2 Bits Or A Buck Fifty? How About 5 Bucks

[__________]

With my experience today i know next to nothing. But i do know it doesn't matter on your age. i was 19 when i trainned and i trained with guys in there 30's and 40's. we all got confident on our skill towards the end and thought we knew enough. and i am sure most students these days as they finish there training they believe they know more than they actually know even if they tell you otherwise. Its the ones that figure this out when they get there first job that do well. the ones that are still over confident usually piss off the CP and get fired seen it happen. Guys think they should be slining when they can't even shoot a decent approach. and guys that are really smooth and handle the machine amazingly with really bad decision making. the big thing is experience then i think to be a excellent pilot you need to be a little cocky and scared of the machine, comonsense, ect. a little bit of everything makes a good pilot.

 

 

But what do i know i'am still just a low time guy

[dimwit]

Good coments

[rotorheadrob]

Cole ad Wendel,

 

I am a very vocal cocky pilot who doesn't take lately to 50 hr guy saying what I do for a living is no problem! To hear Cole comment that it's all so simple makes what we do seem small. A 50 hr kid saying a frozen bucket on a 120 ft line is no problem speaks volumes for his understanding. By the way, what was the head doing in the water, you say the head froze, thats 30' above the bucket. If you can't hold a line within 30 ft what are you doing out by your self with that line.

 

Cole,

 

There have been 3 distinct phases in my career.

 

1) Just like you, working on getting smarter. Learning all I could, listening to the experienced guys tell stories. ( ever notice, all Grey haired pilots start every story with " no shyit there I was tree tops ")

 

2) A period a around 600 hrs when I thought I knew what I was doing! But as all good things must come to an end, the machine reminded me who was boss, it sucks when things get quiet.

 

3) A long standing memory of how quickly things get !@#$ UP!!

 

In reading your blog I and many others get the impression you have it all figured out at 50 hrs. Helicopters have an amazing ability to remind us we are tied to the most unstable machine man has ever built. And we are the piC, notice the emphasis on the C. As you write you speak of how straightforward the movement of the machine is yet never speak of the decisions, or the consequences of being wrong, Please remember helicopters are dangerous machines, and SHYIT goes wrong in a split second and accelerates until it's over. If you remember I congratulated you on your choice of Instructors way back, good reps don't happen with out good results. I wish you nothing but the best, god speed and good luck. Listen to Wendel and I am quite sure you will have a happy and long career. By the way, I have been asked a number of times in northern bars why heli pilots are so cocky, my answer, I'm not cocky because I'm a heli pilot, I'm a heli pilot because I'm cocky. If it all goes to ####, some how I believe I should have the controls. You have to earn cocky, and at 50 hrs you ain't even close!

 

Wendel,

 

I don't believe we have ever me, but I have heard nothing but good things. I congratulate you on giving a REAL WORLD training experience. I won't get into training philosophy here, but some of your students ( COLE ) comments are on the " NO PROBLEM " side. With your experience and what you do for a living, I know you don't thing that. If the kid is doing NO PROBLEM @ 50 hrs with a 200 ft line I WONDER WHAT HE HASN'T BEEN DOING. Put the kid back in his place before you 206 does.

 

Rob

[rotorheadrob]

One thing I would like to emphasis in my previous post, I do not question Wendel's teaching, All instructors teach with their experience, and that training will be reflected in the tools he uses to achieve the goal. I would like it understood, I like having a contempeary who pushes as I do.

 

KVH has an extremely high reputation, and KVH is Wendel!!

 

 

Rob

[Cole]

Rob, again youre letting the phrase "no problem" make me sound like I have it all figured out. If I could write down every aspect of every flight in 5 minutes I have to spare at the end of the day then you can bet I would outline every decision for every detail of the flight. But thats not feisable.

 

I say I have "no problem" with something when the general concept is something I understand, with regards to having 'no problem' with a 120 foot line and bucket I mean that I managed to abide by the outline wendell gave me befor hand.

I would like to tell you that "no problem" with the empty hook meant I flew it right into the other students hand and held it there without any movement what so ever and then executed the 'perfect' takeoff with the load he attatched, but more then likely 'no problem' meant I put the hook on the ground a few feet from him and he walked over and picked it up then put it on the load, then the takeoff had a few foot swing latterally.

 

The one time the head hit was the first time I put the line in solo, it was a lesson learned immediately and it was simply a matter of forgetting some items wendell and I had discussed previously. Yes, I said it, I put the head in the water because I forgot a little trick wendell showed me and had lateral movement over the water when the bucket made contact, when I compensated I failed to pull a bit more pitch and the head made just enough contact to saturate the bottom facia. I recognized this mistake and corrected the next approach,

 

I would like to say the next one was perfect, but it was merely 'no problem' with regards to the peramiters set out in the prior flight, slight lateral movement again on contact but since it hit the head that one time it hasnt happend again.

 

Im sorry "no problem" means something for you that it doesnt for me and in order to remove the confusion I'll try to explain everything more in depth in the future.

 

When one trains with Wendell, one finds that whenever they think they are remotly skilled at something another element is introduced and it normally comes with a huge serving of humble pie.

 

Something tells me Wendell knew full well I may have the problem with the head and wanted to see what I would do given the situation. Please read the blog and tell me if what I did was wrong.

 

The main reason I do the blog is simply to aquire more feedback as to what I can do to fix little problems, IE the jetranger lumbar support thanks Shawn. I guess the last couple of weeks posting I've been complacent in the wording and its caused me to come across as cocky.

 

Sorry again, lets see how tomorrow goes.

Cole

[FREDDIE]

Hey Rob I have been in this Industry for 15 plusyears I guess TC has Changed the hr requirements for each excercise. I think correct me if I am wrong each excercise had time requirements and they all add up to 100 Hrs HMMMMMMMMMMMM.I guess I must be a late Bloomer I don't remember Longlining being in the transport course and how many hrs should be dedicated to that excercise.HMMMMMMMM I wonder what Transport would think about this variation in the training. Must be an add on to the course hmmmmmmmmm but wouldn't you add on after the course requirements are completed Hmmmmmmmmmm. It would interest me if someone would let me know if I am thinking straight or if I have just been in the bush too long. HMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[hybrid]

Hey Rob I have been in this Industry for 15 plusyears I guess TC has Changed the hr requirements for each excercise. I think correct me if I am wrong each excercise had time requirements and they all add up to 100 Hrs HMMMMMMMMMMMM.I guess I must be a late Bloomer I don't remember Longlining being in the transport course and how many hrs should be dedicated to that excercise.HMMMMMMMM I wonder what Transport would think about this variation in the training. Must be an add on to the course hmmmmmmmmm but wouldn't you add on after the course requirements are completed Hmmmmmmmmmm. It would interest me if someone would let me know if I am thinking straight or if I have just been in the bush too long. HMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

HMMMMMMMMMM Been in the bush too long

[AH1]

Interesting point. Wandering away from the sylabus requiring pre-requisit requirments. Didn't see the obvious.

[SLB]

Mr. FREDDIE

 

I am sure that your knowledge of the Canadian Aviation Regulations is adequate for your current position in the aviation industry. Perhaps reviewing the CAR’s prior to commenting on flight training operations would have been prudent.

 

You should start with CAR Standard 421.31. Since the CAR’s can be wordy & difficult to follow, I recommend Phil Crouchers excellent book “CAR’S in plain English”.

 

You could also spend a little time on the Transport Canada website and have a look at TP4818E Flight Instructor Guide-Helicopters, pay particular attention to Part II - The Ground and Air Instructors Syllabus, Exercise 28 - Sling Load Operations.

 

If you did not receive any slinging instruction during your initial flight training, it may have been because you required the whole 100 hours to reach the flight test standard for the basic maneuvers. Most student’s reach that level earlier in the training program, thus having time for more advanced training.

 

You may want to take your computer in for a service, It appears your “M” key is sticking a little bit.

 

Wendell

[sirlandsalot]

great post Wendell...after 70-80 hrs and with the flight test out of the way, time to go have some fun!