Kick The Tires And Light The Fires!

[Cole]

Thanks twinstar!

 

So im back in Creston, after what was probably the most intresting, yet longest drive from Penticton to here ever.

 

Took quite a long time then while a black excursion was flying by me on the Salmo Pass he decided to merge back once in front of me, but not like most peolpe, smoothely and relatively safely, he cranked on the wheel, spun the car and then flipped it about 5 or 6 times into the ditch.

 

So obviously I stop and make sure hes okay, which he was amazingly enough. He gets out and I said something to the effect of "I dont think youre supposed to park there" to try and lighten the mood, which was evidently a bad idea haha. He started in on me about how hes been driving for x amount of years and he knows better then I do and he knows how to drive. The cop standing behind him decided to remind him that my cars the same shape it was originally (and was made 20 years befor his) and his is upside down in a ditch.

 

Unfortunately by the time I ended up here (about 4 hours later then planned thanks to a tonne of distractions) although the weather was decent, the other student and Wendell had decided to cancel the day much earlier when it wasnt as nice.

 

Back to flying tomorrow, we should be getting some ground school on flying with loads and lines tomorrow and may even start the long lining.

 

Cheers!

Ill fill you in tomorrow.

Cole

[rotorheadrob]

Hey Cole,

 

Sounds like things are going well, you have been dreaming about this for so long, you must be flyin even when you're on the ground. You show the same enthusiasm that drives a good instructor, and I hear only good thing about yours. It's the success of the student that makes us do the job. Good luck, go slow and welcome to the club.

 

By the way,

I was just voted in as the union leader for the BC region. It was a secret vote so don't ask for details!!! I hope you have budgeted for your dues!!!They are due in an unmarked envelope handed to me discreetly ( cash ), or a couple of cold ones if you get to Pitt Meadows. ( note to the forum gremlins-----please do not read more into this than there is, just kiddin not a HAC or HEPAC reference)

 

 

Just curious and not second guessing Wendel in any way, but have you short lined or are you going strait to vertical reference. How long of a line?

 

Good luck on your flight test!!!! Did I mention, go slow?

 

 

Rob

[bleepo]

...I'll be doing the blog shortly after Daz!

 

Rotorheadrob, how many times this Christmas season were you asked for gift certificates? Just once you say?

[rotorheadrob]

Bleepo,

 

I don't understand the question???????

 

 

 

 

 

Rob

[bleepo]

Oh, my wife told me she called you and asked for a gift certificate from my intro flight.

[Cole]

7500?

 

Well the weather took a turn for the worse so we decided to rattle off some more auttos, now at 500 feet in a recon situation, which were alot of fun, followed by stuck pedals and tailrotor failures.

 

Fairly fun day overall. Tomorrow well be slinging with the good old 300.

 

Cheers.

Cole

[Cole]

Today was another milestone, External Loads!

 

At about 52 hours I strapped myself to the seat of the 300 and flew away with wendell off to a dyke for some sling training, without a sling.

 

The first excercise was simply hovering with only vertical referance and maintaining a solid hover while repostitioning your head out the door (seems like a simple task but when youre 6'3'' in a 300 its easier typed then done). This portion of the flight lasted only about .1 or .2 befor we burned back to have the other student hook up the load, a hay bail in a cargo net on a 50 foot line. The duration of the whole flight was about .9 befor Wendell decided it was time to move on to bigger and better.

 

The other student flew the 100' line first and then it was my turn, I picked it up with little trouble right from our confined little hangar and we headed for the same field we were in befor. 1 touch down and I felt the hairs stand up on my neck while thinking "that went really well". Typically, whenever one flies with Wendell and thinks "that went well" it means a brand new level of hard is about to happen... this was no exception. Picked the bail back up and was told to head north along the river, which I did befor being told where I was to put it.

 

So in stead of a large open area this one was slightly to small to land the helicopter in. 'Okay' I thought, no problem, and it wasnt, straight in with little hesitation and a decent appraoch, minor swing on the immediate final, other then that "it went really well" So wendell demonstrates the next step, extremely confined areas haha. The one he put it in was to small to park my car, and for that matter probably even my motorcycle in, but he gave me one slightly easier. Slightly. That one was a bit trickier mainly because of the intimidation factor, but it was also alot tighter.

 

On the way home we put into one more that went really well, nice approach barely any swing to take care of, got it down into the area no problem.

 

After that we wrapped up our first day and im excited for whatever comes next.

 

Cole

[transquebecniece]

A belated congrats, Cole. Knew you could do it. What dreams may come.

[Cole]

Im starting to run out of dreams as far as variety goes anyway, now my dreams are to advance at what im doing... the basic plan is that something may get longlined into a pickup truck, something heavy and expensive.

 

My goals for the remainder of the course are as follows:

 

-Longline reasonably well

-Fly the jetranger as if I'm attatched to it

-Be as smoothe as possible

-Ace the practical flight test

-Be the best pilot I can with 100 hours

-Hone mountain skills until confident on anything.

 

Theres lots more but those are really my main focuses. After that its just get a job somewhere (of course, as everyone does, I have some places in mind and some tricks up my sleeve) and then advance that job until Im flying.

 

Anyone looking for a lowtime pilot?

[Skids Up]

Cole,

 

Nothing but fun and games!

 

The only thing that makes long lining harder, is to have a ground crew waiting and watching you come in to set the load. :lol:

 

They sometimes offer up some humble pie!! But don't quit, it'll come back... :jerry:

 

 

:lol: