you follow these commandments you can avoid most of them.

Ten Commandments for Helicopter Flying


I. He who inspecteth not his aircraft gives his angels cause for concern. (Corollary: inspect your aircraft carefully before each flight.)

II. Thou shalt not become airborne without first ascertaining the level of thy propellant. (It is better to spend minutes refueling than hours regretting.)

III. Let infinite discretion govern thy movement near the ground, for the area of destruction is vast. (Use extra caution while operating on or near the ground.)

IV. Thy rotor RPM is thy staff of life, without it thou shalt surely perish. (Low RPM is really dangerous. Keep it within safe operating range.)

V. Thou shalt maintain thy speed between ten and four hundred feet, lest the earth rise and smite thee. (Complete recovery is doubtful in case of power failure at slow speed within the dead man's curve of the height/velocity diagram.)

VI. Thou shalt not make a trial of thy center of gravity, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. (A few misplaced pounds may exceed the limits of your controls.)

VII. Thou shalt not let thy confidence exceed thy ability, for broad is the way to destruction. (I think I can make it' is high up on the list of famous last words.)

VIII. He that doeth his approach and alloweth the wind to turn behind him shall surely make restitution. (Make all approaches into the wind.)

IX. He who allows his tail rotor to catch in the thorns, curseth his children. (Avoid a terminating tail low attitude while near the ground.)

X. Observe thou these parables lest on the morrow thy friends mourn thee. (Safety dwells with the pilot who flies as safe as he can.)

12 December 2008 SOLO!

12 December 2008

Solo!...what a great feeling! Marcus Roulet, Chief Flight Instructor for Alyeska Helicopters, was my instructor that day. I believe I had approximately 29 hours; I would have soloed sooner if it wasn’t for my flight physical at the Heart of Eagle River clinic in Eagle River, Alaska. I ended up waiting an extra two and half weeks for my 3rd class physical. I found out the doctor doesn't sign his own flight physicals, he sends them into Anchorage to the main FAA Flight Doctor to be signed. In the mean time I kept flying. Lessons learned: 1) Ask your flight instructors who they go to for their physicals and take their advice, 2) get your flight physical done as soon as possible in case there are issues. I waited until I had 19 hours in my log book assuming the physical would only take a couple of hours and I'd have the medical certificate in hand when I walked out of the clinic. Live and learn.

I need to stress this point about soloing -- there is no correlation on how good a pilot you’re going to be by the number of hours it takes you to solo (within reason :-). Flying helicopters is about being patient; it's about proficiency, consistency, a good attitude towards safety, learning to relax on the controls, and having FUN flying the helicopter!

Photo credits go to Marcus Roulet

Chickenhawk by Robert Mason

I was in the Air Force stationed in Melbourne, Florida 1993 to 1997 at Patrick AFB. I was always interested in flying helicopters but after reading Chickenhawk by Robert Mason in 1994 I was inspired to fly them. I believe I was in Waldenbooks checking out the Vietnam section when I came across the book; I was captivated and couldn’t put it down. I had already earned my private pilot fixed wing license back in 1987 but I had not flown in a few years. Moving around in the military didn’t help my cause when it came to flying. After reading Chickenhawk I knew I wanted to fly helicopters but didn’t have the means or the money. I did take one lesson out of Vero Beach but that was just too far and too expensive. My solution at the time was a kit helicopter made by Revolution known as the Mini-500, (they went out of business in November 1999), and in my mind making it possible to fly helicopters. In the mean time, I found Chickenhawk: Back in the World: Life After Vietnam, which is basically the story behind the story, and read that book also. I knew Robert Mason lived up in the panhandle of Florida and I was actually going to pay him a visit but thought it was best if I called first. We simply looked up his number and there he was in the directory. My wife ended up calling because I lost the nerve, Patience, Robert's wife, answered the phone. After they spoke for a few minutes it was decided that it would be best if I sent the book to be signed. I understood this and respected their privacy, besides I was starting to feel like a groupie. I packed up a nice new copy of Chickenhawk with a little note thanking him for writing the book and my plans to buy a kit helicopter by Revolution. I put the book and note along with a postage paid return envelope into a bigger envelope and sent the whole works to Robert Mason. The letter below is his response. Pretty cool!

1/6/95

Jeff-

I've seen the Revolution helicopter in action. There are a couple of things to consider about a machine like this.

1. It's single place. Hard to get dual in, that's for sure. Also  difficult to take a friend up for a ride - one of the great joys of flying these things.

2. I asked the company what the time change was for the various critical parts - that is how long would it fly before a certain part failed. They didn't know. That means some unlucky bastard will find out for them. I'm going to buy a used, real, helicopter.

Best,

Robert Mason

Robert Mason's Website

Chickenhawk-Wikipedia

Chickenhawk flies the Mosquito XET Kit Helicopter (Lee Komich, aka Connors in Chickenhawk, is kneeling in the beginning of this video helping Robert Mason start up the little turbine Mosquito)

In the book Chickenhawk (page 26) Robert Mason talks about the possibility of  being washed out of preflight (leadership) training. You had to make it through this training before you were allowed to step foot into a helicopter. Mr. Mason had a gut feeling he was on the elimination list by what the Training, Advising, and Counseling (TAC) Officers were telling him. Mr Mason brings up one of the problems they had with him, and I quote; “Also, a TAC officer announced that I was definitely not pilot material, based on his analysis of my handwriting."  I have the note he wrote and the Chickenhawk book he signed for me back in January 1995. What do you think? Long story short, Mr. Mason poured his heart out to the elimination board on why he should be given a chance to fly helicopters. He was given a second chance by the board, but had to attend preflight training again. He passed the second time around with flying colors and went on to flight training. On May 11, 1965, he earned his warrant-officer bars and silver wings after the busiest 10 months of his life, he was 23 years old.

As I’ve progressed through my helicopter pilot training there’s one more quote that I feel compelled to bring up from the book. Robert Mason was on his first mission (page 97) in a Huey out of An Khe, Vietnam and was getting checked out by Connors the designated instructor pilot for the platoon.  Quote; “Connors watched from the left seat in the classical disinterested-instructor-pilot-who-is-really-watching-like-a-hawk pose.”  This quote stands out during my check rides with Hon Kinzie, our designated helicopter examiner in Alaska.

I highly recommend reading Chickenhawk for those that have not read it yet! 

Also a book with a wealth of information about the pilots in Chickenhawk and the 1st Cav Division, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion during the Battle of the La Drang Valley is Chopper: A History of America Military Helicopter Operations from WWII to the War on Terror by Robert F. Dorr where you can find out more about Lee Komich (Connors), Robert Mason and the UHI Huey’s they flew in Vietnam.

UH-1H "Huey"  This version of the Huey was known as a "Slick".

What has become an iconic photograph of the Vietnam War - air cav troopers of an aero rifle platoon being inserted on a hilltop from a UH-1H Huey. The countless confined-area touch-and-go practice landings the pilots made during training served them well in Vietnam.  Gordon L Rottman

Flight Line: The Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam

I've always been intrigued by the Vietnam era helicopter pilots, and the harrowing experiences they went through.

What kind of men flew the first helicopter war in history? Indiana farm boys, urban tough guys, slow-talking southerners, brisk Yankees, all volunteered to fly in the jungle war on the other side of the world. This is their story, told by the pilots themselves.  Documentary made in 2000. Produced by Robert Mason the author of Chickenhawk. Hosted and narrated by Harrison Ford.  Lee Komich (Connors), and Robert Stinnett (Shaker) in Chickenhawk are interviewed in some of the segments.

Thanks for posting this very hard to find documentary; credit and kudos to  GretheBoe's Channel.  For the life of me I can't find this DVD anywhere for sale; I’m guessing it's no longer in production.

Hosted and Narrated by Harrison Ford

Flight Line: The Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam Part 1 of 6 

Flight Line: The Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam Part 2 of 6
Flight Line: The Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam Part 3 of 6
Flight Line: The Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam Part 4 of 6
Flight Line: The Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam Part 5 of 6
Flight Line: The Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam Part 6 of 6

Okay Folks, it appears the "The National Vietnam War Museum"  order page now works!  Go and get yourself a copy of “Flight Line: The Army Helicopter Pilots of Vietnam”   It's a great DVD and your contribution will help a GREAT cause!!!

Learning to Fly/Hover the R22 19 Oct 2008 @ 9 hrs

So I had this great idea...I'll have my wife, Mary, shoot a little video of me hovering at approximately 9 hours of flight time. I thought I was pretty good at hovering until I felt the pressure of Mary using the video camera. My instructor was Nico von Pronay. Those hangers in front of me and the helicopter behind me were a little too close for my measly 9 hours. I could imagine splintering rotor blades as they smashed into the building and that parked helicopter. I was too careful in the beginning and felt tense which would translate into overcompensating with the controls and those dam pedals were so sensitive. It's all a part of learning to relax with the machine.

My Objective for this BLOG

This blog is for the helicopter student, to be used as a training guide, and an outlet for my experiences in becoming a helicopter pilot in Alaska. Also included are other miscellaneous ramblings, about helicopters, that may pop, indiscriminately, into my head.

At the moment I'm trying to muster up the motivation to study for the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Rotorcraft FAA exam. I've already taken the Fundamentals of Instruction (FOI's) exam and scored a 98%. That test wasn't particularly hard. The CFI-Rotorcraft exam is going to be more involved and require a lot more in-depth study time.

As I get more into this BLOG I'll start from the beginning on my road to becoming a helicopter pilot and hopefully, eventually becoming a Certified Flight Instructor in helicopters and sharing my love of helicopters with those that want to learn to fly these incredible machines.