Question For The Experianced Long Liners Out There

[Auto Relight]

I hear you 500D,

 

In most types I'm with you - don't pull the CB, but in the 500 with expensive pieces down there I'll pull it as the manual release is so accessible on the cyclic.

 

I've used everything from 250ft lines to 50ft kevlar, all depends on the job you're doing at the time. Above the tree line, moving drills, 50ft Spectra, no remote hook. In the big timber, up to 250ft. There aren't many situations moving drills that require a remote hook, so it sits in the Ops shed.

 

I do however fail to see the reasoning behind 100ft+ steel lines anymore, the other option is lighter, more docile, and if taken care of well, durable. Why add many pounds of extra weight whn lifting Max loads?

 

AR

[500driver]

I'm with you on that. I was speaking more of the Bells. 500 and the Astar where the release is on the collective no troubles.

[fan]

Well i want to thank everybody for the good inputs.....

All i do is move drills pretty much and so to answer many , no there is not much need for a remote hook except for the weight of it, and by that i mean in regards to the astar (specially with the small window),it realy helps to see your line without contorting like a pretzel .As far as the breaker goes i think it's a personal choice , i rarely use it ,but recently started on occations, with some greener crews as they often give u crazy loads no matter how much time you spend explaining things.........The weight of the remote (seems to me) also comes in handy as a dampener in case you loose the load, i think that it prevents the line from coming up at you .And really this is my main concern: safety, and what i was trying to achieve with this post ....Getting some feedback on the safety aspect . Seems to me that a piano wire all tensed up with no weight at the end ....if something goes ,well ive seen piano or guitar strings break and it seems like a messy proposal under the belly of your machine ,all in the name of saving a couple of hundred bucks!I have never punched a load but in my short career i have lost a number , always because of bad rigging from bellow.

Not to mention pissing the customers off as you regularly, on rainy or wet days, floor 220+lbs hard working men to the ground with the static discharge, then watch them run or make a fist at you. I know its kinda of funny the first time but it gets old pretty quick. And its **** to work with ,obviously the person deciding to do that purchase hasent tryied to coil a 100' line multiple times a day in a while......In the end yes it will do the job (untill ??) but is it safe? is it worth it to save a few bucks ....my understanding is a good synthetic line is about 900$. And what year is this? are we in 2007 ? my 2 cents

Again thanks for all the good inputs

[ValKiran.mtc]

I prefer to work with plasma line, a sheath and an external cable inside the sheath. From my short years of experience, the sheath protects the line from dirt and sunlight, the cable can be fixed when the remote hook won't work and the plasma line is lighter and easier for me to hoof around.

 

The problems I run into are some pilots get frustrated real fast when flying an empty line. They want to go tearing across the sky as fast as they would without a line and therefore complain bitterly about the sheathed lines and how poorly they fly empty. I can't count the amount of times I've been asked to add more duct tape to the four rolls all ready spread across the line-or argued about pulling the sheath off completely.

 

The company I work for went with those braided-sheathed, internal wiring, Spectrum lines this year, and the complaints about the aerodynamics of the lines vanished. The 100 ft line that we worked with began to fail to open the hook under load. Ground tested great, continuity tested great...until I started manipulating the line. Then all ten wires showed intermittent continuity. Just handling the line, everything in the top third felt strained and super tight, where the bottom third felt like everything had slid down....probably stretched all the wires down the inside of the line:

 

the fix:

good old external cable taped to the outside!!! til we could take it out of service and send it out to get repaired!!

 

As an engineer, I like what i can fix, and fix quickly and efficiently. But, then again, I'm not the one flying either.

 

We have a drill crew here that will grab a branch, 2x4, sledge handle or even a twig to touch the hook first before they grab it...seems to work great for static discharge.

[skullcap]

Just like an old record will put in my two cents:

 

Nobody uses kevlar anymore, last one I heard of used was early nineties. Kevlar is affected adversely by sunlight and oils/fuels, also kevlar cannot be bent over a thimble in small diameter like amsteel it needs a huge thimble to maintain safe lifting ratio. When using synthetics be it spectra/amsteel blue, these are completely unaffected by fuel or uv. They need to be kept clean and free of dirt is all and away from heat!!!

 

I agree with Valkiran that internal wires tend to suck, unless you use an electric swivel. Small diameter cover is nice though. I have one line that had spiral rap, was sweet but was not able to stay clean thus put a cover on it.

 

As for a steel line, hmpf, crap. False sense of security as far as elasticity is concerned, will recoil much more than amsteel.

 

Whatever you have given though will treat you ok if you keep it clean and inspected.

sc

[Skidz]

I think that whether you use Spectra, Amsteel Blue or Steel, the most important thing is to keep your gear in good order. Treat it with the same care you do your machine and it will serve it's purpose.

 

The line I've been using the past two years is a Canam Spectra with external wire and sheath, with a swivel and heavy (~20lbs) remote hook. Flies great empty (70-90 kt depending on winds). The heavy hook makes all the difference. We also have some of those heavy Amsteel lines with internal wire and no sheath. I hate 'em ! They're heavy as **** (77 lbs for a 100ft line and hook), take up a lot of room in the machine when not in use and the large line diameter means a lot more drag when empty or even with light loads.

[rotax1140]

I think that whether you use Spectra, Amsteel Blue or Steel, the most important thing is to keep your gear in good order. Treat it with the same care you do your machine and it will serve it's purpose.

 

The line I've been using the past two years is a Canam Spectra with external wire and sheath, with a swivel and heavy (~20lbs) remote hook. Flies great empty (70-90 kt depending on winds). The heavy hook makes all the difference. We also have some of those heavy Amsteel lines with internal wire and no sheath. I hate 'em ! They're heavy as **** (77 lbs for a 100ft line and hook), take up a lot of room in the machine when not in use and the large line diameter means a lot more drag when empty or even with light loads.

 

 

ton anglais est po pire mon gros !!!!!

[Freefall]

forgive the ignorance of a low timer, but what is amsteel?

[Auto Relight]

Just spent the last couple weeks with a steel line after all the rest of the year using synthetic lines.... All I can say is *&$# steel. :down:

 

I forgot how annoying it is to lug around.

 

AR

[Guest Angry Egg Driver]

I'm pretty sure that the mining association in BC forbids the use of remote hooks on any helicopters for use in mining operations.I could be wrong but thats what i've been told.