Bell Motel

[Helilog56]

Don't you idiots realize that it is 2006 and you don't have to do that, unless you are stuck in weather in the Arctic you can't get 1 hr in a jet box from a motel in this country, and just make the customer pay. If you have to sleep in the A/c to get the job, it ain't worth having.

 

RW

 

Gee, thanks RW, for that profound wisdom that i am sure you mustered out of your vast aviation experience.........

[Reddog]

Sometimes the Bell Hotel is way better than the local hotel in; Rainbow Lake, Fort Vermilion, Frobisher, Sioux Lookout, The Dead Dog Inn, etc, etc, etc.

[407 Driver]

3 nights in the Bell Hotel, room 206....

 

The first night was also the first night (wrenching) in the arctic islands, somewhere off Banks Island enroute to Rae Point. (1978)

 

Nice relaxing warm evening (-25) watching the airspeed indicator showing 20-40 mph!

 

The second night was at the bug infested mud pit known as the Paddy strip, somewhere between FSJ, Rainbow Lk and Ft Nelson. I flew a fire camp out to the strip, but the DC-3 that was bringing fuel to me, and picking up the fire fighters broke down, so no fuel, no food, no choice.

 

The third was my choice, at the Cirrus campground in Banff Park, did a 11 PM search, found the missing clown way up in the rocks, but rather than sling in after dark, waited until 5 AM to fly him off. Nice summer camp-out, no bugs, no rain, no Polar bears !

[jetbox]

Don't you idiots realize that it is 2006 and you don't have to do that, unless you are stuck in weather in the Arctic you can't get 1 hr in a jet box from a motel in this country, and just make the customer pay. If you have to sleep in the A/c to get the job, it ain't worth having.

 

Alright Rotorwing, here's another scenario: flying samplers out of a camp. We fly the crews out in the morning in great weather, come back to camp and wait until after noon to go pick them up. Lunch time rolls around with an unexpected change in the weather. We decide to bring the crews in early "just in case" and while we're out getting them, the mother of all storms grounds us between the crews and camp. By the time the weather clears, it's now night time. Voila, one more night in the Bell Hotel.

 

Better spend the night in the boonies than to take a chance pile it in!

 

You're right about one thing, someone's an idiot!

(pssssst, look in the mirror.......)

[T55]

Had to change a broken rear crosstube on a 204, stuck at 9000 ft on a heli-ski job.

2pilot's, myself and an apprentice flew up in a jetbox armed with ropes, jacks, blocks, etc. While the apprentice and I were crawling around in the snow getting things organized, the 2 pilots were watching the weather come down, go up, come down, go up, COME DOWN.

We got the job done, but were stuck on the hill for the night. Room 204 at the bell hotel was quite comfy, but a trifle chilly due to the soaked clothes. Room 206 was warmer, although a little cramped with 4 occupants. The stove was running low on fuel as well, so we used the 9000 ft, approved method of fuel transfer. I removed the baggage extender from the 206 and drained fuel from the 204 sump into it, and then poured into the 206. We fired the stove up every hour to warm our chilly butts.

We were all in good spirits and even drew straws to see who got to be the woman that night. It wasn't me or the apprentice, but that's a story for another time, ha ha

[chopper_guy]

I once spent 3 days in a 206 in September on Baffin Island. I was flying down the east coast, hopping from one headland to the next, fuel, and was over open water, on bags, when the tail twitched and started to vibrate. I had to fly for 10 more minutes to get to land where I landed and discovered that one corner of the T/R G/B had cracked and leaked out all of the oil. I was able to contact Frobisher Bay on the SSB, and when night arrived I set up the small tent under the T/B and crawled in with my trusty flare gun armed and ready to repel polar bears. I was only 2 miles from shore. When I went to sleep the weather was +3 deg C and clear. I woke op in the morning with the tent collapsed under the weight of the 4 in. of wet snow that had fallen overnight. I contacted Leroy Dean, who happened to be in Frobisher at the time and since he would have to wait for parts to get to him told him it wasn't worth the 6 hour round trip to get me when he would have to come back with the parts anyway. I spent the next 2 nights inside the Bell Hotel. Not very comfortable in the back seat for my 6'2'' frame in my sleeping bag. Cool and damp. Leroy arrived with the parts and I continued on to my contract and he went back to Frobisher.

Just remembered that I also spent one night in a 47 just outside Churchill in '72', my first year flying commercial helicopter, when the wind suddenly shifted to onshore and my 12 goose taggers and I were stuck in peasoup fog.

[Iceman]

I once did the homeless helicopter pilot thing due to domestic issues and had a very comfortable night in the Bell Hotel (206) inside the Hanger! I sleep in the fetal position anyway so it werent too bad.

[Skidz]

I once did the homeless helicopter pilot thing due to domestic issues and had a very comfortable night in the Bell Hotel (206) inside the Hanger! I sleep in the fetal position anyway so it werent too bad.

 

So....Were you sucking your thumb and sobbing quietly too after the ol' lady tossed you out ?

 

Sorry. had to ask...

[cap]

Reddog -------- I see that you and I have the same opinions on where we care to lay our bones down at night. Everytime I hear the term "Bell Hotel" I just gotta smile, BUT not for the normal reasons. I once stayed at a place that WAS called "The Bell Hotel" in a place called Matagami, PQ. The bed was higher on all four corners than in the middle and even though you booked "Single", you slept with other tiny "friends" who had many legs and bit. The "other" Bell Hotel doesn't seem quite so bad then, specially if you are paying $65/night.......and you're "the food". :down:

 

407 Driver ------ were there even any buildings remaining at Rae Pt. or had they all been gone by then when you were up there? I had the same adventure coming over to Rae from Res and JUST made it into Rae because of winds, weather and fule. I was sure happy because I KNEW I'd have warmth there someplace............BUT no buildings of ANY sort.....just nothing but miles and miles of nothing, but cold. Radio worked fine though and Dave Molely from Polar Shelf kept me company over the radio and shared his supper with me with "Newfie" jokes. :down:

[Reddog]

Too true Cap.

 

Rae Point gone? That should have been preserved as an historical monument. I once spent three days (and nights) living in the TV room there while waiting for a flight further south. Those big leather chairs and couches were mighty comfy.

Edited January 8, 2006 by Reddog